CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD : SATURDAY OCT. 20, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VATICAN : POPE : RATZINGER PRIZE FOR THEOLOGY AWARDED
NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. JUDE PATRON OF HOPELESS CASES - BEGINS
ASIA : LEBANON : CAR BOMB KILLS 4
AMERICA : GOVERNMENT GOES TO CANONIZATION OF KATERI
AUSTRALIA : MEMORIAL TO UNBORN CHILDREN
EUROPE : AUSTRIA : CHURCHES IN DANGER OF CLOSURE
AFRICA : NIGERIA : ARCHBISHOP - RELIGIONS PREACH PEACE AND TOLERANCE
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : SAT. OCT. 20, 2012
TODAY'S SAINT : OCT. 20 : ST. CAPRASIUS OF AGEN

VATICAN : POPE : RATZINGER PRIZE FOR THEOLOGY AWARDED

RADIO VATICANA REPORT: Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday presided over a ceremony in which the 2012 Ratzinger Prize for Theology was awarded to a pair of winners: the renowned US expert in patristics, Jesuit Fr. Brian Edward Daley of Notre Dame University; and the lay French philosopher and historian of cultural thought Rémi Brague. In his remarks to the winners and the gathered guests, the Holy Father spoke of the profound and necessary connection between intellectual rigour and lived experience of the reality of God in all truly Catholic theological endeavour. “Father Daley and Professor Brague,” said Pope Benedict, “are exemplary for the transmission of knowledge that unites science and wisdom, scientific rigor and passion for man, so that man might discover the [true] ‘art of living’.” The Holy Father went on to say, “It is of precisely such people who, through an enlightened and lived faith render God credible and close to the man of today, what we have need.”

The Ratzinger Prize for Theology is sponsored by the Joseph Ratzinger Vatican Foundation, which was founded in 2010, with the approval of the Holy Father. Its aim is to “promote the publication, distribution and study of the writings of former university professor Joseph Ratzinger.” The Foundation also provides grants to doctorate students of theology and organizes high-level academic conferences. The activities of the foundation are financed through the publication and sale of Pope Benedict's works.
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA

TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : SAT. OCT. 20, 2012

Luke 12: 8 - 12
8	"And I tell you, every one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God;
9	but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10	And every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11	And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say;
12	for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

ASIA : LEBANON : CAR BOMB KILLS 4

ASIA NEWS REPORT
A car bomb explodes in the early afternoon in the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafiya (north-east of Beirut), damaging some buildings. Its objective remains unclear.




Beirut (AsiaNews/ Agencies) - A car bomb exploded in Beirut this afternoon (2 pm local time) near Sassine Square, in the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafiya (north-east of the city). At least four people have been killed and dozens injured.

Lebanese news agencies have shown pictures of panicked residents fleeing the area, where the blast ripped through some buildings. Rescue operations were almost immediate.

The last car bombing in the cities dates back to 2008 when a US diplomatic vehicle was blown up, killing three.

It is unclear if anyone important was targeted, but the incident comes at a time of maximum tensions between Lebanon and Syria.

In northern Lebanese cities like Tripoli, fighting has broken out between Sunnis and Shias, reflecting the divide in Syria between where Sunnis rose against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Today's attack is also the first since Benedict XVI visited Lebanon last month, a country the pontiff praised as a model of ethnic and religious coexistence for the region and the world.

It comes a few days before a Vatican delegation led by Mgr Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States, travels to Syria.

Yesterday, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Hizbollah, the extremist Shia movement, was "more a threat to Lebanon than to Israel, because Israel is capable of defending itself".

The statement follows Hizbollah's acknowledgement that it sent a drone against Israel that was eventually shot down over the Negev Desert.

SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT

AMERICA : GOVERNMENT GOES TO CANONIZATION OF KATERI

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA RELEASE: At the request of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons, will lead the all-party Canadian delegation attending the canonization mass for Kateri Tekakwitha on October 21, 2012, at the Vatican. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first North American Aboriginal person to become a Catholic saint.
The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, will also be part of the delegation taking part in the canonization mass at the Vatican.
“The story of Kateri Tekakwitha is pious and it is powerful,” said Speaker Scheer. “Her elevation to sainthood is a momentous occasion for Canadian Catholics and many First Nations people, as well as a deep honour for Canada.”
Kateri Tekakwitha, known as Lily of the Mohawks, was born in 1656 to a Mohawk father and Christian Algonquin mother in present-day New York State. Shortly after her baptism at age 20, she moved to a Christian Mohawk village in present-day Kahnawake, Quebec, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River across from Montréal. She died there at age 24. Since her death, many miracles have been attributed to her, making her a beloved figure in the Catholic Church, notably for First Nations in both Canada and the United States. Her tomb is located at the St. Francis Xavier Mission in Kahnawake.
Kateri Tekakwitha was declared venerable by Pope Pius XII in 1943 and beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II. She will be made a saint by Pope Benedict XVI.

