Whispers in the Loggia

On the Authority of God

2012-01-29T09:31:00.003-05:00

Drawing as ever from this Sunday's readings, B16's food for thought at today's Angelus....

Dear brothers and sisters!

This Sunday's Gospel (Mk 1.21 to 28) presents us with Jesus, on the Sabbath day, as he preached at the synagogue at Capernaum, the small town where Peter and his brother Andrew lived on the lake of Galilee. In his teaching, which arouses the wonder of the people, following the liberation of "a man with an unclean spirit" (v. 23), who recognizes in Jesus as the "saint of God," that is, the Messiah. In a short time, his fame spread throughout the region, which he travels announcing the Kingdom of God and healing the sick of all kinds: word and deed. St. John Chrysostom observes how the Lord "alternates [his] speech for the benefit of those who listen, moving on from wonders to words and again passing from the teaching of his doctrine to miracles" (Hom. on Matthew 25, 1: PG 57, 328).

The word that Jesus speaks to men immediately opens access to the will of the Father and the truth about themselves. It was not so, however, for the scribes, who struggled to interpret the Holy Scriptures with countless reflections. Furthermore, to the efficacy of the word, Jesus united the signs of deliverance from evil. St. Athanasius observes that "commanding and driving out demons is not human but divine work ', in fact, the Lord "distanced men from all diseases and infirmities. Who, seeing his power ... still doubted that he was the Son, the Wisdom and Power of God? " (Oratio de Incarnatione Verbi 18:19: PG 25, 128 BC.129 B). Divine authority is not a force of nature. It is the power of the love of God who created the Universe and, in becoming incarnate in His only begotten Son, in coming down to our humanity, heals the world corrupted by sin. Romano Guardini writes: "The whole life of Jesus is a translation of power in humility ... Here is the sovereignty that lowers itself to the form of a servant" (Power, Brescia 1999, 141,142).

For man, authority often means possession, power, control, success. For God, however, authority means service, humility, love; it means entering into the logic of Jesus who stoops to wash the disciples' feet (cf. Jn 13.5), who seeks the true good of man, who heals wounds, who is capable of a love so great as to give up his life, because he is Love. In one of her Letters, Saint Catherine of Siena writes: "We must see and know, in truth, with the light of faith, that God is the supreme and eternal Love, and desires nothing else but our good."

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On Gotham's Feast, Scarlet Timbits

2012-01-26T21:36:00.034-05:00

It might be another 23 days 'til the Scarlet Bowl -- that is, B16's induction of 22 new members into his "Senate" -- but given today's onomastico of the archbishop of New York, it seems fitting to mark St Timothy's Day by debuting the elevated arms of the soon-to-be Cardinal Dolan.

On his impending reception of the red hat, the Tenth Archbishop of the place the Vatican views as the "Capital of the World" will become the eighth occupant of St Patrick's Cathedral to join the Sacred College in the footsteps of John McCloskey -- the first cardinal created across the Atlantic -- who received his biretta in Fifth Avenue's Downtown predecessor in 1875.

For purposes of context, Canada's first ecclesial "prince," Archbishop Elzear-Alexandre de Taschereau of Quebec, was elevated in 1886, and Latin America's founding cardinal, Rio de Janiero's Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, got his galero in 1905.

Speaking of history, the Stateside church reaches a very significant milestone at next month's Consistory -- come the elevation of Dolan and Cardinal-designate Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore, the Bronx and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the number of all-time cardinals from these shores will stand at 51.

Given O'Brien's precedence on Benedict's biglietto of nominees -- which puts him in line to receive his red hat first -- he technically enjoys the distinction of becoming the 50th American cardinal. There is, however, a quintessentially Roman flip-side: as the successor of Foley is likely to be made a cardinal-deacon by virtue of his Vatican post, as a residential archbishop, Dolan will enjoy the higher rank of a cardinal-priest... at least, for the next decade.

While each member of the College carries equal responsibilities and privileges, cardinal-deacons may seek to enter the presbyteral class after ten years. From the US, Cardinals Avery Dulles, William Levada, "His Foleyness," Raymond Burke and Francis Stafford were likewise elevated into the diaconal rank over recent years; the latter was bumped up in 2008 after passing the 10th anniversary of his elevation.

As if the USCCB president didn't already have enough to celebrate these days, Dolan turns 62 on February 6th. The cardinal-designate is currently in the Holy Land on a pre-elevation retreat with a group of New York priests.

* * *

To weightier matters, the leitmotif of Dolan's Red Dawn has found itself colored by an unexpected thread in the wake of last Friday's Obama administration move to mandate coverage of contraceptives in benefit plans over the religious-freedom objections of a broad spectrum of Catholic leadership, joined by that of other faith-based groups.

Of course, the Gotham prelate quickly took the lead in voicing a reaction he later described as "terribly let down, disappointed and disturbed." Asked earlier this week by a Big Apple TV outlet whether the move had roiled the already-turbulent waters between the bishops and the White House, as perhaps only he could, Dolan shot back that "You bet we got a disagreement."

The question came in the context of a Tuesday night lecture sponsored by Fordham University's Law School, its planned venue swapped for a hall at Lincoln Center in light of a heavier than anticipated crowd.

Given his pre-consistory schedule, the cardinal-designate's talk on "Law and the Gospel of Life" is likely to be the lone major speech of Dolan's transition into the College. Along those lines -- and especially given the heightened interest thanks to both the red hat and conscience battle -- you'd think that a high-profile Northeastern Jesuit university would have the resources and gumption to somehow share the event with a wider audience in ways beyond a bare-bones press release.

Yet as, for whatever reason, a touch of savvy seems to have eluded the Rose Hill mix, here's Dolan's prepared text:

Along the way, before heading to Washington for Monday's March for Life, the cardinal-designate tied a pressing state of poverty into the pro-life equation, launching a diocesan-wide food drive during his Sunday Mass at St Patrick's.

“I just challenge everybody: Put another chair at your table and feed somebody who’s hungry,” Dolan said.

In an earlier aside, though, noting the food baskets that had been brought up during his cathedral liturgy, the cardinal-to-be couldn't help but remark that "I’ve been distracted by that can of chili all during Mass."

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"An Integral Element" -- For Communications Day, B16 Leads With "Silence"

2012-01-24T06:42:00.003-05:00

Keeping with the Vatican's longtime custom on today's feast of the patron of writers and journalists, St Francis de Sales, this Roman Noon brings the release of Pope Benedict's message for the church's 46th World Communications Day, this year's B16-picked focus on the need for silence in effective communications work alongside that of words.

In this relentless age of digital media, suffice it to say, making space for the former can often feel like the greatest challenge of all.

While the pontiff's reflection on the topic rolled out this morning -- and the next Day's theme is always announced on the preceding 29 September feast of the Archangels -- this year's World Communications Day doesn't actually occur until May 20th: always the Sunday before Pentecost, now celebrated in most of the global church as the transferred solemnity of the Ascension.

Moreover, "that the varied apostolates of the church with respect to the media of social communication may be strengthened effectively," a call for an observance on their role to be held "each year in every diocese of the world" was the lone initiative of its kind to be agreed upon by the Fathers of Vatican II, as sketched out in the Council's decree on the media, Inter Mirifica (par. 18).

Here below, the Pope's WCD fulltext.

* * *

SILENCE AND WORD: PATH OF EVANGELIZATION

MESSAGE OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 46th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
24 JANUARY 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we draw near to World Communications Day 2012, I would like to share with you some reflections concerning an aspect of the human process of communication which, despite its importance, is often overlooked and which, at the present time, it would seem especially necessary to recall. It concerns the relationship between silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved. When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning.

Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible. It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other. Joy, anxiety, and suffering can all be communicated in silence – indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression. Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved. When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary. Deeper reflection helps us to discover the links between events that at first sight seem unconnected, to make evaluations, to analyze messages; this makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge. For this to happen, it is necessary to develop an appropriate environment, a kind of ‘eco-system’ that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds.

The process of communication nowadays is largely fuelled by questions in search of answers. Search engines and social networks have become the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers. In our time, the internet is becoming ever more a forum for questions and answers – indeed, people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware. If we are to recognize and focus upon the truly important questions, then silence is a precious commodity that enables us to exercise proper discernment in the face of the surcharge of stimuli and data that we receive. Amid the complexity and diversity of the world of communications, however, many people find themselves confronted with the ultimate questions of human existence: Who am I? What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope? It is important to affirm those who ask these questions, and to open up the possibility of a profound dialogue, by means of words and interchange, but also through the call to silent reflection, something that is often more eloquent than a hasty answer and permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts.

Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives. Men and women cannot rest content with a superficial and unquestioning exchange of skeptical opinions and experiences of life – all of us are in search of truth and we share this profound yearning today more than ever: "When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals" (Message for the 2011 World Day of Communications).

Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God. In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives. It is hardly surprising that different religious traditions consider solitude and silence as privileged states which help people to rediscover themselves and that Truth which gives meaning to all things. The God of biblical revelation speaks also without words: "As the Cross of Christ demonstrates, God also speaks by his silence. The silence of God, the experience of the distance of the almighty Father, is a decisive stage in the earthly journey of the Son of God, the incarnate Word …. God’s silence prolongs his earlier words. In these moments of darkness, he speaks through the mystery of his silence" (Verbum Domini, 21). The eloquence of God’s love, lived to the point of the supreme gift, speaks in the silence of the Cross. After Christ’s death there is a great silence over the earth, and on Holy Saturday, when "the King sleeps and God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages" (cf. Office of Readings, Holy Saturday), God’s voice resounds, filled with love for humanity.

If God speaks to us even in silence, we in turn discover in silence the possibility of speaking with God and about God. "We need that silence which becomes contemplation, which introduces us into God’s silence and brings us to the point where the Word, the redeeming Word, is born" (Homily, Eucharistic Celebration with Members of the International Theological Commission, 6 October 2006). In speaking of God’s grandeur, our language will always prove inadequate and must make space for silent contemplation. Out of such contemplation springs forth, with all its inner power, the urgent sense of mission, the compelling obligation "to communicate that which we have seen and heard" so that all may be in communion with God (1 Jn 1:3). Silent contemplation immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbours so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love.

In silent contemplation, then, the eternal Word, through whom the world was created, becomes ever more powerfully present and we become aware of the plan of salvation that God is accomplishing throughout our history by word and deed. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, divine revelation is fulfilled by "deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them" (Dei Verbum, 2). This plan of salvation culminates in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the mediator and the fullness of all revelation. He has made known to us the true face of God the Father and by his Cross and Resurrection has brought us from the slavery of sin and death to the freedom of the children of God. The fundamental question of the meaning of human existence finds in the mystery of Christ an answer capable of bringing peace to the restless human heart. The Church’s mission springs from this mystery; and it is this mystery which impels Christians to become heralds of hope and salvation, witnesses of that love which promotes human dignity and builds justice and peace.

Word and silence: learning to communicate is learning to listen and contemplate as well as speak. This is especially important for those engaged in the task of evangelization: both silence and word are essential elements, integral to the Church’s work of communication for the sake of a renewed proclamation of Christ in today’s world. To Mary, whose silence "listens to the Word and causes it to blossom" (Private Prayer at the Holy House, Loreto, 1 September 2007), I entrust all the work of evangelization which the Church undertakes through the means of social communication.

From the Vatican, 24 January 2012, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

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"It Is Not Weakness To Show Compassion... But Clear We Must Be"... Immediately

2012-01-22T20:22:00.013-05:00

For the 37th year running, Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception pushed the fire-code to its limit tonight as the National Vigil for Life kicked off in advance of tomorrow's March, marking the the Supreme Court's 22 January 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.

The nation's largest church packed in with nearly 20,000 people (and an overflow crowd downstairs), by longtime custom, the presiding duties for the evening Mass fell to the US bishops' chair for Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, making his final turn at the rite of his three-year term. Come autumn, the key committee seat -- invariably held by a cardinal in reflection of its prominence -- will be taken up by Boston's Cardinal Seán O'Malley OFM Cap., who'll lead the commemoration of Roe's 40th anniversary.

Four years after his first March-day preach from the Shrine pulpit -- and two days since the controversial White House decision mandating contraceptive coverage in benefit plans for religious institutions -- here's fullvid of the Southern cardinal's homily... which, given his chairmanship's coming close, doubled as a farewell to the post:

Come liturgy's end, the Shrine traditionally becomes the capital's largest hostel for the night, as pilgrims with nowhere else to go camp out on every available inch of its extensive floor-space.

On a scheduling note, much as tonight's opening Mass is traditionally the main pre-March draw, this year's might just find a rival in its morning counterpart -- the USCCB President, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, will celebrate and preach the Vigil's closing Mass early tomorrow.

VIDEO: EWTN

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"Suffering Is the Thread" -- For Philadelphia and Beyond, Chaput's Keys to Life

2012-01-22T18:26:00.011-05:00

Prominent as he's become over recent years, Philadelphia's ninth archbishop didn't exactly make his name on rebuilding broken dioceses.

Thanks to a strength of character and conviction shown on the wider scene, however, that's just the mandate Charles Chaput has been given to face in his charge of four months, where early January's recommendations by a Blue Ribbon panel for the closing and consolidation of 49 Catholic schools -- a third of them now under appeal -- are merely the first of several hurdles awaiting on the home-front over the coming year and beyond.

As previously noted, the pile of towering challenges -- among them the "hostile" fallout of the schools plan and a looming shake-up of parishes, the ongoing limbo of 21 suspended priests whose fates will soon be decided, a dire financial picture only beginning to come to light, at least seven abuse-related civil suits, and the March criminal trial of four current and former clerics charged with abuse and cover-up in the wake of a second grand jury, all of it underscoring the need for a wholesale renewal of an ecclesial culture -- is considered in church circles to be the most difficult plate an American bishop has been handed in the last half-century, and quite possibly even longer.

To address it all, in his longest taped sit-down to date with local media, six months since his appointment -- and with the Cardinal's Residence already on the market -- Chaput laid out the scene early this morning on the River City's CBS affiliate:

Money quote, Phils fans: "We have to get over thinking it's always going to be the way it was."

And in this most change-resistant of places, on a Sunday whose readings spoke of "the world in its present form passing away," but heralding a new one in which "the time of fulfillment" has come and "the kingdom of God is at hand," you couldn't ask for a keener echo to today... and, indeed, the difficult, yet very promising, road ahead.

* * *

True story: once upon a time, not all that long ago, a certain native Philadelphian stepped up at a hometown dinner to sing a very pointed show-tune: "This Nearly Was Mine," from South Pacific.

Accordingly, much as the voice behind the song had already gone on to become archbishop of New York -- and, arguably, the last American Catholic leader to enjoy the almost-unchallenged secular clout of what's now a bygone age -- those who knew John Cardinal O'Connor (left) were almost beyond aware that he never lost the ways of a Southwest Philly goldleafer's son. Along the way, JPII's man in the "Capital of the World" just so happened to become the most powerful and iconic champion of the pro-life cause on these shores, a golden legacy whose fruits live on in abundance almost 12 years after his death.

Given that history, it was especially fitting that, earlier today -- on his first January 22nd wedded to the fallen "paradise" for which O'Connor never stopped longing -- the Last Lion's longtime protege would give the keynote speech at a Georgetown University conference for the movement's next generation which bears the cardinal's name. (As a Navy chaplain just returned from Vietnam, O'Connor earned his PhD in political science from the nation's oldest Catholic college in 1970.)

Its key thread dedicated to the right to life of special needs kids -- a frighteningly high number of whom are aborted given today's pre-natal testing -- here, the fulltext of Chaput's talk in Hoyaville:

PHOTOS: Reuters(1)

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"A Foul Ball, By Any Standard" -- On Conscience "Edict," "The Bishops Vow To Fight"

2012-01-20T14:39:00.010-05:00

First posted on the website of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the following video response to this morning's Obama administration move to mandate contraceptive coverage in benefit plans across the board was released minutes ago by the body's president, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York:

...and here, the bench's full statement on the Federal move:

U.S. BISHOPS VOW TO FIGHT HHS EDICT

Unconscionable to force citizens to buy contraceptives against their will

No change in limited exemption, only delay in enforcement

Matter of freedom of conscience, freedom of religion

WASHINGTON—The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. Today's announcement means that this mandate and its very narrow exemption will not change at all; instead there will only be a delay in enforcement against some employers.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The cardinal-designate continued, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable. It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

The HHS rule requires that sterilization and contraception – including controversial abortifacients – be included among “preventive services” coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans. “The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.

At issue, the U.S. bishops and other religious leaders insist, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for the conscience of Catholics and all other Americans.

“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Daughter of Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, voiced disappointment with the decision. Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.

“This was a missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection,” Sister Keehan said.

Cardinal-designate Dolan urged that the HHS mandate be overturned.

“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” he said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

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Conscience, Denied

2012-01-20T12:18:00.017-05:00

In quickly-breaking news of conspicuous timing -- read: with Monday's March for Life in Washington just around the corner -- both the AP and Washington Post are reporting that the Obama administration has turned back calls for a wider conscience exemption, which would've allowed religious groups to opt out of funding contraceptives and sterilization procedures for their employees under the new Federal health-care law.

The decision represents a significant setback for the US bishops, who made a considerable push for a wider loophole from the mandate for birth-control coverage over recent months, citing religious liberty grounds. The church's opposition to the proposed policy garnered support from an unusually broad coalition of Catholic voices, including more progressive factions which had previously clashed with the hierarchy by taking a warmer approach toward the Democratic White House, whose pro-choice stance on legalized abortion has become a flashpoint in the national fold's daily life.

According to the reports, only one concession is being granted to faith-based groups -- an extra year's grace period to adjust their policies into compliance with the new government regulations. In what's likely to become a widespread outcome of the move, however, the president of Notre Dame, Holy Cross Fr John Jenkins, warned late last year that the "impossible position" of meeting the mandate would require Catholic entities to "discontinue our employee and student health care plans in violation of the church's social teaching."

More to come... but for now, lest anyone was expecting a quiet Roe/March weekend in DC, looks like it'll be anything but.

SVILUPPO: At 1pm Eastern, the following statement formally announcing the decision was issued by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

In August 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim final rule that will require most health insurance plans to cover preventive services for women including recommended contraceptive services without charging a co-pay, co-insurance or a deductible. The rule allows certain non-profit religious employers that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraceptive services. Today the department is announcing that the final rule on preventive health services will ensure that women with health insurance coverage will have access to the full range of the Institute of Medicine’s recommended preventive services, including all FDA -approved forms of contraception. Women will not have to forego these services because of expensive co-pays or deductibles, or because an insurance plan doesn’t include contraceptive services. This rule is consistent with the laws in a majority of states which already require contraception coverage in health plans, and includes the exemption in the interim final rule allowing certain religious organizations not to provide contraception coverage. Beginning August 1, 2012, most new and renewed health plans will be required to cover these services without cost sharing for women across the country.
After evaluating comments, we have decided to add an additional element to the final rule. Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law. Employers wishing to take advantage of the additional year must certify that they qualify for the delayed implementation. This additional year will allow these organizations more time and flexibility to adapt to this new rule. We intend to require employers that do not offer coverage of contraceptive services to provide notice to employees, which will also state that contraceptive services are available at sites such as community health centers, public clinics, and hospitals with income-based support. We will continue to work closely with religious groups during this transitional period to discuss their concerns.
Scientists have abundant evidence that birth control has significant health benefits for women and their families, it is documented to significantly reduce health costs, and is the most commonly taken drug in America by young and middle-aged women. This rule will provide women with greater access to contraception by requiring coverage and by prohibiting cost sharing.
This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty. I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services. The administration remains fully committed to its partnerships with faith-based organizations, which promote healthy communities and serve the common good. And this final rule will have no impact on the protections that existing conscience laws and regulations give to health care providers.

According to Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter, President Obama made a morning phone call to the USCCB president, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, to personally deliver advance word of the decision.

A response from the conference is ostensibly in the works.

SVILUPPO: Given both in a statement and a video-message from the body's chief, the USCCB response is posted.

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"The Most Cherished of Freedoms": On Religious Freedom and the Public Square, B16 Talks The States

2012-01-19T06:19:00.009-05:00

As the US' bishops ad limina visit continues, this morning saw the second papal address of the 15-group trip: to the prelates of Region IV, which encompasses the provinces of Baltimore, Washington and the archdiocese for the Military Services.

Breaking from the traditional practice, as part of the gradual curtailing of his schedule in light of his age, B16 will only give five speeches to the USCCB group on its first Roman check-up of the current pontificate. The first of the talks was given to the bishops of Region II (New York) in late November.

On a related note, the dates for the second half of the US visit -- previously up in the air for months given the final scheduling of Benedict's 23-28 March visit to Mexico and Cuba -- are now set. The schedule finally communicated earlier this week, the ad limina will conclude in mid-May with Region XV, the recently-established group encompassing all the eparchs of the various Eastern churches with jurisdictions on these shores.

Next week brings the visit of the South's Region V (Louisville, Mobile, New Orleans), with the Midwest's Regions VI (Detroit and Cincinnati) and VII following suit before Ash Wednesday late next month. The next of Benedict's speeches is expected to be given to the latter -- the bishops of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin -- during their leg, which coincides with the days leading up to the 18 February consistory for the creation of new cardinals.

Here below, the Pope's today text to the mid-Atlantic group... which, in a sign of its significance, was recorded in fullaudio by Vatican Radio.

