Our Youngest Cardinals

The youngest cardinals at the Funeral of Pope Francis:

Left is Cardinal Américo Aguiar, Portugal, 51; Cardinal Mykola Bychok CSsR, Melbourne, 45; on the right is Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, IMC, Mongolia, 50.

Cardinal Mykola Bychok is the Eparch of the Ukrainian eparchy, Melbourne, Australia.

All three will join the other cardinals under the age of 80 in the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave to elect the next Roman Pontiff, the Bishop of Rome, Patriarch of the West.

Photo courtesy of Cardinal Mykola Bychok.

The Papal Chamberlain

With the death of the Pope, and before the election of the new one, the temporal things of the Church are cared for by a designated cardinal holding the office of Chamberlain or camerlengo, an office of the papal household that administers the property and revenues of the Holy See. In effect the camerlengo is the unelected and temporary sovereign of Vatican City State. At the moment Cardinal Kevin Farrell is the camerlengo. A key responsibility of Cardinal Farrell was to announce and to certify the death of Pope Francis.

In the coming days you will see and read more about role camerlego has in being a good steward of the Church. Stay tuned.

Sede Vacante arms

The coat of arms of the reigning Roman Pontiff signifies the active pastoral leadership of the one elected. The chair of Saint Peter is occupied.

When the Pontiff dies, we say that the chair is empty —sede vacante. This period of time in the church when it does not have is visualized by the Sede Vacante Coat of Arms (shown above).

During the Sede vacante period the Pope is mourned, there are the funeral rites and then the preparation for the Mass of the Holy Spirit and election of a new head and father of the Church.

What do we see on the sede vacante coat of arms? Red Umbrella (Ombrellino): A traditional symbol of the Church in waiting. Half-open, it shows the pope is absent—but the Church still stands.

Crossed Keys of St. Peter: Gold and silver keys represent the authority Christ gave to St. Peter. Even without a pope, that authority continues.

Hence the optic is an important reminder that the Church didn’t or doesn’t collapse without a pope—she waits, prays, and trusts the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis dies at 88

Statement of Kevin Cardinal Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church on the death of Pope Francis:

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

Holy Saturday homily: The Lord’s Decent in Hell

From An Ancient Homily on Holy Saturday: The Lord’s Decent Into Hell

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

Serving our brothers and sisters in New Haven

Today, Saturday, April 5, was our monthly cooking for our friends at the Amistad Catholic Worker (New Haven). Members of Communion & Liberation CT, the Order of Malta – Connecticut North East Area and Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in CT prepared a nutritionally dense food. Our day together as friends gives meaning to our lives.

As Msgr Luigi Giussani wrote in his brief piece, “Meaning of Charitable Work,” par. 1:

Above all, our very nature requires us to be interested in others. When there is something beautiful within us we desire to communicate it to others. When we see others who are worse off than we are, we desire to help them with something of ours. This need is so original, so natural, that it is within us before we are conscious of it. We call it the law of existence. We do charitable work to satisfy this need.

I’ve named our group The Holloway Outreach 1 to honor the Shakespeare Lady, Margaret Holloway who died a few years ago and who lived with mental illness and was homeless.

Solemn Vespers for Laetare Sunday 2025

The CT North East Area of the Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem met Sunday, March 30, for Solemn Vespers at St Monica’s Church (St Ambrose Parish), Northford. Archbishop Leonard Blair, emeritus archbishop of Hartford and a member of both Orders presided and preached.

The evening was attended by parishioners of St Monica’s which was hosted by Father Robert L. Turner, KHS, pastor. The sacred music was beautiful and the reception was a nicely done.

Climbing the Ladder

On the 4th Sunday of Lent on the Byzantine liturgical calendar, we remember a great monastic father, St. John Climacus (579-649). He wrote a book called, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” encouraging his monks to grow in virtue. Various virtues and asdcetical practices are compared to rungs on a ladder. These are good disciplines for us also during the Lenten season.

The Holloway Outreach

A personal initiative of feeding the poor and homeless in New Haven has got med thinking what to call the group. A name illustrates charism and demonstrates horizon. It references influence and the serious nature of a work. An ongoing charitable work like feeding people begs for a name. My giving a name to this work done monthly by a least three maybe four groups of people and institutions (to date) shows partnership for a worthy cause. The Holloway Outreach is a group of people of concerned with feeding the poor and homeless in our area. Our focus is on those who relate to Amistad Catholic Worker (New Haven, CT).

This charitable work is a group of friends, new and old sometimes just acquaintances, who collaborate with groups like Communion and Liberation, the Order of Malta and others who want to join in caring for, that is, feeding New Haven’s poor and homeless connected principally with Amistad Catholic Worker (New Haven). Our charitable work is a monthly adventure. It is funded by these friends of mine. If you want to join the work, let me know. We are inspired by one another’s desire to help others and to be a friend to those in need. The witness we give to one another focuses our attention on the meaningful reality of how people live.

We are inspired by the basic idea of wanting to do good. The human desire to make sure others have food. We are inspired by Matthew 25, Benedictine aspiration of hospitality, the work of Fr. Luigi Giussani and Communion and Liberation and Blessed Gerard and the Order of Malta and countless others like Blessed Andrey Sheptytsky, the Servant of God Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.

Margaret Holloway was known as “The Shakespeare Lady,” died at 68 in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. She was a woman of great humanity, she had dignity, and lived as best she could. I think we all try to do the best we can to live well.

Holloway was a graduate of Bennington College and Yale’s School of Drama. She was frequently homeless and she lived with mental illness. I would see Margaret on Friday evenings most often on State Street. The Shakespeare Lady was a delight and I am sad she died.

Please join me in praying for the eternal peace of The Shakespeare Lady; I will have a Mass celebrated for her soon. Nevertheless, she’s been on my mind recently and I have wanted to remember her in a meaningful way and I think naming a group of friends who work for the dignity others for Margaret Holloway is fitting. The Holloway Outreach is here to serve the dignity of men and women.

Read more on Margaret Holloway, she’s really inspiring.