CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SAT. AUG. 7, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE VISITS ABRUZZO'S OUR LADY OF THE NEEDY TO PRAY-
ASIA: CHINA: VATICAN APPROVED MGR SHUXIN INSTALLED AS BISHOP OF BAODING-
EUROPE: MEDJUGORJE 55, 000 YOUNG PEOPLE AND 560 PRIESTS AT FESTIVAL-
AUSTRALIA: CHRISTIAN LOBBY LAUNCHES WEBSITE ON POLITICAL PARTIES-
AMERICA: USA: MONKS OF "MYSTIC MONK COFFEE" WITNESS TO THE FAITH-
AFRICA: CAMEROON: 94 DIE FROM CHOLERA OUTBREAK WHICH IS SPREADING-
VATICAN
POPE VISITS ABRUZZO'S OUR LADY OF THE NEEDY TO PRAY
Radio Vaticana report: Pope Benedict XVI yesterday made a surprise visit to Abruzzo, marking the feast of the Transfiguration, that commemorates the metamorphosis of Christ on the Mount.
Vatican Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi said the Holy Father wanted to visit a small shrine known as “Our Lady of the Needy”, which lies high in the hills on the border between the Lazio and Abruzzo regions. There he remained in prayer with the small group of his companions.
The Pope then went to Carsoli, in Abruzzo, stopping there to have lunch with a religious community where Italian Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini is a guest.
That afternoon, accompanied by his secretary, he met Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The Cardinal is vacationing in the town of Rocca di Mezzo in Abruzzo, which is recovering from an earthquake that struck the region in 2009, devastating the capital city of l’Aquila.
During the course of his visit Pope Benedict stopped in the church of San Leucio and prayed for all those affect by the quake. He met with the pastor, the mayor and municipal administrators.
In the evening the Holy Father returned to his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo. Fr Lombardi specified that the visit was of a “private and prayerful nature”. Notwithstanding, the Pope warmly greeted those he encountered on his journey and prayed for those still suffering the consequences of the earthquake.
http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=413816
ASIA
CHINA: VATICAN APPROVED MGR SHUXIN INSTALLED AS BISHOP OF BAODING
Baoding (AsiaNews) - Mgr Francis An Shuxin, former underground auxiliary bishop of Baoding, was installed as bishop ordinary of the official Church in the diocese of Baoding (Hebei), in a ceremony held today in the Cathedral. The underground bishop of which Mgr. An was auxiliary Mgr. James Su Zhimin, has been imprisoned in an unknown location since 1997.
The liturgy was presided by Mgr. An and officiated by two other bishops: Mgr. Liu Jing, bishop emeritus of Tangshan, and Mgr. Fang Jianping, current bishop of Tangshan. The ceremony was attended by 24 priests and 300 Catholics.
The diocese of Baoding, one of the largest and with a strong presence of underground Catholics, has at least 50 thousand Catholics. Priests, official and underground, number 120. According to AsiaNews sources, the reduced presence at the ceremony is due to the choice of Mgr. An, made a year ago, to emerge from the underground Church and join the official church, after 10 years in prison (see AsiaNews.it, 29/10/2009 In Hebei, underground bishop joins Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, 04/11 / 2009 The choice of Bishop. Shuxin, "a disaster for the diocese of Baoding" 11/11/2009 Underground bishop: I joined the Patriotic Association for the good of the Church).
Local sources told AsiaNews that the decision for the installation ceremony was made by the government almost a week ago. Bishop An was reluctant because he still considers himself the bishop coadjutor of Mgr. Su Zhimin, who has been in prison for more than 13 years. The government insisted, however, and had even decided to entrust the liturgy to Mgr. Ma Yinglin, the illegitimate bishop' of Kunming, but then accepted the presence of only two bishops from Tangshan.
Before the mass, the letter of appointment of Mgr. An by the council of Chinese bishops and by the Patriotic Association was read publicly. These two organizations support the independence of the Church (from the Holy See) and are considered "incompatible with Catholic doctrine" by Benedict XVI.
After his appointment was read, Mgr. An received a mitre and pastoral staff. The Mass lasted about 90 minutes. Throughout the Mass, neither during prayers, nor in ohter moments, was the imprisoned Mgr. Su Zhimin mentioned.
Mgr. An’s decision to leave the underground church a year ago has created a lot of tensions and divisions among underground Catholics. Some priests - about 15 - have decided to follow him and declare themselves official; others - nearly 100 – instead to remain in the underground Church. Card. Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State at the time wrote a letter to all priests of Baoding asking them to remain united.