* * *

Dear Brother Bishops,

I greet all of you with fraternal affection and I pray that this pilgrimage of spiritual renewal and deepened communion will confirm you in faith and commitment to your task as Pastors of the Church in the United States of America. As you know, it is my intention in the course of this year to reflect with you on some of the spiritual and cultural challenges of the new evangelization.

One of the most memorable aspects of my Pastoral Visit to the United States was the opportunity it afforded me to reflect on America’s historical experience of religious freedom, and specifically the relationship between religion and culture. At the heart of every culture, whether perceived or not, is a consensus about the nature of reality and the moral good, and thus about the conditions for human flourishing. In America, that consensus, as enshrined in your nation’s founding documents, was grounded in a worldview shaped not only by faith but a commitment to certain ethical principles deriving from nature and nature’s God. Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such.

For her part, the Church in the United States is called, in season and out of season, to proclaim a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10). To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God. When a culture attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, and to close the doors to transcendent truth, it inevitably becomes impoverished and falls prey, as the late Pope John Paul II so clearly saw, to reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society.

With her long tradition of respect for the right relationship between faith and reason, the Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents which, on the basis of an extreme individualism, seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth. Our tradition does not speak from blind faith, but from a rational perspective which links our commitment to building an authentically just, humane and prosperous society to our ultimate assurance that the cosmos is possessed of an inner logic accessible to human reasoning. The Church’s defense of a moral reasoning based on the natural law is grounded on her conviction that this law is not a threat to our freedom, but rather a "language" which enables us to understand ourselves and the truth of our being, and so to shape a more just and humane world. She thus proposes her moral teaching as a message not of constraint but of liberation, and as the basis for building a secure future.

The Church’s witness, then, is of its nature public: she seeks to convince by proposing rational arguments in the public square. The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues, nor that the State may choose not to engage, or be engaged by, the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation.

In the light of these considerations, it is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion. Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.

Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society. The preparation of committed lay leaders and the presentation of a convincing articulation of the Christian vision of man and society remain a primary task of the Church in your country; as essential components of the new evangelization, these concerns must shape the vision and goals of catechetical programs at every level.

In this regard, I would mention with appreciation your efforts to maintain contacts with Catholics involved in political life and to help them understand their personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith, especially with regard to the great moral issues of our time: respect for God’s gift of life, the protection of human dignity and the promotion of authentic human rights. As the Council noted, and I wished to reiterate during my Pastoral Visit, respect for the just autonomy of the secular sphere must also take into consideration the truth that there is no realm of worldly affairs which can be withdrawn from the Creator and his dominion (cfr. Gaudium et Spes, 36). There can be no doubt that a more consistent witness on the part of America’s Catholics to their deepest convictions would make a major contribution to the renewal of society as a whole.

Dear Brother Bishops, in these brief remarks I have wished to touch upon some of the pressing issues which you face in your service to the Gospel and their significance for the evangelization of American culture. No one who looks at these issues realistically can ignore the genuine difficulties which the Church encounters at the present moment. Yet in faith we can take heart from the growing awareness of the need to preserve a civil order clearly rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, as well as from the promise offered by a new generation of Catholics whose experience and convictions will have a decisive role in renewing the Church’s presence and witness in American society. The hope which these "signs of the times" give us is itself a reason to renew our efforts to mobilize the intellectual and moral resources of the entire Catholic community in the service of the evangelization of American culture and the building of the civilization of love. With great affection I commend all of you, and the flock entrusted to your care, to the prayers of Mary, Mother of Hope, and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.

PHOTO: L'Osservatore Romano

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2012-01-18T04:19:00.004-05:00

As previously noted, gang, greetings from a blessed breather... the first decent down-stretch this scribe has had -- or so it seems -- in a good while. (October, maybe?)

As some have asked, everything's fine. It's just pretty rare to get a quiet spell like this between cycles, so best to take the time while it's here. This point next month, of course, things'll be rather wild... and that's just the top line of it.

Even for the stillness, there are some things taking shape for down the line, but no need to get too far ahead of 'em. In the meanwhile, hope you're keeping warm, safe and happy these days, and your New Year's off to a blessed and beautiful start.

As ever, more to come... well, once the news dictates.

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Call and Answer

2012-01-12T19:02:00.003-05:00

Due to the unusually curtailed liturgical calendar to close out Christmas -- i.e. Epiphany and Baptism of the Lord on consecutive days -- the Stateside church's customary opening duo of annual themed weeks are happening concurrently as opposed to back-to-back.

As previously noted, the first of these is National Migration Week, which invariably trails Epiphany to evoke the traveling Magi. Yet the other -- by no means less important -- is Vocations Awareness Week, always launched from the Baptism feast to underscore how, whatever it might be, one's "project of God" in life is the full fruit of the baptismal call in each of us.

At first glance, of course, these initially break down into states of life. Yet even they don't come close to fleshing out the richness of the tapestry of calls, works, and ways to serve... because, well, there are as many of those as the number of us, and Lord knows how many of them remain to be discovered or reach their fullest potential for the good and life of the whole.

So along those lines -- in the hope of affirming the calls already found, and maybe even nudging along one or two still to come to the fore -- here's a favorite piece written for this week from the "Best of" collection....

For what it's worth, hope it helps.

* * *

“Friends, again I ask you, what about today? What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you? The hope which never disappoints is Jesus Christ. The saints show us the selfless love of his way. As disciples of Christ, their extraordinary journeys unfolded within the community of hope, which is the Church. It is from within the Church that you too will find the courage and support to walk the way of the Lord.

Nourished by personal prayer, prompted in silence, shaped by the Church’s liturgy you will discover the particular vocation God has for you. Embrace it with joy. You are Christ’s disciples today. Shine his light upon this great city and beyond. Show the world the reason for the hope that resonates within you. Tell others about the truth that sets you free.”

--Pope Benedict XVI
Greeting to Young People
St Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie
New York
19 April 2008

As some might know, this is National Vocation Awareness Week. And hopefully it isn't news to anyone, but this is of universal importance to all of us as every single one of you has a vocation.

Now, don't panic: this doesn't mean you're to drop everything and make for the nearest seminary or convent. If that's what you're feeling called to do, though, then go for it(!), thanks for your "yes"(!) and know you've got all our prayers and support!

For somewhere around 99% of this Church, however, our vocation lies elsewhere. These tend to be categorized but, in reality, that's only the beginning; indeed, the easy part.

Truth be told, there are as many wildly diverse, desperately needed vocations out there as there are the number of us -- and whatever form it might take, what you (yes, YOU!) are called to do, the gift you've got to share, is something no one else can bring to life as well or as fully as you can.

And, thing is, much as some might not realize it, think it too crazy or needless or (worst of all) try and fight these movements of the Spirit, try as you might, the call is in you -- and it's there for a reason.

Whatever it might be, the signs are universal: it's what makes you burn, brings you joy, makes life good, gets you up in the morning (sometimes keeps you awake in the night, too) and -- even with the knowledge that it'll never be fully perfect nor without its sufferings, burdens and trials -- you really can't see yourself doing any other thing with your days and giving it everything you've got.

In a nutshell, your call is that one thing above the rest which makes you happy and gives life to you and others. You'll know it simply by finding it and knowing you can't be anywhere else -- and in some cases, even now, even if you don't think you know or have found it, somewhere down deep inside, it's already there and maybe just needs a little extra figuring out.

Many of us have been blessed to find this "project of God" in our lives, summon up the courage to try and -- warts, limitations, sins and all -- start down the path. Something seems to say, though, that just as many of us either haven't found it or, for one reason or another, are holding back from it.

For those of the latter bunch, a simple word of advice from one who's been there: whatever the call is, whatever's keeping you from moving with it, don't be afraid -- just do it, because you never know what'll happen until you let it fly... and in case you could use an example of what can come to pass when you do, well, you're reading this right now, aren't you?

So, friends, "what about today? What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you?"

As with every other good thing, only in the silence can we truly hear and know its answer, and only then can we begin to move closer to the place we each belong.

"What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you?" And if you've already heard it, well, what're you gonna do about it?

Even for those of us well-set along our paths, our seeking and listening days are never really behind us. So in that light, once the latest round of chaos is all sorted out -- and because, once it's found, every vocation needs its nourishment and renewal -- these pages are going quiet for a few, that the daily feed of what's doing elsewhere doesn't distract this scribe from hearing the most important Whispers of all. In a wild time, so it seems, that's all the more necessary.

God love you lot forever... and in a special way this week, wherever we might find ourselves along the road, Happy Listening.

* * *

In making good on the gifts of the promise, the trust, the one Spirit in many forms who's been given to us, we’ll carve as many trails as there are the number of us here.

Specifics aside, though, one last tip for the road… OK, two: friends, always be happy and always say ‘yes.’

In every age of the journey, joy is the sign of the Spirit, of realizing God’s will for us. This is especially true when the picture might look bleak or things seem challenging, because not even the bleakest outlook nor the most uphill of hurdles is ever greater than the power of God, and the power of His people working together.

And lastly, never forget that none of us got here alone – we are, all of us, the fruit of people who said “yes” to God, “yes” to His work, and “yes” to us. That “yes” opens the doors to life, to every good thing, and never more when it leads us down a path we wouldn’t have expected. So, gang, never be afraid, always enjoy the ride, and just like those who got us here, you will bear amazing fruit.

Fellow pilgrims, Church of God, it’s a blessing to share this vineyard with you. I know you’ll love and serve in it well always, and I pray that as you journey on, you’ll have all the fun and every blessing there is in the world.

Enough talking – Lord knows there's too much to do out there, so at long last, let’s get to it.

Lectio Magistralis
Aquinas Institute of Theology
St Louis
7 May 2010

PHOTO: AAP

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On Philly Schools, The Fallout Continues

2012-01-12T05:50:00.024-05:00

Picking up another of last week's rippling threads, emotions are still running high across the Philadelphia church in the wake of Friday's announcement (video) that 48 Catholic elementary and high schools had been slated for closure or consolidation in June.

Stacking out at a loss of four of 17 high schools and 44 elementaries of a current 156 should the plan be fully implemented, the recommendations of the archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission have sparked vigils in city streets and rallies on suburban athletic-fields, as pastors report feeling the fury of "lynch mob" parishioners, administrators discern appealing their fate, students walk out in protest, and all of it still tops the news in the nation's fourth-largest TV market.

The 68,000-student system's enrollment down 35 percent within the last decade -- now standing at just 28 percent of its early 1960s peak of 271,000 -- much as last week's move would make for the most sweeping overhaul of Catholic education in the history of the American church by far, it's merely the biggest shake-up of an apparatus that had already shed close to 40 additional schools over the last several years in annual increments. Among the previously-closed venues were two city high schools which had each borne the distinction of being the global church's largest secondary institution in their respective primes, and Southwest Philadelphia's vaunted Most Blessed Sacrament, whose student body of nearly 4,000 through the postwar years comprised the world's largest Catholic elementary school. (Barely a century after its founding, MBS parish would likewise shut its doors in 2008, with all of 80 people left.)

In other words, what's come to pass isn't merely the day of reckoning for any venerable, old-guard education system, but the very one which had been the Catholic world's most prolific engine of the work through most of the 20th century.

With at least 1,500 teachers set to be affected by the Blue Ribbon proposals, either by moving to a new school or losing their jobs, pastors and administrators of impacted entities were given their first in-depth briefing on the mechanics of their mergers at a Tuesday meeting that, unsurprisingly, is said to have turned heated at points. At the same time, the details of an appeal process were rolled out, reflecting the concerted intent of Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. that an opportunity for reviewing the 16-member commission's recommendations be provided should the group have erred on "issues of fact."

The appeal window having come as a seeming surprise to archdiocesan officials, any requests for reconsideration are expected to be taken up quickly, with final decisions tipped to emerge by mid-February.

Having closed all of two schools over his 15 years as archbishop of Denver -- where he spent a prior decade as a parish priest and Capuchin provincial -- Chaput inherited the Blue Ribbon panel and its mandate on his arrival last September.

Much as the numerous dimensions of the story have echoed widely across broadcast and newsprint, coverage and reaction have been dominated by what's likely the most surprising proposed casualty of the list: a complete shuttering of the two-in-one operation of Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast High School, which occupy separate single-sex buildings on a campus in Drexel Hill, just outside the city's western edge, but have shared an administration since 2007.

As a result of their recent merger at the top, Bonner and "Prendie" are now counted as one entity by the archdiocese, and the overwhelming expectation going into the Blue Ribbon report had been that the twinned schools would be consolidated into a single, co-ed unit in one of the buildings.

Their property first utilized as an orphanage in the 1920s, the schools' roots date to the 1950s-era flight of white Catholics from the city's western neighborhoods. Yet while images of grief-stricken kids and emotional gatherings have been splayed across front pages and the airwaves since Friday, the duo's combined current enrollment stands at around 950 students -- a drop of more than half in the last decade, and an 86 percent plunge from a peak student-body just shy of 7,000 in the early 1960s. In making its recommendation for total closure, the Blue Ribbon report additionally cited the $900,000 annual maintenance costs of the plant, the most expensive upkeep of any archdiocesan school.

Amid a sudden deluge of support from their alumni and the wider community, Bonner-Prendie administrators were said to be "moving toward" making an appeal as of mid-week.

Notably, with the proposed closures of the Drexel Hill outpost and its next closest counterpart, the city's century-old West Catholic -- the alma mater of, among others, New York's legendary John Cardinal O'Connor -- in one fell swoop, Catholic secondary education would vanish from a 12-mile (by driving, half-hour) stretch across the congested hub of the city and its inner-ring suburbs, where the sum total of the closings have exacted their biggest bite.

* * *

The final bell for 30 percent of its schools makes for just the first major blow of what promises be a historically challenging and dramatic 18 months for a local church long seen as American Catholicism's "last great china shop."

In the coming weeks, final decisions are expected on the fates of the 21 priests placed on administrative leave in the wake of last February's grand jury report, marking the end of a yearlong "second review" into allegations of misconduct or boundary violations previously lodged against them. Despite the claims, the men had remained in ministry until the civil inquest's explosive aftermath, when their mass suspension on Mardi Gras made for the largest single removal of American clerics from ministry in the quarter-century history of the nation's clergy sex-abuse scandals.

Then, in March, the criminal trial of three other suspended or laicized priests accused of abuse in the late 1990s is slated to begin, alongside the day in court of Msgr William Lynn, the former clergy-personnel chief whose indictment by the grand jury made him the first US church official to be charged with a cover-up.

Their cases compiled into a single proceeding, the trial is expected to last around three months amid an intense media atmosphere. As of last count, seven civil lawsuits related to the archdiocese's handling of abuse reports are likewise pending. And from there, warnings of a significant, albeit unspecified outbreak of "budget discipline" have already started to swirl in Chancery circles in advance of the next diocesan fiscal year, which begins on July 1st.

Along the way, the historic Cardinal's Residence (above) -- placed on the market by its latest occupant at the New Year -- is likely to be sold and vacated for its new owner. And even as the new archbishop was preparing to address the school closings, the next major plank of reorganization was quietly rolled into gear last week as a video from Chaput on parish planning was sent to pastors and began circulating on the internet.

Its preparations begun in late 2010, while the parish study is only now beginning in earnest, common estimates anticipate that upwards of 60 of the 266 churches serving the five-county fold could be closed or merged by the realignment's targeted completion in mid-2013. At present, some two-thirds of the parishes are said to be in some form of financial hardship. In the process, statistics reported by the Blue Ribbon commission have indicated a 55 percent drop in Catholic marriages witnessed locally between 1985 and 2010, and a nearly 40 percent tumble in baptisms over the same period.

According to earlier indications from the archdiocese's planning arm, given the decline in the number of active clerics due to deaths and retirements, the current parish structure -- its last major tinkering in the early 2000s -- would be limited to one priest each, regardless of a community's size, by later this decade. To meet the 1.2 million-member local church's current needs in the future, three times the number of today's seminarians would reportedly be required.

All around, the "perfect storm" of the months to come will result in a drastic reshaping of ecclesial life in these parts... then again, this crowd already knew that.

SVILUPPO: In Thursday's edition of his weekly web-column, Chaput focused on the report's fallout, noting that while the intensity of reaction was to be expected, "No family can run on nostalgia and red ink."

The system's needed reconfiguration "can’t be done without suffering, and nobody wants to be the cause of other good people’s pain," the archbishop wrote.

"But the work needs to be done. It can’t be delayed."

Meanwhile, as late chatter reports plans for a "human chain" to surround the cathedral and chancery to protest the closings tomorrow afternoon, one exurban priest from a religious community is attempting a novel approach to short-circuit the commission's recommendation to fold his school: declaring that the call is tantamount to "taking away [his] canonical rights" as pastor, and asserting that "the ultimate decision regarding recommended closures and consolidation continues to rest with" him, not the archdiocese.

On a related note, the first meetings to consider appeals were held earlier today.

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Live from TO, At Last: The Cardinal

2012-01-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

Returning to our coverage of Red Dawn 2012, as a foretaste of a post in process, here's fullvid of the Elevation Day presser given by the head of Canada's largest local church, now Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins of Toronto:

Again, more to come... but at long, blessed last, let it be said: Thank You, Lord.

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2012-01-11T05:36:00.006-05:00

So, folks, suffice it to say that last Friday's Double-Bomb has proven itself a bit tougher to bounce back from than expected -- at least, if the shop's going to keep up to snuff....

Then again, when the least notable major stories in a 48-hour period are Rome's appointment of the next head of a roiled, million-member diocese and an American bishop's unprecedented admission to having fathered children, perhaps that's bound to be the case.

The needed catch-up sleep now blessedly in the can, everything's up and running again. Yet as the product doesn't exactly come out of thin air, you'll find it when it's good to go, with the quality you've hopefully come to expect from these pages over time.

For now, all thanks for your patience, prayers, encouragement, support and every good thing. And soon enough, as ever, here goes nothin'....

Again.

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Quote of the Day

2012-01-10T22:11:00.001-05:00

“We... wish to let those of you who lack proper authorization to live and work in our country know that you are not alone, or forgotten. We recognize that every human being, authorized or not, is an image of God and therefore possesses infinite value and dignity. We open our arms and hearts to you, and we receive you as members of our Catholic family. As pastors, we direct these words to you from the depths of our heart.

In a very special way we want to thank you for the Christian values you manifest to us with your lives—your sacrifice for the well-being of your families, your determination and perseverance, your joy of life, your profound faith and fidelity despite your insecurity and many difficulties. You contribute much to the welfare of our nation in the economic, cultural and spiritual arenas....

In your suffering faces we see the true face of Jesus Christ. We are well aware of the great sacrifice you make for your families’ well-being. Many of you perform the most difficult jobs and receive miserable salaries and no health insurance or social security. Despite your contributions to the well-being of our country, instead of receiving our thanks, you are often treated as criminals because you have violated current immigration laws.

We are also very aware of the pain suffered by those families who have experienced the deportation of one of their members. We are conscious of the frustration of youth and young adults who have grown up in this country and whose dreams are shattered because they lack legal immigration status. We also know of the anxiety of those whose application process for permanent residency is close to completion and of the anguish of those who live daily under the threat of deportation. This situation cries out to God for a worthy and humane solution.

We acknowledge that, at times, actions taken in regard to immigrants have made you feel ignored or abandoned, especially when no objection is raised to the false impressions that are promoted within our society. Through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops we have testified before the U.S. Congress for change in our immigration laws and for legislation that respects family unity and provides an orderly and reasonable process for unauthorized persons to attain citizenship. The new law should include a program for worker visas that respects the immigrants’ human rights, provides for their basic needs and ensures that they enter our country and work in a safe and orderly manner. We will also continue to advocate on behalf of global economic justice, so that our brothers and sisters can find employment opportunities in their countries of origin that offer a living wage, and allow them to live with dignity.

Immigrants are a revitalizing force for our country. The lack of a just, humane and effective reform of immigration laws negatively affects the common good of the entire United States.

It pains and saddens us that many of our Catholic brothers and sisters have not supported our petitions for changes in the immigration law that will protect your basic rights while you contribute your hard work to our country. We promise to keep working to bring about this change. We know how difficult the journey is to reach the border and to enter the United States. That is why we are committed to do all that we can to bring about a change in the immigration law, so that you can enter and remain here legally and not feel compelled to undertake a dangerous journey in order to support and provide for your families. As pastors concerned for your welfare, we ask you to consider seriously whether it is advisable to undertake the journey here until after just and humane changes occur in our immigration laws.

Nevertheless, we are not going to wait until the law changes to welcome you who are already here into our churches, for as St. Paul tells us, “You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors; you are fellow-citizens with the holy people of God and part of God’s household” (Eph 2:19)....

We see Jesus the pilgrim in you migrants. The Word of God migrated from heaven to earth in order to become man and save humanity. Jesus emigrated with Mary and Joseph to Egypt, as a refugee. He migrated from Galilee to Jerusalem for the sacrifice of the cross, and finally he emigrated from death to life in the resurrection and ascension to heaven. Today, he continues to journey and accompany all migrants on pilgrimage throughout the world in search of food, work, dignity, security and opportunities for the welfare of their families.

You reveal to us the supreme reality of life: we are all migrants. Your migration gives a strong and clear message that we are migrants on the way to eternal life. Jesus accompanies all Christians on our journey toward the house of our Father, God’s Kingdom in heaven.

