“Eve” by Madeleine L’Engle

Eve and Mary* by Sr. Grace Remington, O.C.S.O

“Eve” When we left the garden we knew that it would be forever. The new world we entered was dark and strange. Nights were cold. We lay together for warmth, and because we were afraid of the unnamed animals, and of the others; we had never known about the giants, and angels gone wild. We had not been told of dwarves and elves; they teased us; we hid whenever they played.

Adam held me. When my belly grew taut and began to swell I didn’t know what was happening. I thought it was the beginning of death, the very first death. I clung to Adam and cried. As I grew bigger something within me moved. One day I fell and the pains started. A true angel came and pushed the grinning creatures back. Adam helped. There was a tearing. I thought I’d died. Instead, from within me came a tiny thing, a new creature, red-faced, bellowing, mouth groping for my breast. This was not death, but birth, and joy came to my heart again. This was the first-born child. How I did laugh and sing! But from this birth came death. He never gave me any rest. And then he killed his brother. Oh, my child. Oh, my son Cain. I watched from then on over every birth, seeing in each babe cruelty ready to kill compassion. For centuries the pattern did not change. Birth always meant death. Each manchild who was born upon the longing earth in gratefulness and joy brought me only a fresh ration of tears. I had let hate into the world with that first breath.

Yet something made me hope. Each baby born brought me hurrying, bringing, as in the old tales, a gift looking – for what? I went to every slum and cave and palace seeking the mothers, thinking that at least I could warn their hearts. Thus perhaps the balance might shift and kindness and concern replace self-will and malice.

So I was waiting at that extraordinary intersection of Eternity and Time when David’s son (Adam’s, too) was born. I watched the Incarnate at his mother’s breast making, by his humble, holy birth the one possible correction of all that I by disobedience had done. I knelt and saw new Adam, and I cried, “My son!” and came at last to rest. — Madeleine L’Engle

Poem Source: Magnificat Magazine

*Eve and Mary, reprinted with the permission of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey. For background on the image, and link to a lovely choral piece which grew from it see here.

Pope Benedict heralds beginning of Advent with pro-life vigil

On Saturday 26th November at 4:30pm St Anne's hosted First Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent joining His Holiness the Pope in his Pro-Life Vigil. The Recitation of the Divine Office office was attended by the sisters of the Holy Cross Provincialte and some parishioners.

Vatican City, Nov 28, 2010 / 11:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI heralded the beginning of Advent this year with an unprecedented worldwide pro-life vigil. On Saturday night at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, he urged respect for human life and warned against adult “selfishness” and the “darkening of consciences” in modern society.

On Nov. 27, St. Peter's was the center of global focus, as dioceses around the world joined the Pope's invitation to prepare for the season of Christmas by joining in a special Vespers service for the unborn.

Although it is common for the Pope to encourage prayer for particular intentions, the request for a coordinated worldwide vigil – to be held on the same date and approximately the same time, in all dioceses – is highly exceptional.

Pope Benedict began his homily saying that God became a child to experience the life of man in order to “to save it completely, fully.”

“The beginning of the liturgical year helps us to relive the expectation of God made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary,” he said, adding that the “Incarnation reveals to us, with intense light and in an amazing way, that every human life has an incomparable, a most elevated dignity.”

Because “God loves us so deeply, totally, without distinction,” the Pope noted that belief in “Jesus Christ also means having a new outlook on man, a look of trust and hope.”

Humankind, therefore, “has the right not to be treated as an object of possession or something to manipulate at will, not to be reduced to a mere instrument for the benefit of others and their interests,” he said.

“In this vein we find the Church's concern for the unborn, the most fragile, the most threatened by the selfishness of adults and the darkening of consciences,” the Pontiff added.

He then reiterated the Church's stance against abortion, warning against “cultural tendencies that seek to anesthetize consciences with misleading motivations.”

“With regard to the embryo in the womb, science itself highlights its autonomy capable of interaction with the mother, the coordination of biological processes, the continuity of development, the growing complexity of the organism,” he said. “This is not an accumulation of biological material, but a new living being, dynamic and wonderfully ordered, a new unique human being.”

“So was Jesus in Mary's womb, so it was for all of us in our mother’s womb.”

Pope Benedict went on to say that even after birth, children around the world face abandonment, hunger, poverty, disease, abuse, violence or exploitation.

“I urge the protagonists of politics, economic and social communications to do everything in their power to promote a culture which respects human life, to provide favorable conditions and support networks for the reception and development of life,” he said.

The Pope concluded by entrusting prayers for the unborn to the Virgin Mary, “who welcomed the Son of God made man with faith, with her maternal womb, with loving care, with nurturing support and vibrant with love.”

Our Holy Father Benedict XVI Urges the Whole World to Unite in a Prayer Vigil for All Nascent Human Life

In the evening of November 27, 2010 at the liturgical beginning of Advent - a time of joyful anticipation for the birth of Christ - His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate a prayer vigil in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican for the intention of all nascent human life. At the request of the Holy Father, a letter was sent to all the episcopal conferences of the Catholic Church this past June asking them to take part in this prayer and to organize prayer vigils at the beginning of Advent in all local churches. This letter was jointly sent by Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Pontifical Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and by Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Let’s do everything possible so that our parishes, communities, prayer groups and families join in this universal prayer for life, in communion with the Holy Father. Personal prayer in union with the Church for the intention of defending preborn human life is our duty and raises great hope that with God’s help the civilization of life and love will triumph.

