CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: FRI. JULY 9, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE: APPOINTS DELEGATE FOR THE LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST-
VATICAN: INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION EXCHANGED WITH LOWER SAXONY-
ASIA: CHINA: POLICE ARREST FORMER SEMINARIAN FOR SLAYING OF PRIEST-
AUSTRALIA: RELICS MACKILLOP IN CROSS SCULPTED FOR BENEDICT XVI-
AMERICA: PRIEST´S VIEW-GLORIOUS CELEBRATION CONCLUDING YEAR FOR PRIESTS
AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA: NEW CENTRE TO HELP POOR FIND HEALTHCARE-
EUROPE: HISTORIAN FINDS THAT PIUS XII MAY HAVE SAVED THOUSANDS OF JEWS-
VATICAN
POPE: APPOINTS DELEGATE FOR THE LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST
Radio Vaticana report: Pope Benedict has appointed the president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, as pontifical delegate for the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.
Archbishop Velasio De Paolis is an Italian native and member of the congregation of the Missionaries of St Charles Borromeo.
The Vatican said the visitation highlighted three primary requirements: The need to "redefine the charism" of the Legionaries of Christ, the need to revise the exercise of authority in the order and the need to preserve the enthusiasm and missionary zeal of younger members through adequate formation.
The Legionaries of Christ have welcomed the appointment and in a message on their website “once again express their deep gratitude to the Holy Father for his fatherly solicitude, and put themselves completely at the disposal of Archbishop de Paolis”.
http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=406959
IMAGE OF LEGIONARIES http://legrc.org/regnum_db/imagenes_db/testimonies/ordenacion_eng.jpg
INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION EXCHANGED WITH LOWER SAXONY
VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2010 (VIS REPORT) - On the afternoon of Monday 28 June at the apostolic nunciature in Berlin, Germany, Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, apostolic nuncio to Germany, and Christian Wulff, then minister-president of Lower Saxony now president of Germany, exchanged the instruments of ratification of an Agreement signed on 6 April this year.
According to a communique published today the new Agreement modifies article 6 of the addendum to the 1965 Accord between the Holy See and Lower Saxony, and regulates the juridical position of certain Catholic schools administered by the dioceses of Hildesheim, Osnabruck, and Munster in that Land.
A number of deputies from the Diet of Lower Saxony were present at the ceremony, along with a delegation of teachers and pupils from the schools involved in the agreement. Also present, apart from the staff of the nunciature, was Msgr. Felix Bernard, head of the Catholic office for Lower Saxony.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Msgr. Agidius Zsifkovics, secretary general of the Austrian Bishops' Conference and head of the section for Croat speakers in the diocesan Curia of Eisenstadt, as bishop of Eisenstadt (area 3,966, population 283,400, Catholics 217,000, priests 162, permanent deacons 21, religious 137), Austria. The bishop-elect was born in Gussing, Austria in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1987. He succeeds Bishop Paul Iby, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Bishop Esteban Escudero Torres, auxiliary of Valencia, Spain, as bishop of Palencia (area 8,028, population 173,454, Catholics 166,930, priests 288, permanent deacons 1, religious 620), Spain.
- Appointed Archbishop Velasio De Paolis C.S., president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, as pontifical delegate for the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.
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ASIA
CHINA: POLICE ARREST FORMER SEMINARIAN FOR SLAYING OF PRIEST
UCAN report: Police have arrested a former seminarian in connection with the slaying of an “underground” vicar general and a nun in Ningxia diocese, China.
Police believe that Zhang had a strong revenge motive. Catholic neighbors told ucanews.com that the murdered priest had given him shelter at the home six months ago after his dismissal from the Hohhot seminary.
Zhang then became attached to Sister Wei and made advances to her. But the nun, who has made her perpetual vow, rejected him. On being told of this, neighbors say Father Zhang scolded Zhang angrily and told him to leave.
The victims’ funeral will be held on July 10.