We urge you not to despair. Keep faith in Jesus the migrant who continues to walk beside you. Have faith in Our Lady of Guadalupe who constantly repeats to us the words she spoke to St. Juan Diego, “Am I, who am your mother, not here?” She never abandons us, nor does St. Joseph who protects us as he did the Holy Family during their emigration to Egypt.

As pastors we want to continue to do advocacy for all immigrants. With St. Paul we say to you: “Do not be mastered by evil; but master evil with good.” (Rm 12:21).”

* * *

Led by B16's key appointees to Los Ángeles and San Antonio, a month since the US' 33 Hispanic bishops issued the above-quoted landmark letter to the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants and the church at large, these post-Epiphany days see American Catholicism's annual observance of National Migration Week.

The 2012 Week dedicated to the theme of "Welcoming Christ in the Migrant," this year's national slate of events culminate with a three-day USCCB conference on immigration as a "50-State Issue" beginning tomorrow in Salt Lake City.

Complete with its own papal message, meanwhile, the global church holds its World Day for Migrants and Refugees for the 98th time this coming Sunday, the universal focus this year on "Migration and the New Evangelization."

PHOTO: Getty

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On Baptism

2012-01-09T16:22:00.001-05:00

“What happens in Baptism? What do we hope for from Baptism? You have given a response on the threshold of this Chapel: We hope for eternal life for our children. This is the purpose of Baptism. But how can it be obtained? How can Baptism offer eternal life? What is eternal life?

In simpler words, we might say: we hope for a good life, the true life, for these children of ours; and also for happiness in a future that is still unknown. We are unable to guarantee this gift for the entire span of the unknown future, so we turn to the Lord to obtain this gift from him.

We can give two replies to the question, "How will this happen?". This is the first one: through Baptism each child is inserted into a gathering of friends who never abandon him in life or in death because these companions are God's family, which in itself bears the promise of eternity.

This group of friends, this family of God, into which the child is now admitted, will always accompany him, even on days of suffering and in life's dark nights; it will give him consolation, comfort and light.

This companionship, this family, will give him words of eternal life, words of light in response to the great challenges of life, and will point out to him the right path to take. This group will also offer the child consolation and comfort, and God's love when death is at hand, in the dark valley of death. It will give him friendship, it will give him life. And these totally trustworthy companions will never disappear.

No one of us knows what will happen on our planet, on our European Continent, in the next 50, 60 or 70 years. But we can be sure of one thing: God's family will always be present and those who belong to this family will never be alone. They will always be able to fall back on the steadfast friendship of the One who is life.

And, thus, we have arrived at the second answer. This family of God, this gathering of friends is eternal, because it is communion with the One who conquered death and holds in his hand the keys of life. Belonging to this circle, to God's family, means being in communion with Christ, who is life and gives eternal love beyond death.

And if we can say that love and truth are sources of life, are life itself -- and a life without love is not life -- we can say that this companionship with the One who is truly life, with the One who is the Sacrament of life, will respond to your expectation, to your hope....”

--Pope Benedict XVI
Homily on the Baptism of the Lord
Sistine Chapel
8 Janaury 2006

...and five years later, that off-the-cuff reflection's still a winner.

Even if the die-hards among us keep the decorations up straight through to Candlemas, with today's feast, the Christmas season draws to its liturgical close. But as Baptism always marks a beginning, we'll hear more about its echoes over the course of the week to come.

In the meanwhile, buona festa to one and all.

PHOTO: Getty

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"We Must Not Lose Heart": Economic Crisis Tops Pope's "State of the World"

2012-01-09T09:12:00.001-05:00

Keeping with longtime custom, the Vatican's "work-year" began earlier today with the Pope's New Year greeting to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See -- a talk whose highlighting of geopolitical concerns and bright-spots has earned it the informal title of the "State of the World" speech.

Echoing both his World Day of Peace message and his pre-Christmas address to the Roman Curia, Benedict XVI focused a considerable part of his remarks on young people -- in this case, how the effects of global uncertainty and tumult are felt by the young, and the role of education as a key tool for a more peaceful and ethical future.

The Holy See currently maintains bilateral relations with 179 countries.

Here, the Vatican's English translation of the speech (emphases original), which is always delivered in the traditional diplomatic language, French.

* * *

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is always a particular pleasure for me to receive you, the distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, in the splendid setting of this Sala Regia, and personally to offer you my cordial good wishes for the New Year. Before all else, I thank your Dean, Ambassador Alejandro Valladares Lanza, and the Vice-Dean, Ambassador Jean-Claude Michel, for the respectful sentiments which they expressed on your behalf, and I offer a special greeting to all those taking part in our meeting for the first time. Through you my good wishes extend to all the nations which you represent and with which the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations. It is a joy for us that Malaysia joined this community in the past year. The dialogue which you maintain with the Holy See favours the exchange of views and information, as well as cooperation in areas of common interest which are bilateral or multilateral in nature. Your presence today evokes the important contribution which the Church makes to your societies in areas such as education, health care and social services. A sign of the cooperation existing between the Catholic Church and States is seen in the Accords reached in 2011 with Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Mozambique. The first has already been ratified; I trust that this will also be the case with the two others, and that those currently under negotiation will soon be concluded. The Holy See also desires to establish a fruitful dialogue with international and regional organizations, and in this context I note with satisfaction that the member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have accepted the appointment of an Apostolic Nuncio accredited to that organization. Nor can I fail to mention that last December the Holy See strengthened its longstanding cooperation with the International Organization for Migration by becoming a full member. This is a sign of the commitment of the Holy See and the Catholic Church, alongside the international community, in the search for suitable solutions to this phenomenon which presents a number of aspects ranging from the safeguarding of the dignity of persons to concern for the common good of both the communities which receive them and those from which they come.

In the course of the year just ended, I personally met many Heads of State and Government, as well as the distinguished representatives of your nations who took part in the ceremony of the Beatification of my beloved predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Representatives of your countries were also graciously present for the celebrations marking the sixtieth anniversary of my priestly ordination. To all of them, and to those whom I met during my Apostolic Journeys to Croatia, San Marino, Spain, Germany and Benin, I renew my gratitude for the kindness which they showed me. My thoughts also turn in a special way to the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean which in 2011 celebrated the bicentenary of their independence. On 12 December last, they emphasized their bond with the Catholic Church and with the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles by taking part, alongside distinguished representatives of the ecclesial community and institutional authorities, in the solemn celebration held in Saint Peter’s Basilica, during which I announced my intention to visit Mexico and Cuba in the near future. Finally, I wish to greet South Sudan, which last July became a sovereign state. I am happy that this was achieved peacefully. Sadly, tensions and clashes have ensued in recent months, and I express my hope that all may unite their efforts to enable the people of Sudan and South Sudan to experience at last a period of peace, freedom and development.

Your Excellencies,

Today’s meeting traditionally takes place at the end of the Christmas season, during which the Church celebrates the coming of the Saviour. He comes in the dark of night and so his presence is immediately a source of light and joy (cf. Lk 2:9-10). Truly the world is gloomy wherever it is not brightened by God’s light! Truly the world is dark wherever men and women no longer acknowledge their bond with the Creator and thereby endanger their relation to other creatures and to creation itself. The present moment is sadly marked by a profound disquiet and the various crises – economic, political and social – are a dramatic expression of this.

Here I cannot fail to address before all else the grave and disturbing developments of the global economic and financial crisis. The crisis has not only affected families and businesses in the more economically advanced countries where it originated, creating a situation in which many people, especially the young, have felt disoriented and frustrated in their aspirations for a serene future, but it has also had a profound impact on the life of developing countries. We must not lose heart, but instead resolutely rediscover our way through new forms of commitment. The crisis can and must be an incentive to reflect on human existence and on the importance of its ethical dimension, even before we consider the mechanisms governing economic life: not only in an effort to stem private losses or to shore up national economies, but to give ourselves new rules which ensure that all can lead a dignified life and develop their abilities for the benefit of the community as a whole.

I would like next to point out that the effects of the present moment of uncertainty are felt particularly by the young. Their disquiet has given rise in recent months to agitation which has affected various regions, at times severely. I think first and foremost of North Africa and the Middle East, where young people, among others, who are suffering from poverty and unemployment and are fearful of an uncertain future, have launched what has developed into a vast movement calling for reforms and a more active share in political and social life. At present it is hard to make a definitive assessment of recent events and to understand fully their consequences for the stability of the region. Initial optimism has yielded to an acknowledgment of the difficulties of this moment of transition and change, and it seems evident to me that the best way to move forward is through the recognition of the inalienable dignity of each human person and of his or her fundamental rights. Respect for the person must be at the centre of institutions and laws; it must lead to the end of all violence and forestall the risk that due concern for popular demands and the need for social solidarity turn into mere means for maintaining or seizing power. I invite the international community to dialogue with the actors in the current processes, in a way respectful of peoples and in the realization that the building of stable and reconciled societies, opposed to every form of unjust discrimination, particularly religious discrimination, represents a much vaster horizon than that of short-term electoral gains. I am deeply concerned for the people of those countries where hostilities and acts of violence continue, particularly Syria, where I pray for a rapid end to the bloodshed and the beginning of a fruitful dialogue between the political forces, encouraged by the presence of independent observers. In the Holy Land, where tensions between Palestinians and Israelis affect the stability of the entire Middle East, it is necessary that the leaders of these two peoples adopt courageous and farsighted decisions in favour of peace. I was pleased to learn that, following an initiative of the Kingdom of Jordan, dialogue has been resumed; I express my hope that it will be maintained, and that it will lead to a lasting peace which guarantees the right of the two peoples to dwell in security in sovereign states and within secure and internationally recognized borders. For its part, the international community must become more creative in developing initiatives which promote this peace process and are respectful of the rights of both parties. I am also following closely the developments in Iraq, and I deplore the attacks that have recently caused so much loss of life; I encourage the nation’s leaders to advance firmly on the path to full national reconciliation.

Blessed John Paul II stated that "the path of peace is at the same time the path of the young",¹ inasmuch as young people embody "the youth of the nations and societies, the youth of every family and of all humanity".² Young people thus impel us to take seriously their demand for truth, justice and peace. For this reason, I chose them as the subject of my annual World Day of Peace Message, entitled Educating Young People in Justice and Peace. Education is a crucial theme for every generation, for it determines the healthy development of each person and the future of all society. It thus represents a task of primary importance in this difficult and demanding time. In addition to a clear goal, that of leading young people to a full knowledge of reality and thus of truth, education needs settings. Among these, pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman. This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself. The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and States; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue. It is in the family that we become open to the world and to life and, as I pointed out during my visit to Croatia, "openness to life is a sign of openness to the future".³ In this context of openness to life, I note with satisfaction the recent sentence of the Court of Justice of the European Union forbidding patenting processes relative to human embryonic stem cells, as well as the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemning prenatal selection on the basis of sex.

More generally, and with particular reference to the West, I am convinced that legislative measures which not only permit but at times even promote abortion for reasons of convenience or for questionable medical motives compromise the education of young people and, as a result, the future of humanity.

Continuing our reflection, a similarly essential role in the development of the person is played by educational institutions: these are the first instances which cooperate with the family and they can hardly function properly unless they share the same goals as the family. There is a need to implement educational policies which ensure that schooling is available to everyone and which, in addition to promoting the cognitive development of the individual, show concern for a balanced personal growth, including openness to the Transcendent. The Catholic Church has always been particularly active in the field of education and schooling, making a valued contribution alongside that of state institutions. It is my hope that this contribution will be acknowledged and prized also by the legislation of the various nations.

In this perspective. it is clear that an effective educational programme also calls for respect for religious freedom. This freedom has individual, collective and institutional dimensions. We are speaking of the first of human rights, for it expresses the most fundamental reality of the person. All too often, for various reasons, this right remains limited or is flouted. I cannot raise this subject without first paying tribute to the memory of the Pakistani Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, whose untiring battle for the rights of minorities ended in his tragic death. Sadly, we are not speaking of an isolated case. In many countries Christians are deprived of fundamental rights and sidelined from public life; in other countries they endure violent attacks against their churches and their homes. At times they are forced to leave the countries they have helped to build because of persistent tensions and policies which frequently relegate them to being second-class spectators of national life. In other parts of the world, we see policies aimed at marginalizing the role of religion in the life of society, as if it were a cause of intolerance rather than a valued contribution to education in respect for human dignity, justice and peace. In the past year religiously motivated terrorism has also reaped numerous victims, especially in Asia and in Africa; for this reason, as I stated in Assisi, religious leaders need to repeat firmly and forcefully that "this is not the true nature of religion. It is the antithesis of religion and contributes to its destruction".⁴ Religion cannot be employed as a pretext for setting aside the rules of justice and of law for the sake of the intended "good". In this context I am proud to recall, as I did in my native country, that the Christian vision of man was the true inspiration for the framers of Germany’s Basic Law, as indeed it was for the founders of a united Europe. I would also like to bring up several encouraging signs in the area of religious freedom. I am referring to the legislative amendment whereby the public juridical personality of religious minorities was recognized in Georgia; I think too of the sentence of the European Court of Human Rights upholding the presence of the crucifix in Italian schoolrooms. It is also appropriate for me to make particular mention of Italy at the conclusion of the 150^th anniversary of her political unification. Relations between the Holy See and Italy experienced moments of difficulty following the unification. In the course of time, however, concord and the mutual desire for cooperation, each within its proper domain, prevailed for the promotion of the common good. I hope that Italy will continue to foster a stable relationship between Church and State, and thus serve as an example to which other nations can look with respect and interest.

On the continent of Africa, to which I returned during my recent visit to Benin, it is essential that cooperation between Christian communities and Governments favour progress along the path of justice, peace and reconciliation, where respect is shown for members of all ethnic groups and all religions. It is painful to realize that in different countries of the continent this goal remains distant. I think in particular of the renewed outbreak of violence in Nigeria, as we saw from the attacks against several churches during the Christmas period, the aftermath of the civil war in Côte d’Ivoire, the continuing instability in the Great Lakes region and the humanitarian emergency in the countries of the Horn of Africa. I once again appeal to the international community to make every effort to find a solution to the crisis which has gone on for years in Somalia.

Finally I would stress that education, correctly understood, cannot fail to foster respect for creation. We cannot disregard the grave natural calamities which in 2011 affected various regions of South-East Asia, or ecological disasters like that of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development. For this reason, I hope that, pursuant to the XVII session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change recently concluded in Durban, the international community will prepare for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development ("Rio + 20") as an authentic "family of nations" and thus with a great sense of solidarity and responsibility towards present and future generations.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The birth of the Prince of Peace teaches us that life does not end in a void, that its destiny is not decay but eternal life. Christ came so that we might have life and have it in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10). "Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well".⁵ Inspired by the certainty of faith, the Holy See continues to offer its proper contribution to the international community in accordance with the twofold desire clearly enunciated by the Second Vatican Council, whose fiftieth anniversary takes place this year: to proclaim the lofty grandeur of our human calling and the presence within us of a divine seed, and to offer humanity sincere cooperation in building a sense of universal fraternity corresponding to this calling.⁶ In this spirit I renew to all of you, and to your families and your staff, my most cordial good wishes for the New Year. Thank you for your attention.

PHOTO: Reuters

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And One More Thing....

2012-01-06T21:56:00.008-05:00

On second thought, the "last word" below isn't the right way to close out this wild, volatile, yet infinitely moving and memorable day here in the shop.

In life, see, you've gotta finish what you started. And just as this Red Dawn opened with a certain intro, well, we can't forget its bookend... its message perhaps eerily fitting to our time, even half a century later:

Lest anyone doesn't grasp the full context, Stephen Fermoyle was the archbishop of Baltimore.

Much as those might be the end credits, the curtain is only coming up on a memorable month to come.

For all of it, gang, as always, stay tuned... at least, we can hope.

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2012-01-06T20:36:00.003-05:00

Seven years at this, gang... and for what it's worth, this felt like the most intense day of the entire experience.

If there's a way of summing it up quickly, though, it'd seem that -- as tends to happen in the history of the Stateside church -- the twin threads of this Friday run through 452 Madison: as our time's archbishop of New York was called to the Papal "Senate," the alma mater of his last titanic predecessor would be slated to shut its doors for good.

As ever, irony of ironies. Still, it could well be argued that -- even at his considerable peak -- not even the Mighty John O'Connor could've pulled off a booking to announce his own news on the couch of the Today Show... and in a cassock, no less.

Lord knows there's more, so we'll pick up tomorrow, whenever this scribe wakes up. For now, thanks as ever for coming along for the ride; Happy Weekend and goodnight.

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Grand Master... Eminent Hon

2012-01-06T13:50:00.009-05:00

Returning to our coverage of Red Dawn 2012, for only the fourth time in the 223-year history of American Catholicism's Premier See, an archbishop of Baltimore has been called into the Pope's "Senate."

Uniquely, however, this time it's a former Charm City prelate.

Named by Benedict XVI as Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in late August -- notably on the recommendation of his predecessor, the beloved, since-homegone John Cardinal Foley -- on news of his elevation this morning, Cardinal-designate Edwin O'Brien released the following brief statement:

This is an honor I humbly accept and proudly share with the priests and people of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. While this honor may be a reflection of my new position, I believe it is also the result of the great collaboration and zealous faith that I have so consistently experienced in the Church in Baltimore. I am grateful to our Holy Father for his confidence in me and pledge my continued support and fraternal love as I continue to serve this historic Archdiocese and the Church in the Holy Land.

Already in Rome for this morning's ordination of his onetime student at New York's St Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie -- now Archbishop Charlie Brown, the freshly-named apostolic nuncio to Ireland -- O'Brien likewise sent the following letter to his clergy and pastoral staff late this morning:

It is with great joy and humility that I share the news that I have been named to the College of Cardinals by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

Though I recognize this honor is a reflection of my recent appointment, I am confident that it is also a result of our work together to spread the Gospel to God’s people in our beloved Archdiocese of Baltimore. Therefore, I share this honor with you and with all of those with whom I have collaborated these past four-plus years and offer my sincere gratitude for all you have done and continue to do to lift up the Church in Baltimore.

Though my service as Archbishop of the Premier See ended far sooner than I had expected or hoped, I take great pride in what we accomplished together and even greater joy in the certain hope that the Archdiocese is headed for greater things in the future.

News will be provided about the upcoming consistory on February 18, and I pray that many of you and your people will be able to take part in the liturgy and other celebrations that reflect the rich traditions and majesty of our Church.

As I will remain in Rome for our ad limina visit with the Holy Father, I will not return to Baltimore until late this month and thus will be unable to mark this special occasion with you personally at the present time. Please know that each of you will be in my thoughts and prayers in the days and weeks to come and that I share this great honor with the priests, deacons and people of the Archdiocese, with my humble and heartfelt thanks for all you have done for me and for our Church.

Much like his Stateside classmate in the entering group, O'Brien's elevation is, in many ways, the fait accompli of a long, distinguished ministry underpinned by dedication, diligence and savvy.

Having served as priest-secretary to both Cardinals Terence Cooke and John O'Connor, he preceded Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan as rector of the Pontifical North American College, serving in the Rome post from 1989-94. Ordained an auxiliary of his native New York a year after returning from the Hill, O'Brien subsequently spent a decade as the traveling head of the 1.5 million member archdiocese for the Military Services, whose turf encompasses all Catholics in uniform on domestic and foreign installations, and US government employees overseas.

Yet even as four Baltimore archbishops have been given the red hat since the legendary James Gibbons in 1886, Orioles Country already has a voting member in the sitting College: the former archbishop of Denver, now retired as Major Penitentiary, Cardinal James Francis Stafford is a native son of the city, where he became an auxiliary bishop in 1984.

Come late July, however, the gentle, unassuming scholar-prince marks his 80th birthday, signaling the end of his voting privileges in a hypothetical conclave, along with his several key dicastery memberships.

All that said, the house saves its greatest joy and highest happiness in today's news for long, blessed last....

Finally.

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In Philadelphia, "A Challenging Day For All of Us"

2012-01-06T12:03:00.009-05:00

Here in Philadelphia, a very sad, dark, painful day... then again, such is the Paschal mystery that life will come of it.

According to reports in the field, at this morning's closed meeting of pastors and administrators, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Catholic education announced its recommendation to close or merge four high schools and 44 elementary schools -- by far, the most sweeping consolidation of a diocesan schools system ever to take place in the American church.

With 68,000 students today -- the same level it had in 1911 -- the Philadelphia system is currently at less than a quarter of its peak enrollment of the 1950s and '60s. As enrollment's fallen by a third over the last decade, costs have spiked at least 25 percent.

The names of the impacted schools and the commission's report will be publicly released at a 4pm news conference, which will be streamed on the archdiocesan website. After years of piecemeal closings, the Blue Ribbon plan -- over a year in the making -- is intended to create a stable, sustainable framework of Catholic education in the 1.2 million-member church for the next decade.

More to come... in the meanwhile, a letter released this morning from Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. to the stakeholders of Catholic education in the Philadelphia church includes the following passages:

Today is a challenging day for all of us with news of the plan to restructure our schools. This plan requires many of our schools throughout the diocese to partner, regionalize or close in order to fortify and renew Catholic education in our Archdiocese. Please be sure of my understanding and support in what may come as difficult news for your family. I'm very grateful for your commitment to Catholic education, especially as we plan for the future.

