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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD : WED. MAY 29, 2013 - SHARE BREAKING NEWS

2013
POPE FRANCIS LEADS WORLDWIDE HOUR OF ADORATION JUNE 2
POPE FRANCIS "LOVE OF GOD THAT IS REALISED IN LOVING HIM..." AND LATEST FROM VATICAN
NOVENA PRAYER TO SACRED HEART OF JESUS
CATHOLIC MOVIES - ST. SHARBEL - FREE MOVIE
AUSTRALIA JOINS THE POPE IN WORLDWIDE EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
MIRACLE BABY RESCUED ALIVE FROM TOILET PIPE IN CHINA - VIDEO
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : WED. MAY 29, 2013
TODAY'S SAINT : MAY 29 : ST. MAXIMINUS OF TRIER
RADIO VATICANA REPORT: The Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration, will be broadcast from St. Peter’s Basilica next Sunday, 2 June from 5:00pm-6:00pm local time. Its theme is: “One Lord, One Faith”, which was chosen to testify to the deep unity that characterizes it in this Year of Faith.


“It will be an event,” Archbishop Fisichella president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, explained, “occurring for the first time in the history of the Church, which is why we can describe it as ‘historical’. The cathedrals of the world will be synchronized with Rome and will, for an hour, be in communion with the Pope in Eucharistic adoration. There has been an incredible response to this initiative, going beyond the cathedrals and involving episcopal conferences, parishes, lay associations, and religious congregations, especially cloistered ones.”
Dioceses worldwide will be synchronized with St. Peter’s and will pray for the intentions proposed by the Pope. The first is: “For the Church spread throughout the world and united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity. May the Lord make her ever more obedient to hearing his Word in order to stand before the world ‘ever more beautiful, without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless.’ That through her faithful announcement, the Word that saves may still resonate as the bearer of mercy and may increase love to give full meaning to pain and suffering, giving back joy and serenity.”
Pope Francis’ second intention is: “For those around the world who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running, and slave labour. For the children and women who are suffering from every type of violence. May their silent scream for help be heard by a vigilant Church so that, gazing upon the crucified Christ, she may not forget the many brothers and sisters who are left at the mercy of violence. Also, for all those who find themselves in economically precarious situations, above all for the unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners, and those who experience marginalization. That the Church’s prayer and its active nearness give them comfort and assistance in hope and strength and courage in defending human dignity.”
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA

POPE FRANCIS "LOVE OF GOD THAT IS REALISED IN LOVING HIM..." AND LATEST FROM VATICAN

GENERAL AUDIENCE: THE CHURCH IS GOD'S CALL TO BE PART OF HIS FAMILY
IMAGE source the Vatican Radio
Vatican City, 29 May 2013 (VIS) – The mystery of the Church will be the theme of Pope Francis' new cycle of catechesis during the Wednesday general audiences.

In spite of the rain that suddenly fell on Rome this morning, Francis followed his custom of winding through St. Peter's Square in the Popemobile, greeting the tens of thousands of people present and, before beginning his catechesis, he joked with them, praising their endurance in spite of the inclement weather.
FULL TEXT
Dear brothers and sisters,

Last Wednesday I stressed the deep connection between the Holy Spirit and the Church. Today I would like to start some reflections on the mystery of the Church, a mystery that we all live and of which we are part. I would like to do this, using some well-known phrases taken from the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

Today the first: the Church as Family of God
In recent months, more than once I have made reference to the parable of the prodigal son, or rather of the merciful father (cf. Lk 15:11-32). The youngest son leaves the house of his father, squanders everything, and decides to return because he realizes he made a mistake, though he no longer considers himself worthy of sonship. He thinks he might be welcomed back as a servant. Instead, the father runs to meet him, embraces him, gives him back his dignity as a son, and celebrates. This parable, like others in the Gospel, shows well the design of God for humanity.

What is this God’s plan? It is to make us all the one family of his children, in which each of you feels close to Him and feels loved by Him – feels, as in the Gospel parable, the warmth of being the family of God. In this great design, the Church finds its source. [The Church is] is not an organization founded by an agreement among [a group of] persons, but - as we were reminded many times by Pope Benedict XVI - is the work of God: it was born out of the plan of love, which realises itself progressively in history. The Church is born from the desire of God to call all people into communion with Him, to His friendship, and indeed, as His children, to partake of His own divine life. The very word “Church”, from the Greek ekklesia, means “convocation”.

God calls us, urges us to escape from individualism, [from] the tendency to withdraw into ourselves, and calls us – convokes us – to be a part of His family. This convocation has its origin in creation itself. God created us in order that we might live in a relationship of deep friendship with Him, and even when sin had broken this relationship with God, with others and with creation, God did not abandon us.

The whole history of salvation is the story of God seeking man, offer[ing] humanity His love, embracing mankind. He called Abraham to be the father of a multitude, chose the people of Israel to forge an alliance that embraces all nations, and sent, in the fullness of time, His Son, that His plan of love and salvation be realised in a new and everlasting covenant with humanity. When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus gathers around him a small community that receives His word, follows Him, shares His journey, becomes His family – and with this community, He prepares and builds His Church.

Whence, then, is the Church born? It is born from the supreme act of love on the Cross, from the pierced side of Jesus from which flow blood and water, a symbol of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. In the family of God, the Church, the lifeblood is the love of God that is realised in loving Him and others, loving all without distinction, without measure. The Church is a family that loves and is loved.

When does the Church manifest itself? We celebrated [the Church’s manifestation] two Sundays ago: the Church manifests itself when the gift of the Holy Spirit fills the hearts of the Apostles and pushes them to go out and start the journey to proclaim the Gospel, to spread the love of God.

Even today, some say, “Christ yes, the Church no,” like those who say, “I believe in God, but in priests, no.” They say, “Christ: yes. Church: no.” Nevertheless, it is the Church that brings us Christ and that brings us to God. The Church is the great family of God's children. Of course it also has the human aspects: in those who compose it, pastors and faithful, there are flaws, imperfections, sins – the Pope has his, as well: he has lots of them; but the beautiful thing is that, when we become aware that we are sinners, we find the mercy of God. God always forgives: do not forget this. God always forgives, and He receives us in His love of forgiveness and mercy. Some people say – this is beautiful – that sin is an offence against God, but it is also an opportunity: the humiliation of realising [that one is a sinner] and that there is something [exceedingly] beautiful: the mercy of God. Let us think about this.

Let us ask ourselves today: how much do I love the Church? Do I pray for her? Do I feel myself a part of the family of the Church? What do I do to make the Church a community in which everyone feels welcomed and understood, [in which] everyone feels the mercy and love of God who renews life? Faith is a gift and an act that affects us personally, but God calls us to live our faith together, as a family: as the Church.

