The Catholic Handbook for Visiting the Sick and Homebound 2011

Visiting the Sick and Homebound 2011.jpgIn 2009 I wrote a review of the book, The Catholic Handbook for Visiting the Sick and Homebound. The 2011 edition is now available for use beginning on November 28th, the First Sunday of Advent 2010. Liturgy Training Publications is the publisher. This resource is a good deal for $6.00, discounts for bulk orders.

The is published according to Canon 827 of the Code of Canon Law and the approval Committee of Divine Worship of the USCCB.

My opinion remains the same: the book is an essential tool for those who are Ministers of Care of the Sick. The introduction written by Sr Genevieve Glen can’t be neglected if one wants to be an effective, sensitive and holy minister.

Komen Foundation supports Planned Parenthood, abortion mill

Komen for the Cure.jpgToo many women, too many friends, have or have had, breast cancer. Just the other day in the local newspaper there was an obit for a young woman who died of breast cancer at 43 years. Her battle with an ugly disease captured my prayer for that day. It drew to intensify my own resolve to work in simple ways to work for a cure but my angle is the spiritual battle; first petitioning the patron saint of those living with diseases of the breast, Saint Agatha. (If you’re a Communio reader you might remember attention focussed on Saint Agatha’s spiritual patronage for breast cancer survivors especially in February.)

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation is certainly one of the big funding agencies for breast cancer research. Their work is noteworthy. BUT the Komen Foundation is a very significant financial supporter of Planned Parenthood, an organization that does more than 25% of the abortions in the USA. An unacceptable collaboration for men and women of good will who work for the dignity of human life at all stages. And while 7.5 million dollars is a fraction of Komen’s overall budget, any amount money going to the work of an abortion mill is too much money. I don’t believe, in fact, I think there is deliberate hoodwinking of the Komen Foundation’s spokesperson who offers a justification of the use of money: he claims a small amount of money goes to Planned Parenthood for breast health programs.

Steven Ertelt, Editor of LifeNews.com has an article, “Komen for the Cure Donated $7.5M to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz in 2009,” following the money from Komen to Planned Parenthood. Instead of sticking closely to a noble cause of breast health research Komen contributes to the heinous crime of killing babies.
The Susan G Komen for the Cure is NOT to be supported by Christians, of any stripe!
Saint Agatha, pray for us!!!

Saint Edward the Confessor

St Edward the Confessor.jpgHail to You, Christ, Prince of Peace!

Your great reign shall never cease!
Model of each Christian king,
Hear the song of praise we bring
For Saint Edward, strong and true,
Ever faithful, Lord, to You!
On this day we sing his fame,
And proclaim Your holy Name!
Steadfast in his nation’s care,
Fervent with the poor to share,
Just to great and small, they say;
His good deeds we sing this day!
Give us grace, like him to strive,
That our faith might be alive,
Full of mercy, love, and grace
That the world may see Your face!
Glory to the Father bring!
Glory to the Son, our King!
Glory to the Spirit blest!
Three-in-One, in heaven’s rest!
With St. Edward joined as one,
May we pray, “Thy will be done!”
Till we there in heav’n may be
Joined with You, forever free!
77.77D
suggested tune: St George’s Windsor

Health Care Reform: What is it all about? –a Crossroads Cultural Center presentation

Crossroads Cultural Center.pngEach year, the lay ecclesial movement, Communion and Liberation (CL) in NY suggests a particular Crossroads Cultural Center (NYC) event that has a particular significance, seriousness, and the weight because of its potential impact on our lives.

There is one event in the Crossroads program which CL wants to underline and encourage everyone not only to attend but also to put effort into getting the word out among fellow parishioners, co-workers, family, etc.

This year, it is an event, October 13, at 7pm at Columbia University, entitled “Health Care Reform: What is it all about?” Below is an excerpt from the Crossroads website.