As you probably know, important trends are impacying Catholic education in the Archdiocese -- declining baptisms, an increase of charter schools, and the rising cost of education. These factors have led to declining enrollment, resulting in higher tuition costs for fewer families and parishes bearing the financial burden of heavy operating deficits. Decreased enrollment has also forced a reduction of full-time personnel in some parish elementary schools to staff programs such as art, music, library, world languages, honors math, physical education, technology and resource rooms....

The Blue Ribbon Commission has provided a blueprint, not only to stabilize Catholic education in our Archdiocese, but to reinvigorate it. To achieve this, the plan makes some hard but necessary decisions. The Commission has recommended an ambitious restructuring plan designed to improve enrollment, while enhancing educational programs to ensure that the Archdiocese continues to deliver a high-quality Catholic education and faith formation for our area youth in the 21st century....

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is committed to the Catholic faithful and the wider community we serve, and the move to reinvigorate our schools plays a vital role in that process. Please support our efforts to implement this plan, which ensures that affordable, high quality Catholic education will continue.

In a significant gesture intended to show that no one side of the church would be made to sacrifice alone, last week word emerged that Chaput will sell the Cardinal's Residence and its nine-acre grounds on City Line Avenue, which has been his predecessors' home for the last 75 years.

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For Red Dawn, Tim Does "Today"

2012-01-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

Six months after bringing NBC's vaunted morning program to the Vatican, the cardinal-designate of the place Rome sees as the "Capital of the World" got to make an impromptu appearance on the Today Show to announce his "awesome" news:

As one would expect, the Dolan Consistory Conga Line is expected to be Rome's biggest party since the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

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2012-01-06T10:15:00.010-05:00

Good morning from Chaos, and above all, a Happy Red Dawn to you and yours.

More Consistory coverage to come... and Lord knows we haven't even gotten to this River City's impending announcement of major school closings yet.

For now, though -- at the end of what was supposed to be another planned week off that got turned on its head -- just another needed reminder that these pages keep coming your way solely by means of reader support. And now having a very strong wish to make the trip for next month's events, as ever, folks, it's your call....

On a personal note, if nothing else, the button's going up for sentimental reasons today.

Once upon a time -- well before The Blanket Ban was put into place -- a prelate pitched in to lend a helping hand.... And this morning, at long blessed last, he made a far more eminent list. And on a level much deeper than you see here everyday, I just have a really strong desire to head over to honor and give thanks for that friendship. If only those pesky bills didn't get in the way.

Indeed, gang, it's a very moving and meaningful day for the shop, and it's a gift to be able to see all this unfold. At least, the first part -- this Friday's other Big List will just be tough and painful all around, however needed it is.

All thanks as ever for keeping it here and all your goodness, encouragement and support... and now, back to the mines.

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"Pope Benedict Is Putting the Red Hat On the Empire State Building": Now A Cardinal... But Forever Tim

2012-01-06T07:48:00.012-05:00

Freshly released by the New York Chancery, here, the statement of the Big Apple archbishop and USCCB president, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, on this morning's announcement of his elevation to the Papal "Senate":

On this “Twelfth Day of Christmas” the traditional celebration of the Epiphany, I have received a gift from Pope Benedict XVI, as he announced just a couple of hours ago at the end of Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica that I would be among those to become a cardinal in Rome at the consistory of February 18th.

Yes, I am honored, humbled, and grateful, ...but, let’s be frank: this is not about Timothy Dolan; this is an honor from the Holy Father to the Archdiocese of New York, and to all our cherished friends and neighbors who call this great community home.

It’s as if Pope Benedict is putting the red hat on top of the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty, or on home plate at Yankee Stadium; or on the spires of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral or any of our other parish churches; this is the successor of Saint Peter saying to the clergy, sisters, brothers, lay faithful of this archdiocese, and to all of our friends and neighbors of New York: Thank you! Keep up the good work! You are a leader, an inspiration, to the Church and to the world.

Over the Christmas holy days I finished a biography of President Kennedy, and recalled his reply to someone who sincerely congratulated him on the honor of the presidency.

“Thanks,” John Kennedy replied, “but I don’t look at it so much as an honor as a call to higher service.”

My sentiments exactly. This is not about privilege, change of colors, hats, new clothes, places of honor, or a different title. Jesus warned us about all that stuff.

No: this is about an affirmation of love from the Pope to a celebrated archdiocese and community, and a summons to its unworthy archbishop to serve Jesus, His Church universal, His vicar on earth, and His people better.

I’ll try to do that... but I sure need your prayers.

Adding to our sense of joy, is the news that another native New Yorker, my brother bishop and good friend, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, until recently Archbishop of Baltimore and now the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, has also been elevated to the cardinalate. The Cardinal-designate was ordained a priest for this Archdiocese in 1965, and he is still warmly remembered for his service here as a priest, secretary to Cardinals Cooke and O’Connor, Rector of Saint Joseph’s Seminary, and auxiliary bishop.

Thanks so much for your good wishes.

In the Q&A after reading his statement (fullaudio), the cardinal-designate -- who said he received word of his elevation yesterday -- recounted calling his mother to share the news.

Shirley Dolan's reaction, according to her son: "It's about time."

Set to become New York's eighth cardinal-archbishop on his 18 February elevation to the College, Dolan is the second son of his native St Louis ever to receive the red hat.

Well, the non-baseball one.

PHOTO: Chris Sheridan/Catholic New York

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Biglietto, 2012

2012-01-06T06:37:00.007-05:00

Here, in the Vatican's traditional precedence order, Pope Benedict's slate of cardinals-designate to be elevated on 18 February:

Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples;
Manuel Monteiro de Castro, Major Penitentiary of the Roman Church;
Santos Abril y Castelló, archpriest of St Mary Major;
Antonio Maria Veglió, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Refugees;
Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Government of the Vatican City-State;
Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Religious;
Edwin Frederick O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre;
Domenico Calcagno, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See;
Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See;
George Alencherry, Major-Archbishop of Erkugnalam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malybars;
Thomas Christopher Collins, archbishop of Toronto;
Dominik Duka OP, archbishop of Prague;
Willem Jacobus Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht;
Giuseppe Betori, archbishop of Florence;
Timothy Michael Dolan, archbishop of New York;
Rainer Maria Woelki, archbishop of Berlin;
John Tong Hon, bishop of Hong Kong

...and likewise, the designates older than 80 -- and, ergo, unable to enter a conclave --who are given the red hat as an "honorary" gesture:

Lucien Muresan, major archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Julia of the Romanians;
Fr Julien Ries, Belgian historian/anthropologist of religion;
Prosper Grech OSA, Maltese Biblical scholar;
Karl Josef Becker SJ

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At Red Dawn, New York Rises

2012-01-06T06:25:00.005-05:00

Good morning, Your Eminence.

Minutes ago, B16 announced an 18 February consistory for the creation of 22 new cardinals... and in terms of news significance, the biglietto of nominees is indeed capped by the elevation of Timothy Michael Dolan, 61, the archbishop of New York and USCCB president.

Dolan will be one of three North Americans to receive the red hat at the rites, alongside Cardinals-designate Edwin O'Brien, 72, the former archbishop of Baltimore and now grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, and Thomas Collins of Toronto, who turns 65 next week.

Here, the group of cardinals-designate in full.

SVILUPPO: Likening the honor to "Pope Benedict putting the red hat on top of the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty, or on home plate at Yankee Stadium," Dolan's full statement on his elevation has hit the wires.

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"Receive the Red Biretta...."

2012-01-06T04:00:00.001-05:00

To kick off this Red Dawn morning, the traditional papal exhortation on the conferral of the Red Hat....

"To the praise of God, and the honor of the Apostolic See
receive the red biretta, the sign of the cardinal's dignity;
and know that you must be willing to conduct yourselves with fortitude
even to the shedding of your blood:
for the growth of the Christian faith,
the peace and tranquility of the People of God,
and the freedom and spread of the Holy Roman Church."

And with that, gang, away we go....

As previously noted, B16's announcement of his fourth intake to the papal "Senate" is slated take place at the Roman Noon Angelus, 6am Eastern.

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Approaching Red Dawn

2012-01-05T18:27:00.005-05:00

Not even 14 months since the last consistory for the creation of new cardinals, it's apparently that time again....

According to multiple Italian reports -- and, indeed, an unusual silence from the usual suspects -- the Pope will announce a fresh biglietto of red hats at the noontime (6am Eastern) Angelus on tomorrow's Epiphany. The fourth consistory of B16's pontificate is reportedly slated for 18-19 February, the last weekend before the start of Lent.

By that time, the College of Cardinals will be 13 clerics short of the maximum 120 members under age 80 who may participate in a conclave.

On grounds of age alone, another 11 seats in the electoral group come open over the remainder of this year, with 10 more slots turning over during 2013.

As always, stay tuned.

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In Neumann's Philadelphia, Today... and Tomorrow

2012-01-05T18:16:00.007-05:00

“We ask ourselves today: what is the meaning of this extraordinary event, the meaning of this canonization? It is the celebration of holiness. And what is holiness? It is human perfection, human love raised up to its highest level in Christ, in God.

At the time of John Neumann, America represented new values and new hopes. Bishop Neumann saw these in their relationship to the ultimate, supreme possession to which humanity is destined. With Saint Paul he could testify that “all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3, 22). And with Augustine he knew that our hearts are restless, until they rest in the Lord.

His love for people was authentic brotherly love. It was real charity: missionary and pastoral charity. It meant that he gave himself to others. Like Jesus the Good Shepherd, he lay down his life for the sheep, for Christ’s flock: to provide for their needs, to lead them to salvation. And today, with the Evangelist, we solemnly proclaim: “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Io. 15, 13).

John Neumann’s pastoral zeal was manifested in many ways. Through faithful and persevering service, he brought to completion the generosity of his initial act of missionary dedication. He helped children to satisfy their need for truth, their need for Christian doctrine, for the teaching of Jesus in their lives. He did this both by catechetical instruction and by promoting, with relentless energy, the Catholic school system in the United States. And we still remember the words of our late Apostolic Delegate in Washington, the beloved Cardinal Amleto Cicognani: “You Americans”, he said, “possess two great treasures: the Catholic school and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Guard them like the apple of your eye” (Cfr. Epistola 2 iunii 1963).

And who can fail to admire all the loving concern that John Neumann showed for God’s people, through his priestly ministry and his pastoral visitations as a Bishop? He deeply loved the Sacramental of Reconciliation: and like a worthy son of Saint Alphonsus he transmitted the pardon and the healing power of the Redeemer into the lives of innumerable sons and daughters of the Church.

He was close to the sick; he was at home with the poor; he was a friend to sinners. And today he is the honor of all immigrants -- and from the viewpoint of the Beatitudes, the symbol of Christian success.

John Neumann bore the image of Christ. He experienced, in his innermost being, the need to proclaim by word and example the wisdom and power of God, and to preach the crucified Christ. And in the Passion of the Lord he found strength and the inspiration of his ministry: Passio Christi conforta me! [Passion of Christ, comfort me!]

The Eucharistic Sacrifice was the center of his life, and constituted for him what the Second Vatican Council would later call “the source and summit of all evangelization.” With great effectiveness, through the Forty Hours Devotion he helped his parishes become communities of faith and service.

But to accomplish his task, love was necessary. And love meant giving; love meant effort; love meant sacrifice. And in his sacrifice, Bishop Neumann’s service was complete. He led his people along the paths of holiness. He was indeed an effective witness, in his generation, to God’s love for his Church and the world.

There are many who have lived and are still living the divine command of generous love. For love still means giving oneself for others, because Love has come down to humanity; and from humanity love goes back to its divine source! How many men and women make this plan of God the program of their lives! Our praise goes to the clergy, religious and Catholic laity of America who, in following the Gospel, live according to this plan of sacrifice and service. Saint John Neumann is a true example for all of us in this regard.

It is not enough to acquire the good things of the earth, for these can even be dangerous, if they stop or impede our love from rising to its source and reaching its goal. Let us always remember that the greatest and the first commandment is this: “You shall love the Lord your God” (Matth. 22, 36).

True humanism in Christianity. True Christianity -- we repeat -- is the sacrifice of self for others, because of Christ, because of God. It is shown by signs; it is manifested in deeds. Christianity is sensitive to the suffering and oppression and sorrow of others, to poverty, to all human needs, the first of which is truth.

Our ceremony today is indeed the celebration of holiness. At the same time, it is a prophetic anticipation -- for the Church, for the United States, for the world -- of a renewal in love: love for God, love for neighbor.

And in this vital charity, beloved sons and daughters, let us go forward together, to build up a real civilization of love.

Saint John Neumann, by the living power of your example and by the intercession of your prayers, help us today and forever!”

--Pope Paul VI
Homily at the Canonization of John Nepoumecene Neumann, C.SS.R
Rome
19 June 1977

Or, as the most recent successor of America's lone bishop-saint summed it up on this feast, "John Neumann was a missionary first. Everything else was second. You and I are called to exactly the same vocation. Let’s begin that work today."

* * *

Normally, today's feast would be a happy moment in the city Neumann left behind. This year, however, a cloud of anxiety and sadness hangs over the place.

A hundred fifty years ago this spring, Philadelphia's fourth bishop arrived from Baltimore to begin a tenure that would be short in years, but whose legacy endures into the present, above all in the system of Catholic education whose groundwork he laid.

It's something of a bitter irony, then, that on the morning after Neumann's feast, the schools whose building he began will pause early in the day for a moment of silence.

Thirteen months in the making, at that moment -- 10am tomorrow -- the Blue Ribbon Commission tasked with crafting a more secure and sustainable model for Catholic education in Philadelphia will present its recommendations at a private meeting of pastors and principals. The group's report is to be made public at a 4pm news conference.

On this night before, little doubt remains that the panel is set to propose the most sweeping single closing and consolidation of schools ever undertaken by an American diocese, with every credible estimate citing some 40 to 50 schools, including several high schools, likely to shut their doors for good this June. (For purposes of context, the present record for a one-off move of the sort belongs to the 27 schools closed or merged last year by the archdiocese of New York.)

For a local church where the Third Plenary Council's mandate of parish-based education was, itself, an article of faith, becoming the backbone of what would evolve into a network of "institutions of religion, education, and charity" unparalleled anywhere in the Catholic world, there is no overestimating how hard the news is going to hit. Hit it must, though, if Neumann's mission is going to have its best chance of survival in a very different age.

Indeed, tomorrow's going to be a very rough one 'round here. As no shortage of things remain in the air for now, more once a clearer picture begins to emerge.

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In SoCal, Seismic Shock: Cirilo, Up... Gabino, Out

2012-01-04T06:23:00.031-05:00

Resolving at long last a process that's been afoot since 2007, at Roman Noon the Pope named Auxiliary Bishop Cirilo Flores of Orange, 63, as coadjutor of San Diego, the nation's eighth-largest city, now home to over a million Catholics.

A graduate of Stanford Law, Flores (above) becomes heir apparent to Bishop Robert Brom, 73, whose tenure has become mired in the fallout of the San Diego church's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy birthed by a tide of sex-abuse suits.

The litigation enabled by California's 2003 "window" law, which suspended the civil statute of limitations for a year, in September 2007 the diocese settled its 144 cases for $198 million. Not long after, credible reports indicated that the search for a coadjutor to Brom had begun. Over the years since, however, several prelates were said to have declined the appointment, ostensibly given the challenges of the diocese's post-bankruptcy landscape. (In a fresh spate of bad news, meanwhile, a San Diego priest was arrested yesterday on suspicion of having sexually assaulted a 20 year-old woman late last week.)

Ordained a priest at 43 for the Orange church after a decade in private practice, Flores spent 18 years in parish work before his 2009 appointment as auxiliary to Bishop Tod Brown. Said to be a cheerful, happily low-profile figure, the San Diego nominee heads toward the Mexican border as his native diocese prepares its takeover of Crystal Cathedral following Orange's $57.5 million November purchase of the landmark Protestant temple to serve as its new seat, and while speculation swirls over the future of the 1.3 million-member fold following Brown's 75th birthday six weeks ago.

With Flores set to become the first Hispanic bishop named to lead the San Diego church since its spin-off from the LA archdiocese in 1936, it is especially notable that, upon his ascent, the heads of five of the six dioceses in California's Southern (ecclesiastical) province will be of Latino roots.

With over 9 million Catholics between them, Los Angeles and its suffragans comprise the largest of the American church's 33 metropolitan regions.

According to late word from San Diego and Orange both, Flores' Mass of Welcome will take place on Monday, 13 February, at a location yet to be announced. Regardless of rites, however, the appointment is effective immediately.

With the California bishops on their annual retreat this week, the customary Appointment Day presser for the new coadjutor isn't slated to be held in San Diego until Friday.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a surprise move, B16 has accepted the early resignation of LA Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, who turned 60 last September.

While rumors of unspecified Roman concerns over Zavala have circulated for some time, and have intensified over recent months, Catholic News Service reported this morning via Twitter that the bishop submitted his resignation after he confessed to having fathered two children.

In a letter to the Los Angeles church released early this morning, Archbishop José Gomez wrote that the auxiliary "informed [him] in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state."

Since sending his resignation to Benedict shortly thereafter, Zavala "has not been in ministry and will be living privately," the archbishop said. Gomez added that the LA church has offered to assist the teens with "spiritual outreach" as well as their college costs.

While the Irish church was rocked by the 1992 revelation of a son fathered by Bishop Eamon Casey of Galway from a relationship two decades earlier with an American divorceé, and the sitting Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo likewise admitted conceiving a child during his decade as a bishop, today's disclosure is believed to be without precedent on the part of a US prelate.

Named by Blessed John Paul II at age 43 to assist Cardinal Roger Mahony in the nation's largest diocese, the Mexican-born Zavala -- until now the senior auxiliary of the 5 million-member LA fold -- had been in the final year of his term as Chair of Communications for the US bishops.

The longtime bishop-president of the Stateside branch of Pax Christi, he previously made national headlines for advocating a more progressive stance on church teaching in the public square during the 2008 elections, and with a high-profile speech that lambasted "blogs" that "engage in attacks and hurtful, judgmental language... assume the role of Magisterium and judge others in the church" during the 2010 Catholic Press Convention in New Orleans.

Reacting to the news, all one longtime friend of Zavala's among the Angeleno crowd could say was, "I'm numb."

Here below, the fulltext of Gomez's letter detailing the situation, sent this morning to the LA church's clergy and staff:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I have some sad and difficult information to share with you. Bishop Gabino Zavala, auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, informed me in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state.

Bishop Zavala also told me that he submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome, which was accepted. Since that time, he has not been in ministry and will be living privately.

The Archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs. The family's identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy.

Let us pray for all those impacted by this situation and for each other as we reflect on this letter.

May the Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, grant you peace.

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles

PHOTOS: Ana Venegas/Orange County Register(1); Pax Christi USA (2)

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"To Be Joyful and Happy Catholics": From the "Chair," The Ordinary Speaks

2012-01-02T16:47:00.010-05:00

As plans came together for today's press conference (above) marking Rome's launch of the US' Anglican Ordinariate, the question came up as to whether Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (foreground), both as the ranking prelate slated to be present and Latin-church bishop of the Chair of St Peter's Houston home-base, would "preside" at the event.

"No," a source replied. "Jeff Steenson will preside -- the focus is on him now."

In that light, here below is today's first public statement from the former Episcopal bishop turned married Catholic priest, now the Vatican-tapped head of the Stateside -- and, apparently, Canadian -- arm for the integration of Anglicanorum coetibus:

On behalf of so many pilgrims of Catholic unity who have looked forward to this day, I wish to thank His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, for this priceless gift, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter under the patronage of Our Lady of Walsingham. I pray that we who will come into full communion through this Ordinariate will bring the Holy Father much joy through our love and faithful service to the Catholic Church. To His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl and His Excellencies Kevin Vann of Fort Worth and Robert McManus of Worcester: thank you for laying this good foundation for the Ordinariate. To His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo -- thank you for your generous hospitality in providing for our principal church and a place in the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary’s Seminary for the formation of our future clergy. And, personally, to His Excellency, Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, who brought me into the Church and ordained me: my wife and I love you dearly. You all represent so many people who have worked so hard to bring the Holy Father’s vision to reality!

I ask for your prayers for me and for those who will become members of the Ordinariate. There is so much to learn, and it is a steep learning curve. Be patient with us as we embark on this journey. Pray that we may strive to learn the faith, laws, and culture of the Catholic Church with humility and good cheer. But pray too that we do not forget who we are and where we have come from, for we have been formed in the beautiful and noble Anglican tradition. The Holy Father has asked us to bring this patrimony with us: “to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared” [Anglicanorum coetibus 3]. Here is one thing I earnestly desire to share with you from the outset: Anglican spirituality has always emphasized the need to be gentlemanly in all of our relationships. May you see in us always the virtue of courtesy!

The parishes and communities of the Ordinariate have been called, not to live in relative isolation, but to be fully engaged in the life of the local diocese; not to be assimilated, but to be integrated into the rich life of the Catholic Church. This Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter must be, above all else, an effective instrument for evangelization. But Jesus taught us that the unity of Christian people is the essential condition for evangelization (John 17:21). So this must be our hallmark: to build bridges, to be an instrument of peace and reconciliation, to be a sign of what Christian unity might look like. And gaudete in Domino semper (Philippians 4:4) to be joyful and happy Catholics!