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/07/09/man-arrested-for-church-workers-killings/
AUSTRALIA
RELICS OF MACKILLOP CONTAINED IN CROSS SCULPTED FOR BENEDICT XVI
"When a person is canonised they like to have in Rome a piece of the person's body to mark the occasion," said the order's secretary-general, Sister Sheila McCreanor.
Sister McCreanor said people knew MacKillop was special when she died in 1909 and there was talk that one day she might become a saint.
"So I think someone with a bit of foresight took a little bit of hair and put it in a locket."
"We know it's the authentic hair of Mary Mackillop because there was documentation around it," she said.
Penola sculptor Guy Detot (pictured left) is making the cross that is to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI as well as two more crucifixes - one for the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel in North Sydney where she is buried, and the other for Penola, in South Australia's southeast, where she was a governess and teacher.IMAGE http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/red-gum-relics-made-for-mackillops-sainthood/story-e6frg6nf-1225889564163
MACKILLP IMAGE http://www.stmarysbungendore.org.au/images2/mary4.jpg
AMERICA
PRIEST´S VIEW-GLORIOUS CELEBRATION CONCLUDING YEAR FOR PRIESTS
Special report to JCE News-
Written by: Fr James J Sercely
On The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 12th 2009, Pope
Benedict XVI proclaimed a Year for Priests (YFP). There is no doubt that this was
by the sinful actions of some of our brother priests.
Pope Benedict XVI also issued a call for the priests of the world to join him in
Rome for the end of this YFP. This year and call excited me – I booked the trip instantly
and anxiously awaited the day when I and my brother priests would gather in Rome to
pray, to be spiritually nourished, and to celebrate.
group of priests, then others arrived at the same waiting area – this was getting exciting.
We shook hands and said hello to each other as well as our language differences would
allow and, by the time we took off, there were about 30 priests. As the group at the
airport grew, so did my excitement.
When we landed in Rome, there were priests everywhere and it was both exciting
and chaotic. Eventually we got our individual hotel assignments and were put on busses
for the last leg of our pilgrimage to Rome.
On Tuesday morning, we (the English, German and Italian speaking) were bussed
to St Paul Outside the Walls. The other languages went to St John Lateran. As we
walked up to St Paul’s, I looked around at all the priests, and most were grinning like
little children on Christmas morning – something wonderful was taking place.
I was glad that I was at St. Paul’s as it is my favorite Church after St. Peter’s.
St. Paul’s has a beautiful courtyard and setting and the inside is truly gorgeous –what a
setting in which to listen, meditate, and pray.
On Wednesday and Thursday morning we had the same schedule: a talk,
Exposition, opportunity for Confession, and Mass. Then it was off to a restaurant for a
meal, which became a joyous celebration.
Cardinal Joaquim Meisner of Cologne gave the first talk and it is the only talk
that I will relate as it spoke not only to priests but also to the laity. He began by saying
that he is often asked: how can we help our priests? He always answers by telling the
person to go to the priest and celebrate the Sacrament of Confession.
He said that we as priests need to be both confessor and confesser. It is in hearing
Confessions that we configure ourselves more closely to Christ the One True Priest –
for Christ came to earth in order to forgive sin. It is in confessing our own sins that we
receive and experience the mercy and forgiveness of God. He corrected priests who
think that it is wasting time when they sit in a Confessional in an empty Church,
because to do so is a sign of God’s patient love.
On Thursday night we all gathered in the Piazza in front of St Peter’s; 15,000
priests from 110 countries. We heard a number of witness and testimony talks on
ministry and vocation and then Pope Benedict joined us to celebrate Benediction – what
excitement as the Pope entered the Piazza, what a roar of welcome!
On Friday morning the high point was reached, we gathered again in the Piazza
and concelebrated Mass with Pope Benedict. In his homily, he challenged us to be
saintly men, true to our vocation and promises (full text available at Vatican.Va). After
his homily, he asked us to stand and renew our Priestly Promises. With the Final
Blessing the retreat was officially over, but there was more to come.
I was lucky to be among the 2,000 invited to a Banquet Celebrating Priesthood at
the Legionaries complex – a great way to extend a day that none of us wanted to end.