We ask the Lord, in a special way in this Year of the faith, that our communities, the whole Church be ever more true families that live and carry the warmth of God.

The Holy Father also had greetings for English-speaking pilgrims, which he delivered through an interpreter:

Dear Brothers and Sisters: In today’s Audience I would like to speak of the Church as God’s family. Like the merciful father in the parable of the prodigal son, God wants all of us to live in his love and to share in his life. The Church is an essential part of this divine plan; we were made to know and love God and, despite our sins, he continues to call us to return to him. In the fullness of time, he sent his Son into our world to inaugurate the new and eternal covenant with humanity through his sacrifice on the cross. The Church was born of this supreme act of reconciling love, in the water and blood which flowed from Christ’s pierced side. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit sent the Apostles to proclaim the Gospel of God’s love to the ends of the earth. Christ can never be separated from his Church, which he has made the great family of God’s children. Today, let [us] pledge ourselves to renewing our love for the Church and to letting her be God’s true family, where everyone feels welcomed, understood and loved.

POPE FRANCIS "THE DIVINE WAY INVOLVES THE CROSS"
Vatican Radio report: Triumphalism impedes the Church: it is the temptation of a Christianity without the Cross, a Church that only wants to go half way on the journey of redemption, overly concerned with organization and success, without understanding that real triumph is born out of failure, like the triumph of Christ on the Cross. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta.
The Gospel of the day recounts how Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples, announces His passion, death and resurrection. Pope Francis described it as “the journey of faith”. He noted the disciples have another plan in mind, they plan to go only half way, that it is better to stop and they discuss among themselves how to arrange the Church and arrange salvation. Thus , John and James, ask Him to grant that in His glory one may sit one at His right and the other at His left, prompting a argument among the other about who was most important in the Church.


Pope Francis observed that “the disciples’ temptation is the same of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, when the devil proposed another path to Him": "Do everything with speed, preform a miracle, something that everyone can see. Let’s go to the temple and skydive without a parachute, so everyone will see the miracle and redemption will come to pass".


The Pope said this was also Peter’s temptation when he at first does not accept the passion of Jesus: "It is the temptation of a Christianity without the Cross, a half-way Christianity." There is also another temptation, "a Christianity with the Cross without Jesus" of which the Pope said he would speak at another occasion. But "the temptation of Christianity without the Cross", to be "half-way Christians, a half-way Church " – that does not want to arrive there where the Father wants, "is the temptation of triumphalism. We want the triumph now, without going to the Cross, a worldly triumph, a reasonable triumph ":
"Triumphalism in the Church, impedes the Church. Triumphalism among Christians, impedes Christians. A triumphalist, half-way Church that is a Church that is content with what it is or has, well sorted – well organized - with all its offices, everything in order, everything perfect no? Efficient. But a Church that denies its martyrs, because it does not know that martyrs are needed for Churches’ the journey towards the Cross. A Church that only thinks about triumphs, successes, does not know that rule of Jesus: the rule of triumph through failure, human failure, the failure of the Cross. And this is a temptation that we all have”.The Pope, then, recalled a special episode in his life:"I remember once, I was in a dark moment in my spiritual life and I asked a favor from the Lord. Then I went to preach the annual spiritual retreat to nuns and on the last day the made their confession. One elderly nun, over 80 years of age, but with clear, bright eyes came to confession: she was a woman of God. In the end I saw that she really was a woman of God so I said ‘ Sister, as penance, pray for me, because I need a grace, ok? If you asks the Lord for this grace on my behalf, I am sure to receive it'. She stopped for a moment, as if in prayer, and said, 'Of course the Lord will grant you this grace, but do not be deceived: in His own divine manner’. This did me a lot of good. To hear that the Lord always gives us what we ask for, but in His own divine way. And this is the divine way to the very end. The divine way involves the Cross, not out of masochism: no, no! Out of love. For love to the very end”.Pope Francis concluded with a prayer:

"We ask the Lord for the grace that we may not be a half-way Church, a triumphalist Church, of great successes, but a humble Church, that walks with decision, just like Jesus. Forward, forward, forward. With a heart open to the will of the Father, just like Jesus. We ask for this grace. "



shared from Radio Vaticana
GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR YOUR PARENTS
Vatican City, 29 May 2013 (VIS) – At the end of today's general audience, as he does every Wednesday, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims of the various language groups in St. Peter's Square.
Pope Francis addressed a few words to the youth who will be gathering this Saturday, 1 June, at Lednica Lake in Poland for the yearly commemoration of the first Baptism of the Polish people in 966.
“Remember that God is our Father,” the Pope said to them. “He created us, bestowed our talents on each of us, and guides us along the path of life. He is with us in spite of our weaknesses, our sins, and our omissions. … He is the model of all parenthood, even earthly paternity.”
“”Don't forget,” he urged them, “to thank God for your parents … even if your relationship might not be so good. Parenthood is a gift from God and it is a great responsibility to give new life, which is an unrepeatable image of God. Don't be afraid to be parents. … Also, be open to being spiritual mothers and fathers.”
 
POPE'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JUNE
Vatican City, 31 May 2013 (VIS) - The Pope's general prayer intention for June is: “That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.”
His mission intention is: “That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization.”
 
AUDIENCE
Vatican City, 29 May 2013 (VIS) – This afternoon the Holy Father received Cardinal William Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, DC, USA, in audience.


NOVENA PRAYER TO SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”
Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of…
(Mention your Intention)
Our Father, Who art in heaven, 
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,  thy will be done,  on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day,  our daily bread,  and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those  who tresspass against us, and lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil. Amen
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amoung women, and blessed is the fruit  of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of  our death. Amen
Glory be to the Father And to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,  world without end.  Amen Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of…
(Mention your Intention)
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of…
(Mention your Intention)
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Amen.
– St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

CATHOLIC MOVIES - ST. SHARBEL - FREE MOVIE

IN HONOR OF THE YEAR OF FAITH JCE NEWS will be showing some of the Best Catholic Films of all time. Here is the drama of St. Sharbel with English Subtitles:



AUSTRALIA JOINS THE POPE IN WORLDWIDE EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
29 May 2013



Bishop Julian Porteous carried the Holy Sacrament at last year's Walk with Christ
For the first time in history, churches, cathedrals and millions of faithful across the world will synchronise their watches and spend an hour of Eucharistic Adoration and prayer on Sunday 2 June.
From 5 pm until 6 pm, local time in Rome, the Eucharistic Adoration led by the Holy Father, Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica to mark the Feast of Corpus Christi which falls on 2 June this year, will be  broadcast worldwide enabling millions worldwide to pray together for the intentions proposed by the Holy Father.
Taking the theme, "One Lord, One Faith," the Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration is an initiative of Pope Francis and is described by the Vatican as "one of the major events in this Year of Faith."
While a huge number of Catholics in every corner of the globe will be able to participate in the  Eucharistic Adoration at the same time as the one taking place in St Peter's Basilica in Rome, nations such as Australia, New Zealand and certain regions of the US and South America, the time difference is too great.