The establishment of the Personal Ordinariate is an historic moment in the history of the Church. For perhaps the first time since the Reformation in the 16th century, a corporate structure has been given to assist those who in conscience seek to return to the fold of St. Peter and his successors. But I would like to go back a little further, to the end of the 6th century, to see that this is not such a new thing. Pope Gregory the Great writes to St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, recently arrived from Rome, to urge him always to be a gracious and patient pastor in the way he gathers his flock. Anglicans love to read these letters, preserved in the Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, for they are a great witness to how the Church gathers her people from many different cultures and lands.

The decree which this day establishes the Ordinariate begins with these words: “The supreme law of the Church is the salvation of souls. As such, throughout its history, the Church has always found the pastoral and juridical means to care for the good of the people.” In what Pope Benedict has given us today, I hear the voice of Pope Gregory the Great: “For things are not to be loved for the sake of places, but places for the sake of good things” (1.27). What a beautiful testimony to all that Catholic Christianity is!

As previously noted both in the story's first word, a liturgical "installation" for Steenson and launch of the Ordinariate is planned for Sunday, 19 February, at 3pm, in Houston's recently-opened Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

According to early word, the rite being planned is to center around an Anglican Use Mass. With rumors abounding in the Italian press of a possible consistory for the creation of new cardinals that weekend, however, the timing could end up proving tricky.

As ever, we'll see what happens.

PHOTO: Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

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On Day One, The Ordinariate Spreads North

2012-01-01T16:37:00.005-05:00

While the Vatican's announcement of the launch of the US' Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter takes top line today, a key sidebar of the news has freshly presented itself.

Over recent weeks, reports from Canada have hinted that the country's number of Anglican entrants "do not warrant" the establishment of a separate national jurisdiction.

Accordingly, while a letter from Bishop Douglas Crosby of Hamilton obtained by Whispers heralds the Ontario diocese's reception today of a "small group" of former Anglicans into full Catholic communion, the text goes on to indicate that, "in due time," the received group will "become part of the Personal Ordinariate that is being erected in the United States."

In other words, it seems the community of the Chair won't end at the 49th Parallel. To be sure, though, any extension of the Ordinariate's boundaries beyond the canonical territory of the US bishops (as stated in the CDF's founding decree) would require the provision of the Holy See.

Even at present, the continental reach wouldn't be unique -- some of the more recently-founded Eastern church eparchies which encompass the entire US likewise include the small groups of their faithful living in Canada.

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Upon This "Rock," An Ordinariate Is Born

2012-01-01T09:27:00.038-05:00

Twenty-six months since Anglicanorum coetibus laid the groundwork for groups of Anglicans to cross the Tiber whilst maintaining elements of their liturgical, spiritual, theological and canonical patrimony, the top-shelf papal project has taken a sizable leap this New Year's morning, with as the establishment of the venture's Stateside jurisdiction by the Holy See.

In an unprecedented Sunday announcement -- a significant sign of Rome's degree of seriousness about the effort -- the Vatican's press bulletin gave official word of the erection of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter, encompassing the territory of the United States. The national quasi-diocese for the entering groups is the second of its kind, following England's Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which was launched a year ago this month.

Fr Jeffrey Steenson, 59, the former Episcopal bishop of Rio Grande ordained a priest of the archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2009, has been named the founding Ordinary. A married father of three and Oxford-trained patristics scholar who's been serving until now as a professor at Houston's St Mary's Seminary and University of St Thomas, Steenson's appointment is effective immediately.

Last June, it emerged that Steenson had been tasked with preparing and overseeing the rapid formation program for American Anglican clergy entering the Ordinariate, to be based at St Mary's. From 2005-07, the married father of three served as head of the Episcopal church's most sprawling diocese, covering New Mexico and Southwest Texas.

Dated today, the CDF decree establishing the structure has already been released. A press conference to mark the launch will be held tomorrow (2 January) at Houston's Our Lady of Walsingham church (top), which will be the "principal church" -- essentially the cathedral -- of the new entity.

The nation's second-oldest Anglican Use community, the Norman-style church was dedicated in 2003, built by its members a decade after their reception into the Catholic fold. Begun with a dozen pilgrims, the parish now numbers more than 300 families.

The designation of a principal church for the US Anglicanorum branch already places the project ahead of its English counterpart. Despite having a year's start, the UK Ordinariate is still awaiting the release of a church to serve as its hub.

Alongside its sacramental seat (interior, above), the Stateside Ordinariate's offices are also to be in Houston, at least initially on the Walsingham parish campus.

According to the body's official website, Fr Scott Hurd -- another onetime Episcopal priest who has been assisting on the Anglicanorum launch for the US bishops -- will serve the venture's first three years as Steenson's deputy or "Canon to the Ordinary," employing the traditional Episcopal church term for what Catholics would know as a vicar-general. Hurd will reportedly remain based in Washington, for whose archdiocese he was ordained.

While a Lone Star base for the start-up has been expected for some time given Texas' unparalleled concentration of Anglican Use communities -- including the nation's first Anglicanorum group, received last September in Fort Worth -- the choice is significant in the US church at-large as, for the first time, a high-profile national entity chartered by the Holy See will have its seat in the booming South as opposed to the traditional Northeast corridor. (Within the last half-decade, Catholics eclipsed Evangelicals to become Texas' largest religious group.)

Even as Steenson (below left, in once-and-future vesture) will be able to exercise the full authority of a bishop among his nationwide flock, the Anglicanorum provisions and Catholic theology preclude the elevation of a married cleric to the episcopacy. As Ordinary -- that is, head of an ecclesial organ "juridically equivalent to a diocese" -- he will regardless have full membership in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In addition, any former Anglican bishops ordained to the Catholic priesthood may use the use "the insignia of the episcopal office" after seeking Rome's permission -- which, according to one credible report, Steenson has already received -- and are entitled to sit in the episcopal conference with the status of a retired prelate.

To date, one other prior Episcopal hierarch, the now-former Bishop John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida, was also ordained a Catholic priest in 2009. The 61 year-old cleric serves in the diocese of St Petersburg.

Likely to include at least a thousand faithful shortly after its launch, the US Ordinariate has a key ace at the start unique among its global counterparts: the national network of Anglican Use parishes and clergy (most of them married), which may leave their dioceses and enter the new community with the consent of their current bishop. By contrast, the first three priests incardinated into the English structure -- the former Church of England's former "flying bishops" for Anglo-Catholics -- were ordained on the day of Walsingham's establishment by Rome.

At the November Meeting of the US bishops, the CDF delegate on the plan's American rollout, Washington's Cardinal Donald Wuerl, reported that 35 departing Anglican clergy had, by that time, received the nulla osta -- the Roman clearance to enter priestly formation -- and could proceed to the required background checks and psychological exams. Some 100 clergy have petitioned for entrance in the first wave, and responses from the Vatican have been coming at a consistent clip over the last several months.

Accordingly, in the Ordinariate's first major event, the approved candidates for orders will reportedly meet in late January at the Houston seminary to learn the specifics of their training, which could see them ordained within six to nine months.

Thought to have been "biding their time" until an official start to the venture, an even larger second flank of clergy and laity are tipped to begin the journey only now that the Ordinariate has become a concrete reality.

In the meanwhile, this month is likewise tipped to bring the formal reception of at least one more community -- Baltimore's Mount Calvary Episcopal church, which voted to join the Ordinariate in October 2010.

Like their nearby fellow-travelers at Washington's St Luke's church -- who, with their once and future priest, were received by Wuerl in October (above) -- in a rarity, the 50-member Baltimore parish is said to be likely to retain its property and buildings.

A major ceremony to liturgically commemorate the Ordinariate's start is being eyed to take place sometime in February. As Houston's Walsingham only fits around 300 people, the planned Anglican Use Mass marking the venture's beginning is likely to be transferred to the see city's new, 1,800-seat Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

SVILUPPO: Having forged the path to today's launch over the last 15 months as the CDF's delegate for the Stateside implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus, Wuerl has released the following statement:

It is with great joy that I welcome the establishment of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, and the announcement that Reverend Jeffrey N. Steenson, DPhil, has been appointed its first Ordinary.

Today’s events are the fulfillment of the hopes of many Anglicans in the United States who have longed and prayed for reconciliation with the Catholic Church while retaining cherished elements of the Anglican patrimony.

The establishment of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is the culmination of careful preparation and much consultation with Vatican officials and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I am especially grateful for the generous assistance and fraternal welcome that many local bishops have extended to those Anglican clergy and groups seeking to join the Ordinariate.

As the former Episcopal Bishop of the Rio Grande, Father Steenson brings to the position of Ordinary great pastoral and administrative experience, along with his gifts as a theologian. Under his leadership, and through the intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter will both flourish and be a rich blessing to the Catholic Church in the United States.

At the same time, a word of "enthusiastic welcome" for Ordinariate and Ordinary alike has come from the pioneering head of the Chair's English precursor, Msgr Keith Newton of the Walsingham group.

SVILUPPO 2: Amid recent reports that the number of Canadian entrants "do not warrant" an Ordinariate of the North's own, a letter today from one of the country's leading bishops indicates that Anglican groups received in Canada will, "in due time," become part of the American Ordinariate.

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To New Beginnings

2012-01-01T00:01:00.012-05:00

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night....”

* * *

As another year of the unknown begins, to one and all here, may you and yours experience every one of its blessings, all good health, prosperity and happiness... and if and when things get tough, may we have the grace to hold on and know hope, remembering that it never fails.

Hopefully you're getting to enjoy your own cherished traditions for the calendar's start. Of course, we've got ours 'round here in spades, too, albeit not 'til the morning.

So with every good wish from our Street to yours, away we go:

And, for good measure, the annual Wenches Duel at daybreak:

Buon Anno a tutti -- Happy New Year, gang!

SVILUPPO: Lest we forget, for the 45th time, this 1 January brings the global church's observance of the World Day of Peace, 2012's papal theme dedicated to "Educating Young People in Justice and Peace."

Ergo, in fitting fashion for the day, let the old prayer go up... and may we each do our part to bring its vision closer to reality in the year ahead:

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In Philadelphia, The Shake-Up Begins at Home -- Chaput To Sell Archbishop’s Residence

2011-12-30T14:22:00.011-05:00

In the most concrete sign yet of his plans to thoroughly reshape the beleaguered church he’s inherited, Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. is giving up the mansion at the city’s edge which his predecessors have called home for the last 75 years.

Less than four months after taking the reins of the 1.2 million-member Northeastern “supertanker,” Chaput reportedly decided to seek a buyer for the historic, 12,600 square-foot Cardinal's Residence and its 8.9-acre grounds over recent weeks, according to archdiocesan sources. No official announcement of the move is expected to be made.

Seen by many locals as the quintessential symbol of the “complacency and pride” that have long marked the city’s ecclesial culture, the property's placement on the market is said to have received “strong support” both from Chaput's Finance Council and Council of Priests, who were consulted on the move over the last six weeks. As the value of a successful deal is almost certain to exceed the canonical threshold for a bishop’s alienation of diocesan property on his own initiative (currently $7.5 million for larger US dioceses), a transfer of ownership would require the approval of the Holy See.

Home to the city's top prelate since 1935, when Cardinal Dennis Dougherty purchased it for $215,000, it is unclear where the current occupants of 5700 City Avenue -- the Capuchin prelate, a duo of priest-aides and the two Sisters of Mercy of Alma who staff the household -- would relocate on the completion of a sale.

During his 14 years as archbishop of Denver, Chaput lived alone in a cozy, Mission-style rancher on the campus that housed his seminary and the diocesan offices. Before Dougherty’s move to the antebellum house on Philadelphia's border with suburban Montgomery County, a half-century of the city’s archbishops were based at what's now the Rectory of the Cathedral-Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Race Street, in the heart of the urban hub. The archdiocese’s four active auxiliaries live in former rectories or convents that had been vacant in their respective geographic regions.

While the adjacent St Joseph’s University has sought for decades to expand across Cardinal Avenue by acquiring the residence parcel -- even placing a standing offer for the property in the mid-2000s -- an open bidding process is expected to be held. Despite having spent $92.5 million in 2005 to buy and adapt a 38-acre parcel across the street, the Jesuit-run school is still considered the most likely party to make the winning offer for its neighboring diocesan plot. That result would echo the most prominent house-sale by an American hierarch in recent years: Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s $172 million, three-part deal with Boston College for the famed Brighton Chancery compound, whose 65 acres served as the nerve center of the New England archdiocese for over a century.

On at least one account, the timing of Chaput’s first major Philly move is notable: a week from today (6 January), the archbishop will receive the recommendations of a year-long Blue Ribbon Commission studying the future of Catholic education in his new charge, which is likely to propose the most significant closing and consolidation of schools undertaken to date by an American diocese. In addition, a strategic planning effort to gauge the viability of the archdiocese's parish configuration was recently begun, and is expected to see the closing or merger of a sizable chunk of the 267 churches at the process' conclusion in the first half of 2013.

Once upon a time, meanwhile, in an age now past, New Year’s Day would bring the residence’s grandest function hosted by its buyer, at which attendees would be briefed on the state of the archdiocese.

Seven decades later, the message of 2012 is already shaping up to be starkly different: the reality of a Philadelphia Catholicism far removed from the booming empire of which Dougherty would annually boast.

According to one official appraised of the plans, the ninth archbishop “wants a simpler, more frugal and more zealous spirit in the church, and he's willing to begin witnessing it at the top.”

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2011-12-29T21:23:00.013-05:00

So, gang, this week was supposed to be quiet....

Suffice it to say, though, the news intervened.

As experience goes, that's pretty much par for the course, but the downtime Fire Sale can pick up again next week.

For now, be prepared for not just one, but two significant briefs set to drop tomorrow. In the meanwhile -- especially as these are the kind of things you won't be able to find anywhere else (at least until it's too late)... and not just as the house's Year-End Bills are rather daunting, to boot -- the reminder's in order that these pages keep coming your way solely by means of their readership's support.

Ergo, as you're able to help the shop stay afloat, don't forget the guitar case....

Not to put too fine a point on it or anything but, church, it's either this or the lights get turned off.

As ever, every little bit helps. All thanks in advance... and, yet again, here goes nothin'.

Back to cracking away. But to those among us leaving early for another long weekend, all the gifts, joys and blessings of the New Year to you and yours. And in keeping with the age-old custom of this fold, albeit a day early, let the traditional song of thanks for the year now passing ring out:

To one and all, God love you and yours and bless you with every good thing in the New Year and always. And as these pages head into Year Eight, as they say, here goes another one... and hopefully, thanks to you, even more still.

For all of it, as always, stay tuned.

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And Now, The Fun Part....

2011-12-28T10:35:00.000-05:00

Just to be clear: much as that shot is indeed from the neighborhood, it is not the Home Office....

Still, we're not terribly off by much.

Again, gang, hope you and yours are still having a beautiful, joyous and Merry Christmas, with all its blessings, peace and good stuff.

As downtime seems to be on a Fire Sale these days -- things already blipping the wires, all set to go up in the very first days (even hours) of 2012 -- this scribe is taking a very needed breather while it's still possible and, admittedly, finally hitting the wall from this most intense of years.

So it seems, that was bound to happen sometime. Good thing it didn't wait 'til next week.

On a quick side-note, it was somewhat disconcerting to see "Goodbye Christmas" -- the technological equivalent of tossing out the tree? -- trending on Twitter in the last hours of the 25th.... Because, well, how can you say "goodbye" to something that just arrived?

Moral of the Story: we've gotta do a better job of living the Octaves as what they are -- namely, The Day X 8. In the meanwhile, with the functions and formalities now behind, simply being able to bask in the Bambino's sweetest stocking-stuffers -- the best of family and friends, good food and a bit more sleep than usual -- makes for the happiest part of this time of year, and hope you're getting to experience much of the same wherever you're at.

Lastly, one big reason why most of us look to and love these days as we do are the traditions they bring. And along those lines, the gear-up's already well underway for the happiest of 'em all....

And as there's at least one person out there who's been waiting to see these guys, release the wenches:

Church, what a year. And as that Gate begins to swing open again, here's to the best and brightest of everything in the next one.

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"O Emmanuel... Come to Save Us!"

2011-12-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

URBI ET ORBI GREEETING OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
ST PETER'S BASILICA
NATIVITY OF THE LORD
25 DECEMBER 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world!

Christ is born for us! Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to the men and women whom he loves. May all people hear an echo of the message of Bethlehem which the Catholic Church repeats in every continent, beyond the confines of every nation, language and culture. The Son of the Virgin Mary is born for everyone; he is the Saviour of all.

This is how Christ is invoked in an ancient liturgical antiphon: "O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver, hope and salvation of the peoples: come to save us, O Lord our God". Veni ad salvandum nos! Come to save us! This is the cry raised by men and women in every age, who sense that by themselves they cannot prevail over difficulties and dangers. They need to put their hands in a greater and stronger hand, a hand which reaches out to them from on high. Dear brothers and sisters, this hand is Christ, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary. He is the hand that God extends to humanity, to draw us out of the mire of sin and to set us firmly on rock, the secure rock of his Truth and his Love (cf. Ps 40:2).

This is the meaning of the Child’s name, the name which, by God’s will, Mary and Joseph gave him: he is named Jesus, which means "Saviour" (cf. Mt 1:21; Lk 1:31). He was sent by God the Father to save us above all from the evil deeply rooted in man and in history: the evil of separation from God, the prideful presumption of being self-sufficient, of trying to compete with God and to take his place, to decide what is good and evil, to be the master of life and death (cf. Gen 3:1-7). This is the great evil, the great sin, from which we human beings cannot save ourselves unless we rely on God’s help, unless we cry out to him: "Veni ad salvandum nos! – Come to save us!"

The very fact that we cry to heaven in this way already sets us aright; it makes us true to ourselves: we are in fact those who cried out to God and were saved (cf. Esth [LXX] 10:3ff.). God is the Saviour; we are those who are in peril. He is the physician; we are the infirm. To realize this is the first step towards salvation, towards emerging from the maze in which we have been locked by our pride. To lift our eyes to heaven, to stretch out our hands and call for help is our means of escape, provided that there is Someone who hears us and can come to our assistance.

Jesus Christ is the proof that God has heard our cry. And not only this! God’s love for us is so strong that he cannot remain aloof; he comes out of himself to enter into our midst and to share fully in our human condition (cf. Ex 3:7-12). The answer to our cry which God gave in Jesus infinitely transcends our expectations, achieving a solidarity which cannot be human alone, but divine. Only the God who is love, and the love which is God, could choose to save us in this way, which is certainly the lengthiest way, yet the way which respects the truth about him and about us: the way of reconciliation, dialogue and cooperation.

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, on this Christmas 2011, let us then turn to the Child of Bethlehem, to the Son of the Virgin Mary, and say: "Come to save us!" Let us repeat these words in spiritual union with the many people who experience particularly difficult situations; let us speak out for those who have no voice.

Together let us ask God’s help for the peoples of the Horn of Africa, who suffer from hunger and food shortages, aggravated at times by a persistent state of insecurity. May the international community not fail to offer assistance to the many displaced persons coming from that region and whose dignity has been sorely tried.

May the Lord grant comfort to the peoples of South-East Asia, particularly Thailand and the Philippines, who are still enduring grave hardships as a result of the recent floods.

May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the earth with blood. May the Prince of Peace grant peace and stability to that Land where he chose to come into the world, and encourage the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. May he bring an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed. May he foster full reconciliation and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. May he grant renewed vigour to all elements of society in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East as they strive to advance the common good.

May the birth of the Saviour support the prospects of dialogue and cooperation in Myanmar, in the pursuit of shared solutions. May the Nativity of the Redeemer ensure political stability to the countries of the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and assist the people of South Sudan in their commitment to safeguarding the rights of all citizens.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us turn our gaze anew to the grotto of Bethlehem. The Child whom we contemplate is our salvation! He has brought to the world a universal message of reconciliation and peace. Let us open our hearts to him; let us receive him into our lives. Once more let us say to him, with joy and confidence: "Veni ad salvandum nos!"

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"He Has Appeared"

2011-12-24T17:18:00.002-05:00

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
MASS OF CHRISTMAS NIGHT
ST PETER'S BASILICA
24 DECEMBER 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to Titus that we have just heard begins solemnly with the word “apparuit”, which then comes back again in the reading at the Dawn Mass: apparuit – “there has appeared”. This is a programmatic word, by which the Church seeks to express synthetically the essence of Christmas. Formerly, people had spoken of God and formed human images of him in all sorts of different ways. God himself had spoken in many and various ways to mankind (cf. Heb 1:1 – Mass during the Day). But now something new has happened: he has appeared. He has revealed himself. He has emerged from the inaccessible light in which he dwells. He himself has come into our midst. This was the great joy of Christmas for the early Church: God has appeared. No longer is he merely an idea, no longer do we have to form a picture of him on the basis of mere words. He has “appeared”. But now we ask: how has he appeared? Who is he in reality? The reading at the Dawn Mass goes on to say: “the kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed” (Tit 3:4). For the people of pre-Christian times, whose response to the terrors and contradictions of the world was to fear that God himself might not be good either, that he too might well be cruel and arbitrary, this was a real “epiphany”, the great light that has appeared to us: God is pure goodness. Today too, people who are no longer able to recognize God through faith are asking whether the ultimate power that underpins and sustains the world is truly good, or whether evil is just as powerful and primordial as the good and the beautiful which we encounter in radiant moments in our world. “The kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed”: this is the new, consoling certainty that is granted to us at Christmas.