(With the collaboration of Zhen Yuan)
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Bishop-An-Shuxin,-former-underground-bishop-installed-as-ordinary-of-Baoding-19145.html
EUROPE
MEDJUGORJE 55, 000 YOUNG PEOPLE AND 560 PRIESTS AT FESTIVAL
http://kath.net/detail.php?id=27663
image http://www.jericojourneys.com/images/Medjugorje_page/morningcrossmountain.jpg
AUSTRALIA
CHRISTIAN LOBBY LAUNCHES WEBSITE WITH INFO ON POLITICAL PARTIES
Cath News report: The Australian Christian Lobby is launching a website today that it says will help inform Christians on the political parties' stance on issues ranging from homelessness, to foreign aid, to the sexualisation of children.
It provides the responses of eight political parties to 24 questions on issues of interest to Christians, ACL said.
The site also offers the opportunity for candidates to upload short video interviews explaining where they stand on key issues of Christian concern.
It will be launched this morning at the National Press Club in Canberra.
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=22721
AMERICA
USA: MONKS OF "MYSTIC MONK COFFEE" WITNESS TO THE FAITH
Catholic Online report: The monk becomes aware of his resurrection in the Risen Christ.
The Monks of Mt. Carmel are a seed of the Springtime of the Catholic Church for the sake of the world.
(Catholic Online) - As a budding theologian my favorite definition of a theologian was offered by a monk of the fourth century, Evagrius of Pontus. He wrote in his reflections entitled "Mirror for Monks": "The Knowledge of God is the breast of Christ and whoever rests on it will be a theologian". The Image evokes the beloved disciple John, the author of the fourth Gospel, depicted at the Institution of the Eucharist, the "Last Supper", with his head on the chest of Jesus the Christ. His Gospel narrative was the last to be written and is the most theologically reflective. Clearly, John was a theologian. He learned that theology in the school of prayer.
That has been proven by my own personal experience of monks. As a 'revert' to the Church, I had the privilege of spending 21 months in a monastery as a very young man. There, I began a lifelong journey of prayer. I also studied the early fathers of the Church. I was taught by a wonderful monk. He was the first of several monks who have graced my life with their gift of holy presence, making Christ so palpable by their interior life - one which overflows in a genuine transfigured humanity.
From my encounters with monks immersed in their unique and vital vocation, no matter how much formal theological study they have (and many are the greatest scholars the Church has produced), I have experienced that their depth of prayer makes them the best theologians. It is out of that storehouse of grace that they are able to help the faithful find the longing of every human heart, communion and intimacy with the God who has revealed Himself fully, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, as the "human face of God" in Jesus Christ.
That is precisely how I experienced Fr. Daniel Mary of Jesus Crucified, the Prior of the burgeoning monastic community in Wyoming formally called "Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary". I had an absolutely delightful conversation with him recently. I hope it is only the first of many. His love for the Lord and the Church was contagious.
This is clearly a monk who "rests his head on the breast of Christ." As a result, he is filled with the very life of God. It was the Apostle Peter who reminded us that we have been are "partakers of the Divine Nature". (2 Peter 2:1) In a very special way, Monks have always enfleshed the truth which that profound biblical passage opens up for those who walk through life with the eyes of faith.
The great lay theologian of the Orthodox Church, Olivier Clement once reflected on a letter of Anthony the Great, one of the most celebrated among the first monks of the unified Church of the First Millennium. He wrote " the monk becomes aware of his resurrection in the Risen Christ. The Spirit brings to birth in him the glorified body. 'The whole body is transformed and comes under the power of the Holy Spirit, and something I reckon is already granted to it of that spiritual body it will become at the resurrection of the righteous' (Anthony the Great, Letter I, 4) By transfiguration the monk becomes the priest of the world, and the world regains around him its original lucidity and meaning."
Too often, people mistakenly believe that the monk retreats from the world because of its "corruption". In fact, the monk retreats (in differing ways in accordance with their particular monastic response) precisely in order to transform the world by his prophetic witness and powerful prayer. The dedicated monk is an essential part of the Lord's plan for the Church. The Church is what the early Fathers called the "New World", being recreated in Christ. We who have been baptized never again leave the Church. We actually live in the Church and go into the world to bring all men and women home.
The monastic life is one of the greatest treasures of our Church. There is some very good news! The monastic life is undergoing a great resurgence in our day. This is a new missionary age. The Holy Spirit is at work! We need monks and mystics to help us in the task of setting the Church on fire once again with a love for the Risen Savior, so that she can win the world.
