Catholic world news: Tues. Sept. 1, 2009: headlines-
VATICAN: PRAYER INTENTION FOR SEPTEMBER-
VATICAN: PRAYER INTENTION FOR SEPTEMBER-
AUSTRALIA: TELEVISED MASSES-
EUROPE: ENGLAND: BLAIR: "VOICE OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE HEARD"-
AMERICAS: CUBA: ARCHDIOCESE TO OPEN A NEW SEMINARY-
ZIMBABWE: ORDINATION OF FR. KALIYANIL-
ASIA: INDIA: GOVERNMENT SEEKS AID FOR POOR-
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2009 (VIS) - Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for September is: "That the word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy". His mission intention is: "That Christians in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who often meet with great difficulties, may not be discouraged from announcing the Gospel to their brothers, trusting in the strength of the Holy Spirit".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/SEPTEMBER/... VIS 090901 (80) OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed: - Fr. Adel Zaky O.F.M., pastor at Boulacco in Cairo, Egypt and secretary of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs in Egypt, as apostolic vicar of Alexandria of the Latins (Catholics 14,298, priests 103, permanent deacons 5, religious 922), Egypt. The bishop-elect was born in Luxor, Egypt in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1972. - Msgr. Jean-Marie Musivi Mpendawatu, official of the Pontifical Council for Healthcare Ministry, as under secretary of the same dicastery.NER/.../ZAKY.MUSIVI VIS 090901 (90)
AUSTRALIA
TELEVISED MASSES
Director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting and regular celebrant on Mass For You At Home, F
r Richard Leonard often speaks in a tongue and cheek manner about his frustration that this television program is not recognised by the industry for its long running and durable nature.
Mass For You At Home has been broadcast by the 10 Network since August 1971. The show's basic premise is to allow viewers to participate in a Sunday Mass from their homes. It is viewed by thousands of people across Australia every Sunday and this Mass is repeated on the Aurora Channel on Foxtel twice a day throughout the week.
Mass For You At Home, Channel 10, Sundays at 6pm or check local guides.
http://www.mfyah.com.au/index.html
r Richard Leonard often speaks in a tongue and cheek manner about his frustration that this television program is not recognised by the industry for its long running and durable nature.Mass For You At Home has been broadcast by the 10 Network since August 1971. The show's basic premise is to allow viewers to participate in a Sunday Mass from their homes. It is viewed by thousands of people across Australia every Sunday and this Mass is repeated on the Aurora Channel on Foxtel twice a day throughout the week.
Mass For You At Home, Channel 10, Sundays at 6pm or check local guides.
http://www.mfyah.com.au/index.html
EUROPE
ENGLAND: BLAIR: "VOICE OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE HEARD"
CNA reports Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who converted to the Catholic faith a few years ago, addressed participants at the Rimini Meeting in Italy, saying, “The voice of the Church should be heard” and “it should speak confidently, clearly and openly.”
During his speech the former Prime Minister underscored, “Faith and reason are in alliance, not opposition,” and that therefore “the Church can be the insistent spiritual voice that makes globalization our servant not our master.”
After praising the Church’s untiring social work, Blair went on to say, “There is not just room, but a growing space today for organizations of civic society to step forward and do things that neither market nor state can do.”
Blair said his conversion to the Catholic faith was due in part to his wife Cherie. “I began to go to Mass and we went together. We could have gone to the Anglican or Catholic church – guess who won?” he joked.
“As time went on, I had been going to Mass for a long time ... it's difficult to find the right words. I felt this was right for me. There was something, not just about the doctrine of the Church, but of the universal nature of the Catholic Church,” Tony Blair said.
Despite these words, Blair and his wife maintain positions on contraception and gay unions that are contrary to the Church’s teachings.(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16984
CNA reports Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who converted to the Catholic faith a few years ago, addressed participants at the Rimini Meeting in Italy, saying, “The voice of the Church should be heard” and “it should speak confidently, clearly and openly.”
During his speech the former Prime Minister underscored, “Faith and reason are in alliance, not opposition,” and that therefore “the Church can be the insistent spiritual voice that makes globalization our servant not our master.”
After praising the Church’s untiring social work, Blair went on to say, “There is not just room, but a growing space today for organizations of civic society to step forward and do things that neither market nor state can do.”
Blair said his conversion to the Catholic faith was due in part to his wife Cherie. “I began to go to Mass and we went together. We could have gone to the Anglican or Catholic church – guess who won?” he joked.
“As time went on, I had been going to Mass for a long time ... it's difficult to find the right words. I felt this was right for me. There was something, not just about the doctrine of the Church, but of the universal nature of the Catholic Church,” Tony Blair said.
Despite these words, Blair and his wife maintain positions on contraception and gay unions that are contrary to the Church’s teachings.(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16984
AMERICAS
CUBA: ARCHDIOCESE TO OPEN A NEW SEMINARY
CNA reports that the Archdiocese of Havana announced this week that it will open a new seminary in 2010, the first such building project the Church has undertaken in Cuba in the last 50 years.
