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Saturday, November 15, 2014

Catholic News World : Saturday November 15, 2014 - Share!

2014

Surfing Seminarian who Died on the path to Sainthood - Surfing Angel - SHARE!

Guido Schaffer drowned in 2009 aged 34 in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.   Schaffer was a seminarian drowned just weeks before he was due to be ordained as a priest. He was known for his work with the poor – especially native Brazilian tribes. The Holy See has issued a nihil obstat – or ‘no objection’ to his cause. Schaffer was nicknamed ‘the Surfing Angel’ and was loved by his community. Father Roberto Lopes, from the archdiocese of Rio said last May: ‘He was very sensitive toward others and was a man of great faith and was passionate for the word of God. ‘On the day of his burial, the Church of Our Lady of Copacabana was filled with bishops, priests and many believers who saw him a young man who was different and deeply loved God.’ He added that Schaffer ‘inspires more and more young people to follow the way of holiness while continuing to do everything that young people do’.

RIP Fr. John Ssenyondo Missionary Priest killed in Mexico

Chilpancingo (Agenzia Fides) - The body of Fr. John Ssenyondo, a Comboni missionary of Ugandan nationality, was found in a mass grave near the town of Chilapa, along with other dead bodies. This is confirmed to Fides by a source of the Mexican diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa. The identification of Father John Ssenyondo was made possible thanks to the work of his dentist who had kept his dental plaque for dentistry work. The priest had disappeared on April 30, 2014 (see Fides 03/06/2014). According to the police, the reasons which led to the murder are not clear.
Fides source reports that the body was found on October 29, but only on Wednesday, November 13 the coroner carried out the final tests and warned the diocese.
Father John Ssenyondo was born in Masaka, Uganda, and belonged to the Congregation of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ). On April 30, the priest disappeared after having celebrated a wedding in the community of Santa Cruz, Chilapa. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 15/11/2014)

Seal of Confession lasts after penitent dies - Officials explain...

The seal protects the dignity of the person, the official said (CNS photo illustration by Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier)
The seal protects the dignity of the person, the official said (CNS photo illustration by Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier)

Seal of confession is absolute, even after penitent dies, officials say

By  on Friday, 14 November 2014
CatholicHerald.co.uk Release: The secrecy of a confession is maintained so seriously and completely by the Catholic Church that a priest would be excommunicated for revealing the contents of a confession when ordered to testify by a court or even after the penitent dies, leading Vatican officials have said.
Mgr Krzysztof Nykiel, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court dealing with matters of conscience, said: “No confessor can be dispensed from it, even if he would want to reveal the contents of a confession in order to prevent a serious and imminent evil.”
The penitentiary sponsored a conference at the Vatican from November 12-13 on “the confessional seal and pastoral privacy”.
According to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, conference participants heard that since the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 spelled out the penalties in church law for violating the secret of the confessional, “the discipline of the church in this matter has remained substantially the same,” with the exception of additional protections.
One of those additions, the newspaper said, was a 1988 Church law explicitly stating that using an “electronic apparatus” to record, broadcast or otherwise share the contents of a confession also is an excommunicable offense.
Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, told conference participants it is important “to remove any suspicion” that the Church’s commitment to the Confessional seal “is designed to cover intrigues, plots or mysteries as people sometimes naively believe or, more easily, are led to believe”.
The seal, he said, is intended to protect the most intimate part of the human person, “that is, to safeguard the presence of God within each man”. The effect of the secret, he said, is that it also protects a person’s reputation and right to privacy.
The confessional seal, Mgr. Nykiel said, “is binding not only on the confessor, but also on the interpreter, if present, and anyone who in any way, even casually, comes to know of the sins confessed.”
The Church, he said, takes the seal so seriously that it forbids, on the pain of excommunication, a priest from testifying in court about what he heard in the confessional, “even if the penitent requests” he testify.
Not even the death of the penitent can absolve the confessor from the obligation to maintain the secret, Mgr Nykiel said.
Shared from CatholicHerald.co.uk

#PopeFrancis #ProLife message "in the light of faith and right reason, human life is always sacred and always..."

Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors on Saturday. He urged them to resist “false compassion” and “witness by word and by example that human life is always sacred, valuable, and inviolable.”
Read the full statement below:
 I welcome you on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors. In particular, I address a cordial greeting to the chaplain, Msgr. Edward Menichelli, to Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, who for decades has followed the life of the Association, and to the President, whom I thank for the words with which he introduced this meeting.
With gratitude, I greet the Minister of Health, Mrs. Beatrice Lorenzin. And with great affection, I welcome these sick children and their families. There is no doubt that, in our time, due to scientific and technical advancements, the possibilities for physical healing have significantly increased; and yet, in some respects it seems the ability to "take care" of the person has decreased, especially when he is sick, frail and helpless. In fact, the achievements of science and of medicine can contribute to the improvement of human life to the extent that they are not distanced from the ethical root of these disciplines. For this reason, you Catholic doctors are committed to live your profession as a human and spiritual mission, as a real lay apostolate. Attention to human life, especially that in greatest difficulty, that is, to the sick, the elderly, children, deeply involves the mission of the Church.
The Church also feels called to participate in the debate that relates to human life, presenting its proposal based on the Gospel. In many places, the quality of life is related primarily to economic means, to "well-being", to the beauty and enjoyment of the physical, forgetting other more profound dimensions of existence — interpersonal, spiritual and religious. In fact, in the light of faith and right reason, human life is always sacred and always "of quality". There is no human life that is more sacred than another, as there is no human life qualitatively more significant than another, only by virtue of resources, rights, great social and economic opportunities. This is what you, Catholic doctors, try to say, first of all with your professionalism. Your work wants to witness by word and by example that human life is always sacred, valuable and inviolable. And as such, it must be loved, defended and cared for. Your professionalism, enriched with the spirit of faith, is one more reason to work with those— even from different religious perspectives or thought—who recognize the dignity of the human person as a criterion for their activities. In fact, if the Hippocratic Oath commits you to always be servants of life, the Gospel pushes you further: to love it no matter what, especially when it is in need of special care and attention. This is what the members of your Association have done over seventy years of fine work. I urge you to continue with humility and trust on this road, striving to pursue your statutory goals of implementing the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church in the field of medical ethics. The dominant thinking sometimes suggests a "false compassion", that which retains that it is: helpful to women to promote abortion; an act of dignity to obtain euthanasia; a scientific breakthrough to "produce" a child and to consider it to be a right rather than a gift to welcome; or to use human lives as guinea pigs presumably to save others. Instead, the compassion of the Gospel is that which accompanies in times of need, that is, the compassion of the Good Samaritan, who "sees", "has compassion", approaches and provides concrete help (cf. Lk 10:33). Your mission as doctors puts you in daily contact with many forms of suffering.
I encourage you to take them on as "Good Samaritans", caring in a special way for the elderly, the infirm and the disabled. Fidelity to the Gospel of life and respect for life as a gift from God sometimes require choices that are courageous and go against the current, which in particular circumstances, may become points of conscientious objection. I hope the seventy years of your association will stimulate a further process of growth and maturation. May you work constructively with all the people and institutions who share your love of life and seek to serve it in its dignity, sanctity and inviolability. St. Camillus de Lellis, in suggesting the most effective method in caring for the sick, would simply say: "Put more heart into those hands." This is also my hope. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Salus infirmorum, support the intentions with which you intend to continue your action. I ask you to please pray for me and I give you my heartfelt blessing.

Today's Mass Readings : Saturday November 15, 2014


Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 496


Reading 13 JN 5-8

Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and sisters,
especially for strangers;
they have testified to your love before the Church.
Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.
For they have set out for the sake of the Name
and are accepting nothing from the pagans.
Therefore, we ought to support such persons,
so that we may be co-workers in the truth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel LK 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

, 2014

Saint November 15 : St. Albert the Great : Patron of Sciences; Philosophers; Scientists; Students


St. Albert the Great
DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Feast: November 15
Information:
Feast Day:
November 15
Born:
1206, Lauingen, Bavaria
Died:
November 15, 1280, Cologne, Holy Roman Empire
Canonized:
1931 by Pius XI
Major Shrine:
St. Andreas in Cologne
Patron of:
medical technicians; natural sciences; philosophers; scientists; students

