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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD WEDNESDAY JUNE 20, 2012


VATICAN : PRAYER OPENS WAY TO MYSTERY OF GOD AND OTHER NEWS
AMERICA : NEW FILM RESTLESS HEART ON ST. AUGUSTINE
AUSTRALIA : ORDINARIATE OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED
ASIA : INDIA : 2, 500 GIRLS KILLED PER DAY - SEX SELECTION
AFRICA : GHANA : 2 NUNS KILLED IN BUS ACCIDENT
EUROPE : EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS - RENEWAL IN IRISH CHURCH
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : WEDNESDAY JUNE 20 , 2012
TODAY'S SAINT : JUNE 20 : ST. SILVERIUS
VATICAN : PRAYER OPENS WAY TO MYSTERY OF GOD AND OTHER NEWS
(IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
PRAYER OPENS THE WAY TO THE MYSTERY OF GOD'S PLAN
Vatican City, 20 June 2012 (VIS) - During his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, Benedict XVI continued his ongoing series of catecheses on the subject of prayer in the Letters of St. Paul.
"Our prayers are often a request for help in our hour of need", he said. "That is natural because we need help, the help of other people and of God. We must also bear in mind that the prayer Christ taught us, the Our Father, is just such a petition. With that prayer the Lord teaches us our priorities. Yet, although it is natural to ask for things in prayer, that is not the only reason to pray. There is also cause to give thanks, ... because we receive so many good things from God. Thus prayer should also be praise and, if we open our hearts, we come to realise that, despite all problems, creation is beautiful and good".
In chapter one of his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul praises God "because 'he has made known to us the mystery of his will'. ... For believers 'mystery' does not so much mean the unknown as the merciful will of God, His plan of love which was fully revealed in Jesus Christ and offers us the chance 'to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth ... and depth' of that love". The unknown mystery of God has been revealed and it is that God, ever since the beginning and for all eternity, loves us.
The Pope noted how the Apostle reflects on the reasons for praising God by presenting the fundamental elements and the various stages of the divine plan. "Firstly we must bless God the Father because He ... called us into existence, He called us to sanctity, ... and we have been in His plan and His thoughts forever. ... The vocation to sanctity and communion with God is part of His eternal plan, a plan which stretches over history and which includes all the men and women of the world, because the call is universal. God excludes no one, His plan is exclusively a plan of love. ... The Apostle highlights the gratuitous nature of this marvellous design for humankind", the Holy Father said.
At the heart of prayer of praise St. Paul shows us the form in which the Father's plan of salvation is realised in Christ. "Christ's sacrifice on the cross was the unique and unrepeatable event by which the Father demonstrated ... His love for us, not just in words, but in concrete terms. God is so tangible that His love entered history, it became man to experience life and sensation in this world. So tangible is His love that it shares not only in our life, but also in our suffering and in our death. The sacrifice of the cross makes us 'the property of God'. The blood of Christ ... washes us of all evil and removes us from the slavery of sin and death".
Finally the divine blessing closes with a reference to the Holy Spirit which has been suffused in our hearts. "Redemption is not yet concluded. ... It will reach fullness when those whom God has acquired will be completely saved. We are all journeying towards redemption. ... God wants us to be free, He wants our 'yes' to be free. We travel this road of redemption together with Christ and thus redemption is fulfilled".
"In prayer we learn to see the signs of this merciful plan in the journey of the Church", the Holy Father concluded. "Thus do we grow in the love of God, opening the door for the Blessed Trinity to come and dwell among us, bringing us light and warmth and guiding our lives. ... Prayer generates men and women not animated by egoism, desire to posses and thirst for power, but by gratuitousness, the desire to love and serve. In other words, they are animated by God, and only in this way can we bring light into the darkness of the world".





BENEDICT XVI APPEALS FOR AN END TO ATTACKS IN NIGERIA
Vatican City, 20 June 2012 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, after having delivered greetings in various languages, Benedict XVI launched an appeal for an end to attacks which have taken place recently in Nigeria, and which have been particularly aimed against the Christian community there. "I appeal to leaders for an immediate end to the killing of so many innocents", he said. "It is my hope that the various components of Nigerian society will collaborate so as not to start down the path of revenge, and that all citizens will cooperate in building a peaceful and reconciled society, in which everyone's right freely to profess their faith is fully protected".





HOLY FATHER RECEIVES THE PRIME MINISTER OF LATVIA
Vatican City, 20 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:
"Today 20 June, following his general audience, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Valdis Dombrovskis, prime minister of the Republic of Latvia. The prime minister subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
"During their cordial discussions the parties highlighted the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the Republic of Latvia, and the valuable contribution the Catholic Church makes to society, in particular on questions concerning the family and the promotion of a humanism open to spiritual and transcendental values.
"The conversation also focused on questions of mutual interest, with particularly emphasis on the serious economic and financial crisis which is affecting the lives of European peoples".





OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 20 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Liepaja, Latvia, presented by Bishop Vilhelms Lapelis O.P., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

AMERICA : NEW FILM RESTLESS HEART ON ST. AUGUSTINE


PRESS RELEASE RESTLESS HEART FILM: 430 AD. The Roman Empire is beginning to crumble. The Vandals and other marauding tribes spill through the gaps in Roman defenses. And one of the greatest saints of the Christian church stands between his flock and the barbarian invaders. As he attempts to negotiate between the proud Roman authorities and the implacable Vandal king, Bishop Augustine recalls his own life before Christianity...

In this stirring and epic new film on the life of St. Augustine of Hippo, follow the great saint as he rises from his reckless days as a youth to his accomplishments as a renowned but dissolute orator. Though worldly success and riches come his way, including a position in the imperial court of Milan, satisfaction and peace elude him. It takes a confrontation with the Christian bishop Ambrose and the countless prayers offered by his patient mother, Monica, to break through his intellectual pride.

Starring Alessandro Preziosi, Monica Guerritore, Johannes Bandrup, and Franco Nero.

Coming Fall 2012. Find out more at www.RestlessHeartFilm.com

EUROPE : EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS - RENEWAL IN IRISH CHURCH

CATHOLIC HERALD REPORT:
By Michael Kelly on Monday, 11 June 2012
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin talks with choir members before the opening Mass (CNS photo)
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin talks with choir members before the opening Mass (CNS photo)
The Church in Ireland is on the path to renewal, Church leaders told pilgrims at the opening Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress on Sunday.
Welcoming pilgrims from more than 120 countries at an open-air Mass, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said: “The Church in Ireland rejoices today in the presence of pilgrims from many parts of the world who witness to the universality of our Catholic faith and who show their faith-filled fellowship and solidarity with the Church in Ireland.”
Ominous-looking clouds that had threatened proceedings receded as pilgrims began to arrive for the Mass. Delegates from the four provinces of Ireland carried their county flags and symbols of Ireland’s Christian heritage which, pilgrims were reminded, goes back to St Patrick and the fifth century. The congregation clapped and cheered as a young man spoke of Ireland’s faithfulness to the Mass during centuries of persecution in which many priests and Catholics were martyred.
International visitors took an opportunity to toll the Congress bell and “ring for renewal”. The bell has been criss-crossing the country over the past two years and an estimated 250,000 people have rung it as a concrete symbol of hopes for renewal.
In his homily, the papal legate, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, prayed the Congress would “bring a special blessing to Ireland at this turbulent time”.
He noted how “the Church in Ireland is suffering and faces many new and serious challenges of the faith”.
He continued that “well aware of these challenges, we turn together to our Lord, who renews, heals and strengthens the faith of his people”.
Archbishop Martin told the 12,500 pilgrims gathered on a rugby pitch that “the Church in Ireland is on the path to renewal. It will be a lengthy journey. It requires renewed and vigorous new evangelisation, a renewal in faith and in coherent and authentic witness to that faith in the world and in the culture in which we live.
“The 50 years since the Second Vatican Council have brought many graces to the Church in Ireland. The message and teaching of the Council still constitute the blueprint for our renewal,” he said. However, he added that “those 50 years have also been marked with a darker side, of sinful and criminal abuse and neglect of those weakest in our society: children, who should have been the object of the greatest care and support and Christ-like love.
“We recall all those who suffered abuse and who still today bear the mark of that abuse and may well carry it with them for the rest of their lives. In a spirit of repentance, let us remember each of them in the silence of our hearts,” he said.
While the mood was decidedly upbeat and celebratory during the Mass, one point in the liturgy was designated to remember and seek forgiveness from those who had been abused by priests and religious.
Officials unveiled a “healing stone” engraved with a prayer originally used in the Liturgy of Lament celebrated in Dublin’s pro-cathedral in February 2011.
The prayer, which was sent to Archbishop Martin by a survivor of abuse, reads: “Lord, we are so sorry for what some of us did to your children: treated them so cruelly, especially, in their hour of need. We have left them with a lifelong suffering. This was not your plan for them or us. Please help us to help them. Guide us, Lord, Amen.”
Following consultation, including abuse survivors, it was agreed the stone would be an appropriate symbol for the Congress.
Fr Kevin Doran, secretary-general of the Congress, said: “Stone speaks of permanence. To say something is ‘carved in stone’ is to say that it is here to stay rather than just a passing thought. The stone represents the firm determination to work for healing and renewal.”
Musical performers included Ireland’s The Three Tenors and the Palestrina Choir, which sang at the open-air Mass in 1932, the last time the International Eucharistic Congress was held in Ireland.
Mary McConville, 91, attended the 1932 Congress as a child and said she was delighted to attend the 2012 event.
“I remember the excitement of it when I was 11 years old as if it was yesterday,” she said.
“It is absolutely amazing to be here today. I have as much faith in the Church now as I ever had. This is a marvellous occasion,” she said.
Referring to the Irish missionary tradition, Cardinal Ouellet said that Ireland’s “strong history of faithfulness has enriched not only these shores, but has, through her missionary sons and daughters, helped to bring the Gospel to many far-distant shores”.
The former Archbishop of Quebec said he knew from his own experience as host of the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress “that an event such as this brings many blessings to the local Church and to all the participants”.
John Walsh, who travelled with his wife and five children to the Congress from the west of Ireland, said it was “great for my children to see this beautiful celebration of faith and share their Catholicism with people from all over the world who have come to Dublin”.
Mary Ward of Dublin also noted the international attendance.
“We really are a global Church, we can learn a lot from others,” she said.
Concelebrants at the Mass included Archbishop Martin, who serves as Congress president, Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, Cardinal Sean Brady, primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Robert Le Gall of Toulouse, France, Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and US Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.
SHARED FROM CATHOLIC HERALD

