Vatican Radio
REPORT Director of the Holy See press office Fr Federico Lombardi announced in a
press conference on Saturday that Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s butler who has
been implicated in the Vatileaks scandal, has been released on parole. Effective
immediately, Gabriele will remain under house arrest in his family home in the
Vatican.
The next step in the procedure, Fr Lombardi said, is in the hands of the Promoter of justice who will determine if Gabriele should be charged with aggravated theft. A Vatican judge will then decide whether he will face trial or be acquitted. A decision is expected in the next few days.
In his press briefing, Fr Lombardi also indicated that the Commission of Cardinals established to investigate the leeks had, in recent days, reported their findings to the Holy Father.
shared from Radio Vaticana
SEE for informationhttp://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2012/05/europe-popes-valet-arrested-in-leaked.html
The next step in the procedure, Fr Lombardi said, is in the hands of the Promoter of justice who will determine if Gabriele should be charged with aggravated theft. A Vatican judge will then decide whether he will face trial or be acquitted. A decision is expected in the next few days.
In his press briefing, Fr Lombardi also indicated that the Commission of Cardinals established to investigate the leeks had, in recent days, reported their findings to the Holy Father.
shared from Radio Vaticana
SEE for informationhttp://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2012/05/europe-popes-valet-arrested-in-leaked.html
AMERICA : SACRED MUSIC COLLOQUIUM FREE RESOURCES
THE XXII ANNUAL SACRED MUSIC COLLOQUIUM was a success.
The purpose was to teach chant and Catholic sacred music. This year it was held
in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 25-July 1.
It you missed the Colloquium most of the music is
available for free:
- The Colloquium Music Packet (low-res version; copyrighted Mass setting deleted)
- The Colloquium Music Packet (high-res version; copyrighted Mass setting deleted)
- Listen to practice tracks for Colloquium polyphony here.
- ColloquiumXXII_repertoire
There were many highlights including:
- Extensive training in Gregorian chant under a world-class faculty, with choices of a chant class for beginners, and intermediate and and advanced chant classes;
- Morning and afternoon sessions all week with lectures and workshops with the best of the best thinkers and doers in the world of Catholic music;
- Optional choral experience with one of four large choirs singing sacred music of the masters such as Palestrina, Vierne, Bruckner, Victoria, Byrd, Tallis, Josquin, and many others;
- Daily liturgies with careful attention to officially prescribed musical settings;
- Experience in singing or just listening to Mass settings, motets, chants, and responses;
- Residency in a full service hotel;
- Two gala dinners with top lecturers and events;
- Training in vocal production and technique;
- Conducting practicum;
- Training for Priests in the sung Mass;
- Pedagogy demonstrations;
- Composers’ Forum;
- Seminars on parish music management, integrating sung parts of the liturgy, polyphonic repertoire for beginning and more established choirs;
- All music, including prepared packets of chant and polyphony, as part of
registration.
: - SHARED FROM MUSICASACRA.COM
AUSTRALIA : BILL ON CHARITIES SEEMS A POWER GRAB
ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY REPORT:
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
20 Jul 2012
The Government's Australian Charities and
Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC) Bill is a heavy-handed power grab that gives
extraordinary powers to bureaucrats to reach into the affairs of charitable
organisations across Australia and remove individuals for any breach to the law
or to its new complex reporting requirements and regulations.
"Under the provisions of the draft bill, individuals working in the charitable sector ranging from a local priest ministering to his parish through to the Archbishop of a diocese could be suspended or removed by the Commission," warns Coalition MP, Kevin Andrews, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services.
Mr Andrews has criticised the Government's revised ACNC bill and questioned the Government's decision to allow less than two weeks for public submissions to the House of Representatives Economics Committee's Inquiry into the bill.
The closing date for public submission to the ACNC Inquiry closed today giving the charities and non-for-profit sector just two weeks to make a submission.
"It is just ridiculous to give the sector 11 days to make submissions when the government has held the detail of its plan secret for so many months," Mr Andrews says and points out the majority of Australia's voluntary and charitable organisations that will be affected by the bill do not have the staff, finances or the time to put together a submission in the brief period of time allotted.
Describing the
Government's revised bill as "an entirely unwarranted heavy-handed intrusion
into the activities of Australia's charitable sector," Mr Andrews says a
Coalition government, if elected next year, will rescind the bill along with the
Commission's regulatory enforcement and policing powers.
As a former employee, a board member and an ongoing volunteer with a number of not-for-profit bodies over more than three decades, he accuses the Government of not only rushing this bill through without proper consultations but of regarding charities and not-for-profits through narrow economic terms.
"The fact that the Inquiry is being conducted by the Economics Committee is a perfect example of this," he says and insists any inquiry should also be looking at the broad and diverse range of services carried out by charities and non-for-profits, and the work many do in caring for society's vulnerable, weak, ill, poor, disabled and in need.