Na noite de 27 de novembro de 2010, o início do Advento litúrgico - um tempo de alegre expectativa para o nascimento de Cristo - Sua Santidade o Papa Bento XVI vai celebrar uma vigília de oração na Basílica de São Pedro, no Vaticano pretende todos os seres humanos a nascer. A pedido do Santo Padre, uma carta foi enviada a todas as conferências episcopais da Igreja Católica em junho de 2010 pedindo-lhes para participar nesta oração e organizar vigílias de oração no início do Advento, em todas as igrejas locais. Esta carta foi enviada conjuntamente pelo cardeal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefeito da Congregação Pontifícia para o Culto Divino ea Disciplina dos Sacramentos, e pelo cardeal Ennio Antonelli, presidente do Conselho Pontifício para a Família.

Fazendo tudo que podemos fazer as nossas paróquias, comunidades, grupos de oração e as famílias para participar desta oração universal para a vida em comunhão com o Santo Padre. A oração pessoal em união com a Igreja para a defesa da vida humana por nascer é um dever. Esta iniciativa nos dá grande esperança de que com a ajuda de Deus a civilização da vida e do amor triunfará

To pledge you commitment to this vigil and send your details to the Holy Father go to: http://www.yes-for-benedict.net/?lang_un=en

At Evening Mass, "Bloodbath" in Baghdad

Earlier tonight, during evening Mass at a parish in central Baghdad, armed vigilantes seeking the release of jailed Al-Qaeda members stormed the church and held the congregation of 100-plus hostage.

According to reports, as explosions could be heard from inside the church -- dedicated to Our Lady of Salvation -- on their entrance, the gunmen immediately killed the priest-celebrant. (The church is shown above, under guard during Christmas Mass in 2005.)

Shortly thereafter, as security forces raided the building, clashes ensued... and as the smoke clears, the wires have sent word of a "bloodbath," with the assailants said to have detonated "suicide vests," and according to most early briefs, at least a quarter of the Massgoers (at least one child among them) reported to have been killed, with scores of others wounded.

Lord, have mercy on us... and just in case any of this crowd needed the reminder, let us never take what we have for granted, lest we forget the suffering of the many who could only dream of it.

SVILUPPO: As reports continue to emerge, by late morning Baghdad time the death toll climbed to at least 39 hostages, with 56 more injured.

Seven security forces personnel were likewise killed, with 15 others injured.

Anointing of the Sick for Psychiatric Disorders?

ROME, OCT. 12, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Could someone who has mental problems/disorders receive the anointing of the sick? For example, people who battle an illness such as anxiety/panic disorder, bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, etc. I would think that these types of illness are not in and of themselves necessarily life-threatening, but they could be and could lead to life-threatening situations. I have a friend in Nova Scotia who visited a shrine in Quebec last summer. The shrine held a special anointing of the sick, but the priest announced that it was only for those truly ill and/or with a life-threatening illness. My friend was truly upset and didn't know whether to receive the anointing. She has had cancer and now suffers an anxiety/panic disorder, always living in fear of the cancer returning. -- T.O., Vermont
A: In general the sacrament of the sick is reserved for serious (but not necessarily life- threatening) physical illness which significantly affects one's health and well-being. It can also be administered before a serious operation or one that requires complete sedation, even if the underlying condition is not in itself life-threatening. It may also be administered to those over 65 if notably weakened, even if they do not suffer from any particular illness.
Historically the Church has not administered this sacrament for less serious illnesses, even if chronic. Until relatively recently, mental illnesses were not usually considered as subjects for anointing.
Medical science, however, has discovered that some hitherto mental illnesses are in fact symptoms of physical imbalances. For example, the dementia associated with Alzheimer's is apparently mental, but it is also a fatal, and still incurable, disease.
Even if the serious mental illness is not caused by known physical phenomena, No. 53 of the introduction to Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum (PCS) opens up the possibility of the use the sacrament in such cases. To wit: "Some types of mental sickness are now classified as serious. Those who are judged to have a serious mental illness and who would be strengthened by the sacrament may be anointed. The anointing may be repeated in accordance with the conditions for other kinds of severe illness."
The minister should proceed with some caution with respect to anointing for mental illness. There is no clear cut standard to determine "seriousness." For this reason, such situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with the person's physician. As stated in PCS, No. 8: "A prudent or reasonably sure judgment, without scruple, is sufficient for deciding on the serious of an illness. If necessary a doctor may be consulted."
Also PCS, No. 52: "Those who receive this sacrament in the faith of the Church will find it a true sign of comfort and support in time of trial. It will work to overcome the sickness if this is God’s will."
Finally, while it is possible that anxiety and similar mental strains could reach a stage of seriousness that would warrant anointing, it is also important to recall that the Church's habitual sources of grace such as frequent recourse to the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist, closeness to the Blessed Mother, as well as prayer and seeking spiritual guidance are of great benefit in helping us to overcome these burdens or at least bear patiently the trials permitted by God.