AUSTRALIA : ORDINARIATE OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED

MEDIA RELEASE, AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE

ON THE EVENING of 15 June, 2012, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI officially erected the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross under the patronage of St Augustine of Canterbury.

Ordinariates have thus far been erected in England and the United States and are the response of Pope Benedict to Anglicans who have been petitioning the Holy See to enter into full corporate unity with the Catholic Church while retaining essential elements of their heritage.

The first ordination to the Catholic priesthood to serve in the Ordinariate took place this evening at St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth when former Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) Bishop Harry Entwistle was ordained a Catholic priest and also named as the first Ordinary.

Following his ordination this evening by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, Fr Harry Entwistle will be the leader of the Personal Ordinariate in Australia. His jurisdiction as the Ordinary is equivalent in law to a Diocesan Bishop.

Fr Entwistle has been serving as a Bishop in Western Australia since 2006, and is married to Jean. They have two adult children.
Fr Entwistle is honoured to have been chosen to lead the Ordinariate and explained that it is a wonderful privilege and step towards unity between the Churches.

“Pope Benedict has made it very clear that unity between Christians is not achieved by agreeing on the lowest common denominator, and those entering an Ordinariate accept the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the authoritative expression of the Catholic faith”, said Fr Entwistle.

“Membership is open to former Anglicans who accept what the Catholic Church believes and teaches; former Anglicans who have previously been reconciled to the Catholic Church but who now wish to reconnect with their Anglican spiritual heritage and those baptised in the Catholic Church who have close family members who belong to the Ordinariate.”

“As the Ordinariate is in organic unity with the Catholic Church, Western and Eastern Catholics are welcome to worship and receive communion in an Ordinariate mass and vice versa”, he said.

More information about Fr Harry Entwistle including his Curriculum Vitae is available at www.catholic.org.au

For media enquiries, please contact Beth Doherty on media@catholic.org.au or 0407 081 256




ASIA : INDIA : 2, 500 GIRLS KILLED PER DAY - SEX SELECTION

ASIA NEWS REPORT:
by Nirmala Carvalho
Some families leave their baby daughters to die of hunger and thirst to get around the law. In Jaisalmer District (one of the worst), five suspicious cases are recorded this month. Its state has one of the worst female-to-male ratios (883-1,000). For doctor with the Pontifical Academy for Life, "Religious leaders, NGOs and government institutions must work together" against this social malaise.


Mumbai (AsiaNews) - With nearly 2,500 cases of female foeticide or female infanticide a day, the state of Rajasthan is one of worst places to be a girl in India. Selective sex tests, which are illegal, lead to selective abortions; however, now some people who want to get rid of baby girls found another way of getting around the law: water and food deprivation.

Since early June, the authorities in Jaisalmer District (one of the worst) have recorded five suspicious deaths of baby girls.

Last Friday, police in the village of Sangad (Jaisalmer) arrested Dileep Singh, after his daughter died under suspicious circumstances two days earlier.

According to Superintendent of Police Mamta Vishnoi, the accused deprived his daughter of necessary medical treatment after her birth. At present, her body is undergoing autopsy. The father will remain in custody for 15 days.

In the villages of Tejmalta and Mandi, three other baby girls died from unknown causes. One, born on 8 June in full health according to the doctors, was found dead a day later in a state of malnutrition. In another case, the family of the dead baby disappeared. Police is searching for them.

"To escape the law, these people are using inhuman methods," Jaisalmer District Collector Shuchi Tyagi said. "After leaving the newborn to die, they pour salt or other chemical agents on the body to accelerate the process of decomposition. At that point, no autopsy can determine the cause of death."