John Paul II blessed the cornerstone of the seminary during his visit to Cuba in 1998. The construction has been financed by numerous international institutions, including the Knights of Columbus.
The seminary will be able to house 100 candidates for the priesthood and will be inaugurated in 2010 as part of the closing of the Year for Priests.
The new formation center will be named after St. Charles Borromeo and St. Ambrose and will be located in historic downtown Havana. The former seminary will be converted into a cultural center named after Fr. Felix Varela. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16989
John Paul II blessed the cornerstone of the seminary during his visit to Cuba in 1998. The construction has been financed by numerous international institutions, including the Knights of Columbus.
The seminary will be able to house 100 candidates for the priesthood and will be inaugurated in 2010 as part of the closing of the Year for Priests.
The new formation center will be named after St. Charles Borromeo and St. Ambrose and will be located in historic downtown Havana. The former seminary will be converted into a cultural center named after Fr. Felix Varela. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16989
AFRICA
ZIMBABWE: ORDINATION OF FR. KALIYANIL
CISA reports that the Archbishop for Bulawayo Diocese, Father Alex Thomas Kaliyanil, is to be ordained on 12 September, at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair show grounds, the Zimbabwe Telegraph has reported.A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo, Father Nigel Johnson, said the event would be attended by eight archbishops from all over the country. The Apostolic Nuncio George Kocherry from Harare will represent Pope Benedict.Fr Thomas was appointed Archbishop for Bulawayo Diocese in June.The Diocese has been led by Fr Martin Schupp who was appointed apostolic administrator after the resignation of Archbishop Ncube in 2007.Archbishop Kaliyanil was born in Chananacherry, in India in 1960. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1988 he served as a Divine Word missionary priest in Zimbabwe.Archbishop Kaliyanil also holds a degree in Economics. Since 2001, he has been the Caritas ex-officio advisor to the Catholic Development Commission and has also served as a diocesan economist.In 2008 Kaliyanil was appointed the regional superior for the Divine Word Missionaries in Zimbabwe.The Catholic Church in Zimbabwe is divided into two metropolitan provinces, Harare and Bulawayo, each with three suffragan in Chinhoyi, Gokwe and Mutare, Gweru, Hwange and Masvingo. The archdiocese of Bulawayo was established on 1 January 1995 and comprises 14 civil districts and is home to 116 000 Catholics, 40 parishes, 87 priests and 11 religious orders.
(SOURCE: http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4099
ASIA
INDIA: GOVERNMENT SEEKS AID FOR POOR
UCAN reports that the governme
nt of Jharkhand has sought the Catholic Church's help to distribute food relief to people reeling from drought in the eastern Indian state. T.P. Sinha (left) seen with Cardinal Telesphore Toppo T.P. Sinha, advisor to Jharkhand Governor K. Sankarnarayanan, met Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of Ranchi on Aug. 30 to make a formal request for assistance. The government on Aug. 2 declared the entire state drought-affected. Farmers in the state could sow only 20 percent of rice paddy this year because of lack of water, local media reported. People in a drought-hit area are eligible for government aid, free grain, interest-free loans and other assistance. The government has decided to distribute grain to families living below the poverty line and set up grain storage centers. It has also decided to allow women living below the poverty line and self-help groups to run 12,500 new shops to distribute the grain and earn an income. The government said the administration had approved 111.9 million rupees (US$2.38 million) for the project. Sinha, who met the cardinal at the prelate's residence, declined to talk to the media but Cardinal Toppo later told UCA News the government wants to use the Church's vast infrastructure and network in the state. "We are fully devoted in serving the poor. We are only too willing to extend our fullest cooperation to the state," Cardinal Toppo said. The drought has resulted in famine in many areas and has affected even those living above the poverty line. As drought relief is meant only for the very poor, there have been reports of attacks on grain depots and looting in some areas. "The entire state is reeling under drought conditions and we would collaborate with the government to ensure proper distribution of food grains," Cardinal Toppo said. The prelate says the Church would first chalk out "an effective and transparent system" and implement it in collaboration with the government. The state has eight Catholic dioceses and allied organizations engaged in serving the poor. "All our dioceses can be harnessed for this noble job," the cardinal said. He added that he would send out an urgent message and organize a meeting of directors of diocesan social development societies. The Church would then finalize the plan after discussing it with the governor adviser. Father Jaiman Xalxo, director of Ranchi archdiocese's Catholic Charities, says the government move has excited Church workers. "We are very excited to take up this most challenging work," he said. He said the Church people plan to work with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the social action wing of the American bishops' conference, which is present in the state. "We have been working together with CRS for a long time. It has much experience in the field of relief work," he said. The priest also said the Church would take up the job as soon as the government hands it over officially. (SOURCE:http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/31/government-seeks-churchs-help-in-fighting-famine/