The Pope has created a new office to fight 'eclipse of God' in the West

Vatican City, Oct 12, 2010 / 10:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The new Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization was unveiled at a press conference at the Vatican Oct. 12.

Pope Benedict XVI has created the new Vatican office to address the growing problem of secularization and the “eclipse of God” in the nations of Europe and the West.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the new office, presented a letter from Pope Benedict outlining its mandate.

According to the Pope, the Church faces a new challenge today in its mission of evangelization. That is the “phenomenon of the detachment from the faith, that has progressively manifested itself in societies and cultures that for centuries appeared to be impregnated by the Gospel.”

In his letter, the Pope described a religious landscape in the once-Christian West that is now characterized by a kind of practical atheism, where "economic well-being and consumerism ... inspire and sustain a life lived 'as if God did not exist.'"

In addition to widespread attitudes of indifference to religion, he also noted that in some places deliberate efforts are being made at "uprooting" the historic Christian faith.

In countries where ancient Christian traditions are threatened with eclipse, the Pope said, “only a new evangelization can ensure the growth of a clear and profound faith, capable of making of these traditions a force of true freedom."

To aid this new evangelization, the new pontifical office, known as a dicastery, will work with local bishops to promote missionary initiatives. The Pope stressed the need to find creative new ways to use communications media and to promote the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the "essential and complete formulation of the content of the faith for the men of our time."

Opposing the secularization and “de-Christianization” of the West has long been a deep concern of the Pope.

In a letter he sent to the world’s bishops in March 2009, Pope Benedict wrote that “the supreme and fundamental priority of the Church and of the Successor of Peter at the present time” is "to lead men and women to God."

"In our days," the Pope explained, "when in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel, the overriding priority is to make God present in this world and to show men and women the way to God.”

In first announcing his plans for the new pontifical council at a vespers service, June 28, the Pope said that in the West, “Churches with an ancient foundation … are experiencing the progressive secularization of society and a sort of ‘eclipse of the sense of God,’ which pose a challenge to finding appropriate to propose anew the perennial truth of Christ's Gospel.”

In selecting Archbishop Fisichella to head the new office, the Pope has chosen a moral theologian with a longstanding concern for the Church’s engagement with the modern world. Archbishop Fisichella is said to have collaborated with the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the drafting of “Fides et Ratio” (“Faith and Reason”), Pope John Paul II’s 1998 encyclical letter on philosophy. Most recently, he served as head of the Pontifical Academy of Life.

Benedict established the office by a document known as a moto proprio (Latin for “of his own accord”). His apostolic letter establishing the office is entitled “Ubicumque et Semper (Everywhere and Always)."

"The Church has the duty to announce always and everywhere the Gospel of Jesus Christ," the letter begins. The "evangelizing mission," he adds is a continuation of Jesus' will and "is necessary and insubstitutible for the Church, an expression of its very nature."

Vatican Bank Focuses on Transparency

Pope spoke out strongly against the mafia

Museum of the Shroud of Turin holds all the relic's secrets

October 2, 2010. The Museum of the Shroud of Turin in Italy receives thousands of visitors each year seeking answers to the mysteries surrounding the Shroud. Here you have the opportunity to see up close an exact copy of the linen cloth that according to tradition covered Jesus' body.

Here you can find the camera that took the first photograph of the Shroud. There is also the first photo of the Shroud, ant the chest in which it was kept when it belonged to the Savoy family.

Roman Square to be named after Mother Theresa

Rome recalled Mother Teresa of Calcutta on the centenary of her birth with a tribute in the City Hall. During the meeting, the mayor announced that there will be a square named in honor of the "mother of the poor."

Holy Father prays that The Rosary might fortify faithful in theological virtues

Palermo, Italy, Oct 3, 2010 / 06:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At noon on Sunday, Pope Benedict prayed that all people might be strengthened in faith, hope and charity through the intercession of Mary. He asked, in particular, that she lead the faithful to "walk quickly and joyfully on the way of holiness."

Pope Benedict prayed the Angelus with an estimated 30,000 people present in Palermo, Sicily at the city's Foro Italico park during his pastoral visit there. Widely present among the attendees were banners bearing images of Fr. Pino Puglisi, a much-loved priest who was killed in Palermo by the mafia in 1993.

Reminded of the island's strong Marian devotion, Pope Benedict entrusted all Sicilian faithful to the Virgin Mary before the Angelus. He especially asked Our Lady to support families in love and educational commitment, to make the "seeds" of vocations fruitful among young people and to give people "courage in trials, hope in difficulties and renewed impetus to do good.

"May the Madonna comfort the sick and all the suffering," he continued praying, "and help Christian communities so that no person be marginalized or in need, but that each, especially the smallest and weakest, might feel accepted and valued."

Mary, said the Pope, "is the model of Christian life" to whom "we ask most of all to help us walk quickly and joyfully on the way of holiness, in the footsteps of so many brilliant witnesses of Christ, children of the Sicilian lands."

Remembering the concurrent celebration of the beatification of Anna Maria Adorni in Parma, Italy on Sunday, her devotion to saying the rosary and the beginning of the Marian month of October, the Holy Father prayed that the "daily meditation of the mysteries of Christ in union with Mary, the 'praying Virgin', might fortify us all in faith, hope and charity."