- 30 -

For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
The delegation will be led by the Honourable Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons, and include the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and also the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. The delegation will also include a number of Chiefs from First Nations communities in Canada.
The names of the other members of Parliament in the delegation are:
Mr. Rod Bruinooge
Member of Parliament (CPC Winnipeg South)

Mr. Bryan Hayes
Member of Parliament (CPC Sault-St-Marie)

Mme. Lise St-Denis
Member of Parliament (LPC St. Maurice Champlain)

Mr. Raymond Côté
Member of Parliament (NDP Beauport Limoilou)

Mr. Sylvain Chicoine
Member of Parliament (NDP Châteauguay St-Constant)

AUSTRALIA : MEMORIAL TO UNBORN CHILDREN

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
19 Oct 2012

The Madonna and Child Memorial to Unborn Children Story on unborn and also tied in with still born wall Holy Innocents installed three years ago

In a revolutionary move, the unborn children from terminated pregnancies now have their own special memorial in the Catholic section of Rookwood Cemetery. A specially commissioned statue of the Madonna and Child, depicted in bronze by Italian craftsmen, now stands a short walk from the Sacred Heart Chapel and adjacent to the Catholic Mausoleum.
At the base of the statue a plaque reads: "In Loving Memory of Unborn Children" and is accompanied by the words from Isaiah 49:1: "From my mother's womb, the Lord gave me my name."
"Each day in NSW 82 children have their lives taken by abortion. We know many mothers and fathers grieve for the loss of these children and as a Catholic community we wanted to provide a beautiful place to mourn and remember the many unborn infants who did not make it to birth," says Chris Meney, Director of the Archdiocese of Sydney's Life, Marriage and Family Centre.
The chief instigator of this poignant and moving memorial, Chris says the statue of the Madonna and Child was chosen to express the maternal love, tenderness and compassion the Holy Virgin feels for every grieving mother and every child whose life has ended prematurely.
"In recent years Memorials to the Unborn have been established in many churches, cemeteries and communities around the world, especially across the United States," he says, adding that these memorials reflect a growing recognition of the preciousness of life and the need for a physical place to mourn and remember the many unborn children who do not make it to birth.
In addition to providing a tranquil setting for those who terminated a pregnancy through abortion to grieve their loss, and try to overcome the guilt and terrible pain of that decision, the Memorial to Unborn Children also provides solace and comfort to parents who suffered the tragedy of losing a much-wanted and loved child to miscarriage.
In NSW alone an estimated 128 unborn children are lost to miscarriages particularly in the early stages of pregnancy, every day. The loss is keenly felt but the depth of the grief felt by the unborn baby's mother and father frequently goes unacknowledged by extended family and friends.

Holy Innocents crypt for still born babies inside the doors of the Catholic Mausoleum of Resurrection at Rookwood Cemetery

Three years ago in July 2009, the loss of children who are still born or who are lost in the later stages of pregnancy was recognised by the Archdiocese of Sydney's Catholic Cemeteries Board. They put aside a special consecrated area for their interment just inside the glass doors of the Catholic Mausoleum of Resurrection at Rookwood.
Called Holy Innocence, the sacred area provides crypt niches for the cremated remains of stillborn infants, and in an Australian first these are available free to grieving parents at a saving of many thousands of dollars.
"Most young parents who suffer the tragedy of a still-born infant don't have their own burial plot nor do they have the financial resources to buy one," says Peter O'Meara, Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Cemeteries Board. "This was why our previous CEO, Michael McMahon and the rest of the Board decided to offer a crypt niche to stillborn babies at no charge."
In the three years since Holy Innocence was established for stillborn babies and infants who die in the womb in the later stages of pregnancy, several couples have found solace and peace by having their unborn but much loved infant given at permanent resting place at the Mausoleum.

Sacred Heart Chapel at Rookwood Cemetery

Now the deep sadness and grief of those who lost their children to miscarriage and the sorrow and perhaps ongoing regret of those who decided to terminate their pregnancies have been recognised with a statue of Our Lady holding the Christ Child as a beautiful and permanent memorial to these unborn infants.
"From the start we gave our full support and financial backing to this initiative, and found an area in a quiet and beautiful section of the cemetery for the memorial where parents and their families can pray, reflect and find comfort," says Peter O'Meara.
Although the Cemeteries Board gave its financial support to the project, the initiative was driven by Archdiocese of Sydney's Life, Family and Marriage Centre with the full support and backing of the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
Installed earlier this month, the statue was blessed by Bishop Peter Comensoli, Episcopal Vicar for the Life, Family and Marriage Centre after a Mass celebrated at the Sacred Heart Chapel in the Catholic section of the Rookwood Necropolis.
"We pray that all who look upon this statue of Mary and her Child will be comforted in their grief and strengthened in faith, hope and love as they entrust their little one to her love and look forward with hope to the joy of the resurrection," Chris Meney says.
The Madonna and Child Memorial stands at the junction of Lawns 5, 6 and 7 a short distance from the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.
shared FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

EUROPE : AUSTRIA : CHURCHES IN DANGER OF CLOSURE

CATHOLIC HERALD REPORT

By Jonathan Luxmoore CNS on Thursday, 18 October 2012

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn (Photo: CNS)

The Archdiocese of Vienna has said it will press ahead with a major reorganisation that will include closing most of its parishes over 10 years, despite objections from some local Catholics.

