VATICAN : THEME OF 12TH CATECHIST CONGRESS AND OTHER NEWS
AUSTRALIA : CHARITABLE FUND HOPES TO RAISE 3 MILLION
ASIA : INDONESIA : 3 CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN MUSLIM AREA
EUROPE : RIP PHYLLIS BOWMAN FOUNDER OF RIGHT TO LIFE
AFRICA : NIGERIA BISHOP VICTIMS OF ATTACK MARTYRS
AMERICA : COLOMBIA : 113000 HOMELESS FROM RAINS
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : TUES. MAY 8, 2012
TODAY'S SAINT : MAY 8 : ST. PETER OF TARANTAISE
VATICAN : THEME OF 12TH CATECHIST CONGRESS AND OTHER NEWS
CHRISTIAN INITIATION, THEME OF THE TWELFTH EUROPEAN CONGRESS FOR CATECHISTS
Vatican City, 8 May 2012 (VIS) - The Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) has organised the twelfth European Congress for Catechists, which is being held in Rome from 7 to 10 May on the theme: "Christian Initiation from the Perspective of New Evangelisation". The event will dedicate particular attention to children and young people between the ages of 7 and 16.
The meeting, which is being coordinated by the CCEE's commission for catechesis, schools and universities, is being attended by bishops and by national directors for catechesis from European episcopal conferences. It is taking place with a view to forthcoming Year of Faith, and in the context of Church reflections on new evangelisation in the year marking the twentieth anniversary of the Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II.
Work began yesterday with the presentation of the results of a survey of more than 3,600 children and young people, which will serve as the basis for discussion during the congress. The themes of the survey include: family, friends school and their influence on the Christian initiation of children; the Christian community, it members and its liturgical life; and the importance of the children's personal journey towards God.
On Wednesday 9 May, the participants will attend Mas at the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, celebrated by Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary and president of the CCEE.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND LOWER SAXONY
Vatican City, 8 May 2012 (VIS) - An Agreement was signed this morning at the seat of government of Lower Saxony between the Holy See and that German "Land", modifying the Concordat of 26 February 1965, according to a communique released today by the Holy See Press Office.
The Agreement was signed by Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, apostolic nuncio to Germany, as plenipotentiary of the Holy See, and by David McAllister, minster-president of Lower Saxony.
On the ecclesiastical side, the signing ceremony was attended by Bishop Norbert Trelle of Hildesheim; by Msgr. Felix Bernhard, director of the Catholic Office of Lower Saxony for the Land's relations with the dioceses of Hildesheim, Munster (Oldenburg) and Osnabruck, and by diocesan directors for Catholic schools regulated by the Concordat. Among those present on the government side were the minister of culture of Lower Saxony and a number of high-ranking cabinet functionaries.
The document signed today updates paragraph 6 of the Annex to the Concordat and its relative implementation agreement (Durchführungsvereinbarung) in the light of the current legislation of Lower Saxony, which has introduced the definition of high school. The modifications are intended to meet the needs of Catholic schools regulated by the Concordat.
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 8 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. Stephen Robson of the clergy of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 5,504, population 1,521,000, Catholics 115,000, priests 151, permanent deacons 3, religious 165). The bishop-elect was born in Carliste, England in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1979. He studied in Scotland and in Rome then worked in pastoral care in the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. From 1998 to 2006 he was spiritual director of the Pontifical Scottish Seminary in Rome.
AUSTRALIA : CHARITABLE FUND HOPES TO RAISE 3 MILLION
ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY RELEASE: Catholic
Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
7 May 2012
The Charitable Works Fund (CWF) launched its May
Pastoral Appeal yesterday and hopes to raise $3 million to help support six
important agencies within the Archdiocese of Sydney.
