Catholic world news: Wed. Aug. 26, 2009: headlines:
VATICAN:POPE: ANGELUS TODAY: "THE EARTH IS A PRECIOUS GIFT"-
AMERICAS: US: SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY DIES:
AFRICA: DEM. REP. CONGO: JOURNALIST KILLED
AFRICA: DEM. REP. CONGO: JOURNALIST KILLED
EUROPE: IRELAND: 36 NEW SEMINARIANS:
AUSTRALIA: CANBERRA: CATHOLIC WOMEN'S CONFERENCE:
ASIA: INDIA: MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY LAUNCH YEAR HONORING M. TERESA:
ASIA: INDIA: MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY LAUNCH YEAR HONORING M. TERESA:
TODAY'S SAINT: ST. ZEPHYRINUS
VATICAN
POPE: ANGELUS TODAY: "THE EARTH IS A PRECIOUS GIFT"
I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, including the many altar servers, school pupils and choristers.
The summer holidays have given us all the opportunity to thank God for the precious gift of creation. Taking up this theme, I wish to reflect today upon the relationship between the Creator and ourselves as guardians of his creation. In so doing I also wish to offer my support to leaders of governments and international agencies who soon will meet at the United Nations to discuss the urgent issue of climate change.
The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given us guidelines that assist us as stewards of his creation. Precisely from within this framework, the Church considers that matters concerning the environment and its protection are intimately linked with integral human development. In my recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, I referred to such questions recalling the "pressing moral need for renewed solidarity" (no. 49) not only between countries but also between individuals, since the natural environment is given by God to everyone, and so our use of it entails a personal responsibility towards humanity as a whole, particularly towards the poor and towards future generations (cf. no. 48).
How important it is then, that the international community and individual governments send the right signals to their citizens and succeed in countering harmful ways of treating the environment! The economic and social costs of using up shared resources must be recognized with transparency and borne by those who incur them, and not by other peoples or future generations. The protection of the environment, and the safeguarding of resources and of the climate, oblige all leaders to act jointly, respecting the law and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the world (cf. no. 50). Together we can build an integral human development beneficial for all peoples, present and future, a development inspired by the values of charity in truth. For this to happen it is essential that the current model of global development be transformed through a greater, and shared, acceptance of responsibility for creation: this is demanded not only by environmental factors, but also by the scandal of hunger and human misery.
With these sentiments I wish to encourage all the participants in the United Nations summit to enter into their discussions constructively and with generous courage. Indeed, we are all called to exercise responsible stewardship of creation, to use resources in such a way that every individual and community can live with dignity, and to develop "that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God" (Message for the 2008 World Day of Peace, 7)! Thank you.
(SOURCE: www.vatican.va )
The summer holidays have given us all the opportunity to thank God for the precious gift of creation. Taking up this theme, I wish to reflect today upon the relationship between the Creator and ourselves as guardians of his creation. In so doing I also wish to offer my support to leaders of governments and international agencies who soon will meet at the United Nations to discuss the urgent issue of climate change.
The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given us guidelines that assist us as stewards of his creation. Precisely from within this framework, the Church considers that matters concerning the environment and its protection are intimately linked with integral human development. In my recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, I referred to such questions recalling the "pressing moral need for renewed solidarity" (no. 49) not only between countries but also between individuals, since the natural environment is given by God to everyone, and so our use of it entails a personal responsibility towards humanity as a whole, particularly towards the poor and towards future generations (cf. no. 48).
How important it is then, that the international community and individual governments send the right signals to their citizens and succeed in countering harmful ways of treating the environment! The economic and social costs of using up shared resources must be recognized with transparency and borne by those who incur them, and not by other peoples or future generations. The protection of the environment, and the safeguarding of resources and of the climate, oblige all leaders to act jointly, respecting the law and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the world (cf. no. 50). Together we can build an integral human development beneficial for all peoples, present and future, a development inspired by the values of charity in truth. For this to happen it is essential that the current model of global development be transformed through a greater, and shared, acceptance of responsibility for creation: this is demanded not only by environmental factors, but also by the scandal of hunger and human misery.