After the Mass, the Holy Father went to the Archbishop of Palermo's residence for lunch with all the bishops of Sicily. Following this occasion, his Sunday afternoon schedule included a meeting with priests, religious and seminarians at the cathedral and an open-air encounter with young people and families in a city square.

New Book of Cartoons

More to come...

from "Last Cracks in Legendary Cloisters"

by Brother Choleric

(Pub. Sheed & Ward London)

Prayers and esteem for the Church and for the noble Chinese people

Matteo Ricci, SJ (October 6, 1552 – May 11, 1610) Painted in 1610 by the Chinese brother
Emmanuel Pereira (born Yu Wen-hui).
It hangs in the Jesuit House in Rome  

“Father Ricci went to China not to bring science and Western culture, but to bring the Gospel, to make God known. He writes: ‘For over twenty years every morning and every night I prayed in tears to Heaven. I know the Lord of Heaven has compassion for living creatures and forgives them... . The truth about the Lord of Heaven is already in the hearts of men. But humans do not understand it immediately, and, moreover, are not inclined to reflect on similar issues’ (Il vero significato del “Signore del Cielo”, [The true meaning of the “Lord of Heaven”], Rome 2006, pp. 69-70). And it was indeed while bringing the Gospel, that Father Ricci found in his interlocutors the demand for a wider confrontation, so that the meeting motivated by faith also became a dialogue between cultures; a disinterested dialogue, free from economic or political ambition for power, lived in friendship, which makes the work of Father Ricci and his disciples one of the highest and happiest points in the relationship between China and the West”. With these words, Benedict XVI recalled the figure of Father Matteo Ricci, on the fourth centenary of his death. He concluded: “Like Father Matteo Ricci, today I too express my profound esteem for the noble Chinese people and their ancient culture, convinced that their renewed encounter with Christianity will bring abundant fruits of good, as it then encouraged peaceful coexistence between peoples. Thank you”. The Pope’s speech was published in L’Osservatore Romano of May 30 with the title Prayers and esteem for the Church and for the noble Chinese people. 

The cause of beatification of Father Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), originally begun in 1984, was reopened on January 24, 2010 at the cathedral of the east-central Italian Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia

Click here: Investigate the fascinating Fr Matteo Ricci SJ on Wikki

New Official Portrait of Pope Benedict

Master artist Igor V. Babailov, M.F.A. has completed the new official portrait of His Holiness Benedict XVI, entitled: "The Truth, The Way and The Life: A Portrait of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI," Oil on Canvas, 72" x 48" (183 cm x 122 cm) Click here for a better resolution version of the portrait.

Six men arrested over plot to attack Pope Benedict XVI during state visit to Britain.

Sep 17 2010

SIX men were arrested today by police investigating a suspected plot to harm the Pope.

Scotland Yard officers swooped on several people after information emerged that Pope Benedict XVI could be in danger.

Some of the men were working as street cleaners, Westminster City Council revealed.  They were arrested by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command shortly before 6am.

The five men were working for Veolia Environmental Services, a contractor which employs 650 on-street staff to keep Westminster's streets clean and free from rubbish.

The suspects, aged 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50, were held under the Terrorism Act 2000 at business premises in central London.

A sixth man, aged 29, has was arrested later by counter-terrorism officers.

They were taken to a central London police station, where they will be interviewed by detectives.

It was later reported that the men were of Algerian origin.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the business was being searched, as well as homes in north and east London.

A spokesman said: "Initial searches have not uncovered any hazardous items.

"Today's arrests were made after police received information. Following initial inquiries by detectives, a decision was made to arrest the five men.

"Following today's arrests the policing arrangements for the Papal visit were reviewed and we are satisfied that our current policing plan remains appropriate.

"The itinerary has not changed. There is no change to the UK threat level."

Sources said the accuracy of the information received by police is yet to be checked and stressed that no suspicious items have been found.

The source refused to discuss the nature of the tip-off, but said it was only received a relatively short time before the arrests were made.

A multi-million-pound operation was put in place to protect the Pope during his tour of Scotland, London and the West Midlands.

Thousands of officers are involved in the operation from forces including the Met, Strathclyde, Lothian and Borders, West Midlands and British Transport Police.

The cost of policing the Pope's visit to Britain could reach s1.5million and is being co-ordinated by South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes.

Senior officers said there was no information ahead of the visit to suggest any "specific group" wanted to attack the Pope.

But they warned people not to underestimate the "passion and the fervour" the visit would bring.

Police also interviewed mentally unstable people who they feared may pose a threat to the Pope.

A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said: "We have absolute confidence in the security operation to protect both the Pope and the public.

"The Pope is enjoying a wonderful visit, warmly welcomed wherever he goes."

Father Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, said the Popewas informed of the threat during his visit to St Mary's University College, in Twickenham, south west London.

He was 30 minutes late for prayers in St Mary's Chapel, but it is not known if this is because of the unexpected intervention.

Father Lombardi said: "We are totally confident in the work of the policeand Scotland Yard. We have no particular preoccupation with this.

"The police have already said that the information that they have collected until now demonstrates there is no need to change anything on the programme of the Pope and the security measures."

