AFRICA: IVORY COAST BISHOPS TO MEET ON MISSIONS -
VATICAN: POPE: SPEAKS ON CONSECRATED LIFE
CONSECRATED LIFE IS OF BENEFIT TO THE WHOLE CHURCH VATICAN CITY, 5 NOV 2010 (VIS REPORT) - At midday today in the Vatican the Holy Father received prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (Region south 2), who have just completed their "ad limina" visit. Speaking of consecrated people, the Pope suggested that "they 'can be compared to a plant with many branches which sinks its roots into the Gospel and brings forth abundant fruit in every season of the Church's life'. Because charity is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit and the greatest of all the charisms", he said, "a religious community enriches the Church (of which it is a living part), first and foremost through love: loving its particular Church, enriching her with its own charism and opening her to a more universal dimension". Referring then to the problem of "the diminishing numbers and increasing age of the members of many religious institutes, which is evident in some parts of the world", the Pope noted that "some people are asking themselves whether consecrated life continues to be a proposal capable of attracting young men and women". Yet consecrated life, he went on to explain, "has its origins in the Lord Himself, Who chose a lifestyle of chastity, poverty and obedience. For this reason, it can never disappear or die in the Church for it was decided by Jesus Himself as an irremovable part of His Church. Hence the call to a general commitment to vocational pastoral care. If consecrated life is of benefit to the whole Church, something that concerns us all, then pastoral care that seeks to promote vocations to the consecrated life must also be a duty felt by all: bishops, priests, religious and lay people". "As the Conciliar Decree 'Perfectae caritatis' says, 'adaptation and renewal depend greatly on the education of religious'. This affirmation is vital for all forms of consecrated life. The formative capacity of a religious institute, both in its initial stage and in later phases, is fundamental for any process of renewal". Benedict XVI concluded by asking the bishops to transmit "the Pope's heartfelt gratitude to consecrated people, telling them that he prays for them, and that he particularly recalls the elderly and sick, and those going through moments of crisis, solitude, suffering or confusion, as well as the young who today knock at their doors and ask to be allowed to commit themselves to Jesus Christ through radical dedication to the Gospel".AL/ VIS 20101105 (420) IMAGE SOURCE http://www.daylife.com/photo/03b6g5x0D14G4?q=Vatican
CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY THE POPE NOVEMBER - JANUARY VATICAN CITY, 5 NOV 2010 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff today published the calendar of celebrations to be presided over by the Holy Father between the end of November 2010 and January 2011: NOVEMBER - Saturday 20: At 10.30 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of new cardinals. - Sunday 21: Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time and Solemnity of Christ the King, at 9.30 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Mass and conferral of cardinals' rings. - Saturday 27: At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, First Vespers for the first Sunday of Advent. DECEMBER - Wednesday 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At 4 p.m. in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, homage to Mary Immaculate. - Sunday 12: Third Sunday of Advent, pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe. At 9 a.m., celebration of the Eucharist. - Thursday 16: At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Vespers with students of Roman universities. - Friday 24: Vigil of the Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord. At 10 p.m., Mass in the Vatican Basilica. - Saturday 25: Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord. At midday from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, "Urbi et Orbi" blessing. - Friday 31: At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, First Vespers and "Te Deum" of thanksgiving for the past year. JANUARY 2011 - Saturday 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and forty-fourth World Day of Peace. Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m. - Thursday 6: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m. - Sunday 9: Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Mass in the Sistine Chapel at 10 a.m., conferment of the Sacrament of Baptism upon a number of children. - Tuesday 25: Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. At 5.30 p.m. in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, celebration of Vespers.OCL/ VIS 20101105 (350)
AUDIENCES VATICAN CITY, 5 NOV 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences twelve prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, on their "ad limina" visit: - Archbishop Moacyr Jose Vitti C.S.S. of Curitiba, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Joao Carlos Seneme C.S.S. and Rafael Biernaski. - Bishop Antonio Wagner da Silva S.C.I. of Guarapuava, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Giovanni Zerbini S.D.B. - Bishop Joao Alves dos Santos O.F.M. Cap. of Paranagua. - Bishop Sergio Arthur Braschi of Ponta Grossa. - Bishop Ladislau Biernaski C.M. of Sao Jose dos Pinhais. - Bishop Joao Bosco Barbosa de Sousa O.F.M. of Uniao da Vitoria. - Archbishop Orlando Brandes of Londrina. - Bishop Celso Antonio Marchiori of Apucarana. - Bishop Getulio Teixeira Guimaraes S.V.D. of Cornelio Procopio.AL/ VIS 20101105 (130) IN
MEMORIAM VATICAN CITY, 5 NOV 2010 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks: - Bishop Francisco Batistela C.SS.R., emeritus of Bom Jesus da Lapa, Brazil, on 20 October at the age of 79. - Bishop Jesus Mateo Calderon Barrueto O.P., emeritus of Puno, Peru, on 28 October at the age of 90. - Bishop Aldo Lazzarin Stella O.S.A., former apostolic vicar of Aysen, Chile, on 16 October at the age of 83. - Bishop Emmanuel Le Phong Thuan of Can Tho, Vietnam, on 17 October at the age of 79.