The distinguished panel of speakers will help us to understand better what practical consequences we should expect from the new health care law and its implementation. To a large extent, the debate on health care reform has been shaped by “experts,” both from the academic world and from various think-tanks and professional associations. The idea behind this discussion is to ask a group of experienced professionals whose work is related to health care how the new law will concretely impact their work, and the health care system as they know it in their field of action. As a general rule, experience is the best immunization against the temptations of ideology. In the case of health care reform these temptations include both the utopian conviction that this huge social problem can basically be solved by technocratic means (i.e., government action) and the opposite prejudice, namely that nothing good can come from governmental intervention in the health care system as prescribed by the reform. Rather than joining this stale ideological struggle, we want to listen to those who will deal every day with the effects of the reform, as the best to way to learn what we should realistically expect.

The most important thing is that we take this event seriously as a personal invitation to come to know more about something in reality as it’s unfolding now. It’s in reality that the Divine Mystery speaks to us. We cannot simply ignore the questions and problems our society faces and claim to be above them. It’s in facing reality, struggling with it, and involving ourselves with it, that we can come to know Christ more.

The presentation info:

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 7 pm

Columbia University, Philosophy Hall 301

1150 Amsterdam Avenue at 116th Street

 

The flyer for the event is posted here: Health Care Reform.pdf 

New Papal document: Ubicumque et Semper (Everywhere and always) making a Vatican Office for the New Evangelization

The Holy Father published a long-awaited Motu Proprio, Ubicumque et semper, by which he established a new office (dicastery) at the Roman Curia: “Pontifical Council for Promotion of the New Evangelization.” The new head of the Council is, as you know, Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

The objectives of the new Pontifical Council:

  • To deepen the theological and pastoral meaning of the new evangelization.
  • To promote and to foster in close collaboration with bishops’ conferences, teaching of the Magisterium relative to the new evangelization.
  • To make known initiatives already under way in local churches and to promote new initiatives, involving also resources of religious institutes and groups of the faithful and new lay communities;
  • To study and to foster the use of modern means of communications as instruments for the new evangelization.
  • To promote the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A summary of Ubicumque et semper can be read here. 

I am happy that a papal document finally appeared since it was expected since four months ago. Now a more concerted effort at the needs of evangelization will be worked on by the Roman Curia and that good works already in play with groups like Communion and Liberation, Opus Dei, Focolare, Sant’Egidio will be more coordinated and collaborated with. I hope the big religious orders like the Benedictines, Franciscans and Dominicans will respond positively to the hopes and desires of the Pope. The expectation of the new Council are looking to re-energize the work of evangelization of culture and to give renewed interest and thrust of the Church as missionary. Please note, secularism, not secularity needs to be addressed by the entire Church, not just the bishops and certainly not just the Roman Curia.

The Pope said, “At the root of all evangelization there is no human project of expansion, but the desire to share the priceless gift that God wished to give us, sharing His life with us.”

There are, however, a number of missed opportunities already since the announcement of the Council: there was a too long of wait for the motu proprio, the motu proprio is only available in Latin and Italian at this point, the staff has not been announced, and there is no web presence for the new Council as of yet. Another example of not doing the homework on the part of those who work for the Pope.

Blessed John XXIII

Pope John XIII.jpgToday we are given Blessed John XXIII as a model of holiness. Pope Blessed John’s liturgical memorial is not the date of his death but the anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