Afterwards I stayed on in Rome for 4 days; I was privileged to say Mass in St Peter’s
each morning and to just wander around the holy sites of Rome.
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA: NEW CENTRE TO HELP POOR FIND HEALTHCARE
Fr Stephen Tully, administrator of Emmanual Cathedral, came to Westminster this week, with social worker Pierre Matate, to talk about plans to build a large new centre on the site, providing a well equipped base for healthcare, education, work and community projects. It has been named after Archbishop Denis Hurley who gave visionary leadership to the Church in South Africa through the Apartheid years from 1947 to 1992. In serving the poorest and most marginalised citizens of Durban the Centre will live out Archbishop Hurley's dream that the Church would be a "community serving humanity"
"We looked at keeping the old building but in the end we realised it would be more economical and efficient to pull it down and build a new one" Fr Stephen said.
He explained: "The core of the Centre will be four social outreach projects on the ground floor which already operate in the Parish Centre:
'Nkosinathi' - Zulu for 'the Lord is with us' - offers cooked meals, clothing and advice three days a week. Run by a group of volunteers coordinated by a paid worker, the project serves approximately 2500 meals a month.
Refugee Pastoral Care sees between 200 and 250 refugees each month. The services it provides include: accommodation and food at local shelters for an initial period of up to two weeks; assistance with school fees and school uniforms for refugee children; counselling and help in getting work permits and permanent residence; contributions towards hospital bills and funeral expenses. Free language lessons are also provided daily. isiZulu language skills are key to successful integration of refugees into local communities, while English lessons also assist isiZulu speakers to find employment.
Usizo Lwethu Clinic is staffed by two qualified nurses funded by the Archdiocese provides free health services to approximately 500 clients per month. The prevalence of HIV in South Africa is 18% among 15 – 49 year olds.
KwaZulu-Natal is the province worst affected by this pandemic. Poverty has accelerated its effects. Dangerous strains of Extreme and Multiple Drug Resistant TB discovered in the province heighten the challenges. Services provided by Usizo Lwethu include health screening and referral, testing and counselling for HIV and adherence counselling for HIV+ clients. Home and hospital visits are made to clients by the nurses who also provide health education for street people.
The Justice and Peace Office provides information on how to access identity documents, birth certificates and social grants as well as advice on housing, rental and debt issues. They also offer skills training in bead work and sewing. A training programme in computer skills is being established.
Fr Stephen said: "The second and third storeys of the building will house a cafeteria, resource centre and book shop, as well as conference and meeting facilities and a Formation office to coordinate all aspects of the education and training work of the Centre. The facilities on these floors will also be used for social and cultural events."
On the fourth floor, there will be a chapel, residential space for local and overseas volunteers, such as young people on gap years, and further meeting rooms.
The Cathedral is near the Juma Musjid (Great Mosque). Fr Stephen was keen to stress that the different faiths in Durban have always had very good relations. "The Mosque does tremendous work with the poor, especially offering meals each day." Both Muslim and Jewish community leaders attended the Centre's launch ceremony.
The building design also has many innovative 'green' features, saving water and electricity, which will enhance the capacity to provide a sustainable service.
“Our approach is very holistic,” Fr Stephen said. "Most importantly it is faith-lead. We take as guiding words 'If you deprive yourself for the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness and your darkest hour will be like noon’ (Isaiah 58-10)
“Yes, we’re building a centre, but its also a spiritual journey," he concluded.
Fr Stephen has appealed for prayers, and if you are able to make a donation, however small, see:
Bank Details
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Branch Code: 221426
Account name: Denis Hurley Centre
Account Number: 62204261002
Swift Code: FIRNZAJ659
After making a donation, please post, fax or email the receipt and your contact details so your contribution can be acknowledged:
The Denis Hurley Centre
Emmanuel Cathedral
cnr Cathedral Road and Denis Hurley Street
Durban
4001
For further information see: http://www.archbishopdenishurley.com/
source http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=16462
EUROPE
ITALY: HISTORIAN FINDS THAT PIUS XII MAY HAVE SAVED THOUSANDS OF JEWS
Cath News report: A German historian carrying out research in the Vatican archives said Pope Pius XII may have saved thousands of Jewish lives by secretly securing visas so they could escape Nazi Germany. Pope Pius may have arranged the exodus of about 200,000 Jews from Germany just three weeks after Kristallnacht, when thousands of Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps, said a report from the Telegraph in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Dr Hesemann says that additional evidence suggests that the visas would have been given to ordinary Jews desperate to escape persecution. Elliot Hershberg, the chairman of the Pave the Way Foundation, said: "We believe that many Jews who were successful in leaving Europe may not have had any idea that their visas and travel documents were obtained through these Vatican efforts.