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AMERICA: CANADA: PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF CANADIAN BISHOPS
CCCB REPORT: The annual Plenary Assembly of the
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) ended today after some 90 Bishops gathered for a week (25-29 October 2010) at the NavCanada Centre in Cornwall. This meeting is an important event in the life of the Church in Canada. Relations with Muslims and interfaith greetings and reflections were at the heart of the first session.The Most Reverend Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, was invited to address the Assembly over two sessions on the theme of “New Evangelization and Contemporary Society.” From left to right: the Most Reverend Pierre Morissette, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and CCCB President; Archbishop Ravasi; and the Most Reverend Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton and CCCB Vice President.In addition to reviewing the work carried out over the past year by the various CCCB Committees and Commissions, the Most Reverend Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, was invited to address the Assembly over two sessions on the theme of “New Evangelization and Contemporary Society.” Each of these sessions was followed by lively discussions among the Bishops and the soon-to-be Cardinal Ravasi.“The Christian notion of truth is founded on the transcendence and objectivity of reality. Truth precedes us and exceeds us. We do not possess the truth, we are possessed by it,” explained Archbishop Ravasi.During their meeting, the Bishops reflected seriously on the international sexual abuse crisis, and asked the Permanent Council to conduct an evaluation of how the Conference could best continue to reflect on this issue.They also had an in-depth discussion on parish renewal and various means of integrating young adults into Church life. This will be an ongoing study for the Bishops. “How to bring the Word of God in today’s society is fundamental,” said the Most Reverend Pierre Morissette, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and President of the CCCB.As a follow up to their work, the Bishops of Canada have called for a new Standing Committee to advise the CCCB and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP). This new Committee will further strengthen the close bonds that already exist between the Bishops and CCODP. It will provide a forum to share information and collaborate more closely on achieving their common goal, which is to help the world’s most vulnerable persons. A more detailed report containing further information on the work of the Ad Hoc Committee and the duties of the new Standing Committee will be released before the end of next week. The Bishops have left Cornwall for Montreal to celebrate the Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonization of Saint Brother André.During the Plenary, the Bishops also received the report from the Ad Hoc Committee for Life and Family. This Committee had been formed last year to discuss the leadership role of Bishops in promoting a culture of life and family.“The Bishops need to exercise real leadership on questions of life and family,” said the Most Reverend Ronald Fabbro, C.S.B., Bishop of London and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee. “These questions require a spiritual revival, a chance of hearts. It is the work of the new evangelization.”As a clear signal of their commitment, the Bishops voted to extend the term of the Ad Hoc Committee by at least one year. During this time, the Committee will reflect on a specific structure and concrete plan for future action, which would rely also on the resources, support and work of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF).The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is the national assembly of the Bishops of Canada. It was founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948. After the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), the CCCB became part of a worldwide network of Episcopal Conferences, established in 1965 as an integral part of the life of the universal Church.http://www.cccb.ca/site/eng/bishops/annual-plenary-assemblies/241-2010-plenary-assembly/2967-new-evangelization-and-life-and-family-issues-discussed-at-plenary-assembly-of-canadian-bishopsal-plenary-assemblies/241-2010-plenary-assembly/2967-new-evangelization-and-life-and-family-issues-discussed-at-plenary-assembly-of-canadian-bishops
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EUROPE: DEATH OF NUN BLANCHARD WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON AGE 114
CNN REPORT:Eugenie Blanchard, considered th
e world's oldest person, died Thursday at 114, news agencies reported.Blanchard was born in February 1896, the sixth of 13 children, on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Barthelemy, but moved to Curacao and became a nun in 1920, according to Le Figaro.She was known by the nickname Douchy, a Dutch creole word translated "Sweets," because she often gave children candy to bribe them into religious studies, AFP reported.Blanchard returned to Saint-Barthelemy at age 60 and had lived in a nursing home for the past 30 years. She was blind and unable to speak for several years but was not on any medications, according to Le Figaro.A woman named Antisa Khvichava in the Republic of Georgia is said to be 130 years old, but her birth date cannot be independently verified, several news outlets reported.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/04/eugenie-blanchard-worlds-oldest-person-dies-at-114/nchard-worlds-oldest-person-dies-at-114/
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AUSTRALIA: MACKILLOP CEMETARY TO BE RE-CONDITIONED
Cath News report: With visitor numbers expected to rise after the recent canonisation, Mary MacKillop's original resting site at Sydney's Gore Hill is set for a huge makeover, according to the North Shore Times.Saint Mary was buried in the Si
sters of St Joseph burial site in 1909. Her remains were later relocated to the Sisters' chapel in North Sydney in 1914.Cemetery trustee John May said the heritage-listed 5.7ha cemetery had become so overgrown that many memorials were obscured, although the site was kept in relatively good condition by the Friends of the Gore Hill Cemetery."The Catholic Cemeteries Board is in the process of investing significant funds to re-lay the brick paths in the area, fence and re-turf the burial site, provide seating and erect a statute of the saint," Mr May said.At least $250,000 is being spent restoring the 14,000-grave cemetery.All the work is being carried out under the supervision of the Heritage Branch of the NSW Department of Planning.A tour of the cemetery, including a visit to the burial site of Saint Mary ,as well as a number of other interesting clergy, will take place on Sunday, November 7. Bookings can be made at the Sydney phone no. 9906 5106.