Following these incidents, Tyagi gave the order that all the births of baby girls had to be communicated to any district authority, health, police or municipal officials.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Dr Pascoal Carvalho, member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said, "Our country considers human life sacred, always. Ahimsa (non-violence) is one of India's most precious value. Yet, respect for life is gradually being eroded, and a culture of death is spreading."

"The last national census (2011) shows that Rajasthan has 883 females under the age of six per 1,000 males of the same age. In 2001, they were 909 (girls) per 1,000 (boys). This imbalance reflects a serious social malaise."

India, the doctor noted, "is a patriarchal society. Discrimination against women expresses itself in a very destructive fashion with female infanticides and foeticides; this, despite the government's efforts to raise awareness in the population." What is more, in Rajasthan, "the districts of Jaisalmer, Brmer, Pali, Chittorgarh, Ganganagar and Jhunjhunu are notorious for killing baby girls."

"Religious leaders, NGOs and government institutions must work together to promote the value and dignity of girls," Carvalho said. For the "Catholic Church, the sacredness of human life begins at conception," and "Many of its hospitals are already teaching and promoting a culture of life, among patients."

SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS

AFRICA : GHANA : 2 NUNS KILLED IN BUS ACCIDENT

IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT:
Ghana: two missionary sisters killed in bus crash | CRI, Sr Prasanna, Sr Annie Elvina, Sr Kripa Paul, Holy Family Congregation

Sr Kripa and Sr Annie
Two Indian nuns Sr Annie Elvina, 67, and Sr Kripa Paul, 36, died on the spot when a public transport bus overturned on Sunday night, 17 JUne, in Ghana West Africa.
The deceased belonged to the Holy Family Congregation, with headquarters at Mannuthi, Thrissur district in Kerala.
Three other locals also died in the crash and two other CHF sisters are seriously injured. The condition of Sr Dhanya is critical and is on ventilator while Sr Vincy Maria fractured her ribs and shoulder bone. Both are being treated at St Joseph’s Hospital, Ghana.
The nuns were travelling from their workplaces to their residence when the tragedy took place.
Sr Elvina, who is the regional superior of the congregation in Ghana, was a retired professor from St Joseph’s College, Irinjalakuda. She just completed her term as Regional Superior and was in the process of handing over charge to Sr Dhanya and preparing to return to India while Sr Kripa a nurse was also on transfer.
The CHF have been working in Ghana for 17 years. They have four convents in four dioceses and work in the fields of education and medical care. In all there are 21 CHF sisters working for the people in Ghana.
Sr Prasanna Thattil, Superior General of the Holy Family Congregation and Sr Udaya, General Council member, are on their way to Ghana now from India. Sr Prasanna, stopped at CRI House to make all arrangements for providing treatment to the injured nuns. She said she understands the condition of Sr Dhanya is critical.
“We are also trying to bring bodies of the two nuns who died. We will be flying to Ghana at the next available flight after getting the visa,” she said.
Sr Bhavya CHF Provincial of North province and also the cousin of Sr Kripa, said: “it was shocking news for all of us. However we believe and accept the mysterious hand of God in all these events.”
Source: CRI, Sr Prasanna – Superior
SHARED FROM IND. CATH. NEWS

TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : WEDNESDAY JUNE 20 , 2012


Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 18

1 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

TODAY'S SAINT : JUNE 20 : ST. SILVERIUS

St. Silverius
POPE
Feast: June 20


Information:
Feast Day: June 20
Born: 480 at Frosinone (in modern Italy)
Died: November 537
Patron of: Ponza, Italy
Dates of birth and death unknown. He was the son of Pope Hormisdas who had been married before becoming one of the higher clergy. Silverius entered the service of the Church and was subdeacon at Rome when Pope Agapetus died at Constantinople, 22 April, 536. The Empress Theodora, who favoured the Monophysites sought to bring about the election as pope of the Roman deacon Vigilius who was then at Constantinople and had given her the desired guarantees as to the Monophysites. However, Theodatus, King of the Ostrogoths, who wished to prevent the election of a pope connected with Constantinople, forestalled her, and by his influence the subdeacon Silverius was chosen. The election of a subdeacon as Bishop of Rome was unusual. Consequently, it is easy to understand that, as the author of the first part of the life of Silverius in the "Liber pontificalis" (ed. Duchesne, I, 210) relates, a strong opposition to it appeared among the clergy. This, however, was suppressed by Theodatus so that, finally, after Silverius had been consecrated bishop (probably on 8 June, 536) all the Roman presbyters gave their consent in writing to his elevation. The assertion made by the author just mentioned that Silverius secured the intervention of Theodatus by payment of money is unwarranted, and is to be explained by the writer's hostile opinion of the pope and the Goths. The author of the second part of the life in the "Liber pontificalis" is favourably inclined to Silverius. The pontificate of this pope belongs to an unsettled, disorderly period and he himself fell a victim to the intrigues of the Byzantine Court.