Currently Australia has more than 600,000 charitable and voluntary organisations ranging from small sporting clubs, community groups to parish charities to the large well known welfare and Not-for- Profit agencies such as CatholicCare, St Vincent de Paul Society, Red Cross, RSPCA, Surf Life Saving Australia, Uniting Care, Mission Australia, the Salvation Army, Caritas and Anglicare.
Under the proposed bill, the Commission would require mandatory registration by the charities and not-for-profits that employ full time staff, have a significant tax base and seek Commonwealth tax concessions and exemptions.
"Over the past two decades,
the outsourcing of services previously delivered by government has resulted in
an increase in government support to not-for-profits," Mr Andrews explains. But
he is quick to point out that many charitable organisations exist with limited
government funding support.
He also notes that while reporting is mandatory for some charities, all are being encouraged to register with the Commission which the Government says will "streamline" its interaction with charities and help reduce the "regulatory burden" placed on them.
Mr Andrews reports that in the 2006-7 financial year Australia had 320,000 paid employees in the charitable sector with more than 4.6 million helping out as volunteers.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the contribution made by this relatively small group of paid staff and the massive army of volunteers to Australia's economy in that year accounted for $43 billion, or 4.1% of GDP.
"People engage in charitable activities usually because they believe it is appropriate, that this is something they can do to help others. From a Christian perspective, it is all about helping your neighbour," he says and adds that despite the some 600,000 charitable organisations and not-for-profits operating across Australia, ranging from small unincorporated groups to incorporated associations, there have are very few instances of financial misappropriation and none involving widespread fraud.
But while the
Government has put forward no evidence of any cases of non-compliance by
charitable entities, the ACNC bill has started "from a premise of distrust and
the assumption maybe somebody is doing something wrong," he says.
"Under this extraordinary reach by the government into the affairs of civil society, the bill assumes people who give their time and efforts, often in a voluntary capacity, are untrustworthy and tainted," he says.
Although the ACNC was originally conceived as a body to support charities and not-for-profits and enhance their contribution to society, Mr Andrews says the Commission's role appears to be more about policy and enforcement with expanded regulatory and reporting requirements.
Instead of cutting red tape as charities and not-for-profits were originally promised, the ACNC Bill instead introduces even more bureaucracy. Mr Andrews also says the Bill is ambiguous with excessive powers. There has not yet been any commitments by state or territory governments to co-operate with the proposal to achieve harmonisation of the myriad regulations that currently exist and impact already on the non-for-profit sector.
Also if the ACNC Bill is enacted as currently drafted, the Catholic Church will have some of its entities regulated under state and territory law, some under the Commonwealth law and most with a mix of multiple jurisdictions.
In other words without a commitment to harmonisation between Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments, there is a substantial risk that the introduction of the ACNC Bill will only add to the already heavy, cumbersome and complex regulatory burden on charities and non-for-profits. And Mr Andrews claims that will inevitably lead to a sharp rise in costs for the sector's already financially-strapped agencies and organisations.
To cope with the additional complex
regulations and financial reporting required under the bill, agencies both big
and small will be forced to employ or redeploy staff to cope. Funds may also
have to be redirected from the core work of the charity or not-for-profit to
cover the cost of lawyers and legal counsel to address the Government's plan to
change the common law definition of a charity to a statutory definition.
For many years whether an organisation is a charity or not has been determined by the "Public Benefit Test" and after yet another inquiry, was yet again endorsed as recently 2008 by the Henry Review Report and again in 2010 in a comprehensive report by the Productivity Commission.
A statutory definition is to be determined by the Commission. How it will develop and determine this legal definition remains unknown with the Government giving no details.
The new statutory definition is set to take effect from July next year when legal experts predict charities and not-for-profits will be forced into expensive litigation as different groups try to work out what the new, uncertain and untested definition might mean.
Mr Andrews says if returned to government, the Coalition would retain the current common law definition of charity and maintain the Public Benefit Test. The Coalition would also retain the present regulatory powers held by the Australian Tax Office and Australian Securities and Investment Commission and not transfer them to the Commission as proposed under the ACNC bill.
"The Coalition recognises there is a place for a national body to enhance the role of institutions in civil society," Mr Andrews says and while the it does not support the government's proposed model, if elected it would establish its own much smaller independent national body to coordinate, assist, help train and support charities and not-for-profits, foster research and innovation and act as advocates on their behalf.
"We believe in working with the sector,
not directing the sector and treating it as an extension of the state," he
says.
Stephen Elder, Director, Catholic Education Office Melbourne, Victoria and Director, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) also has some very serious concerns about the draft legislation for the education sector.
He says the proposed Bill's disclosure requirements and public access regime is invasive and aggressive especially compared to reporting requirements of government schools. Catholic schools will face additional financial and other compliance reporting which will duplicate and complicate their already strong regulatory and financial accountability processes.
