St Patrick’s Day 2010 NYC
Who’s that with the Very Rev’d Fr Michael Martine?
Old St Patrick’s Cathedral named a basilica by Benedict XVI
Great news for the Archdiocese of New York: Old St Patrick’s Cathedral (since 1809) has been a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.
Old St Patrick’s is the first church in the Archdiocese of New York to have the honor of being so connected with the Holy Father.
Congrats to Archbishop Dolan, Monsignor Donald Sakano!
You may recall recently that I mentioned that the Bridgeport Diocese had one of their churches raised to a minor basilica.
Take a look at the document on what it takes to be a minor basilica, Domus Ecclesiae or “On Granting of the Title of Minor Basilica.”
This is terrific news on the Solemnity of Saint Patrick!
Blessed be God in His angels and in saints!
Saint Patrick
The servant of Christ is captured and sold as a slave; he feeds the king’s swine; he, whom Christ has chosen, and foretold to be the pastor of his flock.
Hail, glorious Saint Patrick, dear Saintt of our isle!
On us, thy poor children bestow a sweet smile;
And now thou art high in the mansions above,
On Erin’s green valleys look down in thy love.
Hail, glorious Saintt Patrick, thy words were once strong
Against Satan’s wiles and a heretic throng;
Not less in thy might now in heaven thou art,
Oh, come to our aid, in our battle take part.
In war against sin, in the fight for the faith,
Dear Saint, may thy children resist to the death;
May their strength be in meekness, in penance, and pray’r,
Their banner the cross which they glory to bear.
Thy people, now exiles on many a shore,
Shall love and revere thee till time be no more,
And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright,
Its warmth undiminished, undying its light.
Ever bless and defend the sweet land of our birth,
Where the shamrock still blooms as when thou wast on earth,
And our hearts shall yet burn, where-so-ever we roam,
For God and Saint Patrick and our native home.
(Sung for 1st Vespers of the Solemnity of Saint Patrick at St Joseph’s Seminary.)
John Henry Newman to be beatified by Benedict XVI
It was announced this morning by the Holy See that Pope
Benedict XVI will beatify John Henry Newman on 19th September 2010, during his
visit to the U.K., in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The Cause of Newman’s
Canonisation has released the following statement:
The Fathers and many friends
of the English Oratories are delighted by the official announcement that our
Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will beatify our founder, the Venerable John Henry
Newman, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham during his visit to Britain in
September. Newman made his home in the Archdiocese for all his adult life,
first in Oxford, where he lived as an Anglican and was received into the
Catholic Church, and later in Birmingham itself where he founded and worked in
the Birmingham Oratory for over forty years.
The Holy Father’s life-long
devotion to Newman has made a profound contribution to understanding the depth
and significance of our founder’s legacy. His decision to beatify Newman in
person confers a unique blessing upon the English Oratories and all who have
drawn inspiration from Newman’s life and work.
We joyfully look forward to
welcoming the Holy Father, as well as the many pilgrims and visitors who will
come to the Beatification ceremony and visit Newman’s shrine at the Birmingham
Oratory.
We also look forward to the challenging work of preparing for the
Beatification in conjunction with Church and civil authorities. We pray that
the Beatification will fittingly reflect both Newman’s significance for the
Universal Church and the honour paid to our Archdiocese and our country by the
Holy Father’s presence among us.
Very Rev. Richard Duffield
Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Actor of the Cause of
John Henry Newman
Additionally, the Procurator of the Congregation of the Oratory, Very Reverend Father Edoardo Aldo Cerrato, CO, has written to the all the Oratories of the world on this great gesture of Pope Benedict XVI in personally beatifying the Venerable Servant of God John Henry Newman. The letter is here: Letter-of-the-Procurator-General-of-the-Oratory-Confederation-March-2010.pdf
Legion of Christ soon to change
Sandro Magister, a favorite journalist of matters Catholic, published a startling story today, “The Legion Awaits a New General. And Trembles.” In a few a words he reviews the moral and theological decay in the Legion of Christ. Magister gives an anatomy of the current situation and gives a likely cure to the illness the Legion is living with these days. Magister confirms my suspicions that some Legionary priests still refuse to accept that the founder, Father Maciel lived a second life, that the Congregation is flawed and it has dragged its feet in making the radical changes the Holy Father has asked for. From what I can gather there needs to be a total revolution in the Legion if it’s going to survive.