With these sentiments I wish to encourage all the participants in the United Nations summit to enter into their discussions constructively and with generous courage. Indeed, we are all called to exercise responsible stewardship of creation, to use resources in such a way that every individual and community can live with dignity, and to develop "that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God" (Message for the 2008 World Day of Peace, 7)! Thank you.
(SOURCE: www.vatican.va )
AMERICA
US: SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY DIES
CNN reports Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, the patriarch of the first family of Democratic politics, died late Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 77.
"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," a family statement said. "We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice."
President Obama learned about Kennedy's death at 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to a senior administration official. Obama later called Kennedy's widow to offer condolences.
In a statement, Obama says: "An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time."
Kennedy, nicknamed "Ted," was the younger brother of slain President John F. Kennedy and New York Sen. Robert Kennedy, who was gunned down while seeking the White House in 1968. However, his own presidential aspirations were hobbled by the controversy around a 1969 auto accident that left a young woman dead, and a 1980 primary challenge to then-President Jimmy Carter that ended in defeat.
(Edited from: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/index.htmlLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/index.html
"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," a family statement said. "We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice."
President Obama learned about Kennedy's death at 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to a senior administration official. Obama later called Kennedy's widow to offer condolences.
In a statement, Obama says: "An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time."
Kennedy, nicknamed "Ted," was the younger brother of slain President John F. Kennedy and New York Sen. Robert Kennedy, who was gunned down while seeking the White House in 1968. However, his own presidential aspirations were hobbled by the controversy around a 1969 auto accident that left a young woman dead, and a 1980 primary challenge to then-President Jimmy Carter that ended in defeat.
(Edited from: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/index.htmlLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/index.html
Bishop Séamus Hegarty pays tribute to the late Senator Edward Kennedy
Expressing his sadness at the news of the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, Bishop Séamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry and chair of the Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants said:“The Irish immigrant community in the United States has lost a very strong advocate for justice. Among his many works, his efforts in seeking to enact comprehensive immigration reform made the wider public aware of the plight of immigrants and of Irish immigrants in particular. “Senator Kennedy will be remembered for his strong support for Irish causes, including the peace process in Northern Ireland. “I offer my deepest sympathy to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.”
Expressing his sadness at the news of the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, Bishop Séamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry and chair of the Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants said:“The Irish immigrant community in the United States has lost a very strong advocate for justice. Among his many works, his efforts in seeking to enact comprehensive immigration reform made the wider public aware of the plight of immigrants and of Irish immigrants in particular. “Senator Kennedy will be remembered for his strong support for Irish causes, including the peace process in Northern Ireland. “I offer my deepest sympathy to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.”
AFRICA
DEM. REP. CONGO: JOURNALIST KILLED
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today expressed its shock and dismay at the latest assassination of a journalist in the vast African nation’s volatile east.
According to media reports, Bruno Koko Chirambiza, a radio reporter, was killed last weekend in Bukavu, the capital of the restive South Kivu province.
The mission,
known as MONUC, “strongly deplores and condemns this horrible act that affects the entire Congolese press in general and the journalism profession in particular,” according to a statement issued in Kinshasa.
It called on judicial officials to bring those behind the murder to justice, noting that this would “undoubted contribute to promoting the fight against impunity.”
MONUC also said that it stands ready to help Congolese authorities if requested.
Last November, Didace Namujimbo, a journalist with Radio Okapi, was shot and killed in Bukavu, while his colleague Serge Maheshe was murdered in 2007.
Radio Okapi is a partnership between MONUC and the Hirondelle Foundation, a Swiss non-governmental organization.
According to media reports, Bruno Koko Chirambiza, a radio reporter, was killed last weekend in Bukavu, the capital of the restive South Kivu province.