"The focus should be on promotion, education and support of NFPs to improve regulatory reform not punitive or excessive powers," Mr Elder said.
"Also will the ACNC have jurisdiction in respect of government schools which raise their funds for their own charitable purposes to ensure a sector neutral and level playing field that is currently occurring within Australian government reforms such as Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)?
"Until the ACNC is a truly one-stop shop, its reasons for being are fundamentally compromised," Mr Elder added. SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
20 Jul 2012
CatholicCare parentline helps families
across Australia
across Australia
"Under the provisions of the draft bill, individuals working in the charitable sector ranging from a local priest ministering to his parish through to the Archbishop of a diocese could be suspended or removed by the Commission," warns Coalition MP, Kevin Andrews, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services.
Mr Andrews has criticised the Government's revised ACNC bill and questioned the Government's decision to allow less than two weeks for public submissions to the House of Representatives Economics Committee's Inquiry into the bill.
The closing date for public submission to the ACNC Inquiry closed today giving the charities and non-for-profit sector just two weeks to make a submission.
"It is just ridiculous to give the sector 11 days to make submissions when the government has held the detail of its plan secret for so many months," Mr Andrews says and points out the majority of Australia's voluntary and charitable organisations that will be affected by the bill do not have the staff, finances or the time to put together a submission in the brief period of time allotted.
Coalition's Kevin Andrews, Shadow
Minister
for Families, Housing and Human Services
for Families, Housing and Human Services
As a former employee, a board member and an ongoing volunteer with a number of not-for-profit bodies over more than three decades, he accuses the Government of not only rushing this bill through without proper consultations but of regarding charities and not-for-profits through narrow economic terms.
"The fact that the Inquiry is being conducted by the Economics Committee is a perfect example of this," he says and insists any inquiry should also be looking at the broad and diverse range of services carried out by charities and non-for-profits, and the work many do in caring for society's vulnerable, weak, ill, poor, disabled and in need.
Currently Australia has more than 600,000 charitable and voluntary organisations ranging from small sporting clubs, community groups to parish charities to the large well known welfare and Not-for- Profit agencies such as CatholicCare, St Vincent de Paul Society, Red Cross, RSPCA, Surf Life Saving Australia, Uniting Care, Mission Australia, the Salvation Army, Caritas and Anglicare.
Under the proposed bill, the Commission would require mandatory registration by the charities and not-for-profits that employ full time staff, have a significant tax base and seek Commonwealth tax concessions and exemptions.
Volunteers help Vinnies serve 250000
meals
each year to Sydney's homeless
each year to Sydney's homeless
He also notes that while reporting is mandatory for some charities, all are being encouraged to register with the Commission which the Government says will "streamline" its interaction with charities and help reduce the "regulatory burden" placed on them.
Mr Andrews reports that in the 2006-7 financial year Australia had 320,000 paid employees in the charitable sector with more than 4.6 million helping out as volunteers.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the contribution made by this relatively small group of paid staff and the massive army of volunteers to Australia's economy in that year accounted for $43 billion, or 4.1% of GDP.
"People engage in charitable activities usually because they believe it is appropriate, that this is something they can do to help others. From a Christian perspective, it is all about helping your neighbour," he says and adds that despite the some 600,000 charitable organisations and not-for-profits operating across Australia, ranging from small unincorporated groups to incorporated associations, there have are very few instances of financial misappropriation and none involving widespread fraud.
Stephen Elder
"Under this extraordinary reach by the government into the affairs of civil society, the bill assumes people who give their time and efforts, often in a voluntary capacity, are untrustworthy and tainted," he says.
Although the ACNC was originally conceived as a body to support charities and not-for-profits and enhance their contribution to society, Mr Andrews says the Commission's role appears to be more about policy and enforcement with expanded regulatory and reporting requirements.
Instead of cutting red tape as charities and not-for-profits were originally promised, the ACNC Bill instead introduces even more bureaucracy. Mr Andrews also says the Bill is ambiguous with excessive powers. There has not yet been any commitments by state or territory governments to co-operate with the proposal to achieve harmonisation of the myriad regulations that currently exist and impact already on the non-for-profit sector.
Also if the ACNC Bill is enacted as currently drafted, the Catholic Church will have some of its entities regulated under state and territory law, some under the Commonwealth law and most with a mix of multiple jurisdictions.
In other words without a commitment to harmonisation between Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments, there is a substantial risk that the introduction of the ACNC Bill will only add to the already heavy, cumbersome and complex regulatory burden on charities and non-for-profits. And Mr Andrews claims that will inevitably lead to a sharp rise in costs for the sector's already financially-strapped agencies and organisations.