I continue to pray for the men who found their call to serve the Lord and the Church in the Legion of Christ. I think it’s possible to separate out the duplicity of the founder from the good the Legion has done but the possibility rests on the honesty of the Legion to face reality as it is and not what they think it should be. My advice: simply state that Father Maciel founded the Legion of Christ and move on and sever all ties with Maciel and his cronies. Or, disband the congregation and start anew. Many lives hang in the balance and we have to show our solidarity in this time of need.
Pedro Arrupe documentary
The film, Pedro Arrupe: His Life and Legacy, was produced in 2008 by Georgetown University and features rare footage of Father Pedro Arrupe and interviews with his closest advisers.
Father Arrupe was the 28th superior general of the Society of Jesus, from 1965-1983. Born in Bilbao, Spain in 1907, he studied medicine prior to entering the Jesuit order. Before his service as superior general, he served as Japan’s first Jesuit provincial; but a defining moment in Arrupe’s life was his work caring for the victims of the Hiroshima’s atomic bomb. He died in Rome on February 5, 1991, after suffering the effects of a debilitating effects of a stroke on August 7, 1981 just as his airplane landed from an exhausting trip to the Far East. He was succeeded as Father General of the Society by Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach.
Father Arrupe’s writings are some of the best works on Ignatian spirituality there is. One memorable piece is his reflection on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Before Father Kolvenbach was elected general Father Arrupe’s prayer was read to the elected delegates of the 33rd General Congregation, marking his true identity of being totally free to do God’s will: “More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God’s hands.”
This five-part documentary on Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ, is now available online on the Jesuit Channel, which is sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
Simon, Called Peter: In the Company of a Man in Search of God
Ignatius Press recently published a new book on Saint Peter called, Simon, Called Peter: In the Company of a Man in Search of God by a Cistercian Abbot with roots in Communion and
Liberation, Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, O.Cist.
Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, O.Cist. writes of his book: “At every stage of my life as a man, a Christian, a monk, an
abbot, I have found Saint Peter to be a companion to walk ahead of me… Peter
is the Gospel saint who is more ‘us’ than any other, closer to our own
humanity, yet so close to Christ. Peter is the one we can always follow.”
What others have said
You are carried into the events narrated here…
and you see them with your own eyes and heart, more than if you had been
there.
from the Foreword by Cardinal Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice
Dom
Lepori’s account of Peter reminds us of just how often this first of the
Apostles appears in the Gospels. When we see Peter spelled out in his
encounters with Christ, we realize that this ‘Rock’ is being formed, but also
that he was someone who could be formed. It is not without interest that the
Church is founded on Peter, a solid man, yet also a sinner. With Lepori’s
guidance, we realize that Peter’s life is a portrait of how God deals with men.
We cannot but be moved by this Peter, a man like unto us, sin included, but a
brave man who acknowledges, who learns, who, in the end, is ‘the Rock’ that he
was called to be from the first time Christ saw him.
James V. Schall, SJ,
Author, The Order of Things
About the author
Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, O. Cist., is the abbot
of the Cistercian Abbey of Hauterive outside of Fribourg, Switzerland. He
received his licentiate in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University
of Fribourg and as a layman was an active member of Communion and Liberation.
In 1984, he entered the Abbey of Hauterive and ten years later was elected
abbot. Written originally in Italian, Simon Called Peter has been translated
into both French and German. Other works by Lepori include L’amato presente.
An interview with Dom Mauro-Giuseppe at the Rimini Meeting.
A brief essay by Dom Mauro called “The Re-Creation Brought about by Christ,” published in Traces.