Father Lombardi added that the Pope remains "totally calm" and "happy" and will continue to enjoy his trip.

www.dailyrecord.co.za

Mass rape by paedophile Catholic priests is a myth, says secular humanist magazine

By Damian Thompson Religion

How The Independent reported the rape claims
A fascinating article today by the atheist Left-wing columnist Brendan O’Neill, editor of spiked, rubbishing claims that thousands of children were “raped by the Catholic Church’s army of paedophile priests”. Here’s an extract:

Were 10,000 children in America and thousands more in Ireland really raped by Catholic priests? In a word, no. Instead, what has happened is that in the increasingly caliginous, almost Inquisitorial mindset of sections of the New Atheist anti-pope lobby, every allegation of abuse against a Catholic priest … has been lumped together under the heading of ‘rape’, and every allegation has been described as an actual proven ‘rape’ regardless of whether it resulted in a legal trial, never mind a conviction.
The term ‘paedophile priest’ has become such a part of everyday cultural lingo that most people, when they read in last week’s relatively respectable UK Independent that ‘over 10,000 children have come forward to say they were raped [by Catholic priests]’, would probably think, ‘Yeah, that’s possible’. But it isn’t true.
You’ll need to read O’Neill’s piece to grasp the full details, but in essence he makes two points:

1. In America, between 1950 and 2002, a total of 10,667 people made allegations against 4,392 priests (ie, four per cent of priests in ministry during that period). Of these accusers, 1,203 made allegations of what we would consider rape. O’Neill asks:
How did a complex US report about all manner of allegations against priests come to be translated in the words of the Independent into the idea that ‘over 10,000 people have come forward to say they were raped [by priests]’? Because in the outlook of certain sections of the intolerant New Atheist lobby, everything from sex talk to fondling to being shown a porn flick is ‘rape’ – if it’s done by a priest, that is – and every priest is guilty of what he is accused of despite the question of whether or not he was convicted in a court of law.
In other words, the Catholic-baiting Independent seriously misled its readers.

2. In 2009, the Irish and British press reported that “thousands of children were raped” by Catholic priests and religious in Irish reform schools. The reality is that 242 male witnesses made 253 reports of sexual abuse against the staff of Irish reform schools at the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse – and of these, 68 claimed to have been raped. O’Neill adds:

Once again, not all of the allegations resulted in convictions. Some witness reports involved priests who had died, and out of the 253 male reports of sexual abuse, 207 related to the period of 1969 or earlier; 46 related to the 1970s and 1980s. How did 68 claims of anal rape made against the staff of Irish reform schools over a 59-year period translate into headlines about thousands being raped? Because once again, everything from being neglected to being smacked to being emotionally abused – which thousands of Irish reform-school kids were subjected to – was lumped together with being raped, creating a warped image of a religious institution that rapes children on an almost daily basis.

O’Neill has done us a service by writing this article on the eve of the Pope’s visit. And, please, there’s no need to remind me that vile acts were committed against children by Catholic clergy. I know. I was writing articles about the scandal of paedophile priests in the early 1990s, at a time when neither the Church nor public opinion seemed very interested.

But, at around the same time, I was also writing sceptically about the “Satanic Ritual Abuse” scare. Remember that? To put it mildly, many allegations of ritual abuse turned out to be unfounded. Yet anyone who refused to “believe the children” was denounced as an apologist for paedophilia.

I’m not claiming that the analogy is an exact one: clearly a small minority of priests were abusers, whereas the evidence for devil-worshipping paedophiles was virtually non-existent. But what I do remember from the early 1990s is that academics or journalists who asked awkward questions about the empirical basis of the Satanic claims were shouted down by a mob whose members consisted of religion-hating secularists and extreme Protestants. Call me paranoid, but I reckon the old alliance is back in business.

From newadvent.com Submitted by F Ron

News Letter from the Archdiocesan News Editor, Judy Stockill

Dear Archdiocesan News Reader

October issue delayed
Regretfully the October issue of the Archdiocesan News will only reach the pews on the second Sunday, 10 October. It will be ready for collection on Wednesday 6 October.
Since there are 5 Sundays in October there should be no knock-on effect and the November issue is planned for the first Sunday, 7th November, as usual.
That does mean there are a few more days to submit parish photographs, with a full caption-story, of Bible Sunday and Catechetical Sunday and another days grace to send notices.

Pull out and keep supplement
I hope you kept the supplement ‘Growing in your Faith’ from the September issue. It was compiled and paid for by the 6 institutes of learning here in the Archdiocese. If your Congregation would like a similar 4-page supplement please contact the Editor. The ADNews is also planning to compile a similar supplement for smaller movements, service organizations, sodalities and retreat centres that offer opportunities for spiritual growth and on-going formation. Please let me know if your organization would like to have a space. There will be a cost, R300 as a rough estimate. The exact cost will depend on uptake of the space. It won’t happen till 2011, hopefully early in the year but I would like to know soon if there is any interest in such a supplement. I think it would be a great service to the Archdiocese.

Budget for 2011
Parishes are preparing their 2011 budgets. Please remind your PFC to confirm the parish order for the AD News. The order can be increased during the year but not decreased. We have to have a total order of 15,500 to go to print at all.

