Communio – Page 292 – …bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria, dead at 88

On Saturday, 17
March 2012, Pope Shenouda III, the 117th head of the Coptic Christians died.
Shenouda was the successor of Saint Mark. He led his Church since November
1971.

UK’s Mail Online has a story of
Pope Shenouda with other photos here. Plus, the Washington Post has an article to
read.

Pope Benedict XVI sent this note of condolence to the Coptic
Christians:

On learning of the sad departure to God, our common Father, of His
Holiness Shenouda III, Patriarch of Alexandria on the See of Saint Mark the
Evangelist, I wish to express to the members of the Holy Synod, to the priests
and all the faithful of all the Patriarchate, my most sincere brotherly
compassion. I recall with gratitude his commitment to Christian Unity, his
memorable visit to my predecessor Pope Paul VI, and their signing of the Joint
Declaration of Faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God together in Rome, on
May 10, 1973, as well as his Cairo meeting with Pope John Paul II during the
Great Jubilee of the Incarnation, on February24, 2000. I can say how the
Catholic Church as a whole shares the grief that afflicts the Orthodox Copts,
and how she stands in fervent prayer asking that He, who is who is the
Resurrection and the Life, might welcome his faithful servant. May the God of
all mercy receive Pope Shenouda in His joy, His peace and light.

When I met Pope Shenouda in St Louis, Missouri in 1994, it was a very interesting experience all around. May God be merciful to him and Saint Mark his steps to paradise.

The photo
above is of Pope Shenouda sitting on his throne one last time before burial.
Perhaps the Roman bishops would like to adopt this practice.

Abbot Luke Rigby, RIP

Earlier today I received news that an old friend died, Abbot Luke Rigby. Abbot Luke, 89, was the longtime religious superior of the monks at Saint Louis Priory –later Abbey– having come from England’s famed Ampleforth Abbey to live the Benedictine life.

Both Ampleforth and St Louis are Benedictine monasteries in the English Benedictine Congregation. In the USA Portsmouth and St Anselm’s (DC) are also of the English Congregation.

Dom Luke Rigby was appointed the Father Prior of his community succeeding Dom Columba Cary-Elwes in 1967; when the Priory granted independence by Abbot Basil Hume, Father Luke was elected the Conventual Prior by the community beginning in 1973. By grace St. Louis Priory was given abbatial status in 1989 and Prior Luke was elected its first Abbot; he served in this capacity until 1995. As the retired abbot of St Louis the English Benedictine Congregation bestowed on Abbot Luke the honor of being the Titular Abbot of Whitby.

Abbot Luke was a dear man; an insightful leader and a holy man of God. As monks say, he persevered in his vocation. I first met Abbot Luke in 1994 when I first went to St Louis for studies and then became friends with the monks there. Without fail I was received like a brother by Abbot Luke. Thanks be to God for all this.

Abbot Luke died peacefully this morning at Mercy Hospital after a long illness. His Mass of Christian Burial is Saturday, 24 March at Saint Louis Abbey.

From his biography at St Louis Abbey, it is written of Abbot Luke:

The life of this “ordinary fellow” (per his description) starts in London in 1923 in a Catholic family, through whom he is related to Saint John Rigby and other martyrs, priests, and religious of the Recusant period in England. He lived in suburban London in a Catholic environment until his father, a banker, was posted abroad. At this point Abbot Luke became a boarding student at Ampleforth College. He joined the monastery straight after high school.

Two items worth reading:

An Experience of the Eremitic Life: An Experience of the Eremitic Life by Luke Rigby.pdf

The Homily for Abbot Luke’s 50th Anniversary of Priesthood: Homily for Abbot Luke’s 50th Anniversary of priesthood.pdf

May God grant Abbot Luke mercy and may SaintsBenedict and Scholastica lead him to beatitude.

Saint John Rigby, pray for us.

Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, steps down

At Lambeth Palace, the home of the archbishops of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, 61, announced his retirement from ministry of Archbishop of Canterbury to take the position of Magdalene College, Cambridge. His new work begins January 2013; he steps down in December. Williams is the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a work he’s done since 2003.