After Silverius had become pope the Empress Theodora sought to win him for the Monophysites. She desired especially to have him enter into communion with the Monophysite Patriarch of Constantinople, Anthimus, who had been excommunicated and deposed by Agapetus, and with Severus of Antioch. However, the pope committed himself to nothing and Theodora now resolved to overthrow him and to gain the papal see for Vigilius. Troublous times befell Rome during the struggle that broke out in Italy between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines after the death of Amalasuntha, daughter of Theodoric the Great. The Ostrogothic king, Vitiges, who ascended the throne in August, 536, besieged the city. The churches over the catacombs outside of the city were devastated, the graves of the martyrs in the catacombs themselves were broken open and desecrated. In December, 536, the Byzantine general Belisarius garrisoned Rome and was received by the pope in a friendly and courteous manner. Theodora sought to use Belisarius for the carrying out of her plan to depose Silverius and to put in his place the Roman deacon Vigilius, formerly apocrisary at Constantinople, who had now gone to Italy. Antonina, wife of Belisarius, influenced her husband to act as Theodora desired. By means of a forged letter the pope was accused of a treasonable agreement with the Gothic king who was besieging Rome. It was asserted that Silverius had offered the king to leave one of the city gates secretly open so as to permit the Goths to enter. Silverius was consequently arrested in March, 537, roughly stripped of his episcopal dress, given the clothing of a monk and carried off to exile in the East. Vigilius was consecrated Bishop of Rome in his stead.

Silverius was taken to Lycia where he was went to reside at Patara. The Bishop of Patara very soon discovered that the exiled pope was innocent. He journeyed to Constantinople and was able to lay before the Emperor Justinian such proofs of the innocence of the exile that the emperor wrote to Belisarius commanding a new investigation of the matter. Should it turn out that the letter concerning the alleged plot in favour of the Goths was forged, Silverius should be placed once more in possession of the papal see. At the same time the emperor allowed Silverius to return to Italy, and the latter soon entered the country, apparently at Naples. However, Vigilius arranged to take charge of his unlawfully deposed predecessor. He evidently acted in agreement with the Empress Theodora and was aided by Antonina, the wife of Belisarius. Silverius was taken to the Island of Palmaria in the Tyrrhenian Sea and kept their in close confinement. Here he died in consequence of the privations and harsh treatment he endured. The year of his death is unknown, but he probably did not live long after reachingPalmaria. He was buried on the island, according to the testimony of the "Liber pontificalis" on 20 June; his remains were never taken from Palmaria. According to the same witness he was invoked after death by the believers who visited his grave. In later times he was venerated as a saint. The earliest proof of this is given by a list of saints of the eleventh century (Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire, 1893, 169). The "Martyrologium" of Peter de Natalibus of the fourteenth century also contains his feast, which is recorded in the present Roman Martyrology on 20 June.

[Editor's note: According to the Liber Pontificalis, Pope St. Silverius was exiled not to Palmaria, but rather to the Island of Palmarola, a much smaller and more desolate island near Ponza, Italy, in the Bay of Naples.]

(Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)


SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/S/stsilverius.asp#ixzz1yO2bRMfe



CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD TUESDAY JUNE 19, 2012

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VATICAN : POPE : SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION
AFRICA : KENYA : MISSIONARY SISTERS OPEN CHAPTER
EUROPE : COMECE SOCIAL - ETHICAL TALKS ON CRISIS
AUSTRALIA : DAY OF REFLECTION ON EDUCATION
AMERICA : COLOMBIA : EVANGELISATION AMONG VIOLENCE
ASIA : INDONESIA : CHRISTIAN HOUSE OF PRAYER ATTACKED TODAY'S MASS ONLINE TUESDAY JUNE 19, 2012
TODAY'S SAINT : JUNE 19 : ST. ROMUALD