Communications
Improved communication was a Synod ’08 outcome/priority. The Vicar General is overseeing a move towards making use of the latest technology starting with a new website and a weekly e-newsletter.
Make an offer if you think you could help.
The AD News seeks an editor. Must have industry experience and must be a Catholic. Just about everything else is negotiable.

I’ll repeat all this in the ADNews. Look out for it. Draw it to the attention of other readers/leaders. Also the notices below which will now be too late to be of use.

Have you filled in your 2012 consultation form yet?

Regards, Judy

Sunday 3 October 10:30
Rosebank Chamber Choir
will sing the Mass ‘The Prince of Peace’ by William Lloyd Webber and the motet
the ‘Cantique de Jean Racine’ by Gabriel Faure.
Church of The Immaculate Conception, Rosebank.

Pilgrimage to Ngome
8-10 October
Leaving from Mary, Mother of Sorrows Church
105 11th Avenue, Kensington
Book with Ann Moodley
011 622-2767 or
083-528-9033

Sat 9 October 12:00 to 16:00
THE JEWISH ROOTS OF THE SACRAMENTS
Closing lecture
Catholic Bible College, La Rochelle 011 435-7997 and Catechetics Dept


Wednesday 6 October
09:00
Clergy Ongoing Formation
Fr Rodney Moss speaks about The Priesthood
Trinity House, Braamfontein

Saturday 9 October
08:30 - 13:00
VATICAN III
Follow-up Discussion
St Vincent’s School for the Deaf, Melrose
RSVP Shelagh Mary hf (w) 011 402-6400
Cell 083 256 1422
e-mail shfcorrie@icon.co.za

Saturday 9 October
14:00-17:00
Annual General Meeting
Archdiocesan AIDS Commission
Cathedral Place
Invited are:
Members of the AIDS Commission
Deanery and Parish AIDS Coordinators

Archdiocesan News
Chancery 011 402-6400
www.catholic-johannesburg.org.za
adnews@icon.co.za

Pope Benedict World Youth Day Message

Pope Benedict XVI has released his message for the next World Youth Day to be held in Madrid 2011. In warm and personal way, the Pope has invited young people around the world to turn out for the celebrations which will be held in the Spanish capital next summer. Recalling his own youth, Benedict XVI reflected on his time as a university student and the challenges of responding affirmatively to his vocation to the priesthood.


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Rhodes Park Spring Fair, St Anne's Makes R 8430!

Our Rhodes Park Spring Festival Stalls was the first major Fundraising Event of this year, and in particular, with, in mind, our Contribution to the New Diocesan Chancery Building.  A Great Thank You and Congratulations to all the Members and Sodalities of St Anne’s and to our (often anonymous) Donors, for the united and joyful spirit with which everyone entered into the venture. We raised R 8,430.00 – a good improvement on last year. But most of all we had fun in working together and helping make the Spring Fair a lovely day for all. We thank God for His Blessings showered upon us. - Fr Ron

From Herbert... by email on Monday 6th September 2010

Good Day All

 

Yesterday, 05 September 2010, was the annual Rhodes Park Spring Fair.  Our Parish, St. Anne’s (Belgravia), has been occupying a stall at this fair for the past three (maybe four) years, and we’ve grown from strength to strength, in terms of presence, paraphernalia and participation.  Yesterday was a beautiful day.  We were blessed with absolutely lovely spring weather, we felt the crowd has grown over the years and the position of our stall was ideal.

 

What was truly inspiring this year was the level of participation and co-operation of all St. Anne’s parishioners.  People went out of their way to contribute and for that the parish is extremely grateful.  The only thing better than seeing this collaboration, is to actually be a part of it.

 

I want to say some special thank-you’s to the people involved:

 

Firstly to Fr. Ron, our spiritual head, PCC and PFC President, general benefactor and all round Good Guy.

 

Then to Nailand Smith as Chairman of the PFC, under whom all fundraising initiatives lie, for the actual planning and co-ordination of the event; unfortunately Nailand was unable to be with us on the day to see the fruit of his hard work, as he and his family we away on pre-planned family business (we all get caught up in this some time or the other).

 

I then want to thank the Fund Raising Committee Ladies, and these words pertain to all participating groups, for all the hard work that they tirelessly put in, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, without expecting any reward, and at much personal expense.  I want to thank their families for all the support that they give to their mothers and spouses, taking time out of their personal schedules to show their “home executives”, that their efforts are appreciated, valued and most of all, are making a significant contribution to a worthy cause.

 

I want to thank the Zulu/Sotho Choir ladies for their participation, generous donation and absolute magic in their contribution.  To their families too who participated, donated and contributed.  Who transported and provided logistics to their “queens”, who (wo)manned the stalls and did so well, that even after topping up what they originally came with, still ran out and were unable to supply the demand.

 

To the Portuguese community, represented by Alice, Fernanda (Alice’s husband), Fernanda (also known as Tina J) and Joe Pereira, for their participation and contribution, especially of the of the ever popular Prego Rolls, also sold out on the day.  A special thank you again to Joe, for making an absolute avalanche of cold drinks available to us.  