He was known as the "teacher of everything there is to know," was a scientist long before the age of science, was considered a wizard and magician in his own lifetime, and became the teacher and mentor of that other remarkable mind of his time, St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Albert the Great was born in Lauingen on the Danube, near Ulm, Germany; his father was a military lord in the army of Emperor Frederick II. As a young man Albert studied at the University of Padua and there fell under the spell of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Dominican who made the rounds of the universities of Europe drawing the best young men of the universities into the Dominicans.
After several teaching assignments in his order, he came in 1241 to the University of Paris, where he lectured in theology. While teaching in Paris, he was assigned by his order in 1248 to set up a house of studies for the order in Cologne. In Paris, he had gathered around him a small band of budding theologians, the chief of whom was Thomas Aquinas, who accompanied him to Cologne and became his greatest pupil.
In 1260, he was appointed bishop of Regensberg; when he resigned after three years, he was called to be an adviser to the pope and was sent on several diplomatic missions. In his latter years, he resided in Cologne, took part in the Council of Lyons in 1274, and in his old age traveled to Paris to defend the teaching of his student Thomas Aquinas.
It was in Cologne that his reputation as a scientist grew. He carried on experiments in chemistry and physics in his makeshift laboratory and built up a collection of plants, insects, and chemical compounds that gave substance to his reputation. When Cologne decided to build a new cathedral, he was consulted about the design. He was friend and adviser to popes, bishops, kings, and statesmen and made his own unique contribution to the learning of his age.
He died a very old man in Cologne on November 15,1280, and is buried in St. Andrea's Church in that city. He was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. His writings are remarkable for their exact scientific knowledge, and for that reason he has been made the patron saint of scientists.
Thought for the Day: St. Albert the Great was convinced that all creation spoke of God and that the tiniest piece of scientific knowledge told us something about Him. Besides the Bible, God has given us the book of creation revealing something of His wisdom and power. In creation, Albert saw the hand of God.
From "The Catholic One Year Bible": Since we have a kingdom nothing can destroy, let us please God by serving him with thankful hearts, and with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.—Hebrews 12:28-29

Wow Actor Kirk Cameron defends Santa Claus and the Catholic traditional history of the Saint - SHARE

Kirk Cameron, known for his role as Mike Seaver on the 80’s TV show“Growing Pains” and films. Is promoting his new film defending Christmas. In a video clip released last week “Do You Love Santa Claus” Cameron shows the history of Saint Nicolas. Santa Claus, was actually the Roman Catholic Bishop Nicholas of Myra, Turkey under Pope Sylvester I. St. Nicholas, as painted on the Kizhi monastery in Russia. “He was a devout Christian,” Cameron explains. "was left with a large sum of money when his parents died, and be became famous for his kindness toward the poor and his generous giving of gifts to children.” “He was there at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, one of the most important events in Church history,” he continues, referring to the first ecumenical conference under Constantine. “The Council of Nicaea ended up producing what is known today as the Nicene Creed, a profession of faith used by churches all around the world. The creed affirmed the deity of Christ and the three persons of the trinity.” According to the St. Nicholas Center, Roman Catholics believe that after Nicholas was put into prison for striking another man during the council, “Jesus with His mother Mary appeared to Nicholas: Jesus bringing the book of the Gospels, and Mary, the bishop’s stole which had been taken from him. In this way, Nicholas was reinstated.” During a recent speech before hundreds of students at Liberty University, Cameron also made defended St. Nicholas as being a Christian. “They even ‘sainted’ him—that’s why we call him St. Nicholas,” he said. “He became legendary in his time and beyond his time. He became larger than life and reached mythic proportions.” “So the guy that many of us think is distracting from the birth of the Christ child, is really the defender of the faith you and I want to be,” he explained. “So now that you know who the real Santa Claus is, you want to take a picture with him at the mall this Christmas? I do.” December 6th is the Roman Catholic “Feast of Saint Nicholas,”