VATICAN : POPE : SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION

(IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS OF SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION
Vatican City, 19 June 2012 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning in the Holy See Press Office to present the "Instumentum laboris" of the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which is due to be held in the Vatican from 7 to 28 October on the theme: "The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith". The document was presented by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic and Bishop Fortunato Frezza, respectively secretary general and under secretary of the Synod of Bishops.
The Synod Fathers, Archbishop Eterovic said, "will reflect upon the transmission of Christian faith, one of the great challenges facing the Church which will be examined in the context of new evangelisation. ... The work of the Synod will be enriched by its association with the Year of Faith", which begins on 11 October.
The secretary general of the Synod explained that the "Instumentum laboris" includes a preface, an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. The Introduction brings together the views of episcopal conferences, which concur "on the need for new tools and new forms of expression to make the Word of God more understandable in the life of modern man. The Synod will hopefully be an opportunity to discuss and compare points of view and practical experiences, to be shared in order to provide encouragement to pastors and particular Churches".
The first of the four chapters, entitled "Jesus Christ the Good News of God to Humanity", reiterates "the central nucleus of Christian faith, of which many people are unaware, and presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Good News for modern man. ... New evangelisation is an expression of the internal dynamism of Christianity, which wishes to make men and women of good will know the 'depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge' of the mystery of God revealed in Jesus Christ; it is not a weary response to the crisis of faith and the challenges facing the Church in the modern world".
Chapter two is entitled: "Time for a New Evangelisation". It focuses chiefly on "identifying the challenges evangelisation currently faces", and on "describing the new evangelisation. ... The new challenges to evangelisation in the contemporary world are described in various different scenarios. The Church is called to discern those scenarios, so 'that they might be turned into places for proclaiming the Gospel and experiencing the Church'. ...The work of new evangelisation aims at a renewal of the ordinary pastoral activity of particular Churches while, at the same time, seeking to arouse a new sensibility towards people who have left the Church. This requires a measure of evangelical creativity and boldness". The archbishop pointed out that almost all the responses received when preparing the document "highlighted the lack of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. This requires, among other things,strong pastoral care of vocations", he said.
Turning then to consider Chapter three, "Transmitting the Faith", Archbishop Eterovic noted that "the purpose of new evangelisation is the transmission of faith. The Church transmits the faith from which she herself lives, and all Christians are called to make their contribution. ... The obstacles to the faith can be within the Church (faith lived passively or privately, refusal to be educated in one's faith, separation between life and faith) or outside Christian life altogether (secularisation, nihilism consumerism, hedonism). ... The Year of Faith is a pressing appeal to conversion so that, transformed by grace, each individual Christian and each community may produce abundant fruits. This may include ecumenical commitment, the search for truth, inter-religious dialogue, and the courage to denounce infidelity and scandals within the Christian community".
The last chapter of the "Instrumentum laboris" is entitled "Revivifying Pastoral Activity" and focuses on "the transmission of faith ... by again emphasising the instruments developed through Tradition - in particular the first proclamation, Christian initiation and education - while seeking to adapt them to current cultural and social circumstances. ... From a theological point of view, we must better understand the sequence of the Sacraments of Christian initiation, which culminates in the Eucharist, and reflect on models to be translated into deeply meaningful pastoral practices".
The Conclusion of the document reaffirms that "new evangelisation means giving the reason for our faith, communicating the Logos of hope to a world which seeks salvation".

HOLY FATHER TO VISIT EMILIA ROMAGNA REGION FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE
Vatican City, 19 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today announced that on Tuesday 26 June Benedict XVI will visit areas in the Italian region of Emilia Romagna recently affected by an earthquake. The Holy Father is scheduled to arrive by helicopter at the sports ground of San Marino di Carpi at around 10 a.m. where he will be welcomed by the head of the Italian Civil Protection Department. He will then travel to Rovereto di Novi, crossing the "red zone" and visiting the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria which was seriously damaged by the earth tremor. Following a greeting from the president of the region of Emilia Romagna, the Pope will make an address to the local people. He is due to return to the Vatican at around 1.15 p.m.

AFRICA : KENYA : MISSIONARY SISTERS OPEN CHAPTER

CISA REPORT:
NAIROBI, June 19, 2012 (CISA) -The Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood officially opened their General Chapter with a mass celebrated by His Eminence John Cardinal Njue on June 18, 2012 at the Salesians of Don Bosco Animation Center in Karen, Nairobi.
The theme of the General Chapter, which takes place every 5 years, is ‘You Are My Witnesses in the Power of the Spirit.’
In his homily, the Cardinal advised the sisters to deepen their relationship with God so that they may always remember that they were called to mission in various parts of the world.
“In an occasion like this, you are challenged to go in depth and see you mission as a congregation and how it can be made better in order to leave a good legacy,” said Cardinal Njue.
Sr Ingeborg Müller, the General Superior of the congregation welcomed the sisters to the assembly. She said they are looking forward to reclaiming their missionary spirit and identity and establishing new missions and outreaches in areas yet to receive the Gospel.
“We are here because of internalization and how we can transform ourselves into an inter-cultural community. We want to look at what it means to form young people in the novitiate and postulancy for the task of being missionaries,” said Sr Müller.
Sr Müller hopes that by the end of the Assembly, the sisters will be renewed in heart and spirit so that they can be truthful missionaries.
There are 42 sisters from different parts of the world where the congregation works attending the Chapter.
Fr Sebastian Koladiyil concelebrated the Mass.
The General Assembly runs from June 18 until July 18.
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EUROPE : COMECE SOCIAL - ETHICAL TALKS ON CRISIS

COMECE REPORT:

From Euro-Crisis to the European Crisis?