More than 4000 braved rain and cold for 2012's Walk with Christ
In Sydney, for example, when it is 5 pm local time in Rome this Sunday, it will be 1 am on Monday morning.
For this reason, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell has designated the Eucharistic Adoration held in the forecourt of St Mary's Cathedral as part of Sydney's annual Corpus Christi celebrations will be the official Cathedral Adoration Event for the faithful to be united with Pope Francis.
As happens each year when between 5000-7000 families, children, young people, individuals participate in Sydney's  Walk with Christ, the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, from St Patrick's Church, on Church Hill near Wynyard through the CBD to the Cathedral, where the Eucharistic Adoration will take place outdoors at the St Mary's Cathedral.
This year's Adoration will be particularly memorable not only as a global event but the global prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father.


Families, children and people of all ages joined last year's Walk With Christ
The first intention from Pope Francis is that prayers be offered "for the Church spread throughout the world to be united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity and that through her faithful announcement, the Word that saves may still resonate as the bearer of mercy and may increase love to give full meaning to pain and suffering, giving back joy and serenity."

The second of the Holy Father's intentions is "for those around the world who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labour. For the children and women who are suffering every type of violence, may their silent scream for help be heard by a vigilant Church so that gazing upon the crucified Christ, she may not forget the many brothers and sisters who are left at the mercy of violence."
This intention also is for all those "who find themselves in economically precarious situations, above all for the unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless prisoners and all who experience marginalisation."'
In Sydney this Sunday, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell and the Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishops, the Most Rev Julian Porteous, Most Rev Terry Brady and Most Rev Peter Comensoli accompanied by priests and seminarians will lead the Procession of the Holy Sacrament.


Last year's Walk with Christ Procession through the city's streets
Unlike last year's heavy rain and cold, only brief scattered showers are predicted for Sunday and a huge turnout is expected.
The Feast of Corpus Christi dates back to the 13th Century and is one of the most important and beloved celebrations of the Church Calendar.  Although the devotion to the Holy Eucharist dates back to the first Apostles, it was not until Augustinian nun, St Juliana of Mont Cornillon in Belgium, whose deep veneration for the Blessed Sacrament had her yearning for a special feast day in its honour. From 1230, she began encouraging priests to devote Masses to the Body and Blood of Christ and in 1246 persuaded the Bishop of Liege to convene a Synod and institute the feast of Corpus Christi.
Bishop Julian Porteous, the Archdiocese of Sydney's Episcopal Vicar of Evangelisation and Renewal, traditionally carries the Blessed Sacrament during the Walk with Christ Procession through the CBD.


The Holy Eucharist was carried at the front of the procession to St Mary's Cathedral
Each year as the thousands gather in the early afternoon at the city's historic St Patrick's Church Hill prior to taking part in the Procession of the Holy Sacrament, he says people have a chance to recall the first Catholics in the early days of the colony who had no priest to say Mass and gathered instead in a house where the Blessed Sacrament was kept and where they were able to be in communion with their Lord and Saviour.
"Each year we walk with Christ through the streets of our beautiful city as a public witness to the fact that Christ is not only present for us, but present for all," he says. "The real presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is a precious gift for us all. It is a gift of love from the Lord who has invited us to be friends. The Lord offers us an intimate and personal relationship with him and we know we can approach him at any time and he is there, available and attentive to our needs."
On Corpus Christi, Bishop Julian says is a chance to "give expression to our grateful appreciation of His great gift and to the fulfilment of the promise made at the Ascension: 'And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time."
For more information on this year's Walk With Christ and how to join in go to http://www.sydneycatholic.org/events/Eucharist13/
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

MIRACLE BABY RESCUED ALIVE FROM TOILET PIPE IN CHINA - VIDEO

ASIA NEWS REPORT: The baby boy is only a few days old. It was still wrapped in the placenta and the umbilical cord was attached. Firefighters sawed the sewer pipe in which the baby was stuck and took him to the hospital where he was freed from the pipe. The abandonment perhaps linked to the one-child policy, which so far has prevented the birth of 400 million children.



Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A newborn flushed down the toilet as soon as he was born, has been rescued by firefighters who wrenched open the sewer pipe on hearing his screams. "Fortunately, the baby survived - says a policeman on portal.hangzhou.com.cn - but the person who abandoned him is suspected of murder."
The incident occurred in Jinhua (Zhejiang). Two days ago, some residents on the fourth floor of a house, heard the cries of the small child coming from the sewer tube and they called the fire department. After several unsuccessful attempts, firefighters cut a section of the tube a length of 30-40cm and took him to the hospital, where together with the doctors, using saws and pliers, they gradually freed the infant, still wrapped in the placenta and with the umbilical cord attached
 The baby is thought to be only two or three days old and has some slight injuries and a slow heartbeat. He is now in an incubator and his condition is said to be stable.

The person responsible for having flushed him down the toilet is still unknown. According to internet comments, these cases are frequent in births outside of marriage or because of the one-child law. The families who already have a child, to avoid paying exorbitant fines required by the ministry for population control, prefer to remove or abandon infants. The ministry boasts that from the end of the 1970s until today, thanks to the one-child policy, it has prevented the birth of approximately 400 million children, often through forced abortions and sterilizations.

SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS

TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : WED. MAY 29, 2013

Mark 10: 32 - 45

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him,
33 saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles;
34 and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise."
35 And James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"
37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.
42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."


TODAY'S SAINT : MAY 29 : ST. MAXIMINUS OF TRIER

20120529_St_Maximinus.jpg

BISHOP
Feast: May 29


     Information:
Feast Day:May 29
Born:at Silly near Poitiers, France
Died:12 September 349 or 29 May 352 (records vary)
Patron of:Trier, Germany
St. Maximinus was one of those pastors whom God raised in the most dangerous times to support his church. He was born at Poitiers, nobly descended, and related to Maxentius, bishop of that city before St. Hilary. The reputation of the sanctity of St. Agritius, bishop of Triers, drew him young to that city, and after a most virtuous education, he was admitted to holy orders, and, upon the death of Agritius, chosen his successor in 332. When St. Athanasius was banished to Triers in 336, St. Maximinus received him, not as a person disgraced, but as a most glorious confessor of Christ, and thought it a great happiness to enjoy the company of so illustrious a saint. St. Athanasius stayed with him two years; and his works bear evidence to the indefatigable vigilance, heroic courage, and exemplary virtue of our saint, who was before that time famous for the gift of miracles. St. Paul, bishop of Constantinople, being banished by Constantius, found also a retreat at Triers, and in St. Maximinus a powerful protector. Our saint, by his counsels, precautioned the emperor Constans against the intrigues and snares of the Arians, and on every occasion discovered their artifice, and opposed their faction. He was one of the most illustrious defenders of the Catholic faith in the council of Sardica in 347, and had the honor to be ranked by the Arians with St. Athanasius, in an excommunication which they pretended to fulminate against them at Philippopolis. St. Maximinus is said to have died in Poitou in 349, having made a journey thither to see his relations. He was buried near Poitiers; but his body was afterwards translated to Triers on the day which is now devoted to his memory. St. Maximinus, by protecting and harboring saints, received himself the recompense of a saint.


SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/M/stmaximinusoftrier.asp#ixzz1wGDsNxdb

CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD : TUES. MAY 28, 2013 - SHARE BREAKING NEWS








POPE FRANCIS "TO FOLLOW JESUS IN THE WAY" AND LATEST FROM VATICAN
PRIEST KILLED BY MAFIA - FR. PUGLISI IS BEATIFIED BY POPE
CARDINAL PELL SPEAKS AT GOVERNMENT INQUIRY OF VICTIMS IN AUSTRALIA
PILGRIMS ARRIVE AT MARTYRS SHRINE IN UGANDA
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : TUES. MAY 28, 2013
EXORCIST CALLS POPE TO ALLOW MORE EXORCISMS - VIDEO OF POPE
TODAY'S SAINT : ST. GERMANUS MAY 28
Vatican Radio REPORT:  We should not reduce the proclamation of Jesus to being a mere cultural ‘gloss’ or ‘veneer’, it must go ‘straight to the heart’ and change us. Moreover, following Jesus ‘does not mean more power’, it is not a ‘career’ because His way is that of the Cross. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass Tuesday in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence. What is our reward in following you? Pope Francis began with the question Peter puts to Jesus. A question, he said, which in the end concerns the life of every Christian. Jesus says that those who follow Him will have "many good things" but "with persecution." The path of the Lord, he continued, "is a road of humility, a road that ends in the Cross." That is why, he added, "there will always be difficulties," "persecution." There will always be, "because He travelled this road before" us. The Pope warned that "when a Christian has no difficulties in life – when everything is fine, everything is beautiful - something is wrong." It leads us to think that he or she is "a great friend of the spirit of the world, of worldliness." The Pope noted this "is a temptation particular to Christians":"Following Jesus, yes, but up to a certain point: following Jesus because of culture: I am a Christian, I have this culture ... But without the necessity of true discipleship of Jesus, the necessity to travel this His road. If you follow Jesus as a cultural proposal, then you are using this road to get higher up, to have more power. And the history of the Church is full of this, starting with some emperors and then many rulers and many people, no? And even some - I will not say a lot, but some - priests, bishops, no? Some say that there are many ... but they are those who think that following Jesus is a career. "The Pope recalled that at one time, "in the literature of two centuries ago," it would sometimes be stated that someone "from the time he was a child wanted a career in the church." Here the Pope reiterated that "many Christians, tempted by the spirit of the world, think that following Jesus is good because it can become a career, they can get ahead." But this "is not the spirit". Instead it is Peter’s attitude when he speaks to Jesus about careers and Jesus answers: "Yes, I will give everything with persecution." "You cannot remove the Cross from the path of Jesus, it is always there." Yet, Pope Francis warned, this does not mean that Christians must hurt themselves. The Christian "follows Jesus out of love and when you follow Jesus out of love, the devil’s envy does many things." The "spirit of the world will not tolerate this, does not tolerate this witness":"Think of Mother Teresa: what does the spirit of the world say of Mother Teresa? 'Ah, Blessed Teresa is a beautiful woman, she did a lot of good things for others ...'. The spirit of the world never says that the Blessed Teresa spent, every day, many hours, in adoration ... Never! It reduces Christian activity to doing social good. As if Christian life was a gloss, a veneer of Christianity. The proclamation of Jesus is not a veneer: the proclamation of Jesus goes straight to the bones, heart, goes deep within and change us. And the spirit of the world does not tolerate it, will not tolerate it, and therefore, there is persecution. "Pope Francis said those who leave their home, their family to follow Jesus, receive a hundred times as much "already now in this age." A hundred times together with persecution. And this should not be forgotten:"Following Jesus is just that: going with Him out of love, behind Him: on the same journey, the same path. And the spirit of the world will not tolerate this and what will make us suffer, but suffering as Jesus did. Let us ask for this grace: to follow Jesus in the way that He has revealed to us and that He has taught us. This is beautiful, because he never leaves us alone. Never! He is always with us. So be it".Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Rino Fisichella and Msgr. José Octavio Ruiz Arenas, president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. It was attended by a group of priests from the Council and staff from the Vatican Power Station and Technical Laboratory of the Governorate of Vatican carpentry, accompanied by Engineer Pier Carlo Cuscianna, Director of Technical Services of the Governorate.


SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION AND EVANGELIUM VITAE DAY: KEY YEAR OF FAITH EVENTS
Vatican City, 28 May 2013 VIS – This morning, in the Holy See Press Office, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, together with Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas and Msgr. Graham Bell, respectively secretary and undersecretary of the same dicastery, presented two major events of the Year of Faith: a worldwide Eucharistic Adoration and the Day Celebrating the Evangelium Vitae.
The first of these events, the Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration, will be broadcast from St. Peter’s Basilica next Sunday, 2 June from 5:00pm-6:00pm local time. Its theme is: “One Lord, One Faith”, which was chosen to testify to the deep unity that characterizes it. “It will be an event,” Archbishop Fisichella explained, “occurring for the first time in the history of the Church, which is why we can describe it as ‘historical’. The cathedrals of the world will be synchronized with Rome and will, for an hour, be in communion with the Pope in Eucharistic adoration. There has been an incredible response to this initiative, going beyond the cathedrals and involving episcopal conferences, parishes, lay associations, and religious congregations, especially cloistered ones.”
From the Cook Islands to Chile, Burkina Faso, Taiwan, Iraq, Bangladesh, the United States, and the Philippines, the dioceses will be synchronized with St. Peter’s and will pray for the intentions proposed by the Pope. The first is: “For the Church spread throughout the world and united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity. May the Lord make her ever more obedient to hearing his Word in order to stand before the world ‘ever more beautiful, without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless.’ That through her faithful announcement, the Word that saves may still resonate as the bearer of mercy and may increase love to give full meaning to pain and suffering, giving back joy and serenity.”
Pope Francis’ second intention is: “For those around the world who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running, and slave labour. For the children and women who are suffering from every type of violence. May their silent scream for help be heard by a vigilant Church so that, gazing upon the crucified Christ, she may not forget the many brothers and sisters who are left at the mercy of violence. Also, for all those who find themselves in economically precarious situations, above all for the unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners, and those who experience marginalization. That the Church’s prayer and its active nearness give them comfort and assistance in hope and strength and courage in defending human dignity.”
The Day Celebrating the Evangelium Vitae, entitled “Believing May They Have Life”, will take place from 15 to 16 June. ”We have given it this name to testify to the grand theme that revolves around the Church’s commitment to the promotion, respect, and dignity of human life,” said Archbishop Fisichella. “Pope Francis will preside at Sunday Mass at 10:30am with the entire ‘people of life’ to address his message and to show his care to them as well as to all the ill who will be present at the celebration. Like the other events, it will follow the traditional pattern of the Year of Faith: pilgrimages to St. Peter’s tomb will take place on Saturday afternoon, from 2:00pm until 5:00pm, while at the same time those who wish may go to confession and adore the Blessed Sacrament. There will also be catechesis for the various language groups in several churches around Rome on Saturday morning.”
In the evening of that same day, Saturday 15 June, starting at 8:30pm, “a silent, candle-lit procession will be held along Via della Conciliazione in order to call attention to the theme of human life and its intangible value. It will conclude in St. Peter’s Square where several meaningful testimonials will be given. … Already, groups from the United States, Germany, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Spain, France, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina, Britain, Belgium, Slovakia, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Australia have registered their participation. There will also be families, representatives from episcopal conferences, dioceses, parishes, religious orders, seminaries, humanitarian and health organizations like the Order of Malta, ecclesial movements, associations like Unitalsi and the Red Cross, and pro-life groups as well as many people interested in the promotion and defense of life who aren’t affiliated with a particular association or religion.”
 