Charities spend millions of dollars every year
on the homeless alone
on the homeless alone
For many years whether an organisation is a charity or not has been determined by the "Public Benefit Test" and after yet another inquiry, was yet again endorsed as recently 2008 by the Henry Review Report and again in 2010 in a comprehensive report by the Productivity Commission.
A statutory definition is to be determined by the Commission. How it will develop and determine this legal definition remains unknown with the Government giving no details.
The new statutory definition is set to take effect from July next year when legal experts predict charities and not-for-profits will be forced into expensive litigation as different groups try to work out what the new, uncertain and untested definition might mean.
Mr Andrews says if returned to government, the Coalition would retain the current common law definition of charity and maintain the Public Benefit Test. The Coalition would also retain the present regulatory powers held by the Australian Tax Office and Australian Securities and Investment Commission and not transfer them to the Commission as proposed under the ACNC bill.
"The Coalition recognises there is a place for a national body to enhance the role of institutions in civil society," Mr Andrews says and while the it does not support the government's proposed model, if elected it would establish its own much smaller independent national body to coordinate, assist, help train and support charities and not-for-profits, foster research and innovation and act as advocates on their behalf.
Of Australia's 105,000 homeless, more
than 12,000 are children under 12
than 12,000 are children under 12
Stephen Elder, Director, Catholic Education Office Melbourne, Victoria and Director, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) also has some very serious concerns about the draft legislation for the education sector.
He says the proposed Bill's disclosure requirements and public access regime is invasive and aggressive especially compared to reporting requirements of government schools. Catholic schools will face additional financial and other compliance reporting which will duplicate and complicate their already strong regulatory and financial accountability processes.
"The focus should be on promotion, education and support of NFPs to improve regulatory reform not punitive or excessive powers," Mr Elder said.
"Also will the ACNC have jurisdiction in respect of government schools which raise their funds for their own charitable purposes to ensure a sector neutral and level playing field that is currently occurring within Australian government reforms such as Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)?
"Until the ACNC is a truly one-stop shop, its reasons for being are fundamentally compromised," Mr Elder added. SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
AFRICA : CAMROON : PAN AFRICA CONGRESS FOR LAITY
CISA NEWS REPORT:
YAOUNDE, July 13, 2012 (CISA) -The Pontifical Council
for the Laity is organizing the Pan-African Congress for the Catholic Laity in
Yaounde in Cameroon. The September 4th to 9th, 2012 gathering will have as its
theme:
“Being Witness of Jesus Christ in Africa Today: Salt of the earth …light of the world (Mt. 5:13-14)”. This continental congress will be held at the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) in Yaounde and is part of the Pontifical Council for the Laity’s tradition of organizing continental and/or regional congresses for Catholic Laity in different parts of the world.
The focus on Africa by the Pontifical Council for the Laity is not by chance. It comes after the Papal Apostolic Journey to Cameroon and Angola (March 17-23, 2009) and to Benin (November 18-20, 2011) and the presentation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Pan African Congress of Catholic Laity is being organized with the support of the Catholic Church in Cameroon. The main participants at the congress will be Catholic lay faithful and include delegates chosen by African Bishops’ Conferences, International meetings of Bishops’ Conferences and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM/SCEAM), representatives of Small Christian Communities (SCC), members of lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities. Some cardinals, bishops, priests and religious will also accompany the laity during this congress as an eloquent sign of ecclesial communion. More than 250 delegates are expected to take part in the congress.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of the Pontifical Council for the Laity to journey together with the particular Churches. It also helps the laity to live their faith in communion with their pastors and to rediscover their co-responsibility for the Church’s mission in its many fields of apostolate.
The Congress is intended to renew and deepen the commitment of the laity to live in their contexts – families, small Christian communities, lay associations, ecclesial movements, parishes, Catholic schools and universities as well as in society, in politics and in the work place – proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a universal gift of salvation and to engage themselves in the work of New Evangelization.
This is intended also to strengthen the relationship of the Church in Africa with the Successor of St. Peter and to encourage the preparation and training of the laity so that they will be strengthened in their Christian identity and have a keener awareness of their mission in the Church and in the world.
The Congress is taking place at a time when the Church is preparing to celebrate the Year of Faith, declared by Pope Benedict XVI with the Apostolic Letter of 11 October 2011, Porta fidei that will begin on 11 October 2012 and will conclude on 24 November 2013.
SHARED FROM CISA NEWS
“Being Witness of Jesus Christ in Africa Today: Salt of the earth …light of the world (Mt. 5:13-14)”. This continental congress will be held at the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) in Yaounde and is part of the Pontifical Council for the Laity’s tradition of organizing continental and/or regional congresses for Catholic Laity in different parts of the world.