"Everything we have found thus far seems to indicate the known negative perception of Pope Pius XII is wrong."
Cardinal Pacelli was able to ask for the visas because the 1933 concordat he signed with the Nazis provided protection for Jews who converted, said the report.
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=22320
TODAY´S SAINT
St. Veronica Giuliani
CAPUCHIN MYSTIC
Information: Feast Day: July 9
Born: 1660, Mercatello in the Duchy of Urbino
Died: 9 July 1727, Città di Castello
Canonized: 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI
Major Shrine: Monastery of St. Veronica Giuliani, Città di Castello
Born at Mercatello in the Duchy of Urbino, Italy, 1660; died at Citt' di Castello, 9 July, 1727. Her parents, Francesco Giuliana and Benedetta Mancini, were both of gentle birth. In baptism she was named Ursula, and showed marvelous signs of sanctity. When but eighteen months old she uttered her first words to upbraid a shopman who was serving a false measure of oil, saying distinctly: "Do justice, God sees you." At the age of three years she began to be favoured with Divine communications, and to show great compassion for the poor. She would set apart a portion of her food for them, and even part with her clothes when she met a poor child scantily clad. These traits and a great love for the Cross developed as she grew older. When others did not readily join in her religious practices she was inclined to be dictatorial. In her sixteenth year this imperfection of character was brought home to her in a vision in which she saw her own heart as a heart of steel. In her writings she confesses that she took a certain pleasure in the more stately circumstances which her family adopted when her father was appointed superintendent of finance at Piacenza. But this did not in any way affect her early-formed resolution to dedicate herself to religion, although her father urged her to marry and procured for her several suitors as soon as she became of marriageable age. Owing to her father's opposition to her desire to enter a convent, Veronica fell ill and only recovered when he gave his consent.
In 1677 she was received into the convent of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Citt' di Castello, taking the name of Veronica in memory of the Passion. At the conclusion of the ceremony of her reception the bishop said to the abbess: "I commend this new daughter to your special care, for she will one day be a great saint." She became absolutely submissive to the will of her directors, though her novitiate was marked by extraordinary interior trials and temptations to return to the world. At her profession in 1678 she conceived a great desire to suffer in union with our Saviour crucified for the conversion of sinners. About this time she had a vision of Christ bearing His cross and henceforth suffered an acute physical pain in her heart. After her death the figure of the cross was found impressed upon her heart. In 1693 she entered upon a new phase in her spiritual life, when she had a vision of the chalice symbolizing the Divine Passion which was to be re-enacted in her own soul. At first she shrank from accepting it and only be great effort eventually submitted. She then began to endure intense spiritual suffering. In 1694 she received the impression of the Crown of Thorns, the wounds being visible and the pain permanent. By order of the bishop she submitted to medical treatment, but obtained no relief. Yet, although she lived in this supernaturally mystical life, she was a practical woman of affairs. For thirty-four years she was novice-mistress, and guided the novices with great prudence. It is noticeable that she would not allow them to read mystical books. In 1716 she was elected abbess and whilst holding that office enlarged the convent and had a good system of water-pipes laid down, the convent hitherto having been without a proper water supply. She was canonized by Gregory XVI in 1839. She is usually represented crowned with thorns and embracing the Cross.
SOURCE http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/V/stveronicagiuliani.asp
TODAY´S GOSPEL
Matthew 10: 16 - 23
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16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,
18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;
20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;
22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.