DEFENDING RIGHTS OF CHRISTIANS IN EUROPEAN SOCIETIES
Vatican City, 28 May 2013 VIS – Bishop Mario Toso, S.D.B., secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, delivered an address at the Conference on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (Including Human Rights Youth Education) in Tirana, Albania, on 21 May. The conference was organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The second plenary session dealt with the issue of combating intolerance and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions.
“At the last High-Level Conference on tolerance and non-discrimination, held three years ago in Astana,” the prelate said, “the participating States committed, among other things, to counter prejudice, discrimination, intolerance, and violence against Christians and members of other religions, including minority religions, which continue to be present in the OSCE region. They were also called to address the denial of rights, exclusion, and marginalization of Christians and members of other religions in our societies. Unfortunately, examples of intolerance and discrimination against Christians have not diminished but rather increased in various parts of the OSCE region despite a number of meetings and conferences on the subject organized also by the OSCE and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).”
“It is regretful, therefore, to note that across the OSCE region a sharp dividing line has been drawn between religious belief and religious practice, so that Christians are frequently reminded in public discourse (and increasingly even in the courts), that they can believe whatever they like in their own homes or heads, and largely worship as they wish in their own private churches, but they simply cannot act on those beliefs in public. This is a only deliberate twisting and limiting of what religious freedom actually means, and it is not the freedom that was enshrined in international documents, including those of the OSCE beginning with the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, stretching through the 1989 Final Vienna Document and the 1990 Copenhagen Document, and including the 2010 Astana Summit Commemorative Declaration.”
“Participating OSCE States,” Bishop Toso emphasized, “must therefore guarantee that intolerance and discrimination against Christians is ended, enabling Christians to speak freely on issues that the government or others may find disagreeable and act on their consciences in the workplace and elsewhere. Discrimination against Christians – even where they are a majority – must be faced as a serious threat to the whole of society and therefore should be fought, as it is done, and rightly so, in the case of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
 
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 28 May 2013 VIS – Today the Holy Father:
- appointed Bishop Rodolfo Cetoloni, O.F.M., as bishop of the Diocese of Grosseto (area 1,239, population 134,340, Catholics 124,936, priests 73, permanent deacons 5, religious 50), Italy. Bishop Cetoloni was previously bishop of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza, Italy.
- appointed Fr. Jorge Estrada Solorzano as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mexico (area 1,429, population 8,997,000, Catholics 8,038,000, priests 1,789, permanent deacons 146, religious 7,211), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Mexico City in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1995. Since 2008 he has been the director of the Assistance Centre for Priests. He was previously pastor of St. Peter the Apostle parish in the Archdiocese of Mexico.
- accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Mexico presented by Bishop Francisco Clavel Gil, upon having reached the age limit.



PRIEST KILLED BY MAFIA - FR. PUGLISI IS BEATIFIED BY POPE

IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT

Priest who fought Mafia is beatified  | Father Giuseppe Puglisi,  Mafia, Palermo,Pope Francis

Fr Giuseppe Puglisi
Father Giuseppe Puglisi, a priest who was killed by the Mafia in 1993, was beatified in Palermo in Sicily, on Saturday. After the Angelus in St Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about him, saying: “Don Puglisi was an exemplary priest, devoted especially to youth ministry. He taught children according to the Gospel and encouraged them  the to get out of the mob, and so they tried to defeat him and killed him. In reality, though, it is he that won, with Christ Risen."
These gangs “cause so much pain to men, women and even to children,” he went on, saying that prostitution was one form of slavery or social pressure used by the mafia.
Pope Francis urged the faithful in the square to “pray for these gangsters so that they convert.”
The killing of Fr Puglisi marked a change in the way the Church dealt with the Mafia. In the past they held protests and prayers, but Fr Puglisi actively worked to encourage young people not to get involved with the mob.
Source: VIS
 

CARDINAL PELL SPEAKS AT GOVERNMENT INQUIRY OF VICTIMS IN AUSTRALIA

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
28 May 2013


Speaking to the six  members of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry, a packed meeting room and overflow room for victims of abuse, support groups and media, Cardinal Pell said he was "fully apologetic and absolutely sorry" for victims of child sex abuse committed by priests or church works.
As Cardinal Pell's appearance was streamed live he said to the committee "that is the basis for everything which I'll now say".
The Archbishop was Sydney was invited to appear before the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the handling of sex abuse allegations during the time he was archbishop of Melbourne (1996-2001).
Originally scheduled to last from 1.30-3.30pm the Cardinal's appearance ran to six pm with a short recess called by the Chair of the Committee, Ms G. Crozier.
Answering many repetitive questions Cardinal Pell said victims of abuse are and must be the church's first priority. On a number of occasions he renewed his apology to victims and their families saying the terrible crimes carried out by convicted priest-paedophiles were appalling and reprehensible.
He said within 100 days of becoming Archbishop of Melbourne he established the Melbourne Response and the role of the Independent Commissioner to investigate complaints and make findings.
Cardinal Pell agreed past cases of sexual child abuse by priests had been very badly handled, there had been serious errors of judgement and added; "I don't think many of any persons in the leadership of the Catholic church knew what an horrendous widespread mess we were sitting on."

