Robert Louis Wilken, former professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia, will deliver a lecture on Monday, January 30th at 7:00 pm at St. Mary’s Church (5 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven) entitled, “Liberty in the Things of God: Christian Origins of Religious Freedom.”
Blessed Martyrs of Pratulin
The Byzantine Catholic Church liturgically recalls Blessed Martyrs of Pratulin: men and boys killed on this date in 1874 defending the Byzantine Catholic Church in Russia. The martyrdom took place when the Tsar destroyed the last Greek Catholic eparchy in the empire, Chelm, in 1873 – 1875.
More can be read here on the Servants of God Wincenty Lewoniuk and 12 Companions.
Opus Dei’s new prelate
Today, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz was elected the new prelate of Opus Dei and his election was confirmed by Pope Francis. He is the third successor of St Josemaria Escriva.Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz succeeds Bishop Javier Echevarria who died on December 12, 2016. Until now, Ocáriz has been Auxiliary Vicar of Opus Dei. The youngest of 8 children he was born in Paris on October 27, 1944, to a Spanish family exiled in France due to the Civil War.
Monsignor Ocáriz earned academic degrees in Physical Sciences (1966), Theology (1969) with a doctorate in Theology from the University of Navarre in 1971, the year he was ordained a priest. Moreover, Ocáriz has served the Church as a consultor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (since 1986), the Congregation for the Clergy (since 2003) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (since 2011). He has been a member of the Pontifical Theological Academy since 1989. a fuller biography of Monsignor can be read here.
An interesting note, several of the significant religious order and other ecclesial movements have new leadership.
God bless Monsignor Ocáriz.
St Meinrad
“Beloved Martyr Meinrad, hear the voices of your loving sons, who praise your glory on this day, which saw your victory in Christ.”
Blessed Basil Moreau
Today, in some places, Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., is liturgically remembered. He is the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the same congregation that administers institutions like my alma Mater, the great University of Notre Dame but also Stonehill College and the University of Portland. I am indebted to the Moreau’s Congregation. He died on this date in 1873, and was beatified in September 2006.
The Holy Cross Fathers write: “Ordained in 1821, Blessed Basil Moreau, prior to sending Holy Cross Religious to the United States, dedicated himself to the teaching and spiritual accompaniment of seminarians who were entrusted to him, while also serving as a preacher and organizer. Though present circumstances differ much from Blessed Moreau’s time, Holy Cross Religious carry on the same activities and mission he began so long ago.”
Blessed Basil Moreau, pray for us.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Today we begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
In history, this 2017 is significant because it marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s publication of the 95 theses in 1517. The theme for the Week of Prayer according to the initiative of the German Council of Churches at the request of the World Council of Churches, is Reconciliation: The Love of Christ Compels Us from 2 Corinthians 5:14-20.
Rozalia Celak –the Apostle of Christ the King
The Servant of God Rozalia Celak as a young woman had been the given by the Lord the gift of mystical experiences. Celak reports that she heard in her heart a voice full of the Lord’s love: ‘My child, love me since my Heart loved you first, love me for the whole world. I shall extend the space of your heart and fill it with love so that you could reciprocate my love.’
The mission of Celak was to announce to the Polish people –and by extension the rest of the world– Jesus as the King. This mission is a re-echoing of the revelations made to the great St Gertrude, St. Margaret Mary and and St Faustina. It is my belief that in every era someone raised up by Christ to announce the beauty and necessity of being in full communion with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To be noted, an event that recently happened in Poland in the presence of the civil authorities.
A brief biography of Rozalia Celak can be read here.
Jesus, Christ the King, have mercy on us.
Servant of God Rozalia Celak, pray for us.
Joseph Fessio at 76
Happy birthday to Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., on his 76th birthday and reward him for his good work.
Christ appears in his humanity and divinity
Today is the feast of the Epiphany. The splendor of this feast recalls God’s manifestation to all people, to the whole world. On Christmas Day, God’s goodness became visible to us under the form of a baby, in the sacred humanity of Christ, God’s only begotten Son and the Father’s true image and substance.
Through faith, we know the mystery of the Incarnation, and Christ’s appearance in our midst changed forever the course of human history. God appeared in our world as a small baby, but he came to it as Savior. He came to save us!
In the Latin-Mediterranean countries, the feast of the Epiphany is commonly known as the Feast of the Three Kings. Guided by a brighter than usual star, they came from afar to the humble cave of Bethlehem to render homage to a tiny child, the King of Kings. In the Gospel story, the evangelists make sure to imply that the Magi represented the gentiles, thus Jesus did not just come to save Israel’s Chosen People, but to save all humankind, Jews and gentiles alike.
Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette
A Monastic Journey To Christmas
***The church calendar can be confusing to some. In the Eastern Churches and with the Traditional Roman Missal the great feast of the Epiphany/Theophany is celebrated on January 6. The Novus Ordo group celebrates the feast today.
Epiphany prayers
“For captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord!”Holy New Martyr Père Jacques pray to God for us!
Prayers for the protection, and release of Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi and Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, kidnapped April 22, 2013.
For Jesuit Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio S.J. kidnapped July 29, 2013.
Also missing in Yemen is a Salesian priest, Fr. Thomas Uzhunnalil. It is believed that he was kidnapped March 4, 2016.
For the 230 school girls kidnapped in Chibok, Nigeria on April 15, 2014, 11 kidnapped May 6th.
16 Christians including young boys and girls, abducted Oct 5th, 2014 in Knayeh, Syria.
And for all held captive for the faith.
For all those persecuted for the faith, let us pray to the Lord
Kyrie eleison! Kyrie eleison! Kyrie eleison!