The mission,
known as MONUC, “strongly deplores and condemns this horrible act that affects the entire Congolese press in general and the journalism profession in particular,” according to a statement issued in Kinshasa.It called on judicial officials to bring those behind the murder to justice, noting that this would “undoubted contribute to promoting the fight against impunity.”
MONUC also said that it stands ready to help Congolese authorities if requested.
Last November, Didace Namujimbo, a journalist with Radio Okapi, was shot and killed in Bukavu, while his colleague Serge Maheshe was murdered in 2007.
Radio Okapi is a partnership between MONUC and the Hirondelle Foundation, a Swiss non-governmental organization.
EUROPE:
IRELAND: 36 NEW SEMINARIANS
CNA reports that the Irish bishops have announced that 36 new seminarians will begin their studies for the diocesan priesthood this year.
The new seminarians r
ange in age from 18 to their mid-40s and come from a variety of educational and employment backgrounds, the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference (ICBC) reports.
Bishop Donal McKeown, chairman of the Vocations Commission of the ICBC, said the news was an encouragement to parishes and other organizations that promote vocations.
“Priests come from families and parish communities across the country; they are sons, brothers and uncles; work colleagues and friends; part of a Christian community,” he said.
Fr. Paddy Rushe, National Coordinator of Diocesan Vocation Directors, acknowledged the “hard work” of vocation directors who have spent much time “guiding and directing these men and preparing them for this step in their lives.”
“Despite ongoing challenges to the gospel values in the modern world it is encouraging to see evidence that God continues to inspire people to answer His call of service in the priesthood,” he commented.
A reported 26 new seminarians will be based in the national seminary of St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Seven will study at St. Malachy’s College in Belfast and two will study at the Beda College in Rome. One candidate is entering the pre-seminary discernment year in Valladolid, Spain.
Msgr. Hugh Connolly, President of Maynooth, welcomed the new candidates for the priesthood, their families, and their friends.
“You have responded in your hearts to the Lord’s call,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers accompany you as you take the first step along the road to ordained ministry and to placing your lives at the service of Christ and of His people.”
Msgr. Connolly said it was “truly wonderful” to witness the new seminarians’ “generosity of spirit” at the close of Ireland’s “Year of Vocation” and the beginning of the worldwide “Year for Priests.”
At the end of September, there will be a total of 77 seminarians in Maynooth. This number includes seven Scottish seminarians who transferred to Maynooth following the closure of Scotus College in Glasgow. Their numbers are not included among the 37 new Irish seminarians.
Five seminarians each came from the Archdiocese of Dublin and the Northern Ireland Diocese of Down & Connor. Four seminarians came from the Diocese of Meath in the east of Ireland.
(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16936
AUSTRALIA
The new seminarians r
ange in age from 18 to their mid-40s and come from a variety of educational and employment backgrounds, the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference (ICBC) reports.Bishop Donal McKeown, chairman of the Vocations Commission of the ICBC, said the news was an encouragement to parishes and other organizations that promote vocations.
“Priests come from families and parish communities across the country; they are sons, brothers and uncles; work colleagues and friends; part of a Christian community,” he said.
Fr. Paddy Rushe, National Coordinator of Diocesan Vocation Directors, acknowledged the “hard work” of vocation directors who have spent much time “guiding and directing these men and preparing them for this step in their lives.”
“Despite ongoing challenges to the gospel values in the modern world it is encouraging to see evidence that God continues to inspire people to answer His call of service in the priesthood,” he commented.
A reported 26 new seminarians will be based in the national seminary of St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Seven will study at St. Malachy’s College in Belfast and two will study at the Beda College in Rome. One candidate is entering the pre-seminary discernment year in Valladolid, Spain.
Msgr. Hugh Connolly, President of Maynooth, welcomed the new candidates for the priesthood, their families, and their friends.
“You have responded in your hearts to the Lord’s call,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers accompany you as you take the first step along the road to ordained ministry and to placing your lives at the service of Christ and of His people.”
