TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 10: ST. POPE GREGORY III
TODAY'S GOSPEL AND MASS ONLINE: DEC. 10: Matthew 17: 10 - 13
The Pope recalled how the Church down through the years has encouraged the prolific presence of Catholics in Italian society through the promotion of cooperative institutions, the development of social enterprises and many other works of public interest, characterized by forms of participation and self-management.
What has prompted members to join in a co-operative-type organizations, said Pope Benedict was not only for economic reasons, but also the desire to live an experience of unity and solidarity.
The Pope also noted the fact that these institutions had a valuable role to play in promoting evangelical ideals and the culture of life and family.
Taking inspiration from his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the Holy Father said that even in the field of economics and finance "right intention, transparency and the search for positive results were mutually compatible and must never be separated.”
Drawing his address to a close the Holy Father urged those present to remain faithful to the Gospel and the teaching of the Church which encourages “social development, experiences of microcredit and an economy driven by a logic of communion and fraternity.”
Even in the world economy, said Pope Benedict, it is necessary to draw on our relationship with God, in order to live in love and solidarity
AMERICA : USA : PROVIDENCE COLLEGE - FEATURED UNIVERSITY
PC WEBSITE RELEASE: Providence College was founded in 1917 through a joint effort by
PC WEBSITE RELEASE: Providence College was founded in 1917 through a joint effort by
the Diocese of Providence and the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph, with the blessing of Pope Benedict XV and the consent of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island.
the Diocese of Providence and the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph, with the blessing of Pope Benedict XV and the consent of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island.The driving force behind the development of the College was the late Rt. Rev. Matthew Harkins, D. D., Bishop of Providence, whose dream it was to create a center of advanced learning primarily for the Catholic youth of Rhode Island. However, the College's charter demonstrates that the founders intended PC to serve members of all religious faiths as it reads: "no person shall be refused admission . . . nor shall any person be denied any of the privileges, honors, or degrees in said college on account of the religious opinion he may entertain."
Type of institution: Medium-size university
Setting: Urban
Undergraduate enrollment: 3,966 (2008–09 academic year)
Total average cost: $43,680 (tuition, room and board for 2009–10)
Undergraduate majors: 49
Statistics
ENROLLED FRESHMAN CLASS OF 2015
Average grade point average of 3.39 on a 4.0 scale.
Approximately 40% graduated from high school in the top 10%percent of their class, and 63% fell within the top 20%.
25 valedictorians and 13 salutatorians; 8 National Merit finalists, semi-finalists, and commended students, and 379 members of the National Honor Society.
Average SAT score (middle 50% of the entire enrolled class) was 520-630 for the critical reading, 530-640 for math, and 540-650 for writing.
Most popular majors are biology, management, psychology, special/elementary education, marketing, political science, and accountancy.
249 participated in student government (17 were class or council presidents), 742 played sports (320 were captains), 120 were on newspaper, radio, and yearbook staffs, and 800 took part in community service projects in high school.
12 percent of the class is of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American (AHANA) descent.
Total Major Fields of Study: 49
Total Minor Fields of Study: 36Newest Major: English/Creative WritingTotal Ordinary Faculty: 286Student-Faculty Ratio: 12:1Faculty Administration: 33 Dominican Friars and sistersFor more information, visit Areas of Study.
Undergraduate Tuition, Room Board, & Fees
Tuition & Required Fees
(without Room & Board)Tuition / Fee Classes of 2012, 2013 Classes of 2014, 2015 Tuition $34,950.00 $40,150.00 General Tech Fee $385.00 $385.00 Activity Fee $320.00 $320.00 Total $35,655.00 $40.855.00 Tuition is based on a regular course load (Refer to Academic Information).
Deadlines
- Early Action (freshman applicants): November 1
- Regular Decision (freshman applicants): January 15
- Transfer (fall semester): April 1
- Transfer (spring semester): December 1
In order to be considered for admission, we require that you submit a completed Common Application, including the Providence College Supplemental Form, and an application fee of $55. (Applicants who require an application fee waiver may petition for one through their college advisor). We also require the following additional pieces as part of your application package:College Guide Rankings Profile
The college guides can tell you something about Providence College. For example, U.S. News has ranked Providence College as one of the top master’s level colleges and universities in the North for twelve consecutive years. (The 574 universities in this category offer a full range of undergraduate and master’s level programs and are ranked within four geographic regions.)
IN THE 2011 EDITION OF U.S. NEWS’ AMERICA’S BEST COLLEGES:
- Providence's average freshmen retention rate of 92% ranks it among the top five schools nationally in its designated category.
- The College is ranked among the top five schools in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category -- which relates academic quality to the net cost of attendance – among master’s level colleges and universities in the North.