Williams is known for his kindness, sharp intellect, dedication to striving for harmony among peoples, courage and friendship.

He married Jane in 1981, was ordained a bishop in 1992 and has served widely in ecclesial and academic circles.

The announcement is made here…

CDF updating its files

The Pope’s office which handles matters pertaining to the Faith, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is updating itself. Well, it’s updating its presentation of the Faith as it pertains to the documents it produces. The new “look” of a webpage is the same dull thing, but documentation is being added in more categories and languages. They’re aiming at using the web more effectively for the sake of teaching Truth. Cardinal Levada’s intention is to provide a wider distribution of the work of the CDF. Blessings!

The new website can be found here.

Humane Vitae is coming to life again

Several weeks ago Jennifer Fulwiler published a story in the National Catholic Register, “Father, We’re Ready for that Homily on Contraception Now” where she writes about a priest who dealt with Humane Vitae and the problems of contraception. Remember Humane Vitae from 1968? It was THAT encyclical written by the Servant of God Pope Paul VI that spoke about the beauty of human love and was roundly dismissed for for being out-of-touch with contemporary human experience. It is far from being draconian.

Well, one ought to read Humane Vitae without the ideological sunglasses and look around to see if Pope Paul was correct. Look at the Pope’s predictions and see if they are readily present in society today. Consider, though, the whole document to see if what the Pope is speaking of is germane to an authentic life of faith and beauty of human love. Sexuality and love are indeed beautiful gifts of God given to us for our happiness today leading us, God-willing, to full communio with the Trinity in the life to come.

Just for the record, two Dominican priests at the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena in New York City in recent weeks have spoken of Humane Vitae in homilies. They advocated a new reappraisal of the letter and a grasp on its truth. So, you do hear the words “Humane Vitae” publicly at Sunday Mass and Vespers.

Fulwiler’s article has a link to her priest’s homily.

New leadership for St Vincent de Paul Society

Catholics of a certain vintage remember the Saint Vincent de Paul Society –whose motto is “Seeking Charity and Justice– organizes people to respond to the human and spiritual needs of our neighbor. The Society is getting new life with a new leader. The Gospel is still changing people’s lives.

The board of directors elected John Foppe, 42, to be the new leader. Foppe takes on the work of an organization founded in Paris in 1833 by the layman Blessed Frédéric Ozanam who was moved by the poverty of his brothers and sisters and challenged by his Catholic faith. These lay Vincentians lived, and continue to live, the corporal and spiritual works of charity. What became the Saint Vincent de Paul Society was founded in St Louis, Missouri in 1845. Today, it is estimated that the Society numbers around 172,000 members in the USA organized in more than 4,500 conferences; but worldwide the numbers are more more dramatic.

John Foppe’s story can be read here.

For more information about the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, visit them here.

Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Louise de Marrilac and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, pray for us.

Where do we get happiness?

In case you didn’t know it, there are levels of happiness. You also may not know that God wants us to be happy in this life. Period. Can we open our eyes to what true happiness is?

Four levels of happiness that we encounter in our experience:

happiness in a thing: I need a steak and a bourbon; I need that vacation

problem: short-termed pleasure: the flashy new toy
we are created more than a designer purse:
who’s measure do we use for happiness?
what do we really ask God for?

2. as persons we are more than comparative advantage, but we compare ourselves with others

a. problem: the “advantage” has a limitation; it’s effectiveness is not long-lasting nor does it account for the truth of who we really are as persons made in God’s own image

3. finding joy in a sincere gift of self … to a point

problem: when the person to whom our joy is directed leaves, then what happens? Was our serving really sincere? What are the motivations in looking for joy in serving?

4. union with God: the only place where we find true peace, love and happiness; the beloved rests with the lover;

we are restless until our hearts rest in the Lord
God thirsts for you to thirst for Him
what does it do to God when we thirst for a designer purse more than for God?
why does a created thing take the priority over the creator?

We are meant, by God, to be happy in this life and in the next. You may be asking yourself: What are the requirements for attaining true happiness?

Continue reading Where do we get happiness?