As one example of his holy inclinations I recently read his 1962 letter to women religious, “Il Tempio Massimo.” It is remains a beautiful testament to a great man filled with the Holy Spirit lived as a man of the Church. In this letter the Pope talks about the place of spiritual renewal in religious life; he’s got the grace of a new Pentecost in mind: an old person can be born again.
The new Pentecost in Blessed John’s mind is evidenced in a life of prayer, a life of example and a life in the apostolate, whether active or in the cloister. Of course, this letter to the women religious has a specific structure and emphasis but one that ought not be lost to the rest of the Church today; the Pope encourages us “to cultivate a holy enthusiasm” in life in Christ aiming to a more complete and full vocation first introduced to us in the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation & Eucharist) and then in the call to serve the Lord and the Church in a particular manner (the vowed life, priesthood for those given that vocation, the married state and single life).
 Blessed John’s points on prayer could be summarized as follows:
1. “…more rigid mortification and penance is intended to affirm once again the pre-eminence of the duties of worship and of complete consecration of life to prayer over any other form of apostolate…;
2. “…conform more perfectly to the call of the Divine Master…in the contemplative life”;
3. “…the only foundations and soul of the apostolate is the interior life”;
4. without a life of prayer can “…fall into that ‘heresy of action’;
5. a life of prayer “…entails not a mechanical repetition of formulas but is rather the irreplaceable means by which one enters into intimacy with the Lord, to better understand the dignity of being daughters of of God and spouses of the Holy Spirit, the ‘sweet guest of the soul’ Who speaks to those who know how to listen in recollection”;
6. “holy Mass should be the center of your day, so much so that every action converges on it as a preparation or as a thanksgiving. Let Holy Communion be the daily food which sustains, comforts and strengthens you”;
7. 3 recommended and fundamental devotions: “Nothing is better for enlightening and encouraging the adoration of Jesus than to meditate upon Him and invoke Him in the threefold light of the Name, the Heart and the Blood.
I’d recommend reading the rest of the letter because Pope John talks about honoring poverty, radiating chastity, a life of sweet obedience and the apostolic and contemplative life.

Synod of Bishops for the Middle East

The Synod of Bishops for the Middle East begins today. The importance of this particular Synod is given by NCR correspondent John Allen.
The Synod’s meeting is the result of requests of bishops and the pastoral visits of the pope to that part of the Church. The Christian minority in the Middle East needs our help.
The Synod is using Arabic for the first time as an official language and a rabbi and 2 Muslims are observers to the Synod.
The North American contingent to the Synod is quite substantial. See the list…

The Synod meets from October 10-24.

We beg the Holy Spirit to guide the work of the Pope, the bishops and other attendees.

Mary is the model of Christian life, pope reminds

In his pastoral visit to Sicily last week the Holy Father called to mind the beauty and the place of the Mother of God in our lives: she’s an intensely loving mother who truly looks after her children. Here are some excerpts:


Madonna della Scala Correggio.jpg

To the Virgin Mary I wish to entrust all of the people
of God who live in this beloved land. May she sustain the families in love and
in educational commitment; may she fructify the seeds of vocation that God
liberally sows among the young people; may she instill courage in trials, hope
in difficulties, renewed strength in doing the good. May the Madonna comfort
the sick and all those who are suffering, and help the Christian communities so
that no one in them be forgotten or in need, but that each one, especially the
little and the weak, feel welcomed and valued.” 


The also told us that “in Parma, Anna Maria Adorni
is being beatified. In 19th century she was an exemplary wife and mother and
then, having become a widow, she dedicated herself to charitable work among
women in prison and in difficulty, for whose service she founded two religious
institutes. Mother Adorni, because of her constant prayer, was called the
“Living Rosary.” I am glad to mention her at the beginning of the
month of the rosary. May the daily meditation on the mysteries of Christ in
union with Mary, the prayerful Virgin, strengthen us in faith, in hope and in
charity.”

Benedict XVI
address at Palermo’s Foro Italico Umberto I
October 3,
2010

Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB, RIP

Timothy Kelly.jpgThe monastic family of Saint John’s Abbey and the American Cassinese Congregation mourns the passing of Abbot Timothy Kelly who died on October 7. He was 76 and had been suffering from cancer.

Abbot Timothy was the 9th abbot of St John’s Abbey (1992-2000) and was the Abbot-President of his congregation of monks from 2001 till this past June. The Abbot’s monastic life was rich in service to abbey and the wider Church.
The present abbot of Saint John’s, John Klassen, has an obit here.
Saints Benedict and Scholastic, pray for Timothy and the Saint John’s community.
May the angels lead Abbot Timothy to the Kingdom.