The agencies assisted in this way are the Ephpheta Centre which provides practical help as well as pastoral care to Sydney's 500-strong community of the deaf and hearing impaired; the Seminary of the Good Shepherd at Homebush; the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine which provides religious education and resources for Catholic children at public schools; the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry which promotes reconciliation and mutual understanding as well as providing pastoral care and support for Sydney's Catholic Aboriginals; and some of the more than 100 programs delivered by CatholicCare, the welfare arm of the Archdiocese.
In addition the CWF helps fund the Archdiocese of Sydney's chaplaincies which provide support and pastoral care to those in prison or in hospital to the seamen on board the tankers and freighters that dock at our ports. The CWF also pays the cost of tuition for 22 candidates for the priesthood studying at the Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way at Chester Hill.
"The
generosity of our parishioners to our annual CWF Pastoral Appeals have made it
possible to continue to make a real difference in people's lives," says Father
Philip Linder, Chairman of the CWF.
For the past nine years, the ongoing big-hearted donations, bequests and pledges from Sydneysiders has enabled the CWF to continue its vital support to these agencies which provide practical as well as pastoral care to many thousands of men, women and children across the city.
Each year, Catholic Care, which is one of the city's largest not-for-profit community service providers, delivers locally based intervention and prevention programs as well as a wide range of other programs ranging from job skill training and employment, to aged care and assistance for those with disabilities, as well as help with parenting.
The Ephpheta Centre is equally important providing a social network, support base and pastoral care to the profoundly deaf and hard of hearing as well as conducting regular Masses in ASLAM, Australian sign language.
The Catholic Aboriginal Ministry is another essential agency and since February this year, in addition to fortnightly Masses being celebrated at the Church of Reconciliation at La Perouse, Mass has been held on alternate Sundays in the inner city at the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, St Mary's, Erskineville.
To find out more
about each of these agencies including the Seminary of the Good Shepherd and the
Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary, and their impressive and far-reaching
work, obtain a copy of the latest CWF Newsletter from your local parish or log
on to www.cwf.org.au
7 May 2012
Ephpehta Centre's Youthful Signing Choir At
Strathfield Mass
The agencies assisted in this way are the Ephpheta Centre which provides practical help as well as pastoral care to Sydney's 500-strong community of the deaf and hearing impaired; the Seminary of the Good Shepherd at Homebush; the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine which provides religious education and resources for Catholic children at public schools; the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry which promotes reconciliation and mutual understanding as well as providing pastoral care and support for Sydney's Catholic Aboriginals; and some of the more than 100 programs delivered by CatholicCare, the welfare arm of the Archdiocese.
In addition the CWF helps fund the Archdiocese of Sydney's chaplaincies which provide support and pastoral care to those in prison or in hospital to the seamen on board the tankers and freighters that dock at our ports. The CWF also pays the cost of tuition for 22 candidates for the priesthood studying at the Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way at Chester Hill.
The Ephpheta Centre offers
Sydney's deaf community
a social network
as well as pastoral care
Sydney's deaf community
a social network
as well as pastoral care
For the past nine years, the ongoing big-hearted donations, bequests and pledges from Sydneysiders has enabled the CWF to continue its vital support to these agencies which provide practical as well as pastoral care to many thousands of men, women and children across the city.
Each year, Catholic Care, which is one of the city's largest not-for-profit community service providers, delivers locally based intervention and prevention programs as well as a wide range of other programs ranging from job skill training and employment, to aged care and assistance for those with disabilities, as well as help with parenting.
The Ephpheta Centre is equally important providing a social network, support base and pastoral care to the profoundly deaf and hard of hearing as well as conducting regular Masses in ASLAM, Australian sign language.
The Catholic Aboriginal Ministry is another essential agency and since February this year, in addition to fortnightly Masses being celebrated at the Church of Reconciliation at La Perouse, Mass has been held on alternate Sundays in the inner city at the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, St Mary's, Erskineville.