Msgr. Connolly said it was “truly wonderful” to witness the new seminarians’ “generosity of spirit” at the close of Ireland’s “Year of Vocation” and the beginning of the worldwide “Year for Priests.”
At the end of September, there will be a total of 77 seminarians in Maynooth. This number includes seven Scottish seminarians who transferred to Maynooth following the closure of Scotus College in Glasgow. Their numbers are not included among the 37 new Irish seminarians.
Five seminarians each came from the Archdiocese of Dublin and the Northern Ireland Diocese of Down & Connor. Four seminarians came from the Diocese of Meath in the east of Ireland.
(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16936
AUSTRALIA
CANBERRA: CATHOLIC WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
CathNews reports a conference to examine and reflect on the participation of women in the Australian Catholic Church will be held in Canberra this week, marking the 10th year since the publication of a report on the matter.
Director of the Office for the Participation of Women, Kimberly Davis said the conference, under the the
me of "Women: Gathering, Affirming, Celebrating" aimed to celebrate the gifts and ongoing participation of the women in the Church.
"It also aims to critically reflect on what has been achieved and what is yet to be realised following the publication of the report 'Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus' (10 years ago), and to affirm, re-energise and offer wellsprings to participants from scripture, contemporary life and their own inner spirit," she said.
A highlight of the conference, hosted by the ACBC's Council for Australian Catholic Women, will be a photographic exhibition of influential and inspirational local Catholic women.
"The Church in Australia is richly blessed by talented, gifted women who seek out a voice and place in the life of the Church," Davis said. "This exhibition highlights a small sample of the expertise, knowledge and wisdom available to the Church in Australia."
Delegates will also be welcomed to Government House for morning tea with the Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce. (SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=15990
Director of the Office for the Participation of Women, Kimberly Davis said the conference, under the the
me of "Women: Gathering, Affirming, Celebrating" aimed to celebrate the gifts and ongoing participation of the women in the Church."It also aims to critically reflect on what has been achieved and what is yet to be realised following the publication of the report 'Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus' (10 years ago), and to affirm, re-energise and offer wellsprings to participants from scripture, contemporary life and their own inner spirit," she said.
A highlight of the conference, hosted by the ACBC's Council for Australian Catholic Women, will be a photographic exhibition of influential and inspirational local Catholic women.
"The Church in Australia is richly blessed by talented, gifted women who seek out a voice and place in the life of the Church," Davis said. "This exhibition highlights a small sample of the expertise, knowledge and wisdom available to the Church in Australia."
Delegates will also be welcomed to Government House for morning tea with the Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce. (SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=15990
ASIA
INDIA: MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY LAUNCH YEAR HONORING M. TERESA
UCAN reports that the Missionaries of Charity (MC) launched on Aug. 26 a year of programs to celebrate the birth centenary of their founder, Blessed Teresa of Kolkata.
MC su
perior general Sister Mary Premalights a candle at the tomb of Blessed Teresa
"Mother Teresa's birth centenary begins today," declared retired Archbishop Henry D'Souza of Calcutta while celebrating the birth anniversary Mass at the MC motherhouse chapel.
Sister Mary Prema, who heads the congregation, said the celebrations would conclude on Aug. 26, 2010. During the centenary year, "the best gift we can all prepare for Mother's 100th birthday is our sincere endeavor to be channels of God's love and peace to the poor," she told the gathering.
Blessed Teresa was born Gonxha Bojaxhiu on Aug. 26, 1910, in what is now Macedonia. She became known around the world as Mother Teresa by "dedicating her life totally to God and serving the poorest of the poor, doing small things with great love and recognizing the dignity of a child of God in every person," Sister Prema explained.
The MC superior general also said that when people experience God's love, they want to share it with others in various ways. Blessed Teresa inspired many by loving all people, she added.
"Maybe there is someone in our families who is lonely, unloved or in need of forgiveness, so beginning at home we can become a channel of love for them today," Sister Prema said.