Monasticism in the first millennium gave us the treasury of theological wisdom which still inspires the Church. Those who went into the desert became the great teachers, fathers, confessors and prophets. Their prayer and witness kept the Church in the Divine embrace so that she could effectively continue the redemptive mission of the Lord. That is, after all, the mission of the Church.
In the second millennium, their work and witness continued. Sadly, the Church had been torn in two with the first split, East and West. In the East, the Monks continued to be a resource for the kind of theology which brings heaven to earth and earth to heaven. From their ranks the great ...
Bishops of the Church were chosen and the Church was continually renewed. In the West, the great Monasteries of Europe became the beating heart of the emergence of Christendom. The extraordinary intellect exhibited in the emerging theological tradition birthed in the monasteries enabled the Church to contend with emerging challenges, welcome them without fear, and offer the claims of Truth Incarnate.
The "father" of western monasticism Saint Benedict is a great example of the patrimony of western monasticism. He was born around the year 480 in Umbria, Italy. He is the father of Western Monasticism and co-patron of Europe (along with Saints Cyril and Methodius). As a young man, Benedict fled a decadent and declining Rome for further studies and deep prayer and reflection. He gave his life entirely to God as a son of the Catholic Church. He traveled to Subiaco, the cave that became his dwelling and the place where he communed deeply with God. It is now a shrine called "Sacro Speco" (The Holy Cave).
It is still a beautiful sanctuary for pilgrims. Among them was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI. Just before his election to the Chair of Peter he visited that very place to entrust his priestly ministry to the Lord. It is NO ACCIDENT that he took the name Benedict when he said "yes" to the call to the Chair of Peter thereafter. He signaled his vision for the Re-Christianization of the West.
St. Benedict lived a life of prayer and solitude for three years and studied under a monk named Romanus. His holiness drew other men and women and soon, twelve small monasteries were founded. He later traveled to Monte Cassino, where he completed his "Rule for Monks." From those Benedictine monasteries, an entire monastic movement was birthed which led to the evangelization of Europe and the emergence of an authentically Christian culture. This led to the birth and flourishing of the academy, the arts and the emergence of what later became known as Christendom.
It is in this trajectory of God's loving plan for His Church that the Monks of "Carmel of the Immaculate heart of Mary" come to us at the beginning of the Third Christian Millennium. These are real monks and real men, passionately and courageously in love with the Lord Jesus Christ and dedicated to renewing in our day the great treasury of monasticism. As I spoke with Father Prior Daniel Mary, the bell rung in the background calling the brothers to prayer, one of the many times of prayer which animate and inspire their life. He continued speaking with me, sharing with enthusiasm the beginning of their community, obviously filled with the joy which is a gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Prior Daniel Mary grew up on a ranch in Cody, Wyoming, only six miles away from the new property the monks are hoping to purchase. There they will build the "New Mount Carmel for America" on 2,500 acres. He dreamed of establishing a monastery in Wyoming as a younger man. He knew that the beauty of the land, the rugged simplicity and faith of the people, and the challenge of the times required such a place.
He was quick to tell me that, contrary to the naysayers, vocations are not a problem for these monks. They receive 200 inquiries a year. However, they know that their calling to live the radical monastic life, in fidelity to the original vision of the Carmelites, is a specific calling. The monks who are living there are happy, healthy and courageously eager to live that vision. I will be writing much more about the elements of that vision in future articles.
For many of our readers, the Monks of Mt Carmel are known for their absolutely wonderful "Mystic Monk Coffee" which is one of the ways they support their sacrificial life for the Lord. I encourage all of our readers to order it, drink it, and with every sip pray for these mighty men of God. Buy it HERE. However, there is so much more to their way of life. That is why this article is only a "teaser". I was so moved by the Monks of Mt. Carmel, I have more articles to come.
We will examine their way of life, their vision for the future, their worship and the implications of their role as a prophetic sign of God's unfolding work for the Church. Stay Tuned! Visit their virtual place of peace and worship on the world wide web. While there, read of their wonderful vocation and mission. Listen to their chant, order their coffee. Oh, and visit the "New Mount Carmel Foundation" site Look around. Mark my words, when the history of the Third Millennium is written, this monastery will be one of many where historians recount the rebirth of Christendom.