The focus on Africa by the Pontifical Council for the Laity is not by chance. It comes after the Papal Apostolic Journey to Cameroon and Angola (March 17-23, 2009) and to Benin (November 18-20, 2011) and the presentation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Pan African Congress of Catholic Laity is being organized with the support of the Catholic Church in Cameroon. The main participants at the congress will be Catholic lay faithful and include delegates chosen by African Bishops’ Conferences, International meetings of Bishops’ Conferences and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM/SCEAM), representatives of Small Christian Communities (SCC), members of lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities. Some cardinals, bishops, priests and religious will also accompany the laity during this congress as an eloquent sign of ecclesial communion. More than 250 delegates are expected to take part in the congress.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of the Pontifical Council for the Laity to journey together with the particular Churches. It also helps the laity to live their faith in communion with their pastors and to rediscover their co-responsibility for the Church’s mission in its many fields of apostolate.
The Congress is intended to renew and deepen the commitment of the laity to live in their contexts – families, small Christian communities, lay associations, ecclesial movements, parishes, Catholic schools and universities as well as in society, in politics and in the work place – proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a universal gift of salvation and to engage themselves in the work of New Evangelization.
This is intended also to strengthen the relationship of the Church in Africa with the Successor of St. Peter and to encourage the preparation and training of the laity so that they will be strengthened in their Christian identity and have a keener awareness of their mission in the Church and in the world.
The Congress is taking place at a time when the Church is preparing to celebrate the Year of Faith, declared by Pope Benedict XVI with the Apostolic Letter of 11 October 2011, Porta fidei that will begin on 11 October 2012 and will conclude on 24 November 2013.
SHARED FROM CISA NEWS
ASIA : SRI LANKA : MOM OF 11 AND 29 GRANDCHILDREN WITNESSES TO FAITH
ASIA NEWS REPORT:
by Melani Manel Perera
Millrad Monica Wickramaratna Denipitiya celebrated her 75th birthday with her 11 children, 29 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The years spent with the nuns of the Good Shepherd, whose teachings she passed onto her family, were crucial.
Kadawatha (AsiaNews) - With 11 children, 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Millrad Monica Wickramaratna Denipitiya, from Kandy (Northern Province), has had "a full life blessed by the Lord." To mark her 75th birthday, 'Supermom' organised a thanksgiving Mass with the participation of her entire family. The daughter of a nurse mother and a real estate agent father, Ms Denipitiya can say that the teachings of the Good Shepherd nuns made all the difference in her life.
"My parents travelled a lot for work," she explained. "Therefore, I had to change schools many times. I spent most of my time in hostels run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd where I experienced the value of prayer and the encounter with God. What I learnt in those days, I brought to my family. Only through the education I received, I could offer my children an exemplary life.
Her Catholic parents also played an important role because they often explained Christianity to the people they worked with, "many of whom eventually converted."
Six of her 11 children are male and five are female. Her oldest son is 55; the youngest is 327.
"We do not how our mother was able to hold the family together and weave ties and love and harmony among all of us," her daughters said. "But she is blessed by God."
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS
by Melani Manel Perera
Millrad Monica Wickramaratna Denipitiya celebrated her 75th birthday with her 11 children, 29 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The years spent with the nuns of the Good Shepherd, whose teachings she passed onto her family, were crucial.
_0720_-_Vita_straordinaria.jpg)
Kadawatha (AsiaNews) - With 11 children, 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Millrad Monica Wickramaratna Denipitiya, from Kandy (Northern Province), has had "a full life blessed by the Lord." To mark her 75th birthday, 'Supermom' organised a thanksgiving Mass with the participation of her entire family. The daughter of a nurse mother and a real estate agent father, Ms Denipitiya can say that the teachings of the Good Shepherd nuns made all the difference in her life.
"My parents travelled a lot for work," she explained. "Therefore, I had to change schools many times. I spent most of my time in hostels run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd where I experienced the value of prayer and the encounter with God. What I learnt in those days, I brought to my family. Only through the education I received, I could offer my children an exemplary life.
Her Catholic parents also played an important role because they often explained Christianity to the people they worked with, "many of whom eventually converted."
Six of her 11 children are male and five are female. Her oldest son is 55; the youngest is 327.
"We do not how our mother was able to hold the family together and weave ties and love and harmony among all of us," her daughters said. "But she is blessed by God."
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS
EUROPE : CATHOLIC RUNNER TO CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH
IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT:
Dom Goggins
A Catholic multi-marathon runner, who has raised thousands of pounds for charity, will carry the Olympic torch on one of its final legs through London the day before the opening ceremony.
Dom Goggins, who works for Catholic aid agency CAFOD, will carry the flame through Southwark on 26 July.
The 27-year-old was nominated to carry the torch after completing a gruelling 15 marathons, including one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and numerous triathlons to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Dom was inspired to fundraise for the charity after losing his friend Steven Blears to leukaemia at the age of 19.