COMECE Social-Ethical Talks, 15-16 June in Mönchengladbach

unknownIn the middle of the major turmoil that the European Union has to face since its foundation, COMECE and the German Catholic Institute for Social teaching (KSZ) organise for the second consecutive year a Conference with a European Focus and with major Keynote speakers. The Discussion will focus on the economical situation but also on the question how a christian ethical perspective can offer orientation to find a way out of the crisis.
Download the Programme.

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AUSTRALIA : DAY OF REFLECTION ON EDUCATION

DIOCESE OF PARRAMATTA REPORT:

‘Time of the teachers’ in new evangelisation

Go to Catholic Education New Evangelisation News Story
Bishop Peter Ingham (left), Bishop Anthony, Archbishop Jean-Louis Bruguès OP and Bishop Peter Comensoli.
Catholic pastors and school leaders in Catholic Education from throughout NSW and the ACT have gathered at Rosehill Gardens for a day of reflecting, sharing and strengthening schools as centres of the new evangelisation.
Hosted by the Bishop of Parramatta, Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP, the day included a keynote address from Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Archbishop JeanLouis Bruguès OP.
Read full story
Related:
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ASIA : INDONESIA : CHRISTIAN HOUSE OF PRAYER ATTACKED

ASIA NEWS REPORT:
by Mathias Hariyadi
The building was hit by stones and pebbles, suffering major damages. The place of worship belongs to a Protestant group, the Indonesian Bethel Church. According to fundamentalist, the place lacks the right building permit. Violence in the province is up.


Jakarta (AsiaNews) - A mob of Muslim extremists attacked a Christian prayer house in Aceh Province. The building was damaged and worshippers were forced to stop the service. Local witnesses, who asked their names be withheld, said that the attack occurred last Sunday, during worship. The place itself belongs to the Indonesian Bethel Church.

The fundamentalist attack was apparently caused by a lack of building permit (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan in Indonesian), a claim Christians deny. More disheartening for the members of the congregation is the fact that the attack occurred under the eyes of the police, which did not lift a finger, except to place seals on the building after the incident.

The Indonesian Bethel Church where the attack took place is located in Peunayong, capital of the province of Banda Aceh.

The mob struck during Sunday prayer. Hundreds of attackers hurled stones and pebbles against the building, causing major damages to the structures.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that the police stood idly by as the incident unfolded, whilst worshippers had to evacuate the building, seeking refuge in a safer location.

Human rights activists and associations slammed the extremist raid, noting that it occurred in a place that had been characterised by relative calm and a "pluralistic environment".

Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province, is also the only part of the archipelago where Sharia is enforced. Provincial authorities use a morality police, a special street-level law enforcement unit, to crack down on people who violate the local moral code.

Under Governor Irwandy Yusuf, a former rebel fighter, there was some degree of interreligious peace and harmony between the Muslim majorities and non-Muslim "foreigners". However, things have recently changed. As fundamentalists gained more power and freedom to act, religious minorities have come under attack.

In last April's elections, long-time exiled (in Sweden) former separatist leader Zaini Abdullah easily won on a platform centred on fighting corruption and enforcing Islamic law.

As signs of growing interreligious tensions multiply, local Christian communities have seen attacks and acts of violence, included the forced closure of their places of worship, increase.

Indonesia has a history of moralisation campaigns in the name of Sharia and Muslim customs, which are particular rigid in Aceh.

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AMERICA : COLOMBIA : EVANGELISATION AMONG VIOLENCE

Agenzia Fides report - "Every community member should become a missionary, evangelist, the laity are having to become pastoral operators, only this will give us strength and courage to continue this mission,": says His Excellency Mons . Francisco Javier Munera Correa, of the Consolata Missionaries (IMC), Apostolic Vicar of San Vicente-Puerto Leguizamo, in Colombia, refering to the document of Aparecida. Mgr. Munera Correa, who works in the south of the Amazon area, where the Consolata Missionaries arrived more than 60 years ago, is in Rome together with the Bishops of Colombia, for the quinquennial visit Ad Limina Apostolorum. Fides Agency interviewed him on the occasion of the meeting with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
"We have the legacy of the missionary work carried out by the Catalan Capuchin Missionaries, who have done much in the entire area of Caquetá – the Apostolic Vicar tells Fides -. Here, 25 years ago, the Diocese of Florencia and the Apostolic Vicariate of San Vicente-Puerto Leguizamo were created. In the territory there are indigenous peoples who live along the major rivers-Caquetá and Putumayo; there are also people who came here to colonize, especially migrants, as a result of the violence that was lived in Colombia in the 50s; there are also other groups of people who came to produce gaucho, quina, and many farmers who then found themselves before the problem of the cultivation of cocaine."
Focusing on the current situation, Mgr. Francisco Javier Munera Correa says that the territory is marked by the guerrillas of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), present for 48 years with political, social and military control of the area. "Faced with this situation - continues the Apostolic Vicar - as a Church we must evangelize considering some major challenges, first of all violence and the guerrillas, but also other types of violence linked to this, because there are historical and cultural factors that determine the way of living of the community. Secondly, the guerrilla, based on a Marxist, atheist ideology, which promotes the class struggle, and this destroys the foundations of the community and faith in God.
The third challenge is the consumerist culture, which degrades many values ".
The Apostolic Vicar of San Vicente-Puerto Leguizamo emphasizes the urgency of the new evangelization, of "strengthening the proclamation of Jesus Christ to all levels." "If at first it was sufficient to maintain a faith inherited from our ancestors - he explains - now we have to revive faith in our area, along with the formation of the communities. The union of small communities is a hard and difficult task to maintain where you can experience the Christian faith and promote the journey of faith, namely catechesis, formation, growth of faith. This becomes a challenge when, in these same areas, one has to fight sects, proselytism ... The new evangelization must consider these challenges to be able to reach everyone, as indeed already indicated in the document of Aparecida. " (CE