nt of Jharkhand has sought the Catholic Church's help to distribute food relief to people reeling from drought in the eastern Indian state. T.P. Sinha (left) seen with Cardinal Telesphore Toppo T.P. Sinha, advisor to Jharkhand Governor K. Sankarnarayanan, met Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of Ranchi on Aug. 30 to make a formal request for assistance. The government on Aug. 2 declared the entire state drought-affected. Farmers in the state could sow only 20 percent of rice paddy this year because of lack of water, local media reported. People in a drought-hit area are eligible for government aid, free grain, interest-free loans and other assistance. The government has decided to distribute grain to families living below the poverty line and set up grain storage centers. It has also decided to allow women living below the poverty line and self-help groups to run 12,500 new shops to distribute the grain and earn an income. The government said the administration had approved 111.9 million rupees (US$2.38 million) for the project. Sinha, who met the cardinal at the prelate's residence, declined to talk to the media but Cardinal Toppo later told UCA News the government wants to use the Church's vast infrastructure and network in the state. "We are fully devoted in serving the poor. We are only too willing to extend our fullest cooperation to the state," Cardinal Toppo said. The drought has resulted in famine in many areas and has affected even those living above the poverty line. As drought relief is meant only for the very poor, there have been reports of attacks on grain depots and looting in some areas. "The entire state is reeling under drought conditions and we would collaborate with the government to ensure proper distribution of food grains," Cardinal Toppo said. The prelate says the Church would first chalk out "an effective and transparent system" and implement it in collaboration with the government. The state has eight Catholic dioceses and allied organizations engaged in serving the poor. "All our dioceses can be harnessed for this noble job," the cardinal said. He added that he would send out an urgent message and organize a meeting of directors of diocesan social development societies. The Church would then finalize the plan after discussing it with the governor adviser. Father Jaiman Xalxo, director of Ranchi archdiocese's Catholic Charities, says the government move has excited Church workers. "We are very excited to take up this most challenging work," he said. He said the Church people plan to work with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the social action wing of the American bishops' conference, which is present in the state. "We have been working together with CRS for a long time. It has much experience in the field of relief work," he said. The priest also said the Church would take up the job as soon as the government hands it over officially. (SOURCE:http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/31/government-seeks-churchs-help-in-fighting-famine/TODAY'S SAINT
St. Giles
ABBOT
Feast Day:
September 1
Born:
Athens, Greece
Died:
France
Major Shrine:
St. Giles' Cathedral (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Patron of:
beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people; epilepsy; fear of night; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; noctiphobics; outcasts; poor peoples; rams; spur makers; sterility;
An Abbot, said to have been born of illustrious Athenian parentage about the middle of the seventh century. Early in life he devoted himself exclusively to spiritual things, but, finding his noble birth and high repute for sanctity in his native land an obstacle to his perfection, he passed over to Gaul, where he established himself first in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone and later by the River Gard. But here again the fame of his sanctity drew multitudes to him, so he withdrew to a dense forest near Nîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being a hind. This last retreat was finally discovered by the king's hunters, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. The king [who according to the legend was Wamba (or Flavius?), King of the Visigoths, but who must have been a Frank, since the Franks had expelled the Visigoths from the neighbourhood of Nîmes almost a century and a half earlier] conceived a high esteem for solitary, and would have heaped every honour upon him; but the humility of the saint was proof against all temptations. He consented, however, to receive thenceforth some disciples, and built a monastery in his valley, which he placed under the rule of St. Benedict. Here he died in the early part of the eighth century, with the highest repute for sanctity and miracles.
His cult spread rapidly far and wide throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, as is witnessed by the numberless churches and monasteries dedicated to him in France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the British Isles; by the numerous manuscripts in prose and verse commemorating his virtues and miracles; and especially by the vast concourse of pilgrims who from all Europe flocked to his shrine. In 1562 the relics of the saint were secretly transferred to Toulouse to save them from the hideous excesses of the Huguenots who were then ravaging France, and the pilgrimage in consequence declined. With the restoration of a great part of the relics to the church of St. Giles in 1862, and the discovery of his former tomb there in 1865, the pilgrimages have recommenced. Besides the city of St-Gilles, which sprang up around the abbey, nineteen other cities bear his name, St-Gilles, Toulouse, and a multitude of French cities, Antwerp, Bridges, and Tournai in Belgium, Cologne and Bamberg, in Germany, Prague and Gran in Austria-Hungary, Rome and Bologna in Italy, possess celebrated relics of St. Giles. In medieval art he is a frequent subject, being always depicted with his symbol, the hind. His feast is kept on 1 September. On this day there are also commemorated another St. Giles, an Italian hermit of the tenth century (Acta SS., XLI, 305), and a Blessed Giles, d. about 1203, a Cistercian abbot of Castaneda in the Diocese of Astorga, Spain (op. cit. XLI, 308).
TODAY'S GOSPEL
Luke 4: 31 - 37
31
And he went down to Caper'na-um, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath;
32
and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.
33
And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice,
34
"Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."
35
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
36
And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."
37
And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
31
And he went down to Caper'na-um, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath;
32
and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.
33
And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice,
34
"Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."
35
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
36
And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."
37
And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