Gratitude is a sincere gift of self

The saints
(Augustine, Benedict, Dominic, Francis, Ignatius and Philip Neri) remind us of
something crucial in the spiritual life, indeed, our life right now: we need to
exercise the virtue of gratitude because of our dependence on God. Gratitude reminds that we are in need of grace but also to give of ourselves to another. Saint Thomas
Aquinas teaches that gratitude is closely connected to the cardinal virtue of
justice, by which we give what is due to others. But with gratitude there is actually a
holy exchange between two people. One person benefits from a good act of another but
also wants to repay the benefaction. Rahner spoke of giving alms at Mass as a way of being involved in the good works of the Church when giving personal time is not possible but no less important because while there is some sort of a bond among the pastor, the benefactor and beneficiary it is only made stronger because real faces are behind the dollar. Think of the times when we write a thank
you note, make a promise of a deeper connection in friendship, or even the
promise spiritual works of mercy. I frequently write, “know that you are in my
prayers” to remind me and the person I am writing that I may not be able to
give something material in return, but I can make a sacrifice of gratitude
before God on behalf of another because of friendship. Gratitude and justice is
rooted in charity, in love for another, because of the Other. I think of Blessed John Paul II’s insistence that we ought to make “a sincere gift of self.”

Saint Ignatius tells us that to be ungrateful is a sin. Imagine if we account for acts of ingratitude in our daily examination of conscience even in Confession. How is it that today I can make a sincere gift of myself? Lent is a time to recall the concrete times we’ve been grateful and made a promise to pray for another.

BC Jesuits get backbone in teaching theology

The Jesuit-run School of Theology and Ministry has had a priest on their faculty who’s refused to function as a Catholic until he gets an adequate explanation as to why women are not ordained as Catholic priests. He wrote to the Cardinal stating his position. John Shea, professor of pastoral care and counseling, now leaving his position because of dissent from Church teaching. Thanks be to God. The Jesuits have tolerated this act of scandal for too long. Shea’s work in the classroom and beyond is not in line with his role as a professor who trains men for priesthood and the laity for ministry. He’s not to pose his thinking as Catholic teaching nor is he asked by the Church to teach students for priesthood and ministry in dissenting theology. Recall: Saint Ignatius of Loyola asks an attitude of “thinking with the Church” not dissenting from the truth of Jesus Christ and His Church.

The Jesuits at BC and when Weston Jesuit School of Theology before subsumed into Boston College existed, have long accepted and promoted professors who not only challenge Church teaching but openly reject the teaching authority of the Church as a matter of pride. Thinking with the Church was no longer an accepted method of “doing” theology. When I was at WJST we had several Jesuits under investigation for their divergent teaching. Each one of them saw ecclesial investigation as a badge of honor; their investigation was act of imperialism by the Vatican. One Jesuit priest actually said that not dissent from the Church is a sin against the Holy Spirit and another said that the Society of Jesus is the loyal opposition to the Church. Really.

Good for BC, but I doubt the Jesuits are doing this because Father Shea is a dissenter and harming the formation of students.

The story’s here.

The Church in Ireland faces reality with her archbishop, Diarmuid Martin

The apostle of change for good in the Church in Ireland today is Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, 66, the archbishop of Dublin. His Grace has a very tough job: healing the Church in Ireland following the devastating reality of sex abuse of children by the Catholic clergy. He acts according to his conscience and faith in Christ to open the doors to speaking about such heinous things; none of other bishops in Ireland have done so.

I was moved to tears for the children and for the Church when I watched this report. I’ve read parts of the Murphy Report but 60 Minutes brought it together. More than a whistleblower the Archbishop’s a Good Shepherd.

The CBS news journal 60 Minutes did a segment on Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, “The Archbishop of Dublin challenges the Church.”

His Grace has been a priest for nearly 43 years and a bishop for 13. He was educated by the Dominicans in Rome’s Angelicum. For several years he’s served the Church universal in the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and then as the Pope’s representative (called a nuncio) at the United Nations in Geneva. In 2003, John Paul elected Martin as the archbishop of Dublin.

Saint Patrick, pray for us.