He said it was likely fear of scandal prompted the cover-up of child sex abuse allegations saying;"The primary motivation would have been to protect the reputation  of the church.
Cardinal Pell said the number of reports of abuse by clergy members peaked in the 1970s and 80s, but had fallen as the church introduced initiatives to tackling the crime including welcoming enhanced laws, effective internal procedures, greater vigilance among Church leaders and working with police and child protection authorities. He also reaffirmed his commitment to providing practical help and support to victims.
Victim support group members and media juggled for the chairs in the main hearing room.
Tweeting was incessant. Some of it even correct, although by the nature of tweets out of context.
While some scrambled to keep notes, other notes were regularly handed to committee members. Perhaps question reminders from staffers. Although as the hearing dragged on perhaps they were dinner orders.
One scribe, desperate for "colour" later wrote that no one rose when Cardinal Pell came into the room. Those who managed to secure a seat also stayed seated when the committee members and the media entered.
The same scribe said;"He was in civvies: white shirt, no jewellery, his head bowed under the weight of the mitre he wasn't wearing." Perhaps his view was hindered by the cameras. Cardinal Pell was actually wearing a white shirt and clerical collar, his Bishop's ring. True no mitre in sight- but it wasn't a liturgical occasion after all. The "colour" continued - "His voice is masculine but oddly refined: Oxford over Ballarat." Crucial information for the those seriously following the Inquiry.

In what some in the meeting room described as a gruelling afternoon "dotted with unnecessary asides and comments" the hearing continued.
Cardinal Pell was allowed a short summation and asked his submission be posted on the official website within 24 hours, rather than months as with some other submissions.
It is hoped the  content and core information of the afternoon was not shaded by performance and effect.
The Inquiry and hopefully the ensuing recommendations will go further in tackling the scourge of child sexual abuse.
Meantime it was interesting to see Canberra-based lawyer Jason Parkinson, who has launched 400 lawsuits against the Catholic Church, say the church had settled every case4 that was still on-going, paying his clients either in pre-trial negotiations or in court.
Mr Parkinson said claims that the church could not be sued were wrong, but he believed there were legal obstacles that could easily be amended, and he called for a two-year moratorium on the statute of limitations to allow abuse victims to pursue their cases.
Cardinal Pell's submission is available at http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/fcdc/article/1789 under "Pell, Cardinal George, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney".
For a statement from Cardinal Pell, click here
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

PILGRIMS ARRIVE AT MARTYRS SHRINE IN UGANDA

CISA NEWS REPORT
First-Pilgrim-Arrives-At-Namugongo
NAMUGONGO, May 17, 2013 (CISA) -Patience Amutuhaire, 21, from Kabale Diocese is the first Ugandan pilgrim to arrive at Namugongo for this year’s pilgrimage, as faithful worldwide start the “great trek”.
Foreigners are also expected from Nigeria. Italians also flew in last week for the June 3 prayer fest.
Amutuhaire said she started her journey three weeks ago from Buhara Rushoroza in Kabale diocese. She arrived with her one year son on Tuesday, May 14.
Catholics and Anglicans celebrate martyrs day taking place on June 3, at Uganda Martyrs shrine, Namugongo. Believers gather to remember the martyrs who were burnt by Buganda’s King Mwanga.
Most people move from their countries and homes and travel on foot to the destination as a sign of devotion and remembrance of their friends who died for them.
“I was resting during the day and moved at night because day time, I got tired for three days when I started and decided to move at night. I was taking water wherever I came across a water source because I used shortcuts where necessary,” she adds.
“This is my third time here. I love this because it’s in our family, my grandfather died when he had reached Mbarara coming for the martyrs’ celebrations in 2004. That is why I believe I can make it every year,” she devoutly said.
Father Joseph Mukasa Muwonge, the organizer of this year’s celebrations said they are ready those who will come earlier before the real day. He said they are taking charge of security around the place to make sure it is free from disturbances.
According to New Vision, Mbarara Archdiocese will lead the celebrations this year and the Chief celebrant is the Archbishop of Mbarara, Paul Bakyenga.
SHARED FROM CISA NEWS AFRICA

OFFICIAL OPENING OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN JORDAN WITH CARDINAL AND KING IN JORDAN

Agenzia Fides REPORT - The official opening of the American University of Madaba, AUM, affiliated to the University of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, May 30. King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches will take part in the inauguration.
"The presence of the King, the Patriarch and the Cardinal" explains to Fides Agency Fr. Rifat Bader, director of the Center of Catholic Studies and formation for media "authoritatively confirms that the path of the new university institution should be viewed in the context of the great and enduring mission carried out by the Latin Patriarchate in Jordan in the field of education. 160 years ago the early phases of the first school of the Latin Patriarchate beyond the Jordan started, in what appeared as a closed and marginal world. Today, that same mission has lead to the creation of a University with high standards and international academic connections, at the service of the people of Jordan, Christians and Muslims together."
The American University of Madaba opened its stutture in October 2011. There are about 800 students, but at full capacity, the University can accommodate 8 thousand. The Latin Patriarchate contributed significantly to the building of the university. (GV) (

TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : TUES. MAY 28, 2013

Mark 10: 28 - 31

28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you."
29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,
30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first."


EXORCIST CALLS POPE TO ALLOW MORE EXORCISMS - VIDEO OF POPE

UCAN/DAILY MAIL REPORT
Says he has purged the world of 160,000 demons and that atheism is strengthening the devil's power
<p>A video still shows Pope Francis praying over a disabled man earlier this month alleged to have been possessed by demons</p>

A video still shows Pope Francis praying over a disabled man earlier this month alleged to have been possessed by demon