MAILING ADDRESS
Providence College
1 Cunningham Square
Providence, RI 02918 USA
Tel: +1 (401) 865-1000http://www.providence.edu/
- Early Action (freshman applicants): November 1
AUSTRALIA : ST. FRANCIS CHOIR FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS
ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE REPORT:
By Edwina Hall
Kairos Catholic Journal
"Those who sing well pray twice."
St Augustine of Hippo
View Advent and Christmas Mass times at St Francis'
On the corner of Elizabeth and Lonsdale streets, Melbourne sits St Francis' Church. It was the first Catholic church of the infant colony and is Melbourne's oldest building still on its original site and used for its original purpose. Today it is Australia's busiest church; 10,000 people pass through its doors each week. It is also the church in which St Mary of the Cross MacKillop was baptised and later made both her First Communion and Confirmation.
St Francis' has long been recognised not only for its beauty and historical significance but also for its musical excellence, which goes as far back as 1845. Today, the St Francis' Choir continues to fill people's hearts and souls with the sound of music, bringing them closer to God, and speaking to them in ways that words cannot.
"The foundation stone of St Francis' Church was laid in 1841," he said. "The choir's first performance was in 1844 and the people who attended said the choir made a 'precious mess of it'.
"Our historian thinks that the musical expenses on that occasion may have been paid for by a so-called 'Micky Mac', an Irish murderer who apparently provided funds for the seraphine – a kind of primitive harmonium with a raucous, harsh sound.
"The church was finished in 1845 and that is the date from which the choir really begins. So, it's been in existence ever since except for a short period in the late 1950s and early '60s when it was taken over by the seminarians of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers."
Tony says the choir has had connections with several famous singers, including Anna Bishop and Amy Castles. This year it is celebrating Dame Nellie Melba, who sang with the choir in her early 20s, before she went overseas and became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era.
"We are celebrating Nellie Melba this year because it's the 150th anniversary of her birth, the 125th anniversary of her last performance with the St Francis' Choir – she sang with us for about 10 months – and it is also the 80th anniversary this year of her death." Tony said.
"Part of our mission these days is to continue to encourage young singers and it's important to have a connection with professional musicians."
Tony said women sang in the choir until 1937, when the motu proprio of 1903 by Pope Pius X, which banned the presence of women in choirs, was finally implemented. The choir went through a relatively lean period during the war years.
"Fr Ernest 'Chappy' Rayson re-founded the choir as a mixed choir in 1961, so it is the 50th anniversary of the re-founding of the choir this year," he said.
Today, the choir is going strong, with a mix of ethnicity and age groups that range from 18 to 80.
"The choir is predominantly volunteers, they sing 46 weeks of the year," Tony said. "The average weekly commitment is about six hours. It's an interesting and vital group but is not without its challenges, such as the financial reality."
Tony says St Francis' is uniquely placed in the heart of Melbourne.
"It's practically always been in the centre of Melbourne," he said. "It's quietly welcoming, and it's one of those places where people of any walk of life can come in and sit down and feel comfortable.
"Most people remember the first time they walked into the church. It has a certain appeal, there's a certain sort of spirituality."
He says there has been a big increase in international students living in inner Melbourne in the past decade, and many have found a spiritual home at St Francis'. "For them their Christianity is very important because they are often coming from countries where Christians form a minority."
He believes that the fact that there is music every day adds to the appeal of St Francis'.
"The music program is quite amazing," he said. "We have 43 regular Masses a week and at least 16 of those have music."
While St Francis' Choir provides an environment in which many learn and develop their skills, Tony says the demanding nature of the program means it is best suited to those with some ability and choral experience.
"If we think people are not going to fit, we have several other choirs they can join until such a time as they may feel more comfortable," he said.
"There are about 45 members at the moment but it is always good to have more and it gives them experience they probably can't get elsewhere in terms of the repertoire that we do.
"Where else would you get to sing with an orchestra as a volunteer chorister and have a captive audience of at least 800 people?"
Tony says many remarkable people have been associated with the choir, which currently has several members who have been with it for over 25 years.
"We have one tenor who is celebrating 50 years' association with the choir and another tenor, John Byrne, who has been with the choir continuously for over 40 years," Tony said.
He says the hope is that the choir will continue to attract new members and provide young people with the opportunity to be exposed to the considerable church music repertoire.
He says the choir is part of a living history that has enriched Melbourne.
"Our choir is not a museum culture," he said, "it's a living thing – very much so. In keeping with St Francis' ethos, it is a welcoming place and we don't have any restrictions on religion.
"It's amazing how music can transcend denominational barriers. I think musicians have always been ecumenists. So we try to be catholic in all senses of the word."
Tony says St Francis' Choir's mission is essentially to bring people closer to God through the beauty of music, which has a remarkable effect at several levels.
"There's a dimension of human life that can only really be reached by music," he said. "And of course that harmonises very well with spirituality.