From hatred to defense of Pope Pius XII, Gary Krupp tells his story
In some places you will get shouted down for supporting Pope Pius XII and his cause for sainthood. For some, Pius is a lightening rod and no amount of reasonable-ness will quiet their anxiety. I find this is especially true for the New York area. Undaunted by the challenge of the truth, Gary Krupp, founder of the Pave the Way Foundation, is working to get the truth of what Pope Pius XII did and didn’t do into the public forum. He’s trying to clear the air. For many the conversation is hard and painful but truth needs to be told and told with clarity, charity and firmness.
Read the article on Gary Krupp and his work.
Novena to Saint Joseph
March 19 is the solemnity of the Saint Joseph, husband of Blessed Virgin Mary. Time has gotten away from me and I am only now able to post a set of novena prayers to Saint Joseph. This solemn feast is a special feast and one that should not get away from us because of Saint Joseph’s special care for the Church and personally for each one of us. While the days prior to the feast won’t constitute nine days of prayer, perhaps this year we could begin the novena on the feast itself and next year start on March 10. These prayers were sent to me a kind Canadian reader of the Communio blog.
The daily novena prayer Saint Joseph
Remember, most
pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no
one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without
obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and
humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them. Amen
Day 1
O Saint
Joseph, Pillar of Families! Foster Father of Jesus, protect our families from
the sufferings of separation and divorce. Be a lighthouse for fathers and
father-figures alike, so that they may lead virtuous lives and be good role models
to our children. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be [these three prayers are to be said each day after the novena prayer]
Day 2
O Saint Joseph, Guardian of Virgins! Loving, chaste
spouse of our Blessed Mother, protect the chastity of marriages so that our
children may grow up in strong united families. We also ask you to protect the virginity
of the youth so that they may be spared from unnecessary sufferings, and to
help those living the consecrated life to be ever more faithful to their
vocations. Amen.
Day 3
O Saint Joseph, Patron of the Unborn! Your faith was necessary
to bring about the glory of the incarnation. Teach us all to have unbending confidence
in the promises of Christ. May we submit ourselves wholeheartedly to His will
and trust that His providence will see us through in difficult moments. Amen.
Day 4
O
Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons! Help us defeat our untamed passions, imaginations
and memories. Teach us to listen to the voice of our Father in the silence of
our hearts, and give us the strength to have dominion over our senses. In times
of weakness, may we closely depend on our intellect and will, and most importantly
the graces generously given to us through prayer by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Day 5
O Saint Joseph, Hope of the sick and the dying. Heal us from our bodily ills,
emotional troubles and worldly fears. Be with us in times of frailty, and
comfort us with hope in eternal life. May our hearts be anchored in Jesus every
day of our lives and may we never be separated from him. Amen.
Day 6
O Saint Joseph,
Patron of the Church! Protect the intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict
XVI, our Cardinals, Bishops, priests and all religious who work faithfully to
shepherd the people. Keep them away from temptation, and deliver them from all
unholy and corrupting influences. May our Church remain free from all contagion
of error and be constantly reinvigorated by the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 7
O Saint
Joseph, Patron of Workers! Comfort us during the desolation of unemployment,
and bring compassion into our hearts during times of prosperity. Teach us the
right paths and the right words, so that we may be able to meet our temporal
needs. We also ask that you keep our hearts aflame with the Word of God, that
we may always be conscious that our need for daily bread is not restricted to
bread alone, but Jesus in the Eucharist. Amen.
Day 8
O Saint Joseph, Lover of
Poverty! Solace of the wretched! Be our friend in time of suffering, and help
us appreciate the virtues we can harvest through struggle and sacrifice. Keep
us away from the snares of pride and self-importance. Let us remember the
poverty of our Lord so that we can dutifully imitate his life in humility and
obedience. Amen.
Day 9
O Saint Joseph, humble, poor, and obedient servant of the God
the Father! We praise you participation in the glory of the Incarnation, as faster
father of Jesus Christ and most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Keep
us all close to your heart, and may the faithful works of Blessed Brother André
continue to bring glory to God for years to come. May all those who seek your
intercession and his be met with expedient relief or consolation. Amen.