CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: SUN. JAN. 30, 2011

CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: SUN. JAN. 30, 2011: HEADLINES-

VATICAN: POPE: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST

AMERICA: CANADA: EDMONTON: CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ELIMINATE GAMBLING FOR FUNDING

EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: LEGACY OF THE POPE'S VISIT PROGRAM

AFRICA: NIGERIA: PRESIDENT TO SEND AMBASSADOR TO VATICAN ON POPE'S REQUEST

ASIA: TAIWAN: PRAYER FOR YEAR OF THE LAITY

AUSTRALIA: GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS DROPS

TODAY'S MASS READINGS: 4th SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME

TODAY'S SAINT: JAN. 30: ST. HYACINTHA OF MARISCOTTI

VATICAN: POPE: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST

RADIO VATICANA REPORT: A prayer for the Holy Land, solidarity with Leprosy sufferers

Pope Benedict XVI joined the International Day of Intercession for Peace in the Middle East Sunday, with a prayer to God to converge hearts and minds for concrete solutions for peace in the Holy Land.

Following the midday Marian prayer he was joined at the window of his private study high above St Peter’s Square by a young boy and girl from Rome’s Azione Cattolica movement. There in an what has become an annual tradition, marking the end of the youth groups’ “Caravan of Peace”, the Pope released two white doves above the crowds.

He also marked the World Day for Leprosy Sufferers, promoted in the 1950s by Raoul Follereau and officially recognized by the United Nations. Leprosy, he said “although declining, still unfortunately affects many people who live in conditions of severe poverty. I assure all those who suffer of my special prayer, which I also extend to those who assist them and, in many ways, are committed to defeating Hansen's disease".

And looking ahead to this week’s celebration of the Lunar New Year, Pope Benedict sent a special greeting of “serenity and prosperity” to the people of the Far East.

Earlier, during his reflections on the Sunday Gospel, which this week proposes the Sermon on the Mount, the Holy Father spoke of the Beatitudes as a program of life, that seeks to liberate mankind from the false values of this world.

He said “"the Church does not fear poverty, contempt, persecution in a society often attracted to material wealth and worldly power," because "as St. Paul writes, God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something "(1 Cor 1:27-28)”.

The Beatitudes concluded Pope Benedict “are the transposition of the cross and resurrection in the existence of the disciples. They reflect the life of the Son of God who allows himself to be persecuted, despised to the point of death for the salvation of mankind”http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=458398

AMERICA: CANADA: EDMONTON: CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ELIMINATE GAMBLING FOR FUNDING

CNS REPORT:

Edmonton Catholic Schools to phase out gambling as source of funding

By Ramon Gonzalez
Catholic News Service

EDMONTON, Alberta (CNS) -- Edmonton Catholic Schools' trustees have voted to abolish gambling activities as a source of school funding.

But board chair Debbie Engel says casino revenues will still be used in Catholic schools while the board looks for alternative and sustainable options for the district, which serves the city of Edmonton with publicly funded Catholic education.

Trustees adopted the position that "no school or school community in Alberta should have to raise money through gambling activities in order to meet children's educational needs."

The board has been dealing with the issue since the fall when the Archdiocese of Edmonton implemented new policy guidelines that forbid Catholic groups to raise money through "harmful gambling activities."

The archdiocesan chancellor, Father Gregory Bittman, said the archdiocese recognizes that the school district needs time "to make fundamental changes. However, we believe that fundraising without casinos is an attainable goal."

Catholic schools in the city earn about $6 million through casino fundraising every 18 months. All but one of the 87 schools take part in the practice. They use the money to pay for school field trips, hot lunch programs, equipment and other extras.

Engel said the issue is one of social justice and educational equality. While larger schools in more affluent areas can afford to pay for extras, smaller schools cannot.

"I'm thinking there are some schools who literally wouldn't survive without casino funds," Engel said Jan. 24. "You take a school that has a population of 150 kids and you take away $80,000 every 18 months.

"They are getting the same $80,000 as a school with 800 kids. And so it's just not equitable to our board's way of thinking."

The board plans to look at a number of options, including lobbying the Alberta government for changes in how revenue is distributed, so parents do not have to work at casinos.

"We would like to lobby the provincial government to find out exactly how much money is coming into public education from casinos and allocate it evenly on a need basis throughout the province for adequate, sustainable funding for education," Engel said.

"We are not asking the government to come up with more money. We are asking the government to take the money and put it into general revenues and distribute it on an equitable basis so schools can have adequate, predictable funding," she added.

Until that happens, schools will likely continue to rely on casino revenues.

"Make no bones about it. We are not going to cut people off of casinos when we know they are relying on it," Engel said. "We are going to work on a solution before anything like that is entertained."

Engel said both Archbishop Richard Smith and the board are reluctant to set timelines for the transition "until we know where we are going with this."

Trustees plan to meet with community members and parent council members Feb. 24 to discuss "how can we as a community support the (archdiocesan gambling) policy and continue to fund our schools properly."

The board has already started a Catholic foundation that will be responsible for fundraising but Engel said she has little faith it will be as effective as gambling in raising funds.