The example of Blessed Teresa remains relevant, she affirmed, because the poor remain marginalized. "Mother taught us to give them the dignity of human beings, which is of significant need today and will always be needed."
After Mass, participants visited Blessed Teresa's tomb and sang "Happy Birthday" while photographers vied for position.
Blessed Teresa was born in Skopje to Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu as the youngest of three children. She came to Kolkata, then Calcutta, as a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto nuns) on Jan. 6, 1929, and founded the MC congregation on Oct. 7, 1950.
(SOURCE: http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/26/yearlong-centenary-celebrations-for-blessed-teresa-begin/
UCAN reports that the Missionaries of Charity (MC) launched on Aug. 26 a year of programs to celebrate the birth centenary of their founder, Blessed Teresa of Kolkata.
MC su
perior general Sister Mary Premalights a candle at the tomb of Blessed Teresa"Mother Teresa's birth centenary begins today," declared retired Archbishop Henry D'Souza of Calcutta while celebrating the birth anniversary Mass at the MC motherhouse chapel.
Sister Mary Prema, who heads the congregation, said the celebrations would conclude on Aug. 26, 2010. During the centenary year, "the best gift we can all prepare for Mother's 100th birthday is our sincere endeavor to be channels of God's love and peace to the poor," she told the gathering.
Blessed Teresa was born Gonxha Bojaxhiu on Aug. 26, 1910, in what is now Macedonia. She became known around the world as Mother Teresa by "dedicating her life totally to God and serving the poorest of the poor, doing small things with great love and recognizing the dignity of a child of God in every person," Sister Prema explained.
The MC superior general also said that when people experience God's love, they want to share it with others in various ways. Blessed Teresa inspired many by loving all people, she added.
"Maybe there is someone in our families who is lonely, unloved or in need of forgiveness, so beginning at home we can become a channel of love for them today," Sister Prema said.
The example of Blessed Teresa remains relevant, she affirmed, because the poor remain marginalized. "Mother taught us to give them the dignity of human beings, which is of significant need today and will always be needed."
After Mass, participants visited Blessed Teresa's tomb and sang "Happy Birthday" while photographers vied for position.
Blessed Teresa was born in Skopje to Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu as the youngest of three children. She came to Kolkata, then Calcutta, as a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto nuns) on Jan. 6, 1929, and founded the MC congregation on Oct. 7, 1950.
(SOURCE: http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/26/yearlong-centenary-celebrations-for-blessed-teresa-begin/
TODAY'S SAINT
St. Zephyrinus
POPE
Feast Day:
Augu
st 26Died:
20 December 247
ZEPHYRINUS, a native of Rome, succeeded Victor in the pontificate, in the year 202, in which Severus raised the fifth most bloody persecution against the Church, which continued not for two years only, but until the death of that emperor in 211. Under this furious storm this holy pastor was the support and comfort of the distressed flock of Christ, and he suffered by charity and compassion what every confessor underwent. The triumphs of the martyrs were indeed his joy, but his heart received many deep wounds from the fall of apostates and heretics. Neither did this latter affliction cease when peace was restored to the Church. Our Saint had also the affliction to see the fall of Tertullian, which seems to have been owing partly to his pride. Eusebius tells us that this holy Pope exerted his zeal so strenuously against the blasphemies of the heretics that they treated him in the most contumelious manner; but it was his glory that they called him the principal defender of Christ's divinity. St. Zephyrinus filled the pontifical chair seventeen years, dying in 219. He was buried in his own cemetery, on the 26th of August. He is, in some Martyrologies, styled a martyr, which title he might deserve by what he suffered in the persecution, though he perhaps did not die by the executioner.(SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/Z/stzephyrinus.asp
SAINTLY QUOTE
Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly. G.K. Chesterton
TODAY'S GOSPEL
Matthew 23: 27 - 32
27
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
28
So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
30
saying, `If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
31
Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