CatholicCare helps 50,000 families each
year
and provides vital help for children at risk
and provides vital help for children at risk
ASIA : INDONESIA : 3 CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN MUSLIM AREA
UCAN REPORT:
Cite decree
on minority communities in the predominantly Muslim province
Local officials in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province last
week closed three Christian churches in the predominantly Muslim region where
sharia law is enforced.
Local media reports said the churches, two Catholic
and one Protestant, were closed because of their failure to meet the
requirements of a 2006 decree by the religious affairs and home
ministries.
The decree states that any religious community that is not part of the local majority must have at least 90 members of the congregation and the approval of at least 60 people from other religious communities in order to build a house of worship.
“The churches … were sealed simultaneously [on May 1],” said Frans R Zai, a Capuchin seminarian from Sibolga diocese yesterday.
However, Zai said the motive for the closures was unclear.
“The Church in Napagaluh village, for example, was built in 1974. Why did the local government close it after 38 years? In fact, the joint ministerial decree and governor’s regulation were just presented a few years ago.”
Local media reports said that members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and police officers from the Public Order unit were dispatched to close the churches.
Zai said the closures were politically motivated rather than a sign of escalating religious conflict.
“Although some perpetrators were members of FPI, the motive was not social or interreligious conflict. It was the impact of the regional elections,” Zai said.
He added that the elections, held last month, had tipped the balance of power in the province, where Christians were a small minority, and that discussions on the matter would be held on May 10.
Theophilus Bela, secretary-general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace, said he would ask for help from the government.
“The local government should not take such [unreasonable] actions against Catholic and Protestant minority groups,” he said.
The decree states that any religious community that is not part of the local majority must have at least 90 members of the congregation and the approval of at least 60 people from other religious communities in order to build a house of worship.
“The churches … were sealed simultaneously [on May 1],” said Frans R Zai, a Capuchin seminarian from Sibolga diocese yesterday.
However, Zai said the motive for the closures was unclear.
“The Church in Napagaluh village, for example, was built in 1974. Why did the local government close it after 38 years? In fact, the joint ministerial decree and governor’s regulation were just presented a few years ago.”
Local media reports said that members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and police officers from the Public Order unit were dispatched to close the churches.
Zai said the closures were politically motivated rather than a sign of escalating religious conflict.
“Although some perpetrators were members of FPI, the motive was not social or interreligious conflict. It was the impact of the regional elections,” Zai said.
He added that the elections, held last month, had tipped the balance of power in the province, where Christians were a small minority, and that discussions on the matter would be held on May 10.
Theophilus Bela, secretary-general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace, said he would ask for help from the government.
“The local government should not take such [unreasonable] actions against Catholic and Protestant minority groups,” he said.
AFRICA : NIGERIA BISHOP VICTIMS OF ATTACK MARTYRS
CISA REPORT:(CISA) -Bishop John Namanzah
Niyiring of Kano in Nigeria, described 10 Catholics who were killed during a
terrorist attack on April 29 at St Stephen chaplaincy, Bayero University Kano as
martyrs.
Bishop Niyiring was speaking at the requiem
Mass celebrated for all the 10 deceased Catholics at Our Lady of Fatima
Cathedral.
He described the death as painful, saying the
Catholic Church honours those who died in their faith.
The bishop said, “These beloved Catholics who
we mourn today were killed inside the church while worshiping God.”
“We must rejoice with them because they have
died as martyrs who will receive God’s merciful judgment.”
According to Vanguard, the bishop
called upon Nigerian Catholics to draw strength from the deaths and remain
steadfast in the face of persecution.
The Boko Haram terrorist group is
suspected of mounting the attack.