Now, picture that absolutely beautiful monastery, built and filled with holy men chanting the Divine Office, offering the Holy sacrifice of the Mass and bringing earth to heaven and heaven to earth by their life, for the sake of the Church and the world. Then reach deep within and make it a reality by giving. These men are what my dear part Irish mother called "the real McCoy". We need them. We need to help them!
Finally, pray for Fr. Daniel Mary. You will soon be reading some of the stories this wonderful holy man shared with me because I want you to be encouraged in an age of despair. The Church of Jesus Christ is in the beginning of a New Springtime. This wonderful order of monks are seeds of a genuine renewal which has only just begun. http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=37739
AFRICA
CAMEROON: 94 DIE FROM CHOLERA OUTBREAK WHICH IS SPREADING
Agenzia Fides report– Cholera has killed at least 94 people in northern Cameroon and is spreading, in what health officials say is the most severe outbreak in 10 years. Moloko has had more than half the region's cases - 773 as of 3 August. There are some 30 new cases every day. By the end of July some 1,300 cases of what is known as “the disease of poverty” were registered. Health workers in northern Cameroon said a lack of access to latrines and safe drinking water was contributing to the spread of infectious disease in the region. Only 30 percent of people in rural Cameroon have access to safe water, and just 15 percent to sanitation facilities, according to a 2009 report by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Cameroon. Health workers were being sent to villages with medicines, saline solution and other supplies, to limit the movement of infected people. Cholera treatment is being provided free of charge, with the support of UNICEF, the Red Cross, the World Health Organization and UN Population Fund, health officials said. In the village of Sirak the public school - currently unoccupied as students are on holiday - has been transformed into a cholera treatment center that treats at least 5 new cases each day. The centre is short of bleach - used as a disinfectant - and supplies for intravenous drips. There is also no electricity in the village. Cholera outbreaks are common in northern Cameroon, but this year the epidemic has not only been more severe but also struck earlier than usual. In 2009, the first infection was recorded in September; this year the first case was detected in May, before the rains began. http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=27211&lan=eng
TODAY'S SAINT
St. Cajetan
Information: Feast Day: August 7
Born: October 1, 1480, Vicenza, Veneto, Republic of Venice (now Italy)
Died: August 7, 1547, Naples, Campania, Kingdom of Naples
Canonized: April 12, 1671, Rome by Pope Clement X
Patron of: workers; gamblers; job seekers; unemployed people
Founder of the Theatines, born October, 1480 at Vicenza in Venetian territory; died at Naples in 1547. Under the care of a pious mother he passed a studious and exemplary youth, and took his degree as doctor utriusque juris at Padua in his twenty-fourth year. In 1506 he became at Rome a prothonotary Apostolic in the court of Julius II, and took an important share in reconciling the Republic of Venice with that pontiff. On the death of Julius in 1523 he withdrew from the court, and is credited with founding, shortly after, an association of pious priests and prelates called the Oratory of Divine Love, which spread to other Italian towns. Though remarkable for his intense love of God, he did not advance to the priesthood till 1516. Recalled to Vicenza in the following year by the death of his mother, he founded there a hospital for incurables, thus giving proof of the active charity that filled his whole life. But his zeal was more deeply moved by the spiritual diseases that, in those days of political disorder, infected the clergy of all ranks, and, like St. Augustine in earlier times, he strove to reform them by instituting a body of regular clergy, who should combine the spirit of monasticism with the exercises of the active ministry.
Returning to Rome in 1523 he laid the foundations of his new congregation, which was canonically erected by Clement VII in 1524. One of his four companions was Giovanni Pietro Caraffa, Bishop of Chieti (in Latin Theate), afterwards Paul IV, who was elected first superior, and from whose title arose the name Theatines. The order grew but slowly. During the sack of Rome in 1527 the Theatines, then twelve in number, escaped to Venice after enduring many outrages from the heretic invaders. There Cajetan met St. Hieronymus Æmiliani (see SOMASCHI), whom he assisted in the establishment of his Congregation of Clerks Regular. In 1533 Cajetan founded a house in Naples, where he was able to check the advances of Lutheranism. In 1540 he was again at Venice, whence he extended his work to Verona and Vicenza. He passed the last four years of his life, a sort of seraphic existence, at Naples where he died finally of grief at the discords of the city, suffering in his last moments a kind of mystical crucifixion. He was beatified by Urban VIII in 1629, and canonized by Clement X in 1671. His feast is kept on the 7th of August.
http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/C/stcajetan.asp
TODAY'S GOSPEL
Matthew 17: 14 - 20
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14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said,
15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him."
17 And Jesus answered, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me."
18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."
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