 
The Catholic Church's leading 'exorcist' is calling for all priests to be allowed to conduct the ritual after Pope Francis apparently performed one in St Peter's Square last week. 
Father Gabriele Amorth, head of the International Association of Exorcists, wants the current rules requiring all priests to obtain permission to perform exorcisms from their bishop to be relaxed.
Father Amorth, who claims he has carried out 160,000 exorcisms, said his request has been prompted by Pope Francis performing what he insists was an exorcism on a Mexican man “possessed by four demons”.
He told the Sunday Times: 'I will ask the pope to give all priests the power to carry out exorcisms, and to ensure priests are properly trained for these starting with the seminary. There's a huge demand for them.'
His comments come after Pope Francis was captured on film performing an apparent exorcism on May 19.
The footage shows Pope Francis placing his hands on the head of a disabled man who appears to go into a frenzy of convulsions and shaking, before slumping as Francis prays over him.
Father Amorth, 88, told La Repubblica newspaper “The Pope is also the Bishop of Rome, and like any bishop he is also an exorcist.
Those who dismiss exorcism as superstition were wrong he insisted. “There was now, more than ever, a need for exorcists to combat people possessed by ‘sorcerers’ and ‘Satanists’.”
The Pontiff was introduced to two men in wheelchairs after Pentecostal mass on Sunday. When a priest leaned across to tell Francis something, the Pope's expression took on a serious tone.
Francis then took hold of the top of the man's head firmly, pushing him down into his wheelchair. As he delivered an intense prayer, the man's mouth dropped open and he heaved deeply half a dozen times, visibly shaking.
After the ritual Francis continued with his usual meetings with the sick who come to St Peter's.
The Vatican downplayed the incident with spokesman Father Federico Lombardi saying the Pope “did not intend to perform an exorcism” but a “prayer for a suffering person”.
But Father Amorth insists the “prayer” was an exorcism ritual. He told the newspaper: “The priest told Francis: ‘Look, this is a young man who is possessed by the devil’. And the pope blessed him and prayed over him; it was a real and proper exorcism”.
"The Pope's exorcism is a splendid sign because one of the main causes of today's atheism is that people don't believe in the Devil any more. Jesus said: "Who is not with me is with Satan'."
He added: "We live in an age in which God has been forgotten. And wherever God is not present, the Devil rules."
"Today, unfortunately, bishops don't appoint sufficient exorcists. We need many more. I hope that Rome will send out directives to bishops around the world calling on them to appoint more exorcists."
The former pope, Benedict XVI, never officially performed an exorcism but John Paul II is known to have carried out at least three exorcisms during his tenure.
Father Amorth claimed Pope John Paul II had been a powerful exorcist. "John Paul II fought many times against Satan."
SHARED FROM UCAN NEWS

TODAY'S SAINT : ST. GERMANUS MAY 28

St. Germanus
ABBOT AND BISHOP OF PARIS
Feast: May 28


     Information:
Feast Day:May 28
Born:496 at Autun, France
Died:576
St. Germanus, the glory of the church of France in the sixth age, was born in the territory of Autun about the year 469. He was brought up in piety and learning under the care of Scapilion his cousin, a holy priest. In his youth no weather could divert him from always going to Matins at midnight, though the church was above a mile from the place of his abode. Being ordained priest by St. Agrippinus bishop of Autun, he was made abbot of St. Symphorian's in the suburbs of that city, a house since converted into a priory of regular canons. Fortunatus, bishop of Poitiers, who was well acquainted with our saint, tells us that he was favored at that time with the gifts of miracles and prophecy. It was his custom to watch great part of the night in the church in prayer, while his monks slept. One night in a dream he thought a venerable old man presented him with the keys of the city of Paris and said to him, that God committed to his care the inhabitants of that city, that he should save them from perishing. Four years after this divine admonition, in 554, happening to be at Paris when that see became vacant, on the demise of the bishop Eusebius, he was exalted to the episcopal chair, though he endeavored by many tears to decline the charge. His promotion made no alteration in his continual fasts and other austerities; and the same simplicity and frugality appeared in his dress, table, and furniture. In the evening at nine o'clock he went to the church, and staved there in prayer till after Matins, that is, in summer till about break of day His house was perpetually crowded with the poor and the afflicted. and he had always many beggars at his own table, at which no dainty meats were ever served; he took care that the souls of his guests should be refreshed at the same time with their bodies, by the reading of some pious book. God gave to his sermons a wonderful influence over the minds of ale ranks of people; so that the face of the whole city was in a very short time quite changed. Vanities were abolished, dances and profane amusements laid aside, enmities and discord extinguished, and sinners reclaimed. King Childebert, who till then had been an ambitious worldly prince, by the sweetness and the powerful discourses of the saint, was entirely converted to piety, and by his advice reformed his whole court. And so desirous did that prince become of exchanging the perishing goods of this world for eternal treasures, that, not content with making many religious foundations, to be nurseries of piety in all succeeding ages, and with sending incredible sums of money to the good bishop, to be distributed among the indigent after his coffers were drained he melted down his silver plate, and gave away the chains which he wore about his neck, begging the bishop, whom he made the steward of his charities, never to cease giving, assuring him that on his side he should never be tired with supplying all things for the relief and comfort of the distressed.

In the year 542, king Childebert, together with his brother Clotaire, making war in Spain, besieged Saragossa. The inhabitants of that city reposed a particular confidence in the patronage of St. Vincent, whose relics they carried in procession within sight of the French camp. King Childebert was moved with their devotion, and desiring to speak with the bishop of the city, promised to withdraw his army, on condition he might obtain some portion of the relics of St. Vincent. The bishop gave him the stole which that holy deacon wore at the altar. Upon which the king raised the siege, and, at his return to Paris, built a church in honor of St. Vincent, and of the Holy Cross; which is now called St. Germain's in the meadows, and stands in the suburbs of Paris. Childebert falling sick at his palace at Celles, near Melun, at the confluence of the Yon and Seine, St. Germanus paid him a visit; and when the physicians had in vain tried every thing, all human means failing, the saint spent the whole night in prayer for his recovery, and in the morning laid his hands on him; and at the same moment the king found himself perfectly healed. The king relates himself this miracle in his letters patent, in which, in gratitude to God for this benefit, he gave to the church of Paris and the bishop Germanus, the land of Celles, where he had received this favor. The good king did not long survive. As the king had chosen the church of St. Vincent for the place of his burial, the saint, assisted by six other bishops, performed the ceremony of the dedication on the 23d of December, 558, the very day on which that prince died. The king likewise had built a large monastery joining to this new church, which he endowed most liberally with the fief of Issy and other lands, on part of which a considerable suburb of Paris has been since built. This magnificent edifice was called the Golden Church, the walls being covered on the outside with plates of brass gilt, and within adorned with paintings on a rich gilt ground.1 This church was plundered by the Normans, in 845, 857, 858, and set on fire by them in 861 and 881; but rebuilt in 1014, and dedicated by pope Alexander III. in 1163. The lower part of the great tower and its gate with the statues of Clovis, Clodomir, Thierri, Childebert and his wife Ultrogotta, Clotaire, and others, seem to be as old as the time of king Childebert. This prince committed the monastery and church to the care of our saint, who placed there monks under the holy abbot Droctoveus, whom he had invited from Autun, where he had formed him to a religious life. Clotaire, who succeeded his brother Childebert, was the last of the sons of the great Clovis; and united again the four kingdoms of France into one monarchy. On his removing from Soissons to Paris, he at first seemed to treat the holy bishop coldly; but falling ill soon after of a violent fever, was put in mind by some that were about him to send for St. Germanus. He did so, and full of confidence in the power of God and the sanctity of his servant, took hold of his clothes and applied them to the parts of his body where he felt pain, and recovered immediately. From that moment he always treated the saint even with greater honor than Childebert had done. But that prince dying shortly after, in 561, his four sons, Charibert, Gontran, Sigebert,  and Chilperic, divided the French monarchy into four kingdoms, in the same manner as the sons of Clovis had done. That of Paris was given to Charibert or Aribert, Gontran was king of Orleans and Burgundy, Sigebert of Austrasia, and Chilperic of Soissons. Charibert sunk into a vicious indolence, yet was obstinate and headstrong in his passions not being divested of all the prejudices of paganism, he divorced his wife Ingoberga, and took to wife Marcovesa her maid, who had worn a religious habit; and after her death, he married her sister Merofleda, Ingoberga being still living. Our saint many ways endeavored to make him sensible of the enormity of his crimes; but finding all his remonstrances lost on him, he proceeded so far as to excommunicate him and the accomplice of his sin, to hinder at least the dangerous influence of his scandalous example. The sinners were hardened in their evil courses; but God revenged the contempt of his laws and of the holy pastor as he has often done, by visible judgments; for the criminal lady fell ill and died in a few days, and the adulterous king did not long survive her, leaving by his lawful wife only three daughters, two of whom became nuns, the third, called Bertha, was married to Ethelbert, king of Kent.