In all three Christmas Masses, the liturgy quotes a passage from the Prophet Isaiah, which describes the epiphany that took place at Christmas in greater detail: “A child is born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace. Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end” (Is 9:5f.). Whether the prophet had a particular child in mind, born during his own period of history, we do not know. But it seems impossible. This is the only text in the Old Testament in which it is said of a child, of a human being: his name will be Mighty-God, Eternal-Father. We are presented with a vision that extends far beyond the historical moment into the mysterious, into the future. A child, in all its weakness, is Mighty God. A child, in all its neediness and dependence, is Eternal Father. And his peace “has no end”. The prophet had previously described the child as “a great light” and had said of the peace he would usher in that the rod of the oppressor, the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood would be burned (Is 9:1, 3-4).

God has appeared – as a child. It is in this guise that he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace. At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks, we cry out to the Lord: O mighty God, you have appeared as a child and you have revealed yourself to us as the One who loves us, the One through whom love will triumph. And you have shown us that we must be peacemakers with you. We love your childish estate, your powerlessness, but we suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: manifest your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph in this world of ours.

Christmas is an epiphany – the appearing of God and of his great light in a child that is born for us. Born in a stable in Bethlehem, not in the palaces of kings. In 1223, when Saint Francis of Assisi celebrated Christmas in Greccio with an ox and an ass and a manger full of hay, a new dimension of the mystery of Christmas came to light. Saint Francis of Assisi called Christmas “the feast of feasts” – above all other feasts – and he celebrated it with “unutterable devotion” (2 Celano 199; Fonti Francescane, 787). He kissed images of the Christ-child with great devotion and he stammered tender words such as children say, so Thomas of Celano tells us (ibid.). For the early Church, the feast of feasts was Easter: in the Resurrection Christ had flung open the doors of death and in so doing had radically changed the world: he had made a place for man in God himself. Now, Francis neither changed nor intended to change this objective order of precedence among the feasts, the inner structure of the faith centred on the Paschal Mystery. And yet through him and the character of his faith, something new took place: Francis discovered Jesus’ humanity in an entirely new depth. This human existence of God became most visible to him at the moment when God’s Son, born of the Virgin Mary, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The Resurrection presupposes the Incarnation. For God’s Son to take the form of a child, a truly human child, made a profound impression on the heart of the Saint of Assisi, transforming faith into love. “The kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed” – this phrase of Saint Paul now acquired an entirely new depth. In the child born in the stable at Bethlehem, we can as it were touch and caress God. And so the liturgical year acquired a second focus in a feast that is above all a feast of the heart.

This has nothing to do with sentimentality. It is right here, in this new experience of the reality of Jesus’ humanity that the great mystery of faith is revealed. Francis loved the child Jesus, because for him it was in this childish estate that God’s humility shone forth. God became poor. His Son was born in the poverty of the stable. In the child Jesus, God made himself dependent, in need of human love, he put himself in the position of asking for human love – our love. Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God’s humility, which in turn calls us to humility and simplicity. Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light.

Francis arranged for Mass to be celebrated on the manger that stood between the ox and the ass (cf. 1 Celano 85; Fonti 469). Later, an altar was built over this manger, so that where animals had once fed on hay, men could now receive the flesh of the spotless lamb Jesus Christ, for the salvation of soul and body, as Thomas of Celano tells us (cf. 1 Celano 87; Fonti 471). Francis himself, as a deacon, had sung the Christmas Gospel on the holy night in Greccio with resounding voice. Through the friars’ radiant Christmas singing, the whole celebration seemed to be a great outburst of joy (1 Celano 85.86; Fonti 469, 470). It was the encounter with God’s humility that caused this joy – his goodness creates the true feast.

Today, anyone wishing to enter the Church of Jesus’ Nativity in Bethlehem will find that the doorway five and a half metres high, through which emperors and caliphs used to enter the building, is now largely walled up. Only a low opening of one and a half metres has remained. The intention was probably to provide the church with better protection from attack, but above all to prevent people from entering God’s house on horseback. Anyone wishing to enter the place of Jesus’ birth has to bend down. It seems to me that a deeper truth is revealed here, which should touch our hearts on this holy night: if we want to find the God who appeared as a child, then we must dismount from the high horse of our “enlightened” reason. We must set aside our false certainties, our intellectual pride, which prevents us from recognizing God’s closeness. We must follow the interior path of Saint Francis – the path leading to that ultimate outward and inward simplicity which enables the heart to see. We must bend down, spiritually we must as it were go on foot, in order to pass through the portal of faith and encounter the God who is so different from our prejudices and opinions – the God who conceals himself in the humility of a newborn baby. In this spirit let us celebrate the liturgy of the holy night, let us strip away our fixation on what is material, on what can be measured and grasped. Let us allow ourselves to be made simple by the God who reveals himself to the simple of heart. And let us also pray especially at this hour for all who have to celebrate Christmas in poverty, in suffering, as migrants, that a ray of God’s kindness may shine upon them, that they – and we – may be touched by the kindness that God chose to bring into the world through the birth of his Son in a stable. Amen.

PHOTO: Reuters

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2011-12-24T17:00:00.002-05:00

The 25th day of December, the first of the Moon:

Countless centuries past from the creation of the world,
when, in the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth
and formed man in his own image;

Likewise many ages since after the Flood,
when the Most High extended the rainbow across the heavens
as the sign of his Covenant and of peace;

In the 21st century since the migration of Abraham, our father in faith,
from Ur of the Chaldeans;
the 13th century after the exodus of Israel from Egypt, led by Moses,
roughly a millennium from the anointing of David as King;

In the 65th week, as prophesied by Daniel,
the 194th Olympiad,
the 752nd year of the foundation of the City of Rome,
the 42nd year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus,
the whole world being at peace:

JESUS CHRIST,
the eternal God,
eternal Son of the Father,
seeking to consecrate the world by coming into it;
conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and nine months having followed since his conception,
in Bethlehem of Judea
was born of the Virgin Mary
and became man.

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

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Grand Traditions

2011-12-24T13:45:00.009-05:00

Again, church, to you and yours, every blessing, joy and good gift of this Holy Night!

As Christmas at its happiest always entails a sense of home, as most of you are likely too aware, for this scribe that means this River City -- the wonder of my world and, beyond a doubt, the great love of my life.

What a year it's been for us here -- the end of everything we knew, and the beginning of a road ahead as different as it will easily, and quickly, prove itself better. Still, even for everything that's already changed, or shortly will, at least some things gratefully remain the same.

Ergo, from our home to yours -- and especially for all you expats missing the place in these days -- a rare clip of this town's most cherished Christmas tradition, the Wanamaker Light Show, in its pre-Macy's Extraordinary Form with the Dancing Waters...

...and as a bonus, its 100th Year drawing to its close, the Yuletide sounds of the heroic instrument that is "The City's Voice":

When it comes to grand traditions and Voices of Christmas, though, especially this year, we yield the last word to the greatest of them all... who many of us already miss so much:

PHOTO: Live Nativity at Race Street Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

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O Emmanuel....

2011-12-23T16:01:00.000-05:00

O Emmanuel,
king and lawgiver,
desire of the nations,
Savior of all people,
come and set us free,
Lord our God.....

...and with that, friends, the long walk of these weeks reaches its end, for the Dawn is finally at hand:

Again, to all of you and your loved ones, every wish for a blessed, peaceful and joyous Christmas!

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O Rex Gentium....

2011-12-22T17:01:00.008-05:00

O King of all the nations,
the only joy of every human heart;
O Keystone of the mighty arch of man,
come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

Six down... One "O" to go.

...and as a bonus, a house favorite:

Meanwhile, speaking of Georges -- in this case, an ecclesiastical one -- could an extra-special Epiphany gift be headed his way?

As ever, time will tell... needless to say, though, the prospect already seems to have sparked quite a Christmas clamor in Rome.

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At Curial Christmas, Again, "The Crisis of the Church Is The Crisis of Faith": B16's "Year in Review"

2011-12-22T09:07:00.002-05:00

Keeping with longtime Vatican custom, this morning the Pope received the heads of the offices of the Roman Curia for their annual exchange of Christmas greetings.

As has been his practice from his pontificate's start, however, the occasion saw Benedict XVI deliver his impressions on the year just past within the church.

The ad intra "Year in Review" always finds its external counterpoint on the other side of the Christmas season as the Pope delivers the traditional New Year's greeting to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See in early January, an event that's become widely known as the Vatican's assessment of the "State of the World."

Here, an official English translation in full of B16's talk today.

* * *

Dear Cardinals,
Brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The occasion that brings us together today is always particularly moving. The holy feast of Christmas is almost upon us and it prompts the great family of the Roman Curia to come together for a gracious exchange of greetings, as we wish one another a joyful and spiritually fruitful celebration of this feast of the God who became flesh and established his dwelling in our midst (cf. Jn 1:14). For me, this is an occasion not only to offer you my personal good wishes, but also to express my gratitude and that of the Church to each one of you for your generous service; I ask you to convey this to all the co-workers of our extended family. I offer particular thanks to the Dean of the College, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who has given voice to the sentiments of all present and of all who work in the various offices of the Curia and the Governorate, including those whose apostolate is carried out in the Pontifical Representations throughout the world. All of us are committed to spreading throughout the world the resounding message that the angels proclaimed that night in Bethlehem, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will" (Lk 2:14), so as to bring joy and hope to our world.

As this year draws to a close, Europe is undergoing an economic and financial crisis, which is ultimately based on the ethical crisis looming over the Old Continent. Even if such values as solidarity, commitment to one’s neighbour and responsibility towards the poor and suffering are largely uncontroversial, still the motivation is often lacking for individuals and large sectors of society to practise renunciation and make sacrifices. Perception and will do not necessarily go hand in hand. In defending personal interests, the will obscures perception, and perception thus weakened is unable to stiffen the will. In this sense, some quite fundamental questions emerge from this crisis: where is the light that is capable of illuminating our perception not merely with general ideas, but with concrete imperatives? Where is the force that draws the will upwards? These are questions that must be answered by our proclamation of the Gospel, by the new evangelization, so that message may become event, so that proclamation may lead to life.

The key theme of this year, and of the years ahead, is this: how do we proclaim the Gospel today? How can faith as a living force become a reality today? The ecclesial events of the outgoing year were all ultimately related to this theme. There were the journeys to Croatia, to the World Youth Day in Spain, to my home country of Germany, and finally to Africa – Benin – for the consignment of the Post-Synodal document on justice, peace and reconciliation, which should now lead to concrete results in the various local churches. Equally memorable were the journeys to Venice, to San Marino, to the Eucharistic Congress in Ancona, and to Calabria. And finally there was the important day of encounter in Assisi for religions and for people who in whatever way are searching for truth and peace, representing a new step forward in the pilgrimage towards truth and peace. The establishment of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization is at the same time a pointer towards next year’s Synod on the same theme. The Year of Faith, commemorating the beginning of the Council fifty years ago, also belongs in this context. Each of these events had its own particular characteristics. In Germany, where the Reformation began, the ecumenical question, with all its trials and hopes, naturally assumed particular importance. Intimately linked to this, at the focal point of the debate, the question that arises repeatedly is this: what is reform of the Church? How does it take place? What are its paths and its goals? Not only faithful believers but also outside observers are noticing with concern that regular churchgoers are growing older all the time and that their number is constantly diminishing; that recruitment of priests is stagnating; that scepticism and unbelief are growing. What, then, are we to do? There are endless debates over what must be done in order to reverse the trend. There is no doubt that a variety of things need to be done. But action alone fails to resolve the matter. The essence of the crisis of the Church in Europe is the crisis of faith. If we find no answer to this, if faith does not take on new life, deep conviction and real strength from the encounter with Jesus Christ, then all other reforms will remain ineffective.

On this point, the encounter with Africa’s joyful passion for faith brought great encouragement. None of the faith fatigue that is so prevalent here, none of the oft-encountered sense of having had enough of Christianity was detectable there. Amid all the problems, sufferings and trials that Africa clearly experiences, one could still sense the people’s joy in being Christian, buoyed up by inner happiness at knowing Christ and belonging to his Church. From this joy comes also the strength to serve Christ in hard-pressed situations of human suffering, the strength to put oneself at his disposal, without looking round for one’s own advantage. Encountering this faith that is so ready to sacrifice and so full of happiness is a powerful remedy against fatigue with Christianity such as we are experiencing in Europe today.

A further remedy against faith fatigue was the wonderful experience of World Youth Day in Madrid. This was new evangelization put into practice. Again and again at World Youth Days, a new, more youthful form of Christianity can be seen, something I would describe under five headings.

1. Firstly, there is a new experience of catholicity, of the Church’s universality. This is what struck the young people and all the participants quite directly: we come from every continent, but although we have never met one another, we know one another. We speak different languages, we have different ways of life and different cultural backgrounds, yet we are immediately united as one great family. Outward separation and difference is relativized. We are all moved by the one Lord Jesus Christ, in whom true humanity and at the same time the face of God himself is revealed to us. We pray in the same way. The same inner encounter with Jesus Christ has stamped us deep within with the same structure of intellect, will and heart. And finally, our common liturgy speaks to our hearts and unites us in a vast family. In this setting, to say that all humanity are brothers and sisters is not merely an idea: it becomes a real shared experience, generating joy. And so we have also understood quite concretely: despite all trials and times of darkness, it is a wonderful thing to belong to the worldwide Church, to the Catholic Church, that the Lord has given to us.

2. From this derives a new way of living our humanity, our Christianity. For me, one of the most important experiences of those days was the meeting with the World Youth Day volunteers: about 20,000 young people, all of whom devoted weeks or months of their lives to working on the technical, organizational and material preparations for World Youth Day, and thus made it possible for the whole event to run smoothly. Those who give their time always give a part of their lives. At the end of the day, these young people were visibly and tangibly filled with a great sense of happiness: the time that they gave up had meaning; in giving of their time and labour, they had found time, they had found life. And here something fundamental became clear to me: these young people had given a part of their lives in faith, not because it was asked of them, not in order to attain Heaven, nor in order to escape the danger of Hell. They did not do it in order to find fulfilment. They were not looking round for themselves. There came into my mind the image of Lot’s wife, who by looking round was turned into a pillar of salt. How often the life of Christians is determined by the fact that first and foremost they look out for themselves, they do good, so to speak, for themselves. And how great is the temptation of all people to be concerned primarily for themselves; to look round for themselves and in the process to become inwardly empty, to become "pillars of salt". But here it was not a matter of seeking fulfilment or wanting to live one’s life for oneself. These young people did good, even at a cost, even if it demanded sacrifice, simply because it is a wonderful thing to do good, to be there for others. All it needs is the courage to make the leap. Prior to all of this is the encounter with Jesus Christ, inflaming us with love for God and for others, and freeing us from seeking our own ego. In the words of a prayer attributed to Saint Francis Xavier: I do good, not that I may come to Heaven thereby and not because otherwise you could cast me into Hell. I do it because of you, my King and my Lord. I came across this same attitude in Africa too, for example among the Sisters of Mother Teresa, who devote themselves to abandoned, sick, poor and suffering children, without asking anything for themselves, thus becoming inwardly rich and free. This is the genuinely Christian attitude. Equally unforgettable for me was the encounter with handicapped young people in the Saint Joseph Centre in Madrid, where I encountered the same readiness to put oneself at the disposal of others – a readiness to give oneself that is ultimately derived from encounter with Christ, who gave himself for us.

3. A third element, that has an increasingly natural and central place in World Youth Days and in the spirituality that arises from them, is adoration. I still look back to that unforgettable moment during my visit to the United Kingdom, when tens of thousands of predominantly young people in Hyde Park responded in eloquent silence to the Lord’s sacramental presence, in adoration. The same thing happened again on a smaller scale in Zagreb and then again in Madrid, after the thunderstorm which almost ruined the whole night vigil through the failure of the microphones. God is indeed ever-present. But again, the physical presence of the risen Christ is something different, something new. The risen Lord enters into our midst. And then we can do no other than say, with Saint Thomas: my Lord and my God! Adoration is primarily an act of faith – the act of faith as such. God is not just some possible or impossible hypothesis concerning the origin of all things. He is present. And if he is present, then I bow down before him. Then my intellect and will and heart open up towards him and from him. In the risen Christ, the incarnate God is present, who suffered for us because he loves us. We enter this certainty of God’s tangible love for us with love in our own hearts. This is adoration, and this then determines my life. Only thus can I celebrate the Eucharist correctly and receive the body of the Lord rightly.

4. A further important element of the World Youth Days is the sacrament of Confession, which is increasingly coming to be seen as an integral part of the experience. Here we recognize that we need forgiveness over and over again, and that forgiveness brings responsibility. Openness to love is present in man, implanted in him by the Creator, together with the capacity to respond to God in faith. But also present, in consequence of man’s sinful history (Church teaching speaks of original sin) is the tendency that is opposed to love – the tendency towards selfishness, towards becoming closed in on oneself, in fact towards evil. Again and again my soul is tarnished by this downward gravitational pull that is present within me. Therefore we need the humility that constantly asks God for forgiveness, that seeks purification and awakens in us the counterforce, the positive force of the Creator, to draw us upwards.

5. Finally, I would like to speak of one last feature, not to be overlooked, of the spirituality of World Youth Days, namely joy. Where does it come from? How is it to be explained? Certainly, there are many factors at work here. But in my view, the crucial one is this certainty, based on faith: I am wanted; I have a task in history; I am accepted, I am loved. Josef Pieper, in his book on love, has shown that man can only accept himself if he is accepted by another. He needs the other’s presence, saying to him, with more than words: it is good that you exist. Only from the You can the I come into itself. Only if it is accepted, can it accept itself. Those who are unloved cannot even love themselves. This sense of being accepted comes in the first instance from other human beings. But all human acceptance is fragile. Ultimately we need a sense of being accepted unconditionally. Only if God accepts me, and I become convinced of this, do I know definitively: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being. If ever man’s sense of being accepted and loved by God is lost, then there is no longer any answer to the question whether to be a human being is good at all. Doubt concerning human existence becomes more and more insurmountable. Where doubt over God becomes prevalent, then doubt over humanity follows inevitably. We see today how widely this doubt is spreading. We see it in the joylessness, in the inner sadness, that can be read on so many human faces today. Only faith gives me the conviction: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being, even in hard times. Faith makes one happy from deep within. That is one of the wonderful experiences of World Youth Days.

It would take too long now to go into detail concerning the encounter in Assisi, as the significance of the event would warrant. Let us simply thank God, that as representatives of the world’s religions and as representatives of thinking in search of truth, we were able to meet that day in a climate of friendship and mutual respect, in love for the truth and in shared responsibility for peace. So let us hope that, from this encounter, a new willingness to serve peace, reconciliation and justice has emerged.

As I conclude, I would like to thank all of you from my heart for shouldering the common mission that the Lord has given us as witnesses to his truth, and I wish all of you the joy that God wanted to bestow upon us through the incarnation of his Son. A blessed Christmas to you all! Thank you.

PHOTOS: Pool/File

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O Oriens....

2011-12-21T16:01:00.001-05:00

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light,
sun of justice:
come, shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.

* * *

For those among us heading out early, just a quick word to wish every blessing, joy and good gift of the Holy Night to you and yours -- travel safe, have a blast, and see you once you're back.

...and lest anyone could use it on this shortest day of the year, a foretaste of the Light just ahead -- at least, in sound:

(Lyrics/translation)

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O Clavis David....

2011-12-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

O Key of David,
O royal Power of Israel
controlling at your will the gate of Heaven:
Come, break down the prison walls of death
for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death;
and lead your captive people into freedom.

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O Radix Iesse....

2011-12-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

O Flower of Jesse’s stem,
you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples;
kings stand silent in your presence;
the nations bow down in worship before you.
Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

Exegesis.

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Especially at Christmas, "God's Sign is Simplicity"

2011-12-19T14:09:00.005-05:00

So, folks, welcome to a week that can easily be chaotic... and, well often, for all the wrong reasons -- the 11th-hour frenzy over gifts, cards, celebrations, travels and menus; squaring away the church decorations and music, lining everything up for the Kids' Mass or bracing for the crowd's handling of the New Book....

You get the idea. Who knows, it might even apply to many of us right now -- the way the "Holiday" cycle rolls in our time, it's almost too easy a place to get to.

Ergo, just in case -- or even if not -- take a minute to put it all aside.

Don't worry -- it'll all still be there when you, we, get back. As these last days unfold, though, maybe a thread or two from the following might help keep the clamor in check.

* * *

Nothing miraculous, nothing extraordinary, nothing magnificent is given to the shepherds as a sign. All they will see is a child wrapped in swaddling clothes, one who, like all children, needs a mother’s care; a child born in a stable, who therefore lies not in a cradle but in a manger. God ’s sign is the baby in need of help and in poverty. Only in their hearts will the shepherds be able to see that this baby fulfills the promise of the prophet Isaiah, which we heard in the first reading: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder" (Is 9:5). Exactly the same sign has been given to us. We too are invited by the angel of God, through the message of the Gospel, to set out in our hearts to see the child lying in the manger.

God’s sign is simplicity. God’s sign is the baby. God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby – defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into his feelings, his thoughts and his will – we learn to live with him and to practice with him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him, and love him.