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=24090
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ASIA: IRAQ: BISHOPS CALL FOR 3 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR PEACE
Asia News report: Catholic ordinaries in the Holy Land issue statement, announcing prayer for Iraq. They call on Arab League, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, United Nations and the Security Council to be cognizant of what is going on before it is too late.“Words of distress, condemnation and incrimination are no longer enough in the face of the horror that is taking place repeatedly in Iraq, especially with regard to Christians over the past years and which reached a pinnacle of savage insanity with the massacre on Sunday” in Baghdad, the bishops of the Holy Land said in a statement released yesterday in Jerusalem.We “incline ourselves before the bodies of these heroic martyrs, the sufferings of the innocent wounded, the pain of the relatives of the victims and the injured,” the statement said.“The Church of the Holy Land, reaching out to her sister in Iraq, appeals to the conscience of each and every one in authority there, starting with the Iraqi government, to be vigilant in protecting all her citizens, especially those who have no protection, those who have no weapons and no militias, their only guilt being that they maintain their faith, in the land of their fathers and grandfathers.”“This land is their land since time immemorial; they have sacrificed in its service, contributed to its flourishing, and defended it with everything they have. The time has come for those who are responsible to own up to their responsibility, to stand up to those who have lost any sense of humanity, curbing their insatiable thirst for blood and reckoning with and punishing anyone who plans or carries out such criminal acts.”The region’s Catholic ordinaries also call on the Arab League, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the United Nations and the Security Council, “before it is too late”, to be cognizant of “the danger of those who seek to exploit religions for the purpose of a clash of civilizations”.In order to express their closeness to the victims, the bishops announced three days of solidarity with the suffering Church of Iraq, days of prayer for the souls of Iraqi martyrs, today, tomorrow and Sunday, in every parish church, monastery and convent of the Holy Land.“Our mission, as it was also expressed in the Synod for the Middle East two weeks ago, is that we live Communion and Witness, that we work together, Christians and Muslims, in the building up and awakening of our countries and our peoples, investing effort together in the establishment of peace and stability, on the basis of mutual trust”. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Bishops-in-the-Holy-Land-call-for-three-days-of-prayer-for-Iraq-19916.html
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AFRICA: IVORY COAST BISHOPS TO MEET ON MISSIONS
Agenzia Fides -African and European Bishops to meet on Ad Gentes missionThe Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE) will be having a joint Seminar on the theme: “New situation of the Ad Gentes Mission. Exchanges of priests and pastoral agents, and training” in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) from November 10 -14, 2010.According to a statement sent to Fides, “the Seminar forms part of the CCEE-SECAM five-year joint projects (2007-2011) which began following the First joint CCEE and SECAM Symposium that took place in Rome, Italy, in November 2004. The project focuses on collaboration between European and African bishops and aims to deepen their common responsibility for evangelisation and the human promotion of their respective continents in particular and the world in general.The bishops of the two continents have in the past years held Seminars on a) Slavery and the new forms of slavery in November 2007 in Elmina, Ghana; and b) Migration as a new opportunity for evangelization and solidarity in November 2008 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.The forthcoming Seminar which is being organized by the CCEE and SECAM in collaboration with various Partner Agencies will be hosted by the His Grace Mgr Jean Pierre Kutwa, Archbishop of Abidjan.About 40 participants, representatives of European and African Episcopates, Vatican Dicasteries and Partner Agencies, will reflect in particular on the following themes:- Theological and Biblical introduction on the missionary dimension of the Church and the significance of cooperation among the particular Churches.;- The new situation of Ad Gentes mission;- Priests and religious vocations; - Training of pastoral agents and of seminarians in Africa and Europe;- African priests in Europe;- Priests studying in Europe;- African priests in Europe for African communities- African priests in Europe as missionaries- European missionaries in Africa- Collaboration between the Churches of Africa and Europe. http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=27742&lan=eng
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TODAY'S SAINT: NOV. 5: ST. BERTILLE