He said: “I’ve got mixed emotions about carrying the torch; obviously it is an incredible privilege and the most exciting thing to have ever happened to me, but it has only happened because of the saddest thing. When I was waiting at the starting line of my first marathon I didn’t even know if I would finish so I could never have predicted that just a few years later I would be carrying the Olympic torch.
“It will be a privilege to raise the profile of not only Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research but also to represent CAFOD. I will keep in mind the people both charities are working to support as I run.”
Dom began fundraising for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research in 2010 when he set himself the challenge of running a marathon a month to boost funds. Keen to get others involved in fundraising, he set up the Mad Hatters Challenge and together with 30 other supporters raised more than £15,000 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Dom said: “We are now so close to curing blood cancer so I still feel there is more I could do. That’s why as a springboard from carrying the torch I’ve set up the Leading Light Campaign”.
The campaign is a collective effort which aims to raise £1million to invest in new research by the Olympic Games in Rio.
Dom said: “It’s a lot of money, but if enough people with the right will and energy make a contribution, the total of all these acts will deliver something extraordinary.”
Dom is CAFOD’s second representative in the torch relay. He is following in the footsteps of famed ‘barefoot runner’ John McBride, who carried the torch through Barnard Castle in County Durham last month, and then took the torch to stand in the St John’s Sports Society in the Korogocho slum in Kenya.
Dom hailed John’s achievement, saying: “For me, the Torch is all about hope and dreams. Even in all that terrible grinding poverty in Korogocho, every single kid in the slum wanted to hold John’s Torch. They all knew what it was and what it meant. And every one of them said their dream was to represent Kenya in The Olympics. That was the hope it inspired.
“And in our country, the kids who need to try and hold onto their hope and hold onto their dreams more than any others are those kids battling leukaemia, and that’s why I’ll be carrying the Torch for them. And the pride I’ll feel representing their hopes and dreams – you can’t put a price on that.”
CAFOD’s director Chris Bain said: “It’s supporters and staff like Dom and John that make CAFOD what it is. We are extremely grateful for all the support we get to ensure that CAFOD and its partners can continue to make a difference to some of the most vulnerable people in the world. We’re so proud of Dom and John and will be cheering them on as they take part in this momentous occasion.”
SHARED FROM IND. CATH. NEWS
Dom Goggins
A Catholic multi-marathon runner, who has raised thousands of pounds for charity, will carry the Olympic torch on one of its final legs through London the day before the opening ceremony.
Dom Goggins, who works for Catholic aid agency CAFOD, will carry the flame through Southwark on 26 July.
The 27-year-old was nominated to carry the torch after completing a gruelling 15 marathons, including one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and numerous triathlons to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Dom was inspired to fundraise for the charity after losing his friend Steven Blears to leukaemia at the age of 19.
He said: “I’ve got mixed emotions about carrying the torch; obviously it is an incredible privilege and the most exciting thing to have ever happened to me, but it has only happened because of the saddest thing. When I was waiting at the starting line of my first marathon I didn’t even know if I would finish so I could never have predicted that just a few years later I would be carrying the Olympic torch.
“It will be a privilege to raise the profile of not only Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research but also to represent CAFOD. I will keep in mind the people both charities are working to support as I run.”
Dom began fundraising for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research in 2010 when he set himself the challenge of running a marathon a month to boost funds. Keen to get others involved in fundraising, he set up the Mad Hatters Challenge and together with 30 other supporters raised more than £15,000 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Dom said: “We are now so close to curing blood cancer so I still feel there is more I could do. That’s why as a springboard from carrying the torch I’ve set up the Leading Light Campaign”.
The campaign is a collective effort which aims to raise £1million to invest in new research by the Olympic Games in Rio.
Dom said: “It’s a lot of money, but if enough people with the right will and energy make a contribution, the total of all these acts will deliver something extraordinary.”
Dom is CAFOD’s second representative in the torch relay. He is following in the footsteps of famed ‘barefoot runner’ John McBride, who carried the torch through Barnard Castle in County Durham last month, and then took the torch to stand in the St John’s Sports Society in the Korogocho slum in Kenya.
Dom hailed John’s achievement, saying: “For me, the Torch is all about hope and dreams. Even in all that terrible grinding poverty in Korogocho, every single kid in the slum wanted to hold John’s Torch. They all knew what it was and what it meant. And every one of them said their dream was to represent Kenya in The Olympics. That was the hope it inspired.
“And in our country, the kids who need to try and hold onto their hope and hold onto their dreams more than any others are those kids battling leukaemia, and that’s why I’ll be carrying the Torch for them. And the pride I’ll feel representing their hopes and dreams – you can’t put a price on that.”
CAFOD’s director Chris Bain said: “It’s supporters and staff like Dom and John that make CAFOD what it is. We are extremely grateful for all the support we get to ensure that CAFOD and its partners can continue to make a difference to some of the most vulnerable people in the world. We’re so proud of Dom and John and will be cheering them on as they take part in this momentous occasion.”