Upon the death of Charibert in 570, his three brothers divided his dominions; but not being able to agree who should be master of Paris, the capital, came to an accommodation that they should hold it jointly, on condition that none of them should go into the city without the leave of the other two St. Germanus found his flock involved by this agreement in great difficulties, and the city divided into three different parties, always plotting and counterplotting against one another. He did all that the most consummate charity, prudence, and vigilance could do, to preserve the public peace; yet Sigebert and Chilperic appeared in arms, being fired by ambition, and stirred up by their wicked queens Fredegonda, wife of the latter, and Brunehaut of the former, burning with the most implacable jealousy against each other. The saint prevailed with them to suspend their hostilities for some time. At length Chilperic invaded the territories of Sigebert, but being worsted in battle, fled to Tournay. This victory left Sigebert free liberty of going to Paris with his wife Brunehaut and children, where he was received as conqueror. St. Germanus wrote to the queen, conjuring her to employ her interest with her husband to restore the peace of France, and to spare the life and fortune of a brother, whose ruin and blood would cry to heaven for vengeance. But Brunehaut's passion rendered her deaf to all remonstrances, and Sigebert was determined by her furious counsels to besiege Tournay. As he was setting out for this enterprise, he was met by St. Germanus, who told him that if he forgave his brother, he should return victorious; but if he was bent on his death, divine justice would overtake him, and his own death should prevent the execution of his unnatural design. Sigebert allowed this wholesome advice no weight; but the event showed that God had put these words in the mouth of the good bishop; for queen Fredegonda, enraged at  the desperate posture of her husband's.

affairs, hired two assassins, who dispatched him with poisoned daggers, while he made a halt in his march at Vitri, in 575, after he had reigned fourteen years, with some reputation of humanity, as Fortunatus tells us.
Chilperic, by his tyranny and oppressions, deserved to be styled the French Nero, as St. Gregory of Tours calls him. He sacrificed his own children by former wives to the fury of Fredegonda, but having discovered her infidelity to him, he was, by her contrivance, murdered by her gallant in 584. Fredegonda was regent of the kingdoms of Soissons and Paris for her son Clotaire III., and continued her practices and wars against Brunehaut and her son till she died, in 601. Brunehaut governed the kingdom of Austrasia for her son Childebert II., and after his death for her grandson Theodebert; but afterwards persuaded Theodoric, her second grandson, who reigned at Challons, to destroy him and his whole family in fill. The year following Theodoric died, and Clotaire II., surnamed the Great, son of Fredegonda, inheriting both their estates, accused Brunehaut before the states of putting to death ten kings and St. Desiderius, bishop of Vienne, because he had reproved her for her public scandalous lusts, and many other illustrious persons. She had at first appeared liberal, and built several churches; but afterwards became infamous for her cruelty, avarice, restless ambition, and insatiable lusts, to which she sacrificed all things, and employed both the sword and poison in perpetrating her wicked designs. Being condemned by the states, she was put to the rack during three days, and afterwards dragged to death, being tied to the tail of a wild mare; or, according to others, drawn betwixt four horses, in 613.

St. Germanus lived not to see the miserable ends of these two firebrands of their country. In his old age he lost nothing of that zeal and activity with which he had filled the great duties of his station in the vigor of his life, nor did the weakness to which his corporal austerities had reduced him, make him abate any thing in the mortifications of his penitential life, in which he redoubled his fervor as he approached nearer to the end of his course. By his zeal the remains of idolatry were extirpated in France. In the third council of Paris, in 557, he had the principal share in drawing up the canons. By his advice, king Childebert issued an edict commanding all idols to be destroyed throughout his dominions, and forbidding all indecent dances and diversions on Sundays and festivals. The saint continued his labors for the conversion of sinners till he was called to receive the reward of them on the 28th of May, 576, being eighty years old. King Chilperic composed his epitaph, in which he extols his zeal for the salvation of his people, and their affection and veneration for his person. He mentions the miracles which were wrought at his tomb, and says that sight was restored to the blind and speech to the dumb.2 He was, according to his own desire, buried in St. Symphorian's chapel, which he built at the bottom of the church of St. Vincent already mentioned. Many miracles manifested his sanctity, of which Fortunatus, then a priest, afterwards bishop of Poitiers, has left us a history, in which he gives two on his own evidence. Also two anonymous monks compiled relations of several miracles of St. Germanus, which Aimoinus, a monk of this monastery in 870, and a careful writer, digested into two books.3 The relics of St. Germanus remained in the aforesaid chapel till the year 754, when the abbot removed them into the body of the church. The ceremony of this translation was performed with great solemnity; and king Pepin thought himself honored by assisting at it.
Prince Charles, known afterwards by the title of Charlemagne, who was then but seven years old, attended his father on this occasion, and was so strongly affected with the miracles performed at that time, that when he came to the crown, he took a particular pleasure in relating them, with all their circumstances. The greatest part of the relics of St. Germanus remain still in this church of St. Vincent, commonly called St. Germain-des-Prez. This abbey is possessed of the original privilege of its foundation and exemption, written on bark, and subscribed by St. Germanus, St. Nicetius, and several other bishops. The most valuable work of St. Germanus of Paris, is An Exposition of the Liturgy, published from an ancient manuscript by Dom. Martenne.4 The characteristical virtue of St. Germanus was his unbounded charity to the poor. Liberality in alms moves God to be liberal to us in the dispensations of his spiritual graces; but he who hardens his heart to the injuries and wants of others, shuts against himself the treasury of heaven.


source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/G/stgermanus.asp#ixzz1wDslFZZt