 

Our Vision reads:

 

“We, the people of St. Anne’s, from diverse backgrounds, cultures and even countries, ask GOD for the Spirit’s Gifts of Faith, Love and Unity, that, as one Family, we may reach out to our neighbours, with the Love and Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

 

Yesterday, our vision ramped up a notch.  What was evidenced at last years Fete at The Dominican School continues to grow.  Step by step, day by day, year by year, we see our Vision being lived.  For a parish that was on the verge of being closed down, I think that we can be extremely proud of what we have achieved to date and what we are continuing to achieve going forward.  I certainly am proud to be part of St. Anne’s and I am proud to be associated with each and every one of you.

 

GOD Bless you all.

 

Kind regards,

 

Herbert J. Africa

PPC Chair.  

Interview with the Editor of the "Dictionary of Mysticism"

All Are Called to Mysticism

Interview with Carmelite Father Luigi Borriello

By Miriam Diez i Bosch

ROME, SEPT. 1, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Mysticism is not just a secondary aspect of theology, but is something that all people are called to, says Father Luigi Borriello.

Fr Borriello 

The Carmelite priest knows about mystics: Not only does his Carmelite family claim many in its history, such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), but he is also co-director of the "Dictionary of Mysticism" of the Vatican Publishing House.

Father Borriello is a consultor of various Vatican dicasteries and a theology professor at numerous universities in Rome.

He spoke with ZENIT about the mystical experience, and stressed the importance of clarifying what Christian mysticism is, at a time when many religions are interested in this field.

ZENIT: Mystics are famous for being from another world, but you say this is not so.

Father Borriello: Mystics are men and women of this world.

Today there is a tendency to trivialize mysticism, as if it were something of another world, and that it has nothing to do with us. But it isn't so. Moreover, the mystics' experience fits in the Church and is related to faith, not foreign to it.

Mystical experience cannot be separated from faith; it can only take place in it. Mystical experience calls for a mystical theology, a reflection whose basis is mysticism itself.

Today there is a persistence of the mystical event. It is part of the post-modern society. This universal mystical richness is rediscovered in Western and Eastern religiosity. And Eastern mysticism has exercised great fascination in the West.

Also in the present climate of crisis, of confusion and syncretism, there is a temptation to confuse the authentic nature of mysticism with New Age or Next Age realities.

Religion and mysticism are different realities, and it is necessary to make distinctions.

ZENIT: In fact, many seek in the East what Christian mysticism already contains.

Father Borriello: Indeed. It's a paradox.

Many Christians don't know the wealth of their own mystical tradition and they turn to the East, seeking what is in the interior of that tradition.

Moreover, it is important to recall that there is a mystagogy in all mystical experience: You can also experience this as the other does.

Although the mystic is reserved, what he says is for others.

In this sense we must say to ourselves that we are all called to sanctity and to mysticism. And the mystical experience is a call to witness.

ZENIT: Christian mysticism always recognizes the "You" of God.

Father Borriello: Yes, it isn't dissolution; it is encounter.

Christian mysticism is characterized by the Incarnation, which is always a gift; it isn't something that the human being gains.

In it, the "You," the duality of a God who gives himself and the man who receives, though there is fusion, always recognizes the other.

We are speaking of duality in unity, as a spiritual marriage. The two always recognize one another; they are not confused; they keep their own identity.

ZENIT: Would it be appropriate to desire a mystical experience?

Father Borriello: It is not a question of asking for it but of receiving it when it comes, if it comes.

Experience is a category that is used in all the disciplines. I prefer to speak of mystical experience; it is something that God gives to man who receives it passively, and, in fact, makes an effort on receiving it.

It is what John of the Cross calls "the night."There is a collaboration in the acceptance, but the initiative is always God's, who makes himself known. And the greatest revelation takes place in Jesus Christ.

Hence, mystical experience is always Christ-centered and Trinitarian. And it is revealed only gratuitously, without our merits.

Submitted by Fr Ron

Caritas - Catholic Relief Agency reports on floods in Pakistan

Pakistani Homes Reduced to Mud, Says Caritas

Stresses Need to Affirm Flood Victims' Human Dignity

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, SEPT. 1, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Thousands of homes have been reduced to mud after weeks of heavy flooding in Pakistan, but the families are still sticking by the mounds they once lived in, reported Caritas.

Chaudhry Kamran, an aid worker with Caritas Pakistan, spoke about his experience and eyewitness account of the plight of flood victims after a heavy monsoon season.

"When the intense rains began to hit the south of Punjab, I went to the flooded areas," he recalled. "In the bus, we were all very worried for the people we passed by, living in improvised shelters. In no way could the tents resist the strong winds."

"No one knew what would happen," the aid worker said.

He noted that the latest U.N. estimates state that at least 17.2 million people have been affected by the floods, and more than 1,600 people have already died. Thousands more have been affected by diseases of the skin and stomach due to unsanitary conditions and waterborne illnesses.

Kamran noted that "the United States and other countries worldwide have promised more than $700 million to help those affected in Pakistan," and "the International Monetary Fund is studying all the possible ways to help the country."

However, he added that "these efforts were too slow for Bela Khan."

"Survivors waited for foreign aid for about two weeks after this village was submerged in water," Kamran explained, but Caritas was the first to arrive there.

Homeless

They brought tents to shelter the families whose homes are submerged.

The aid worker observed that the villagers "are not willing to abandon their homes, now turned into a mound of mud."

He continued: "Many families continue to live on the slope of an embankment with the hope that the waters will soon recede.