"There have been a lot of studies over the past couple of years about the physical and psychological benefits of singing, especially in a group. I think people build it into the fabric of their lives. It's a deep-seated spiritual and emotional thing that gives a lot of pleasure, fulfilment and satisfaction as well as socialisation.
"There's a lot in our life that we can't articulate in words, so I think that people's hopes, aspirations, joys and sadness can somehow be supported with music.
"There is a whole range of concepts spiritually that you can't come to grips with, except through music. We really cannot do without it."
For information about joining St Francis' Choir, contact Tony Way: 9639 4560
http://www.stfrancischoir.org.au/
Advent and Christmas Mass times at St Francis'
December 11 William Byrd Mass for Five Voices
Advent 3 Anon Rejoice in the Lord Always
December 16 The annual Carol Festival will take place at 7pm.
December 18 Josef Haydn Missa Rorate Coeli
Advent 4 Sergei Rachmaninov Ave Maria
December 24 George Malcolm Missa ad Praesepe
Christmas Midnight Ola Gjeilo O Magnum Mysterium (With the Symphonia of Melbourne)
December 25
Christmas Day The National Boys’ Choir directed by Philip Carmody will sing at the 11am Solemn Eucharist.
Donations can be made to St Francis' Choir Foundation, 326 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 3000.
Kairos Catholic Journal, Volume 22. No. 23
http://www.cam.org.au/melbourne-news/st-francis-choir-in-the-heart-of-melbourne.html
ASIA : ISRAEL : PALESTINIAN YOUTH KILLED BY ARMY
Ramallah (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Palestinian youth died this morning in an Israeli hospital from facial and brain injuries sustained during a demonstration against the illegal settlements in the West Bank.Mustafa Tamimi , 28 (see photo), was hit yesterday by a tear gas projectile in the face, shot by Israeli forces during a demonstration in the village of Nabi Saleh.
The Israeli military said they had only used "means to disperse riots." But many wonder if there is excessive use of force. During the demonstration, a boy was hit by a rubber bullet and suffered a broken leg; one girl suffered a broken arm. Tamimi, shot in the face, died of brain damage.
For at least three years there have been demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, against the confiscation of land and the implementation of illegal Israeli settlements. To stop the riots, the Israeli army has also launched night raids against the Palestinian residents and arrested those accused of throwing stones at them.
Btselem, an Israeli human rights group, said that Tamimi is the 20th victim to be killed in such demonstrations in the West Bank in eight years.
AFRICA : EGYPT : CATHOLIC LEADERS CONCERNED OVER ELECTION RESULTS
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party took 36.6 percent of the vote while the Salafist Al-Nour Party—an even more extreme Islamist group—garnered 24.4 percent.
By contrast, the secular Egyptian Bloc won only 13.4 percent of the country’s 9.7 million valid ballots, the Associated Press reported.
Fr Antoine Rafic Greiche, official spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, said leaders expected the Muslim Brotherhood “to do well but we did not expect at all the success of the Salafists.”
“Their success is a big surprise and a cause for alarm not just for Christians but for moderate Muslims who will be very annoyed by what has happened,” he told Germany-based charity Aid to the Church in Need.
“The Salafists’ attitude to Christians is to say that they can get their passport to go to the USA, France, UK or somewhere else in the West,” the priest said. “They always talk about Egypt as a Muslim country even though there are up to 13 million Christians living here.”
Fr Greiche reported that the Salafists have discussed forbidding tourism, barring women from wearing swimming costumes, and forcing them to be “totally covered up.”
They want to implement Sharia Islamic law “rigorously” and they “look at Christians and even moderate Muslims as ‘Kuffars,’” a derogatory term for non-Muslims.
Fr. Greiche said that the Muslim Brotherhood is also hardline but would be angered by the Salafists who, by comparison, have very limited political experience.
Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut in Upper Egypt also responded to the election.
“We are not afraid of the Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said. “The success of the Salafists has surprised us but we must wait and see what happens in the next two rounds of the elections.”
The strong Islamist showing left many of the youthful activists who took part in the uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak feeling that their revolution had been hijacked, the Associated Press said.
The new parliament is supposed to select a 100-member panel to draft Egypt’s new constitution. However, the ruling military council has suggested it will set criteria for the choice of 80 parliament members, and has also said that parliament will have no mandate over the formation of a new government.
The next stages of the vote will take place on December 14 and January 3, 2012.
EUROPE : POLAND : 600000 ATTEND CATECHESIS
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 10: ST. POPE GREGORY III
ST. GREGORY III | |||||||
POPE | |||||||
FEAST: DECEMBER 10 | |||||||
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TODAY'S GOSPEL AND MASS ONLINE: DEC. 10: Matthew 17: 10 - 13
| Matthew 17: 10 - 13 | |
| 10 | And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Eli'jah must come?" |
| 11 | He replied, "Eli'jah does come, and he is to restore all things; |
| 12 | but I tell you that Eli'jah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands." |
| 13 | Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. |