The Fathers of the Church, in their Greek translation of the Old Testament, found a passage from the prophet Isaiah that Paul also quotes in order to show how God’s new ways had already been foretold in the Old Testament. There we read: "God made his Word short, he abbreviated it" (Is 10:23; Rom 9:28). The Fathers interpreted this in two ways. The Son himself is the Word, the Logos; the eternal Word became small – small enough to fit into a manger. He became a child, so that the Word could be grasped by us. In this way God teaches us to love the little ones. In this way he teaches us to love the weak. In this way he teaches us respect for children. The child of Bethlehem directs our gaze towards all children who suffer and are abused in the world, the born and the unborn. Towards children who are placed as soldiers in a violent world; towards children who have to beg; towards children who suffer deprivation and hunger; towards children who are unloved. In all of these it is the Child of Bethlehem who is crying out to us; it is the God who has become small who appeals to us. Let us pray this night that the brightness of God’s love may enfold all these children. Let us ask God to help us do our part so that the dignity of children may be respected. May they all experience the light of love, which mankind needs so much more than the material necessities of life....

And so we come to the second meaning that the Fathers saw in the phrase: "God made his Word short". The Word which God speaks to us in Sacred Scripture had become long in the course of the centuries. It became long and complex, not just for the simple and unlettered, but even more so for those versed in Sacred Scripture, for the experts who evidently became entangled in details and in particular problems, almost to the extent of losing an overall perspective. Jesus "abbreviated" the Word – he showed us once more its deeper simplicity and unity. Everything taught by the Law and the Prophets is summed up – he says – in the command: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22:37-40). This is everything – the whole faith is contained in this one act of love which embraces God and humanity. Yet now further questions arise: how are we to love God with all our mind, when our intellect can barely reach him? How are we to love him with all our heart and soul, when our heart can only catch a glimpse of him from afar, when there are so many contradictions in the world that would hide his face from us? This is where the two ways in which God has "abbreviated" his Word come together. He is no longer distant. He is no longer unknown. He is no longer beyond the reach of our heart. He has become a child for us, and in so doing he has dispelled all doubt. He has become our neighbour, restoring in this way the image of man, whom we often find so hard to love. For us, God has become a gift. He has given himself. He has entered time for us. He who is the Eternal One, above time, he has assumed our time and raised it to himself on high. Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God who has given himself to us. Let us allow our heart, our soul and our mind to be touched by this fact! Among the many gifts that we buy and receive, let us not forget the true gift: to give each other something of ourselves, to give each other something of our time, to open our time to God. In this way anxiety disappears, joy is born, and the feast is created. During the festive meals of these days let us remember the Lord’s words: "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite those who will invite you in return, but invite those whom no one invites and who are not able to invite you" (cf. Lk 14:12-14). This also means: when you give gifts for Christmas, do not give only to those who will give to you in return, but give to those who receive from no one and who cannot give you anything back. This is what God has done: he invites us to his wedding feast, something which we cannot reciprocate, but can only receive with joy. Let us imitate him! Let us love God and, starting from him, let us also love man, so that, starting from man, we can then rediscover God in a new way!

And so, finally, we find yet a third meaning in the saying that the Word became "brief" and "small". The shepherds were told that they would find the child in a manger for animals, who were the rightful occupants of the stable. Reading Isaiah (1:3), the Fathers concluded that beside the manger of Bethlehem there stood an ox and an ass. At the same time they interpreted the text as symbolizing the Jews and the pagans – and thus all humanity – who each in their own way have need of a Savior: the God who became a child. Man, in order to live, needs bread, the fruit of the earth and of his labor. But he does not live by bread alone. He needs nourishment for his soul: he needs meaning that can fill his life. Thus, for the Fathers, the manger of the animals became the symbol of the altar, on which lies the Bread which is Christ himself: the true food for our hearts. Once again we see how he became small: in the humble appearance of the host, in a small piece of bread, he gives us himself.

All this is conveyed by the sign that was given to the shepherds and is given also to us: the child born for us, the child in whom God became small for us. Let us ask the Lord to grant us the grace of looking upon the crib this night with the simplicity of the shepherds, so as to receive the joy with which they returned home (cf. Lk 2:20). Let us ask him to give us the humility and the faith with which Saint Joseph looked upon the child that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. Let us ask the Lord to let us look upon him with that same love with which Mary saw him. And let us pray that in this way the light that the shepherds saw will shine upon us too, and that what the angels sang that night will be accomplished throughout the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." Amen!

--B16, Christmas Homily, 2006

...and, where all else fails, there's always our time's most-heeded Angel of the Incarnation:

However your week to come's shaping up, gang, here's hoping the simplest gifts that are the truest and best of Christmas await you and yours.

All that said, we now return to the "Holiday" frenzy, already in progress....

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Faith Amid the Floods

2011-12-19T04:01:00.004-05:00

As a coda to Saturday's brief on Simbang Gabi, thanks to a friend in the Philippines for sending this shot, showing us that not even the aftermath of the typhoon and flooding that struck the islands' southern part over the weekend could keep the Novena Masses from being held, nor the faithful from turning up.

According to estimates yesterday from the local Red Cross, at least 650 people were killed in the tropical storm, with another 900 still missing. Catholic Relief Service additionally reports that some 50,000 people are holed up in evacuation centers among the total population of 125,000 affected.

Beyond high winds and heavy rain, reports indicate that the rapid movement of the floodwater has proven dangerous in many areas, with most of the casualties believed to have been swept away by the storm-induced currents.

At his Sunday Angelus, the Pope noted the disaster, expressing his prayers "for the victims, [who are] largely children, the homeless and the many dispersed."

Of course, may we all back that up. And just as much, especially in this season -- and, this year, the tough times that mark it for many -- may we each do a little more to keep an added eye out for anyone just around us undergoing their own floods or storms in life, to help them feel even more the light, comfort, hope and joy these days are supposed to bring to everyone... but above all, to the ones most in need of its lift.

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O Adonai....

2011-12-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

O sacred Lord of ancient Israel,
who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,
who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain:
come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

(2 down... 5 to go.)

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O Sapientia....

2011-12-17T16:01:00.005-05:00

O Wisdom,
O holy Word of God,
you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.
Come and show your people the way to salvation....

...and with that, church, the Latin tradition's "Story of 'O'" begins.

Two-minute warning, seven seconds on the shot-clock -- call it what you will, the message is still the same: the beginning of Advent's end is upon us.

Meanwhile, especially given this Sunday's Gospel, we likewise have a fitting modern complement:

As ever, gang, buona domenica a tutti... and in a special way, every blessing, grace and sought gift of this Big Prep Week to you and yours.

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"The Challenge Before You": On the New Evangelization, Part 7,358

2011-12-17T07:22:00.005-05:00

Bolstering what's become his pontificate's most concerted pastoral priority even further, earlier today the Pope addressed the ad limina gathering of the bishops of New Zealand and the Pacific on the New Evangelization, the focus toward which will only increase in the New Year with next October's Synod of Bishops dedicated to the re-presentation of the faith in the Western world.

Here, the bulk of B16's talk:

With gratitude to Almighty God, I note from your reports the many blessings which the Lord has bestowed upon your Jurisdictions. I am also aware of the challenges to the Christian life which are common to all of you, in spite of the many social, economic and cultural contexts in which you work. You have mentioned in particular the challenge set before you by the secularism characteristic of your societies, a reality that has a significant impact on the understanding and practice of the Catholic faith. This is seen specifically in a weakened appreciation for the sacred nature of Christian marriage and the stability of the family. In such a context, the struggle to lead a life worthy of the our baptismal calling (cf. Eph. 4:1) and to abstain from the earthly passions which wage war against ours souls (cf. 1 Pet 2:11) becomes ever more challenging. Yet we know that, ultimately, Christian faith provides a surer basis for life than the secular vision; for “it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear” (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Thus, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization was recently established. Since the Christian faith is founded on the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the new evangelization is not an abstract concept but a renewal of authentic Christian living based on the teachings of the Church. You, as Bishops and Pastors, are called to be protagonists in formulating this response according to local needs and circumstances in your various countries and among your peoples. By strengthening the visible bonds of ecclesial communion, build among yourselves an ever stronger sense of faith and charity, so that those whom you serve, in their turn, may imitate your charity and be ambassadors of Christ both in the Church and in the civil arena.

As you face this historic challenge, you must do so under the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit, who also calls forth, consecrates and sends priests as “co-workers of the Order of Bishops, with whom they are joined in the priestly office and with whom they are called to the service of the people of God” (Rite of Ordination of Priests). Dear Brother Bishops, I encourage you to have a special care for your priests. As you know, one of your first pastoral duties is to your priests and to their sanctification, especially those who are experiencing difficulties and those who have little contact with their brother priests. Be a father who guides them on the path to holiness, so that their lives may also attract others to follow Christ. We know that good, wise and holy priests are the best promoters of vocations to the priesthood. With the confidence that comes from faith, we can say that the Lord is still calling men to the priesthood, and you are aware that encouraging them to consider dedicating their lives fully to Christ is among your top priorities. In our day young people need more assistance with spiritual discernment so that they may know the Lord’s will. In a world affected by a “profound crisis of faith” (Porta Fidei, 2), ensure too that your seminarians receive a well-rounded formation that will prepare them to serve the Lord and love his flock according to the heart of the Good Shepherd.

In this context, I wish to acknowledge the significant contribution to the spread of the Gospel made by the men and women religious present throughout your region, including those active in pastoral, catechetical, and educational fields. Together with those living a contemplative life, may they remain faithful to the charisms of their founders, which are always united with the life and discipline of the entire Church, and may their witness to God continue to be a beacon that points towards a life of faith, love and right living.

Likewise, the lay faithful’s role in the well-being of the Church is essential since the Lord does not expect pastors “to undertake by themselves the entire saving mission of the Church” (Lumen Gentium, 30). I understand from your reports that your task of spreading the Gospel often depends on the assistance of lay missionaries and catechists. Continue to ensure that a sound and ongoing formation be afforded them, especially within the context of their associations. In so doing, you will equip them for every good work in the building up of the body of Christ (cf. 2 Tim 3:17; Eph 4:12). Their zeal for the faith under your continued leadership and support will surely bear much fruit in the vineyard of the Lord.

My dear Brother Bishops and Priests, as I have had this opportunity to discuss with you the New Evangelization, I do so mindful of the recently proclaimed Year of Faith, which “is intended to give a fresh impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead human beings out of the wilderness in which they find themselves” (Homily, 16 October 2011). May this privileged time serve as an inspiration as you join the entire Church in the ongoing efforts of the New Evangelization, for although you are spread among many islands and we are separated by great distances, together we profess “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all” (Eph 4:5-6). May you continue to be united among yourselves and with the Successor of Peter. Commending you to the intercession of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, and assuring you of my affection and prayers for you and for those entrusted to your pastoral care, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

As the New Evangelization is likewise the leitmotif of the ongoing ad limina of the US bishops, on a related note, the Stateside pilgrimages will pick up again in mid-January with Region IV, comprising the provinces of Baltimore, Washington and the archdiocese for the Military Services.

So far -- at least, as of earlier this week -- the last group to have received its visit-dates appears to be Region VIII (St Paul-Minneapolis), which is slated to head over in late February.

The first American Report of Benedict's pontificate is expected to be wrapped up by the end of June.

PHOTO: L'Osservatore Romano

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Before Dawn, The Countdown Begins....

2011-12-17T06:09:00.005-05:00

On a liturgical note, even as the time-honored "O" Week marking Advent's final lap doesn't begin til Vespers on this dawn's other side, it's worth recalling that the Novena toward Christmas is already entering Day Two.

While the latter practice is kept as a private devotion in most locales -- and usually to a sparse extent, at that -- there is, of course, one massive exception: the famously-devout Philippines, now the world's third largest Catholic outpost, where the nine days of Masses for Simbang Gabi overfill glowing churches beginning at 3am... and often (as seen above) push congregations outside as the buildings can't fit everyone.

To boot, the pre-Christmas tradition once birthed what's likely the only McDonald's ad inspired by Catholic liturgy:

Reverent, no?

Much like Advent's other anchor feast in the wider Catholic world, as has been well-noted here over the years, the Filipino Novena has become a key marker of the modern reality of the Stateside church, to say nothing of its future.

Though Asians constitute roughly four percent of the nation's faithful -- in raw numbers, about 3 million or so of the whole -- consistent data over recent years has shown the community's disproportionate contribution to priestly and religious vocations on these shores, which is currently running some four times the size of the group's share of the pews.

Of course, the booming Hispanic ascent is well-known as it zooms toward becoming American Catholicism's majority bloc. Citing the needs of his local church, though, as a senior Northeastern prelate asked during a recent chat that touched on vocations, "Where I can find Chinese?"

To be clear, he wasn't seeking General Tso's, but seminarians to serve a growing community.

Accordingly, for the second time this week, the nation's largest cathedral -- LA's 4,700-seat Our Lady of the Angels -- was jammed again under cover of night, this time by the Filipino diaspora, as the most massive diocese in the five-century history of the Stateside church launched another year of its Simbang Gabi, led by Don José, his predecessor and auxiliaries:

In the LA church, this year's Novena is being marked in a majority of its 288 parishes. Yet while SoCal is the leader, it's anything but the exception -- for another year, a parol-lit procession through midtown Manhattan heralded the Novena's New York kickoff...

...culminating again in a packed St Patrick's Cathedral (shown here from a prior edition):

...and maybe if all this were somehow infused with politics, scandal or conflict, it'd finally begin to get the attention it deserves -- firstly among the Catholic chattering classes, let alone the wider world.

Well, either that, or maybe we'd be wise to focus less on following heat than celebrating and affirming the great examples of light abundantly present in our midst.

PHOTO: Reuters(1); St James Cathedral, Seattle(2)

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"Euntes In Mundum," v. 3.0

2011-12-16T21:10:00.009-05:00

And so, at the end of a long, very emotional day 'round these parts, to the Ninth Archbishop -- the father and architect of the next era of Catholic Philadelphia -- belongs the last word....

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Goodnight, Sweet Prince....

2011-12-16T18:31:00.004-05:00

...and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

PHOTO: The Catholic Standard & Times

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"John Is the Voice, But the Lord Is the Word"

2011-12-16T14:35:00.017-05:00

HOMILY OF

THE MOST REVEREND TIMOTHY M. DOLAN
ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK

SOLEMN FUNERAL MASS OF
JOHN PATRICK CARDINAL FOLEY

CATHEDRAL-BASILICA OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL
PHILADELPHIA
16 DECEMBER 2011

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us!"

It is the celebration of that mystery of the Incarnation that we await this beautiful Advent season, as we long to hear those inspired poetic lines from the Prologue of the Gospel of John the Evangelist on Christmas morning.

It is the mystery of the ongoing Incarnation, especially manifest in the life and ministry of John Patrick Foley, that unites us in grateful, reverent, supplicant prayer this Advent afternoon in Philadelphia.

Early last Sunday morning, I had just begun the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours for the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, when I took a call from Cardinal Justin Rigali, who, with characteristic thoughtfulness, telephoned to tell me of the passing of Cardinal Foley.

When I then returned to my breviary, it was this line from St. Augustine, the second lesson for that day's office, that greeted me:

"John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts but for a time; from the beginning Christ is the Word who lives forever."

So whatd'ya say, everybody, we pay our friend Cardinal Foley one final tribute and concentrate right now, as he would plead for us to do, not upon him, but instead upon the Eternal Word, the Word made flesh, the Way, the Truth, and the Life: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word.

Because, make no mistake about it, love for Jesus and His Church was indeed the passion of John Patrick Foley's life, no? -- the only dictionary required to translate the meaning of the life and ministry of this remarkably lovable, simple, humble, wise, holy man.

After all, it was into the dying and rising of Jesus that John Foley was baptized, as St. Paul teaches us in this afternoon's Liturgy of the Word;

It was with the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist that John Foley was daily nourished for the last seven decades;

It was on the lap of the bride of Christ, Holy Mother Church, so alive in the vibrant and coherent Catholic culture of this great Archdiocese of Philadelphia he so cherished, that John Foley was raised, formed, and educated;

It was into the priesthood of Jesus Christ that John Foley was ordained, assuming, not only in soul but in his very person, reconfigurement to Jesus Christ the Head and Shepherd of the Church;

It was as a successor to the apostles, those intimate friends of this Jesus, that he was consecrated as a bishop;

It was to the service of this Church universal, the Mystical Body of Christ, under the pastorate of the successor of St. Peter, that John Patrick Foley served most famously for the last twenty-seven years;

And it is now to the tender and unfailing mercy of this Jesus that, with immense love and gratitude, we commend this loyal son of the Church.

Yes, love for Jesus and His Church was indeed the passion of his life.

Philosopher that he was, he'd enjoy a syllogism here:

The Eternal Word was incarnate in Jesus Christ;

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

That mystery of the Incarnation continues in and through the Church.

But John Foley, ever the philosopher and the debater, would remind us of the remaining step in this syllogism: namely, that each of us is also called to continue the mystery of the Incarnation through His Church in our own lives.

As God the Father asked the Virgin of Nazareth, to whom Cardinal Foley had such filial devotion, at the Annunciation, so does God still ask each of us: "Will you give my Son flesh? Will you supply the Eternal Word with a human nature? Will you allow the Incarnation to keep on going?"

We genuflect at the reply of Mary: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord! Be it done unto me according to Thy Word!"

And this afternoon we praise God's grace and mercy for the humble, obedient reply of John Foley: a yes for seventy-six years; a yes to what he described as "God's whisper" to him to become a priest; a yes to God's plan in recent years that entailed splinters of the cross as he gradually bowed to leukemia.

Cardinal Foley, effective pedagogue that he was, would remind us of the scholastic maxim, grace builds on nature.

And what an appealing nature John Foley provided to God so the Incarnation might go on!

A courtesy that was so impeccable and a thoughtfulness that was so unfailing that we might not be surprised to find his photograph in the "pictionary" for the entry on "a gentleman."

A natural sense of humor that was so spontaneous and so constant that I once said to him, "John, if I did not know for a fact that you were a teetotaler, I'd swear you had a couple shots of grappa under your filattata before breakfast every morning!"

A holiness in "His Foleyness" that was evident without being overbearing;

A depth to his intellect which could express itself with warmth and childlikeness;

A sparkle in his eye, a smile on his lips, a lilt to his laugh... and one too many puns!

All an attractive nature upon which God's grace built, and which God's Word assumed, to keep the mystery of the Incarnation going.

Archbishop Chaput, bishops, priests and people of this noble Archdiocese of Philadelphia, this only child of John and Regina Foley considered you his family; never did he stop talking about and bragging about this Archdiocese of Philadelphia, (as much as many of us begged him to!); so to you go our condolences for what is really "death in the family."

And to you goes this encouragement: hold your heads high! A local Church that can give us the likes of such a noble, gentle man, whose "message went out to the ends of the earth," is a Church which can endure and come out even stronger in the face of woe and tears.

The "Vatican's Voice of Christmas" may now be silent; but the Incarnation that made radiant the darkness of that night called silent will never go still, because the example of friends such as John Patrick Foley inspires us to emulate him and his true Regina -- his blessed Mother Mary, in providing God a human nature.

Yes, "John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts but for a time; from the beginning Christ is the Word who lives forever."

And our prayer now is that this Voice and that Word are eternally united.

(Text adapted according to delivery; emphases original.)

PHOTO: Fr Daniel Good

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Everything Ends... Everything Begins....

2011-12-16T00:00:00.028-05:00

And so, Phils fans, the time has come for the last goodbye...

...and as it seems, not just for the best of us.

At the close of a surreal year that saw its priests, people and Rome alike combine to effect revolution, history will likely recall this Friday as the end of The Era -- the symbolic final act of the uniquely distinctive culture which has defined Catholicism in Philadelphia for 181 years.

The reality of the shift will be hammered home to a staggering degree over the weeks and months to come. Lest anyone doesn't believe it still, just watch. And buckle up.

* * *

In the presence of six cardinals -- Keeler, Maida, McCarrick, Rigali, DiNardo and Wuerl -- some 50 bishops, 300 priests and a packed Cathedral-Basilica, the Funeral Mass of John Cardinal Foley is set to begin at 2pm local time (2000 Rome, 1900GMT) after a half-hour's procession.

For those at a distance, livestreams of the liturgy will gratefully abound: from the archdiocesan website, the local ABC and Fox affiliates, Telecare and CatholicTV, Salt + Light and EWTN. However you tune in, a worship aid is available for download. (And for those watching via mobile devices, iOS streams are available from each of the latter three.)

As previously noted, the cardinal's successor as Grand Master of the Holy Sepulchre, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, will be principal celebrant, with the USCCB President, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, serving as homilist.

The sendoff to close with Foley's entombment at dusk in the Crypt of the Pharaohs, a rare tour of the sub-Altar space was given yesterday by the Cathedral's Rector, Msgr Arthur Rodgers:

While its last internment took place in 1996 with the burial of John Cardinal Krol, the 48-niche Crypt has only seen four commendations in the last half-century.

Keeping with local custom, the two surviving archbishops-emeritus of Philadelphia each chose their own spaces on their respective retirements.

* * *

On the first leg of the formal farewell, a steady stream of friends and admirers made the trek to St Charles Borromeo Seminary through Thursday, the 10-hour lying in state reaching its end with a Mass celebrated by the cardinal's onetime student, fellow Curialist, longtime close friend and spiritual directee, Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Thomas.

As Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. presided in choir, Foley's successor as the Vatican's Media Czar, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, concelebrated, as did Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio and, in a poignant hometown cameo, Bishop Joseph Galante of Camden -- ordained from Overbrook two years behind Foley, and a cherished brother and collaborator of his for the three decades that followed, both in Philadelphia Chancery and the Roman Curia.