The archdiocese’s 660 parishes will be merged over the next decade into around 150 larger parishes, each served by three to five priests and offering regular Masses.
Michael Prüller, archdiocesan spokesman, said: “Our emphasis isn’t just on reorganising the Church, but on reinvigorating the missionary impulses of the entire Christian community.
“Although we can debate how best to achieve it, the plan’s main aim isn’t open to discussion.”
Mr Prüller told the American Catholic News Service that falling numbers of clergy and laity had made the changes necessary. He said smaller affiliated communities within the parishes will be run by lay volunteers authorised to conduct the Liturgy of the Word.
Prüller said archdiocesan bishops would draft the new parish boundaries and steps for implementing the reorganisation by January 1.
He added that experiences from Latin America, Africa and Asia suggested ordained priests were not needed “in every small town and village” and that larger parishes could be introduced “without losing the nearness of people to their church”.
“As society changes, the Church has to change its old-fashioned practices and structures, too,” he said.
“The Church’s mission of apostolate and evangelisation isn’t just the responsibility of parish priests, but of the whole community of baptised and confirmed. If this reorganisation creates more vibrant Christian communities, praying, celebrating Mass, conducting mission and helping the needy together, then it could offer a model for Church reforms throughout Europe.”
Speaking in September, after the reorganisation was announced, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said the reform would be the archdiocese’s biggest for two centuries and would mean “saying goodbye to much that has become dear to us”.
But he said the reorganisation would help pool resources, reduce administration and “leave more time for evangelisation”.
“This is about a new cooperation between priests and laity from their common Christian vocation,” the cardinal told the news conference, which was reported by Austria’s Kathpress news agency.
“We have to free ourselves of the traditional image that the Church is present only where there’s a priest and stress the common priesthood of all baptised,” he said.
Mr Prüller said the reorganisation had been preceded by a “long consultation phase”, but could not be “discussed endlessly”.
He added that it would not alter the ratio of priests to lay Catholics and said other dioceses in France and Germany had also made “groundbreaking structural changes” and re-trained their parish teams.
“It will be much more efficient and robust to have several priests working together, rather than priests left totally by themselves,” the spokesman said. “The local Christian communities will be counted on to take care of those needing help, such as the elderly, so that everyone can get to Mass.”
The reform was supported by several Austrian newspapers, including the mass-circulation Die Presse daily, which said in an editorial it was “not only understandable but imperative” to centralise parish work.
But a theologian and sociologist, Fr Paul Zulehner, said that in an online survey the reform had been opposed by most Catholic respondents.
SHARED FROM CATHOLIC HERALD

AFRICA : NIGERIA : ARCHBISHOP - RELIGIONS PREACH PEACE AND TOLERANCE

CISA REPORT

ABUJA, October, 19, 2012 (CISA) -There is need to return to the true values of Christianity and Islam to create a Nigerian society that lives in peace and harmony. This is the appeal launched by His Grace Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos and President of the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria, in his speech at the Forum organized by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) on “Religious Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence “.

Archbishop Kaigama pointed out that the three monotheistic religions; Jewish, Christianity and Islam preach peace and tolerance. In particular, the Archbishop of Jos pointed out several evangelical passages where Jesus calls for dialogue to resolve disputes in order to avoid violence.

Archbishop Kaigama then presented examples of solidarity between Christians and Muslims, referring also to his personal experience. “I was recently invited by the Muslim youths in Jos to break the fast with many Muslims in the Jos Central Mosque, when some years ago I spent two nights in the house of the late Emir of Wase, Alhaji Haruna Abdulahi and traveled to Germany with him for two weeks, telling our story of peace building efforts. That for me was a dialogue of life which I advocate for Muslims and Christians,” concluded Archbishop Kaigama.

The appeal comes as the Country is rocked by violence in different areas. On October 17, 30 people died in the central State of Benue in an attack by Fulani farmers, mostly Muslims, against a village inhabited by Tiv farmers, mostly Christians.
In recent days in Maidugiri during violent clashes between the army and the Islamist group Boko Haram at least 24 people were killed.
SHARED FROM CISA NEWS