"Do we see the foundation as the answer to replace $6 million every 18 months right now? No. And neither does the person in charge," Engel said.

"Will it eventually? That doesn't take away the problem that this is not social justice," she said. "Even if the foundation makes the money, it's still unjust the way the casino dollars are used."

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1100335.htm

EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: LEGACY OF THE POPE'S VISIT PROGRAM

BISHOPS' CONFERENCE REPORT: ‘Some Definite Purpose’

A new programme has been launched to support the Catholic Community to contribute to the legacy of the Pope’s Visit to the UK.

Called ‘Some Definite Purpose’ the programme reflects the content of Pope Benedict XVI’s speeches, homilies and addresses during his September 2010 visit to the UK. A number of events and projects have been timetabled for 2011 and beyond, with the legacy of the Holy Father’s visit categorised under six headings: ‘To know our purpose’, ‘To grow in confidence’, ‘To witness to our faith’, ‘To serve others’, ‘To seek and engage in dialogue’ and ‘To point to the transcendent’.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols said: ‘The visit of the Holy Father was a grace-filled occasion and a source of great joy for many. He presented us with a clear task for the months and years ahead. It is hoped that the new initiative, “Some Definite Purpose” will support every member of the Catholic Community, and those who are not Catholic, to make a positive and faith-filled contribution to life in the UK. A key focus is serving those who are most in need where we live and work.’

The calendar for 2011 is:

Papal Visit Legacy: 2011 Timetable (pdf)

Bishop Kieran Conry, Chair of the Department of Evangelisation and Catechesis, Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said: ‘This initiative will support the mission of the Church in England and Wales. It has a specific parish focus and materials will be easy to download and use. It’s so important that we all consider ways of continuing the journey of “heart speaks unto heart”, of witnessing to the joy of our faith in everyday life. I invite and encourage everyone to get involved and give generously of their time and talents.’

DOWNLOAD

This is an eight-page pdf download.

Papal Visit Legacy: Parish Resources (pdf)

PAPAL VISIT DVD

Celebrating Pope Benedict XVI’s historic first State Visit to the UK, the DVD tells the story of the four extraordinary days in September offering not just event highlights, but the Holy Father’s profound words and the true significance of all the components of the Visit. News release on DVD launch.

LENT RESOURCE FOR PARISHES

The Agency for Evangelisation in Westminster Diocese is offering a booklet called Faithful Pilgrim, which encourages parishioners to come together, six months on, to explore the various themes and speeches from the Papal Visit. For more information please contact: marknash@rcdow.org.uk. The deadline for parish orders is 11 February.

LINKS

thepapalvisit.org.uk/legacy

Home Mission

CONTACT

Home Mission Desk
email: clare.ward@cbcew.org.uk

http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Catholic-Church/Media-Centre/press_releases/Press-Releases-2011/Papal-Visit-Legacy-Programme

AFRICA: NIGERIA: PRESIDENT TO SEND AMBASSADOR TO VATICAN ON POPE'S REQUEST

ALL AFRICA REPORT: PRESIDENT of the Senate, Senator David Mark yesterday said Nigeria would consider the request of Pope Benedict XVI to deploy an ambassador to the Vatican City, Rome.

This he said, would facilitate and improve the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and the Vatican.

At the moment, Nigeria's Ambassador to Spain oversees the affairs of the mission in the Vatican.

The President of the Senate was speaking when he played host to the Apostolic Nuntio to Nigeria, Most Reverend Augustine Kasujja, in Abuja.

Senator Mark told his guest that Nigeria is a secular state where freedom of worship is upheld.

He said: "We practice freedom of worship in Nigeria. There is no extremism. We inter marry across religious lines and we live in harmony between and among religious groups. That is why Nigeria is a unique country in Africa".

He said Nigeria will continue to play a leading role in Africa, pointing out that Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is leading the efforts towards finding solution to the political impasse in Cote d' voire.

The Pope Ambassador had requested Nigeria to consider sending an envoy to the Vatican saying "Nigeria is too big not to have an Ambassador in the Vatican".Earlier, the Apostolic Nuntio, requested Nigeria to take a decisive step to find solution to the rising violence in Jos, Plateau State, saying that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI is worried about the development and wants the crisis put to an end.

Rev. Kasujja counseled that Nigeria conducts its affairs in a manner that would engender peace, progress and unity among the people.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria has the abundant human and economic potentials to lead Africa out of the economic doldrums.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201101280530.html

ASIA: TAIWAN: PRAYER FOR YEAR OF THE LAITY

Agenzia Fides REPORT – After having published the 2011 Pastoral Letter dedicated to the Year for the Laity, entitled “Walking together to man, living for the Lord” (see Fides 10/1/2011), the Regional Episcopal Conference of Taiwan has also released the official Prayer for the Year for the Laity. According to the accompanying directions, “the prayer is to be recited after Communion or before the Blessing”. The entire text is available on the website of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Taiwan, to also be printed and distributed.
In fact, the Taiwanese community is also intensely participating in the Year for the Laity, so nominated by the diocese of Hong Kong. In the prayer, thanks is given to the Father having created us and called us to be his children through the sacraments. Then the involvement of the lay faithful is remembered in the threefold mission of Christ the Priest, and their commitment to enlarge the Kingdom of God and work in the vineyard of the Lord. It then invokes an abundance of divine grace to strengthen the courage of the laity to witness to the Gospel. Finally, it recalls that “the cornerstone of charity” is what unites us. We pray for those who do not yet think that they can believe, striving towards the one Truth, in the common journey towards Heaven.

http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=28202&lan=eng

AUSTRALIA: GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS DROPS

CATH NEWS REPORT: Data to be released today by the Productivity Commission suggests that public funding for each student at private schools has declined over recent years, once state government funding is taken into account, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.At the same time, public funding per student at government schools has risen over the same period, the data suggests.