EUROPE : RIP PHYLLIS BOWMAN FOUNDER OF RIGHT TO LIFE
IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT:
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AMERICA : COLOMBIA : 113000 HOMELESS FROM RAINS
Agenzia Fides REPORT- 46 deaths is the toll due to the
rains affecting Colombia, where there are 113,602 homeless, according to the
report of the National Unit for the Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD). From the
data collected by Fides, and according to the report of this Unit of government,
the rainfall affecting the country since mid-March, have caused enormous
calamity and disasters in 417 municipalities of 28 of the 32 departments that
make up Colombia. There are 483 homes destroyed, while 18,096 others are
declared unfit for damages. Furthermore, relief agencies reported 10
missing.
Moreover not all roads are accessible: there are 381 roads damaged, which further hinders rescue. Two weeks ago the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, had promulgated the Law of Disaster Risk Management, an initiative that aims to enable the State to respond and prevent similar tragedies.
There are areas like MonterÃa and Sincelejo where the water has reached a height of five feet, and has entered homes and has destroyed everything. In addition to the danger created by the crumbling of the walls of houses and various buildings, now soaked with water, the population must also beware of the danger of snake bites, as happened yesterday to two members of the National Police engaged in rescue, because the water carries reptiles in areas where one does not imagine them to be. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 08/05/2012)
Moreover not all roads are accessible: there are 381 roads damaged, which further hinders rescue. Two weeks ago the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, had promulgated the Law of Disaster Risk Management, an initiative that aims to enable the State to respond and prevent similar tragedies.
There are areas like MonterÃa and Sincelejo where the water has reached a height of five feet, and has entered homes and has destroyed everything. In addition to the danger created by the crumbling of the walls of houses and various buildings, now soaked with water, the population must also beware of the danger of snake bites, as happened yesterday to two members of the National Police engaged in rescue, because the water carries reptiles in areas where one does not imagine them to be. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 08/05/2012)
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : TUES. MAY 8, 2012
| John
14: 27 - 31
| |
| 27 | Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. |
| 28 | You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. |
| 29 | And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. |
| 30 | I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; |
| 31 | but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence |
TODAY'S SAINT : MAY 8 : ST. PETER OF TARANTAISE
St. Peter of Tarantaise
ARCHBISHOP
Feast: May 8
Information:
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He was a native of Dauphine. A strong inclination to
learning, assisted by a good genius and a happy memory, carried him very
successfully through his studies. At twenty years of age he took the Cistercian
habit at Bonnevaux, a monastery that had been lately filled by a colony sent by
St. Bernard from Clairvaux. They employed a great part of the day in hewing
wood, and tilling the ground in the forest, in perpetual silence and interior
prayer. They ate but once a day, and their fare was herbs or roots, mostly
turnips of a coarse sort. Four hours in the twenty-four was the usual allowance
for sleep; so that, rising at midnight, they continued in the church till it was
morning, and returned no more to rest: which was the primitive custom of that
order. Peter practiced the greatest austerities with fervor and alacrity: he was
most exactly obedient, obliging to all, humble, and modest. His pious parents,
after the birth of four children, lived in perpetual continency, and the
practice of rigorous abstinence, prayed much, and gave large alms: their house
they seemed to turn into a hospital, so great was the number of poor and
strangers they constantly entertained, whom they furnished with good beds, while
they themselves often lay on straw. The father and his two other sons at length
followed Peter to Bonnevaux and the mother and daughter embraced the same order
in a neighboring nunnery. The year after Peter had taken the monastic habit, his
example was followed by Amedeus, nearly related to the emperor Conrad III., and
sixteen other persons of worth and distinction. Amedeus, indeed, having there
made his solemn profession with the rest, by the advice of persons of great
virtue and discretion, spent some time at Cluni, the better to superintend his
son's education, in the school established there for the education of youth: but
he returned after some time to Bonnevaux; and made it his request, at his
readmission, that he might be enjoined the lowest offices in the house. To this
the abbot, for his greater advancement in humility and penance, consented. The
earl of Albion, his uncle, coming one day to see him, found him in a sweat,
cleaning the monks' dirty shoes, and, at the same time, so attentive to his
prayers, as not to perceive him. The earl remembering in what state he had seen
him in the world, was so struck and so much edified at this spectacle, that he
ever after retained the deep impression which it made on his mind, and published
it at court. Amedeus built four monasteries of his order: among which was that
of Tamies, or Stomedium, in the desert mountains of the diocese of Tarentaise,
of which he procured his intimate friend St. Peter, not then quite thirty years
of age, to be appointed the first abbot, in 1128. Amedeus worked himself with
his spade and mattock in building some of these monasteries, and died at
Bonnevaux, in the odor of sanctity, in 1140. His son Amedeus, for whose
education in piety he had always the greatest concern, after having spent part
of his youth in the court of his kinsman the emperor, became a Cistercian monk
under St. Bernard, at Clairvaux, and died bishop of Lausanne.