"Before Caritas' tents arrived, the shelters on this embankment only had charpoys (fabric to make beds), supported by large drums or plastic sheets covered by branches."

"Despair is reflected on all faces on television screens," Kamran said.

He noted that "a relief package in general lasts two days in a family of six, a typical village family unit."

"However," he continued, "to bring knowledge and tools such as sewing machines can help to restore confidence and hope among the survivors."

The aid worker concluded with an appeal: "Although food and clothing continue to be a great need, the world must think of ways to help them live with dignity."

Submitted by Fr Ron

The”New Mass”

Know your faith - The”New Mass”. In 1963, Pope Paul VI decreed that “the liturgical books are to be revised as soon as possible … and translated to the mother tongue.” In 2001, the Vatican issued, Liturgiam authenticam (2001), stating; “in translations of the liturgical texts from the official Latin originals, "the original text, insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses.’ In the light of the new Latin version of the ‘Missal (2002), from which the translation must be made, the most obvious example was: “Dominus vobiscum” (The Lord be with you), and its reply; "Et cum spiritu tuo" (And with your spirit). This was at odds with the ‘73 translation where "And also with you" is used instead: this demonstrates the fundamental deviation from the Latin text. The International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL) oversees the translation and presents these in sections to the bishops for comment (called The Green Book - in several versions) and for vote (The Gray Book). Eventually, this is passed to the pope for ratification. We are The Catholic (Universal) Church, and as English speakers, we are not in synergy with the rest of Catholicism in the Liturgical sense. So far, we are confronted with changes to the order of Holy Mass: in time, The Lectionary, The Breviary, The Ritual & Pontifical, The Martyrology and The Ceremonial of Bishops will follow.
Marius Vögel © 2009

Pope Paul VI Sacrosanctum Concilium, 4th December - Articles 25 & 36.4 (1963) International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc., The English translation of The Roman Missal © (1973)

Jorge A. Card. Medina Estévez, Prefect of The Congregation for Divine Worship and The Discipline of The Sacraments, Liturgiam authenticam (On The Use of Vernacular Languages in the publication of the books of The Roman Liturgy) Fifth Instruction “For the Right Implementation of the Constitution on The Sacred Liturgy of The Second Vatican Council” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, art. 36) 28 March 2001
International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), Official Website - News Page a Joint Commission of Catholic Bishops Conferences http://www.icelweb.org/news.htm

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The Relics of St Augustine

Augustine died on 28 August 430.


Sometime before the early 8th century, St Augustine’s remains were translated from North Africa to Sardinia for fear of desecration. It is possible that St. Fulgentius of Ruspe took Augustine’s body to Sardinia. Fulgentius had run foul of the Arian Vandals then in North Africa and was driven out.

During the 8th century Augustine’s remains were once more in danger , but this time by the Arabs who swarmed all over the Mediterranean as pirates and brigands in general.

Sometime between 710 and 730 King Liutprand of the Lombards translated St Augustine's relics a second time. On 11 October, Luitprand had the holy relics interred in Pavia in the church of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro.

It is thought that Liutprand had to pay a huge sum to ransom the bones from some Muslim thug. (Hard to believe, I know.)

With the passage of time people simply forgot where the saints bones were actually located were in the church.

Eventually, the Church herself came to be controlled by two different Augustinian groups, the Canons Regular and the Hermits. Let’s just say their relations were strained and leave it at that. Then something happened that set off the war between them.

In 1695 a group of workman excavating under the altar in the crypt of the church found a marble box containing human bones. The box had some charcoal markings spelling the part of the word "Augustine", though those markings later disappeared. Great chaos ensued following the discovery.

The memory of just where St Augustine's relics were placed in the church, had been lost by the passing of time.  Finding them again, set off a rather unpleasant battle concerning who had control ver the relics: the Augustinian Hermits and the Canons Regular.

Ultimately, Rome had to step in to resolve things. That’s what Popes do.


Pope Benedict XIII, a Dominican who changed his numbering from XIV to XIII so as to avoid being counting an anti-pope, got personally involved. He was very interested in saints and canonised the huge number of 18! At least that was a huge number before the pontificate of John Paul II.

This was also at the time when the future Pope Benedict XIV, Propsero Lambertini, published his fourth and final volume on the beatification of the servants of God and of the canonization of the blessed. Pope Lambertini would give us the legislation for the canonical processes of canonisations that has lasted with only a few changes to today.

In any event, Benedict XIII sent a letter to the Bishop of Pavia telling him to get their act together and figure out the questions of authenticity and control.

Additional studies were made under someone appointed by Benedict and by 19 September of 1729 things were wrapped up.

Processions were held, solemn proclamations made about the authenticity of the relics, a great Te Deum was sung and there was a fireworks display.  Anyone who wanted to disagree and start the bickering again would be excommunicated. The good ol’ days.

The next year under Pope Clement XII the Cardinal Secretary of State (and a patron of the Canons Regular) commissioned the carving of the large main altar with its reliefs, completed in 1738, and which you can see today in the church where Augustine’s tomb is even now.

So, when you travel to northern Italy, be sure to stop in the interesting city of Pavia, south of Milan. There you will find the bones of the mighty north African Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine of Hippo.