TODAY'S MASS ONLINE TUESDAY JUNE 19, 2012



Matthew 5: 43 - 48

43 "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


TODAY'S SAINT : JUNE 19 : ST. ROMUALD

St. Romuald
ABBOT AND FOUNDER
Feast: June 19


Information:
Feast Day: June 19
Born: 950 at Ravenna, Italy
Died: 19 June 1027 at Val-di-Castro, Italy
Canonized: 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII
Born at Ravenna, probably about 950; died at Val-di-Castro, 19 June, 1027. St. Peter Damian, his first biographer, and almost all the Camaldolese writers assert that St. Romuald's age at his death was one hundred and twenty, and that therefore he was born about 907. This is disputed by most modern writers. Such a date not only results in a series of improbabilities with regard to events in the saint's life, but is also irreconcilable with known dates, and probably was determined from some mistaken inference by St. Peter Damian. In his youth Romuald indulged in the usual thoughtless and even vicious life of the tenth-century noble, yet felt greatly drawn to the eremetical life. At the age of twenty, struck with horror because his father had killed an enemy in a duel, he fled to the Abbey of San Apollinare-in-Classe and after some hesitation entered religion. San Apollinare had recently been reformed by St. Maieul of Cluny, but still was not strict enough in its observance to satisfy Romuald. His injudicious correction of the less zealous aroused such enmity against him that he applied for, and was readily granted, permission to retire to Venice, where he placed himself under the direction of a hermit named Marinus and lived a life of extraordinary severity. About 978, Pietro Orseolo I, Doge of Venice, who had obtained his office by acquiescence in the murder of his predecessor, began to suffer remorse for his crime. On the advice of Guarinus, Abbot of San Miguel-de-Cuxa, in Catalonia, and of Marinus and Romuald, he abandoned his office and relations, and fled to Cuxa, where he took the habit of St. Benedict, while Romuald and Marinus erected a hermitage close to the monastery. For five years the saint lived a life of great austerity, gathering round him a band of disciples. Then, hearing that his father, Sergius, who had become a monk, was tormented with doubts as to his vocation, he returned in haste to Italy, subjected Sergius to severe discipline, and so resolved his doubts. For the next thirty years St. Romuald seems to have wandered about Italy, founding many monasteries and hermitages. For some time he made Pereum his favourite resting place. In 1005 he went to Val-di- Castro for about two years, and left it, prophesying that he would return to die there alone and unaided. Again he wandered about Italy; then attempted to go to Hungary, but was prevented by persistent illness. In 1012 he appeared at Vallombrosa, whence he moved into the Diocese of Arezzo. Here, according to the legend, a certain Maldolus, who had seen a vision of monks in white garments ascending into Heaven, gave him some land, afterwards known as the Campus Maldoli, or Camaldoli. St. Romuald built on this land five cells for hermits, which, with the monastery at Fontebuono, built two years later, became the famous mother-house of the Camaldolese Order. In 1013 he retired to Monte-Sitria. In 1021 he went to Bifolco. Five years later he returned to Val-di-Castro where he died, as he had prophesied, alone in his cell. Many miracles were wrought at his tomb, over which an altar was allowed to be erected in 1032. In 1466 his body was found still incorrupt; it was translated to Fabriano in 1481. In 1595 Clement VIII fixed his feast on 7 Feb., the day of the translation of his relics, and extended its celebration to the whole Church. He is represented in art pointing to a ladder on which are monks ascending to Heaven.

[Note: By the Apostolic Constitution Calendarium Romanum, promulgated in 1969, the feast of St. Romuald was assigned, as an "Optional Memorial," to 19 June, the day of his death.]

(Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)


source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/R/stromuald.asp#ixzz1yI81UZXq