The monastery of Tamies seemed a house of terrestrial
angels; so constantly were its inhabitants occupied in the employment of angels,
paying to God an uninterrupted homage of praise, adoration, and love. St. Peter,
by the help of Amedeus III., count of Savoy, founded in it a hospital to receive
all the poor sick persons of the country, and all strangers; and would be
himself its servant to attend them. In 1142, the count of Savoy procured his
election to the archbishopric of Tarentaise, and he was compelled by St. Bernard
and the general chapter of his order, though much against his own inclinations,
to accept of that charge. Indeed, that diocese stood extremely in need of such
an apostolic pastor, having been usurped by a powerful ambitious wolf, named
Idrael, whose deposition left it in the most desolate condition. The
parish-churches and tithes were sacrilegiously held by laymen; and the clergy,
who ought to have stemmed the torrent of iniquity, contributed but too often to
promote irregularity by their own wicked example. The sight of these evils drew
tears from the eyes of the saint, with which he night and day implored the
divine mercy upon the souls intrusted to his care. He directed all his fasts,
his prayers, and labors, for the good of his flock: being persuaded that the
sanctification of the people committed to his charge was an essential condition
for securing his own salvation. He altered nothing in the simplicity of a
monastic life, and looked on the episcopal character as a laborious employment
rather than a dignity. His clothes were plain, and his food coarse; for he ate
nothing but brown bread, herbs, and pulse, of which the poor had always their
share. He made the constant visitation of his diocese his employ; he everywhere
exhorted and instructed his whole charge with unwearied zeal and invincible
patience, and besides, he provided the several parishes of his diocese with able
and virtuous pastors. When he came to his bishopric, he found the chapter of his
cathedral full of irregularities, and the service of God performed in a very
careless manner; but he soon made that church a pattern of good order and
devotion. He recovered the tithes and other revenues of the church that had been
usurped by certain powerful laymen; made many excellent foundations for the
education of youth, and the relief of the poor; repaired several churches, and
restored everywhere devotion and the decent service of God. The author of his
life, who was the constant companion of his labors, and the witness of the
greatest part of his actions after he was made bishop, assures us he wrought
many miracles in several places, chiefly in curing the sick, and multiplying
provisions for the poor in times of great distress; so that he was regarded as a
new Thaumaturgus. The confusion his humility suffered from the honors he
received, joined to his love of solitude, made him resolve to retire from the
world; and accordingly, in 1155, after he had borne the weight of the episcopal
character thirteen years, having settled his diocese in good order, he
disappeared on a sudden; and made his way to a retired monastery of Cistercians
in Germany, where he was not known. In the mean time, his family and diocese
mourned for the loss of their tender father. Strict inquiry was made in all the
neighboring provinces, especially in the monasteries, but in vain; till, after
some time, divine providence discovered him by the following accident. A young
man, who had been brought up under his care, came to the monastery in which he
lay concealed, and upon observing the monks as they were going out of the church
to their work, he knew his bishop, and made him known to the whole community.
The religious no sooner understood who he was, but they all fell at his feet,
begged his blessing, and expressed much concern for not having known him before.