SHARED FROM IND. CATH. NEWS
TODAY'S MASS READINGS ONLINE : SATURDAY JULY 21, 2012
| Luke
9: 1 - 6
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| 1 | And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, |
| 2 | and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. |
| 3 | And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. |
| 4 | And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. |
| 5 | And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." |
| 6 | And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. |
| Psalms
67: 2 - 5, 7 - 8
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| 2 | that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations. |
| 3 | Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! |
| 4 | Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. [Selah] |
| 5 | Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! |
| 7 | God has blessed us; let all the ends of the earth fear him! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 2
Corinthians 5: 14 - 21
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| 14 | For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. |
| 15 | And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. |
| 16 | From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. |
| 17 | Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. |
| 18 | All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; |
| 19 | that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. |
| 20 | So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. |
| 21 | For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
TODAY'S SAINT: JULY 21: ST. LAWRENCE OF BRINDISI
St. Lawrence of Brindisi
DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, CAPUCHIN FRANCISCAN, NOTED
PREACHER
Feast: July 21
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Born
at Brindisi in 1559; died at Lisbon on 22 July, 1619. In baptism he received the
names of Julius Caesar. Guglielmo de Rossi -- or Guglielmo Russi, according to a
contemporary writer -- was his father's name; his mother was Elisabetta Masella.
Both were excellent Christians. Of a precocious piety, Lorenzo gave early
evidence of a religious vocation. The Conventuals of Brindisi were entrusted
with his education. His progress in his studies was very rapid, and, when barely
six, he had already given indication of his future success in oratory.
Consequently, he was always the one chosen to address, in accordance with the
Italian custom, a short sermon to his compatriots on the Infant Jesus during the
Christmas festivities. When he was twelve years of age his father died. He then
pursued his studies at Venice with the clerics of St. Mark's and under the
supervision of one of his uncles. In 1575 he was received into the Order of
Capuchins under the name of Brother Lorenzo, and, after his preofession, made
his philosophical and theological studies at the University of Padua. Owing to
his wonderful memory he mastered not only the principal European languages, but
also most of the Semitic tongues. It was said he knew the entire original text
of the Bible. Such a knowledge, in the eyes of many, could be accounted for only
by supernatural assistance, and, during the process of beatification, the
examiners of the saint's writings rendered the following judgment: "Vere inter
sanctos Ecclesiae doctores adnumerari potest."
Such
unusual talents, added to a rare virtue, fitted Brother Lorenzo for the most
diverse missions. When still a deacon he preached the Lenten sermons in Venice,
and his success was so great that he was called successively to all the
principal cities of the peninsula. Subsequently, thanks to his numerous
journeys, he was enabled to evangelize at different periods most of the
countries of Europe. The sermons he left fill no less than eight folio volumes.
He adopted the method of preaching in favour with the great Franciscan
missionaries, or rather with apostolic workers of all times, who, aiming
primarily to reach men's hearts and convert them, always adapt their style of
discourse to the spiritual needs of their hearers. Brother Lorenzo held
successively all the offices of his order. From 1596 to 1602 he had, as general
definitor, to fix his residence in Rome. Clement VIII assigned him the task of
instructing the Jews; thanks to his knowledge of Hebrew and his powerful
reasoning, he brought a great number of them to recognize the truth of the
Christian religion. His saintliness, combined with his great kindliness,
completed the preparing of the way for the grace of conversion. His success in
Rome caused him to be called to several other cities, where he also baptized
numerous Jews. At the same time he was commissioned to establish houses of his
order in Germany and Austria. Amid the great difficulties created by the
heretics he founded the convents of Vienna, Prague, and Graz, the nuclei of
three provinces. At the chapter of 1602 he was elected vicar-general. (At that
time the Order of Capuchins, which had broken away from the Observants in 1528
and had an independent constitution, gave its first superior the title of
vicar-general only. It was not until 1618 that Pope Paul V changed it to that of
minister general). The very year of his election the new superior began the
visitation of the provinces. Milan, Paris, Marseilles, Spain, received him in
turn. As his coming was preceded by a great reputation for holiness, the people
flocked to hear him preach and to receive his blessing. His administration
characterized by wise firmness and fatherly tenderness, was of great benefit to
the order. At the Chapter of 1605 he refused to undertake for a second term the
government of his brethren, but until his death he was the best adviser of his
successors.
It
was on the occasion of the foundation of the convent of Prague (1601) that St.