St. BertilleABBESS OF CHELLESFeast: November 5Information:Feast Day:November 5Born:Soissons, FranceDied:703St Bertille was born of one of the most illustrious families in the territory of Soissons, in the reign of Dagobert I, and by her piety acquired the true nobility of the children of God. From her infancy she preferred the love of God to that of creatures, shunned as much as possible the company and amusements of the world, and employed her time in serious duties and chiefly in holy prayer. As she grew up, by relishing daily more and more the sweetness of conversing with God, she learned perfectly to despise the world and earnestly desired to renounce it. Not daring to discover this inclination to her parents, she first opened herself to St. Ouen, by whom she was encouraged in her resolution. Self-love early disguises itself in every shape, and the devil often transforms himself into an angel of light. Not to be deceived through precipitation and rashness in so important a choice as that of a state of life, impartial advice, prayer, careful self-examination and mature deliberation are necessary. These means having been employed, the saint's parents were made acquainted with her desire, which God inclined them not to oppose. They conducted her to Jouarre, great monastery in Brie, four leagues from Meaux, founded not long before, about the year 630, by Ado, the elder brother of St. Ouen, who took the monastic habit there with many other young noblemen and established a nunnery in the neighbourhood, which became the principal house. St. Thelchildes, a virgin of noble descent, who seems to have been educated or first professed in the monastery of Faremoutier, was the first abbess of Jouarre, and governed that house till about the year 660. By her and her religious community St. Bertille was received with great joy and trained up in the strictest practice of monastic perfection. Our saint, looking upon this solitude as a secure harbour, never ceased to return thanks to God for his infinite mercy in having drawn her out of the tempestuous ocean of the world: but was persuaded she could never deserve to become the spouse of Jesus Christ unless she endeavoured to follow him in the path of humiliation and self-denial. By her perfect submission to all her sisters she seemed everyone's servant, and in her whole conduct was a model of humility, obedience, regularity, and devotion. Though she was yet young, her prudence and virtue appeared consummate, and the care of entertaining strangers, of the sick, and of the children that were educated in the monastery was successfully committed to her. In all these employments she had acquitted herself with great charity and edification when she was chosen prioress to assist the abbess in her administration. In this office her tender devotion, her habitual sense of the divine presence, and her other virtues shone forth with new lustre, and had a wonderful influence in the direction of the whole community.When St. Bathildes, wife of Clovis II, munificently refounded the abbey of Chelles, which St. Clotildis had instituted near the Marne, four leagues from Paris, she desired St. Thelchildes to furnish this new community with a small colony of the most experienced and virtuous nuns of Jouarre, who might direct the novices in the rule of monastic perfection. Bertille was sent at the head of this holy company, and was appointed the first abbess of Chelles, in 646, or thereabouts. The reputation of the sanctity and prudence of our saint, and the excellent discipline which she established in this house, drew several foreign princesses thither. Among others Bede mentions Hereswith, Queen of the East-Angles. She was daughter of Hereic, brother or brother-in-law to St. Edwin, King of Northumberland, and married the religious King Annas, with whose consent she renounced the world and, passing into France, in 646, became a nun at Chelles. Queen Bathildes, after the death of her husband in 655, was left regent of the kingdom during the minority of her son Clotaire III, but as soon as he was of age to govern, in 665, she retired hither, took the religious habit from the hands of St. Bertille, obeyed her as if she had been the last sister in the house, and passed to the glory of the angels in 680. In this numerous family of holy queens, princesses, and virgins, no contests arose but those of humility and charity. The holy abbess, who saw two great queens every day at her feet, seemed the most humble and the most fervent among her sisters, and showed by her conduct that no one commands well or with safety who has not first learned, and is not always reader, to obey well.St. Bertille governed this great monastery for the space of forty-six years with equal vigour and discretion. In her old age, far from abating her fervour, she strove daily to redouble it both in her penances and in her devotions. In these holy dispositions of fervour the saint closed her penitential life in 692.SOURCE http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/stbertille.asp
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TODAY'S GOSPEL: NOV. 5: John 6: 37 - 40
John 6: 37 - 4037All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;39and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.40For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
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