The saint was inconsolable at being discovered, and was meditating a new escape,
but he was so carefully watched, that it was not in his power; so that he was
forced to go back to his diocese, where he was received with the greatest
demonstrations of joy. He applied himself to his functions with greater vigor
than ever. The poor were always the object of his peculiar care. He was twice
discovered to have given away, with the hazard of his own life, in extreme cold
weather in winter, the waistcoat which he had on his back. For three months
before the harvest he distributed general alms among all the inhabitants of the
mountains, provisions being always very scarce there at that season. He founded
hospitals on the Alps, for the entertainment of poor travellers; because, before
that time, many perished for the want of such a succor. To preserve in his heart
the spirit of devotion and penance, he continued to practise, as much as
possible, all the austerities and other rules of his order, only commuting
manual labor for the spiritual functions of his charge. By his conversation with
the God of peace, he imbibed an eminent spirit of that virtue, and learned, by
humility and charity, to be truly the man of peace; having also a singular
talent for extinguishing the most implacable and inveterate enemies. He often
reconciled sovereign princes when they were at variance, and prevented several
bloody wars. The emperor Frederic I. set up Octavian, a schismatical pope, under
the name of Victor, against Alexander III. St. Peter was almost the only subject
of the empire who had the courage openly to oppose his unjust attempt, and he
boldly defended the cause of justice in presence of the tyrant, and in many
councils. The emperor, who banished others that spoke in favor of that cause,
stood in awe of his sanctity: and Peter, by his mild counsels, frequently
softened his fierceness, and checked the boisterous sallies of his fury, while,
like a roaring lion, he spread terror on every side. The saint preached in
Alsace, Burgundy, Lorraine, and in many parts of Italy; and confounded the
obstinate by numberless miraculous cures of the sick, performed by the
imposition of his hands and prayer. He was ordered by the pope to go into France
and Normandy, to endeavor a reconciliation between the kings of England and
France, who had made peace in 1169, but quarrelled again the next year. Though
then very old, he preached wherever he went. Louis VII. sent certain gentlemen
of his court to meet him at a great distance, and received him with the greatest
marks of honor and respect; but honors and crowds were of all things the most
troublesome to the saint. The man of God restored the use of sight to one blind
in the presence of the count of Flanders, and many other noblemen, who were at
that time with the king of France: who, being also himself an eye-witness,
examined carefully all the circumstances, and declared the miracle to be evident
and incontestable. The saint went from Paris to Chaumont, on the confines of
Normandy, where Henry II., king of England, met him: and when he arrived in
sight of the holy man, alighted from his horse, and coming Up, fell at his feet.
The people stole the cloak or hood of St. Peter, and were going to cut it in
pieces to divide the scraps, being persuaded that they would perform miracles.
But the king took the whole cloak for himself, saying: I have myself seen
miraculous cures performed by his girdle, which I already possess." In his
presence, the saint restored the use of speech to a girl that was dumb. On
Ash-Wednesday, in 1171, St. Peter being at the Cistercian abbey of Mortemer, in
the diocese of Rouen, the king of England came thither with his whole court, and
received ashes from his hands. The archbishop prevailed on the two kings to put
an end to their differences by a treaty of peace, and to procure councils to be
assembled in their dominions, in which Alexander's title should be solemnly
recognised. The holy man hereupon returned to his church, but was some time
after sent again by the pope to the king of England, to endeavor to compose the
difference between him and his son: but his journey had not the desired effect.
He fell sick on his return, and died the death of the just, at Bellevaux, a
monastery of his order, in the diocese of Besancon, in 1174, being seventy-three
years old. He was canonized by pope Celestine III., in 1191. See his life
written nine years after his death by Geoffrey, some time his companion, and
afterwards abbot of Hautecombe, by the order of pope Lucius III. See also Le
Nain, t. 2, p. 83.
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source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpeteroftarantaise.asp#ixzz1uGVgBnhP
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