The figures challenge popular perceptions and are likely to be seized upon by Catholic and independent schools as they argue their case to the federal government's review of school funding, being chaired by the businessman David Gonski.

The commission calculated that federal, state and territory government recurrent expenditure per student in government schools was $13,544 in 2008-09. This represented an average annual increase in real terms of 1.2 per cent since 2004-05.

The commission said total government expenditure per student in non-government schools was $6850 in 2008-09. This represented an average annual decrease in real terms of 1.6 per cent since 2004-05.

But Trevor Cobbold, a former Productivity Commission economist and the head of the public education advocacy group Save Our Schools, questioned the commission's figures.

''Items unrelated to the classroom largely account for the increase in government school expenditure in comparison to expenditure on private schools,'' he said. ''The user cost of capital and depreciation for government schools increased by 34 per cent between 2004-05 and 2008-09. These items are excluded from government expenditure on private schools. Without these items, government school expenditure may well have declined.''

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=24850

TODAY'S SAINT: JAN. 30: ST. HYACINTHA OF MARISCOTTI

St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti

VIRGIN

Feast: January 30

Information: Feast Day: January 30 Born: 1585, Vignanello, Italy Died: 30 January 1640, Viterbo Canonized: 1807 by Pope Pius VII A religious of the Third Order of St. Francis and foundress of the Sacconi; born 1585 of a noble family at Vignanello, near Viterbo in Italy; died 30 January, 1640, at Viterbo; feast, 30 January; in Rome, 6 February (Diarium Romanum). Her parents were Marc' Antonio Mariscotti (Marius Scotus) and Ottavia Orsini. At Baptism she received the name Clarice and in early youth was remarkable for piety, but, as she grew older, she became frivolous, and showed a worldly disposition, which not even the almost miraculous saving of her life at the age of seventeen could change; neither was her frivolity checked by her education at the Convent of St. Bernardine at Viterbo, where an older sister had taken the veil. At the age of twenty she set her heart upon marriage with the Marquess Cassizucchi, but was passed by in favour of a younger sister. She was sadly disappointed, became morose, and at last joined the community at St. Bernardine, receiving the name Hyacintha. But, as she told her father, she did this only to hide her chagrin and not to give up the luxuries of the world; and she asked him to furnish her apartments with every comfort. She kept her own kitchen, wore a habit of the finest material, received and paid visits at pleasure. For ten years she continued this kind of life, so contrary to the spirit of her vows and such a source of scandal to the community. By the special protection of God, she retained a lively faith, was regular in her devotions, remained pure, always showed a great respect for the mysteries of religion, and had a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin. At length she was touched by God's grace, and the earnest exhortations of her confessor at the time of serious illness made her see the folly of the past and brought about a complete change in her life. She made a public confession of her faults in the refectory, discarded her costly garments, wore an old habit, went barefoot, frequently fasted on bread and water, chastised her body by vigils and severe scourging, and practised mortifications to such an extent that the decree of canonization considers the preservation of her life a continued miracle. She increased her devotion to the Mother of God, to the Holy Infant Jesus, to the Blessed Eucharist, and to the sufferings of Christ. She worked numerous miracles, had the gifts of prophecy and of discerning the secret thoughts of others. She was also favoured by heavenly ecstacies and raptures. During an epidemic that raged in Viterbo she showed heroic charity in nursing the sick. She established two confraternities, whose members were called Oblates of Mary or Sacconi. One of these, similar to our Society of St. Vincent de Paul, gathered alms for the convalescent, for the poor who were ashamed to beg, and for the care of prisoners; the other procured homes for the aged. Though now leading a life so pure and holy, Hyacintha always conceived the greatest contempt for herself. At her death great sorrow was felt at Viterbo and crowds flocked to her funeral. She was beatified by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726, and canonized 14 May, 1807, by Pius VII. SOURCE:http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/H/sthyacinthaofmariscotti.asp

TODAY'S MASS READINGS: 4th SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME

Zephaniah 2: 3
3	Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the wrath of the LORD.

---

12For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD,13those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall pasture and lie down, and none shall make them afraid."

Psalms 146: 6 - 10
6	who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever;
7	who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8	the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9	The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10	The LORD will reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

1 Corinthians 1: 26 - 31
26	For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth;
27	but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong,
28	God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29	so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30	He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;
31	therefore, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord." Matthew 5: 1 - 12 1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.