Lorenzo was named chaplain of the Imperial army, then about to march against the
Turks. The victory of Lepanto (1571) had only temporarily checked the Moslem
invasion, and several battles were still necessary to secure the final triumph
of the Christian armies. Mohammed III had, since his accession (1595), conquered
a large part of Hungary. The emperor, determined to prevent a further advance,
sent Lorenzo of Brindisi as deputy to the German princes to obtain their
cooperation. They responded to his appeal, and moreover the Duke of Mercœur,
Governor of Brittany, joined the imperial army, of which he received the
effective command. The attack on Albe-Royal (now Stulweissenburg) was then
contemplated. To pit 18,000 men against 80,000 Turks was a daring undertaking
and the generals, hesitating to attempt it, appealed to Lorenzo for advice.
Holding himself responsible for victory, he communicated to the entire army in a
glowing speech the ardour and confidence with which he was himself animated. As
his feebleness prevented him from marching, he mounted on horseback and,
crucifix in hand, took the lead of the army, which he drew irresistibly after
him. Three other Capuchins were also in the ranks of the army. Although the most
exposed to danger, Lorenzo was not wounded, which was universally regarded as
due to a miraculous protection. The city was finally taken, and the Turks lost
30,000 men. As however they still exceeded in numbers the Christian army, they
formed their lines anew, and a few days later another battle was fought. It
always the chaplain who was at the head of the army. "Forward!" he cried,
showing them the crucifix, "Victory is ours." The Turks were again defeated, and
the honour of this double victory was attributed by the general and the entire
army to Lorenzo.
Having
resigned his office of vicar-general in 1605, he was sent by the pope to
evangelize Germany. He here confirmed the faith of the Catholics, brought back a
great number to the practice of virtue, and converted many heretics. In
controversies his vast learning always gave him the advantage, and, once he had
won the minds of his hearers, his saintliness and numerous miracles completed
their conversion. To protect the Faith more efficaciously in their states, the
Catholic princes of Germany formed the alliance called the "Catholic League".
Emperor Rudolph sent Lorenzo to Philip III of Spain to persuade him to join the
League. Having discharged this mission successfully, the saintly ambassador
received a double mandate by virtue of which he was to represent the interests
of the pope and of Madrid at the court of Maximilian of Bavaria, head of the
League. He was thus, much against his wishes, compelled to settle in Munich near
Maximilian. Besides being nuncio and ambassador, Lorenzo was also commissary
general of his order for the provinces of Tyrol and Bavaria, and spiritual
director of the Bavarian army. He was also chosen as arbitrator in the dispute
which arose between the princes, and it was in fulfillment of this rtle that, at
the request of the emperor, he restored harmony between the Duke of Mantua and a
German nobleman. In addition to all these occupations he undertook, with the
assistance of several Capuchins, a missionary campaign throughout Germany, and
for eight months travelled in Bavaria, Saxony, and the Palatinate.
Amid
so many various undertakings Lorenzo found time for the practices of personal
sanctification. And it is perhaps the greatest marvel of his life to have
combined with duties so manifold anunusually intense inner life. In the practice
of the religious virtues St. Lorenzo equals the greatest saints. He had to a
high degree the gift of contemplation, and very rarely celebrated Holy Mass
without falling into ecstasies. After the Holy Sacrifice, his great devotion was
the Rosary and the Office of the Blessed Virgin. As in the case of St. Francis
of Assisi, there was something poetical about his piety, which often burst forth
into canticles to the Blessed Virgin. It was in Mary's name that he worked his
miracles, and his favourite blessing was: "Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo
Maria." Having withdrawn to the monastery of Caserta in 1618, Lorenzo was hoping
to enjoy a few days of seclusion, when he was requested by the leading men of
Naples to go to Spain and apprise Philip III of the conduct of Viceroy Ossuna.
In spite of many obstacles raised by the latter, the saint sailed from Genoa and
carried out his mission successfully. But the fatigues of the journey exhausted
his feeble strength. He was unable to travel homeward, and after a few days of
great suffering died at Lisbon in the native land of St. Anthony (22 July,
1619), as he had predicted when he set out on his journey. He was buried in the
cemetery of the Poor Clares of Villafranca.
The
process of beatification, several times interrupted by various circumstances,
was concluded in 1783. The canonization took place on 8 December, 1881. With St.
Anthony, St. Bonaventure, and Blessed John Duns Scotus, he is a Doctor of the
Franciscan Order.
The
known writings of St. Lorenzo of Brindisi comprise eight volumes of sermons, two
didactic treatises on oratory, a commentary on Genesis, another on Ezechiel, and
three volumes of religious polemics. Most of his sermons are written in Italian,
the other works being in Latin. The three volumes of controversies have notes in
Greek and Hebrew. [Note: In 1959 Pope John XXIII proclaimed St. Lorenzo da
Brindisi a Doctor of the Universal
Church.]
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SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/L/stlawrenceofbrindisi.asp#ixzz1Skd5DZ8x
IMAGE SOURCE: CLARESCATHOLICCLUTTER BLOGSPOT