In a homily by turns personal and spiritual that took the cardinal's motto as its springboard, Thomas closed thus:

Every night before John Foley went to sleep, he had a devotional practice. After praying night prayer, as he closed his eyes to go to sleep, he would picture himself at the Last Supper as the Apostle John, resting his head on the chest of Jesus.

Dear Cardinal Foley, this evening, as we celebrate the memorial of that Last Supper, we pray that, as you have fallen asleep in death, you may awaken to the heavenly banquet, where you find yourself resting your head on the chest of Jesus for eternity. As son, cousin, neighbor, priest, mentor, bishop, cardinal, and friend to so many, John Foley, by God's grace, strove to live his life "For the Greater Glory of God."

In this city which Cardinal Foley so loved, as in many cities, there are publications each year which seek to highlight the best cheese steak, the best soft pretzel or the best restaurants. One might say that John Patrick Foley was the best of Philadelphia, the best of the priesthood, and the best of the Catholic Church.

For the reflection of Christ's humility, integrity and joy found in John Foley, priest and bishop, we offer thanks to the Lord this evening. For Cardinal Foley, we beg that, by the help of the Lord's mercy, he may be "free from sin and safe from all distress", "as, (in this Advent Season), we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." And for ourselves, we beg the grace that, whether bishop, priest, deacon, seminarian, lay faithful, younger or older, we might live lives of humility, integrity and joy "For the Greater Glory of God" -- "Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam!"

At an earlier point, the senior auxiliary evoked what's become the cardinal's famous nickname among his own -- "'His Foleyness,' as he was affectionately known" -- adding in an aside that "it's doubtful anyone called him that to his face."

To be sure, at least one of us did, in every conversation over these last years. And every time, the response was always the same: a big laugh, and those same four words -- "Oh, God help you!"

But now that you're even closer to Him, dear Foleyness, don't forget how much that help is needed still and ever more on this end.

Thank you for being such a wonderful friend, support, counsel and Cursebreaker always...

...and as an earlier archbishop of New York once farewelled your beloved mentor on another Friday long ago in this town, "Know how much we love you. And we will miss you... we will miss you. Pray for us!"

PHOTO: Nancy Wiechec/Catholic News Service

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"Love Makes a True Shepherd": Unto Manila, A Chito is Born

2011-12-14T10:29:00.014-05:00

However long his pontificate runs, Benedict XVI's key appointment in Asia -- and likely one of the Pope's three or four most significant personnel picks worldwide, all told -- will enter the annals as that of 54 year-old Luis Antonio Tagle to Manila, the continent's largest and most influential diocese, home to a flock of some 3 million in a country whose 75 million faithful now trail only Brazil and Mexico as global Catholicism's largest outpost.

Add in Filipino Catholicism's long history as a "power church," and the 32nd archbishop of the island capital could be a major force on the national stage for no less than a quarter-century.

At the close of an emotional week that saw him dissolve into tears on leaving his hometown -- where he had served as bishop since 2001 -- the exuberant, media-savvy, CUA-trained star theologian known predominantly by the diminutive "Chito" took the reins of the Manila church in a Monday liturgy (above) at the city's cathedral.

Keeping with local custom, politics wasn't too far removed from the festivities: the installation barely ended before some prelates took to chastising the country's President Benigno Aquino, who decided to skip the liturgy for a previously-scheduled military event. (Aquino's three sisters were in attendance at the Mass.) And exactly twenty-five years since the legendary Cardinal Jaime Sin helped spur the coup that overthrew Ferdinand Marcos and installed Aquino's mother in the presidency, the church's clout and its consequences figured prominently in the new primate's inaugural reflection.

"If I am not careful, this position might even blind me to the Lord and to my people," Tagle (pron: "Tahg-lay") said. "I pray that my episcopal ministry and all ministries in the church may be rooted in humble and loving discipleship.

"I tell myself as though it were the Lord telling me, 'Chito, do not think you have become great because of your new position. Be great rather in being a beloved and loving disciple of the Lord.'"

As it's well worth reading in full, here, the complete text of Tagle's Installation Homily:

This week's installation heralds the Filipino church's most colorful time of year: Simbang Gabi, the centuries-old novena of pre-dawn Masses to prepare for Christmas, begins early Friday with lanterns and fireworks.

Of course, thanks to the significant growth of the famously-devoted islands' diaspora on these shores over recent years, the rite has become another December "Doorbuster" for the Stateside church.

PHOTOS: Archdiocese of Manila

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Foley Stories: For "The Voice," An Irish Wake

2011-12-13T21:14:00.005-05:00

He was, in a word, the best of us...

...and that's exactly why, for so many years, we all looked to him as the first of our kind.

For John Cardinal Foley, that descriptor is true for any number of different groups -- the Catholic press, Americans in Rome, his classmates from Columbia J, and more... even if, among them all, he was only ever being himself.

Lord knows he loved each and every one dearly, and was adored just as much by the rest in return. In its keenest instance, though, how true and immense was his love for us, for his Philadelphia -- this place he never stopped seeing as home, where he seemed to know everyone from construction workers to the titans of commerce -- and above all else, the local church that, beyond dispute, was the greatest love of an extraordinary life.

Indeed, Phils fans, it is very tough to imagine a path ahead here without our "Patriarch." Still, precisely in the moment when our people learned of a dramatically new future for the faith in our midst, it was eerily fitting that the last pristine embodiment of the grand old age was called home, that he might intercede for the success of the difficult, but ever more needed, work of renewal into which we're now called.

Since Sunday morning, no shortage of tributes have emerged from seemingly every place "His Foleyness" touched over a half-century of priesthood and, just like his mentor, 27 years at the work that made him a legend. Yet as the tributes have predominantly been circulated by folks with outlets or platforms of their own, even these are unable to capture the full measure of the great friend and gentle soul so many of us now grieve, and who we'll miss very much, often intensely so, going forward.

Despite his training, Foley had a funny way of turning journalism on its head: he didn't just find a story wherever he went, he tended to leave one, too. As his cherished student-turned-secretary, Msgr Hans Browers, told the suburban paper the future cardinal delivered as a boy, "When you use the expression 24/7, that was him -- twenty-four hours, seven days a week he worked.”

Contrary to appearances, though, relatively little of that labor was the work of mass media. Far more often -- whether in airports and diners; chance meetings, speeches or letters -- it, all of it, was the service of a priest: person by person, soul by soul, bringing life and goodness everywhere he went.

When Foley was sent to Columbia for graduate studies as a young cleric, his archbishop urged him to never lose sight of the reality that "You are a priest who happens to be a journalist, not a journalist who says Mass."

It was just one of many things he remembered impeccably. And as a result, all the towering accomplishments and hours of commentary over satellites and airwaves, on tape and in newsprint, were only ever a complement, an extension -- or, to use today's language, a "plug-in" -- of the "beat" he started into on May 19, 1962, on the top step of the High Altar beneath which he'll now be laid to rest.

And so, Foleyites, wherever you are, here's where you -- indeed, the fruit and yield of said priesthood -- come in.

For everything that's already hit print or the web these last two days, something seems to say that there are many, many more "Foley stories" around than those we've already seen... whether they're born from years of tuning in for Midnight Mass to hear his voice, having known him for decades, or anywhere in between.

Along those lines -- especially for those among us at a physical distance, but not a spiritual one, from this week's farewell -- as these days begin, for this readership to bring our stories and moments of grace together seems to be the best tribute, thanks and sendoff we can give.

Ergo, the combox is again open below, and you're all more than welcome to share your memories and recollections of one of the all-time greats. But as, by necessity, submissions will need to be moderated, suffice it to say that the cardinal's lifelong example of class, dignity, mutual respect and good humor serve as the guiding standard of the exercise.

Further reflections to come... in the meantime, as a day many of us have long dreaded approaches, may the church's ancient prayer likewise be our own:

Saints of God, come to his aid;
Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord:
Receive his soul and present him to God, the Most High.

And with that, gang, the floor is yours.

PHOTOS: Pontifical Council for Social Communications(1,2); Catholic Standard & Times Archive(3); The (Columbia) Missourian(4)

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La Última Palabra

2011-12-12T23:55:00.003-05:00

“The Successor of Peter cannot let this event pass without making present the joy of the church for the manifold gifts that God in his infinite goodness has poured out over these years on this beloved continent, which so deeply invokes Mary Most Holy.

The venerable image of the Morenita de Tepeyac -- her sweet, serene face impressed on the tilma of the Indian St Juan Diego -- presents herself as 'the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God for whom we live.' She evokes the 'woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head, who was with child' and sounds forth the presence of the Savior to her own. She always leads us to her divine Son, who reveals himself as the foundation of the dignity of every human being, as a love stronger than the powers of evil and death, and as a fount of joy, childlike trust, consolation and hope.”

--Pope Benedict XVI
Homily at Mass for Latin America
on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe
St Peter's Basilica
12 December 2011

* * *

And there, from a historic celebration at what's now Christendom's second most-visited shrine, the last word on a feast that only gets bigger all over with each passing year.

As widely expected in the run-up to today's fiesta Guadalupana en Vaticano (video), the Pope personally announced his plans for a Latin American visit in the spring.

While B16 didn't cite specific dates, numerous reports have tipped the trip to Cuba and Mexico as most likely to take place in the last week of March.

PHOTO: Getty

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Escenas de Una Revolución

2011-12-12T20:46:00.007-05:00

Saben la iglesia en este foto, ¿no?

Aquí está un indicio: Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

En estas horas, con la Misa de Nochecitas -- en muchos lugares, la tercer liturgia de esta fiesta -- la celebración de la Virgen de Guadalupe, acerca de 30 horas despues de sus primeras mañanitas, viene a su fin.

Y aquí, más video del día en otras partes del país....

A medianoche en New Jersey...

...y más del mismo:

De un cerrito de Tepeyac a Atlanta:

A la capital de nuestra mayoría nueva -- por supuesto, Los Ángeles:

Y otra vez del templo mas famoso de la fe en estos estados, un momento con la Morenita de la catedral de New York:

Todo en un día... todo de el joven y vivo... todo de el para una mujer -- la Madre de Dios...

...y en todo de esto, podemos ver y sentir la fuerza mas poderosa del futuro catolico en esta tierra como emerge a cambiar y renovar el corazón de esta iglesia a un grado veramente histórico.

En este lugar en nuestro tiempo, es un signo a nosotros de la bondad de Dios, y el amor de la Virgen Morena para todos sus hijos en este país.

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For "His Foleyness," A Friday Farewell

2011-12-12T18:16:00.008-05:00

Putting the punctuation mark on a surreal year that had already qualified as the end of an era 'round these parts, the Funeral Mass for John Cardinal Foley will take place on Friday at 2pm in the Philadelphia Cathedral-Basilica where he was ordained a priest and bishop, culminating with his burial in its crypt.

In keeping with preferences expressed by the longtime Vatican "Voice" during his final weeks, Foley's successor as head of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, is to celebrate the liturgy. The USCCB president, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, will be the homilist. Both presider and preacher are friends of the cardinal, dating to the duo's respective stints in Rome at the helm of the Pontifical North American College.

The shape of a delegation from the Holy See is still taking form, but Foley's successor as president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, is said to be attempting to make the trip.

All of it understood to be open to the public, the two days of funeral rites begin Thursday with a 9am Reception of the Body at St Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, from which the cardinal was ordained just shy of a half-century ago. A daylong viewing in St Martin's Chapel will end with a 7pm Mass celebrated by the senior auxiliary of Philadelphia, Bishop Daniel Thomas, another close Foley friend.

A professor at St Charles until his 1984 appointment to the Curia, the seminary established an academic chair in homiletics and social communications in Foley's honor last month; a national search is being conducted for the post's first occupant. Prior to his move in retirement to Villa St Joseph, the seminary remained the cardinal's hometown base thanks to a room he had been permitted to keep there while in Vatican service.

Following a midmorning cortege transferring Foley's casket to the Cathedral, a final lying in-state will be held there from 10am to 1.30pm.

* * *

Comprised of 48 vaults, the crypt of Saints Peter and Paul has been the final resting place of Philadelphia's bishops and archbishops since 1869, when the first two ordinaries were reinterred in the space under the High Altar.

In total, seven of the ten deceased heads of the River City church are now buried in the twin Carrara marble walls. As for the exceptions, Francis Kenrick (Third Bishop, 1842-51) -- the cathedral's originator, and the first prominent American prelate of Irish birth -- was transferred to the archbishopric of Baltimore and buried in the crypt of its then-Cathedral of the Assumption at his 1863 death; his successor, St John Neumann (1852-60), chose to be placed with his Redemptorist confreres at their base under St Peter's church, where his shrine is today, and as a former president of Notre Dame and Holy Cross priest, Cardinal John O'Hara (Fifth Archbishop, 1952-60) wished to be returned there, and now rests in a side-chapel of the university's Basilica of the Sacred Heart, upon which a bouquet of roses are laid every Monday morning.

Foley will be the fourth cardinal interred in the hometown crypt. He won't, however, be the first Curial chief among them -- another native son, Cardinal Francis Brennan became the first American to serve as Dean of the Roman Rota in 1959.

Born in the upstate coal country that would be split off in 1961 to form the diocese of Allentown, Brennan died a year after his 1967 elevation to the Pope's "Senate" at age 74.

Notably, unlike most other American cathedrals where cardinals served or are buried, no red galeros hang from the ceiling of Philadelphia's mother church.

To be sure, they once did... so the legend goes, though, the reason behind their half-century absence involves John Krol and a fit of pique.

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Con Una "Cascada de Luz" ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Madrecita!

2011-12-12T08:01:00.012-05:00

...y iglesia en este Norte, bienvenidos a un nuevo siglo de nuestro camino....

Te agradecemos, Virgen de Guadalupe, Madre y Estrella del futuro de esta fe en estos Estados Unidos, para tu promesa y regalo de una vida nueva para nuestra familia en este país.

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"To All Who Mourn Cardinal Foley," The Pope's Blessing

2011-12-12T06:20:00.008-05:00

Interrupting our coverage of American Catholicism's biggest of feasts -- perhaps fittingly, though, given his vocation -- here below is the freshly-released telegram of Pope Benedict XVI on yesterday's death of John Cardinal Foley, addressed to Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap., ordinary of "His Foleyness'" beloved Philadelphia:

HAVING LEARNED WITH SADNESS OF THE DEATH OF CARDINAL JOHN PATRICK FOLEY, GRAND MASTER EMERITUS OF THE EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM, I OFFER YOU MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES.

AS I RECALL WITH GRATITUDE THE LATE CARDINAL’S YEARS OF PRIESTLY MINISTRY IN HIS BELOVED ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADEPHIA, HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE HOLY SEE AS PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS, AND MOST RECENTLY HIS LABORS ON BEHALF OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES OF THE HOLY LAND, I WILLINGLY JOIN YOU IN COMMENDING HIS NOBLE SOUL TO GOD, THE FATHER OF ALL MERCIES. I ALSO PRAY THAT HIS LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH’S PRESENCE IN THE MEDIA WILL INSPIRE OTHERS TO TAKE UP THIS APOSTOLATE SO ESSENTIAL TO THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL AND THE PROGRESS OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION.

TO ALL WHO MOURN CARDINAL FOLEY IN THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION, I CORDIALLY IMPART MY APOSTOLIC BLESSING AS A PLEDGE OF CONSOLATION AND PEACE IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

* * *

As previously noted, the precise arrangements and timing for the cardinal's funeral remain to be determined, but will be relayed here once they are decided.

PHOTO: Fr Daniel Good

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Morenita de Guadalupe, Madre del Norte

2011-12-12T00:00:00.023-05:00

Padre de misericordia,
que has puesto a estos pueblos tuyos
bajo la especial protección
de la siempre Virgen María de Guadalupe, Madre de tu Hijo,
concédenos, por su intercesión
profundizar en nuestra fe
y buscar el progreso de nuestra patría
por caminos de justicia y de paz.

Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo,
que vive y reina contigo
en la unidad del Espíritu Santo y es Dios
por los siglos de los siglos.

Hoy, el 480° aniversario hasta su revelación en la tilma de Juan Diego -- el principio de la primera evangelización de este continente -- el futuro y la esperanza de la iglesia católica en estos Estados Unidos son las rosas preciosas de la Virgen de Guadalupe, sus hijos entre nosotros formando ahora una mayoría nueva, fiel, viva y joven, cual crece más y más con cada año.

Morenita de Tepeyac, te agradecemos para la vida nueva que has nacido, y todo tus benediciónes a nosotros. Estrella que dirigirá nuestro camino adelante, en tu confiamos -- intercede por tu familia en este pais, que todos nuestros hermanos vengan a verte como nuestro corazón, nuestra reina y madre más especial y amando, y que la fuerza de tu amor para nosotros nos dará la fuerza para renovar esta iglesia y toda esta tierra.

Feliz cumpleaños, Madrecita, y muy buenas fiestas a todos....

¡Que viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

VIDEO: de Grand Rapids, Michigan(1); de San Antonio, Texas(2); de Camden, New Jersey(3); del Santuario de Tepeyac(4)

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Domingo Gigante

2011-12-11T20:03:00.009-05:00

Y ahora, regresamos en vivo al "Super Tazón" de la iglesia norteamericana, ya en progreso a traves de este país por toda de esta noche, y mañana tambien....

(de la llena Catedral de Los Ángeles)

(de Moline, Illinois)

(de Butner, North Carolina)

(de Dallas, Texas)

...y por la primera vez, un video de la fiesta de la Emperatriz de la una America de Canada, a Toronto:

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The "Voice" Is Called Home -- Cardinal Foley Dies at 76

2011-12-11T08:57:00.066-05:00

A faithful friend to so many of us and the global church's legendary "Dean" of Catholic communicators, the great and beloved John Patrick Cardinal Foley went peacefully to his reward overnight (around 3am) here in his native Philadelphia, exactly a month since his 76th birthday.

The Vatican's "Voice of Christmas" in serving as English-language commentator for the Pope's Midnight Mass -- the world's most watched religious broadcast -- for 26 years, Foley retired to his hometown earlier this year amid a battle with leukemia, the complications of which had drained his energy.

Ever as unpretentious and gentle as he was hard-working, the self-confessed "chocoholic" never completely rebounded from a 2006 surgery for kidney cancer, but continued extensive travels of the globe for the five years his stamina allowed to support and encourage his cherished colleagues in Catholic communications, and subsequently to bolster the church's work in the Holy Land.

After 23 years as president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, in June 2007 Pope Benedict tapped the onetime Jesuit novice -- a graduate of Columbia University's vaunted School of Journalism -- to become the first non-European ever to serve as Grand Master of the millennium-old Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which allowed for his long-awaited elevation to the College of Cardinals five months later.

On his farewell visit to the pontiff in February, Benedict reportedly told Foley that elevating him to the cardinalate in tribute to an extraordinary life of service to the church was "one of the best things" he had done as Pope. (At top, the new cardinal is shown entering the church where he was ordained a priest and archbishop -- Philadelphia's Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul -- for the Thanksgiving Mass that celebrated his red hat in the place which, despite three decades in Vatican service, he always saw as "home.")

Dubbed the "Patriarch" of Philadelphia Catholicism in his later years, the cardinal's funeral will take place at the River City Cathedral, according to plans quietly sketched out over recent weeks.

While the date and celebrant remain to be determined -- sendoffs for cardinals outside Rome are customarily led by a Vatican-designated papal legate -- the anticipated three-day farewell is to conclude with Foley's burial in the Cathedral crypt alongside his hometown's bishops and archbishops, among them his mentor, John Cardinal Krol, who was the last person to be laid to rest there in 1996.

Sadly, Foley's death comes weeks shy of the year in which he would've celebrated his golden jubilee as a priest. For these ten months, though, the cardinal was able to spend his last days among the group with whom he never stopped counting himself -- the priests of Philadelphia -- as a resident of Villa St Joseph, the archdiocesan residence for retired clergy located right next door to the hospital where he was born, and all of a mile from the simple house in a working-class suburb where he grew up.

More to come... admittedly, amid tears. In the meanwhile, though -- to employ one of his more well-spun stories -- let it be said that a cadre of friends that literally spans the globe will miss "Mr Foley" very much for the same reason that we loved him, and he loved us: "Because," through his life and example always, "he taught us about Jesus."

May his sweet, generous, always life-giving spirit -- indeed, this great priestly soul -- rest in eminently-merited peace, to the greater glory of God.

* * *

In late November, the figure known impishly among friends as "His Foleyness" was honored by Philadelphia's Broadcast Pioneers as their Person of the Year and inducted into their Hall of Fame of local legends.

Unable to attend the dinner conferring the awards due to his illness, the cardinal sent a taped message recounting his six decades in the media, and reminding his colleagues of the gift and responsibility of our work.

So far as we can tell, the following is Foley's final public appearance....

That said, ever the good and devoted son of the local church he loved more than anything -- and left only under protest -- Foley would want the last word to belong to the archbishop of Philadelphia.

To that end, currently en route home from his ad limina visit to the Vatican, Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. has released the following statement:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal John Foley. Cardinal Foley was a man of great apostolic energy. Anyone who met him was immediately aware of his intense love for the Church and his zeal for communicating the Gospel. By the sheer force of his personality, he drew people to the faith and to himself.

I was pleased that he was able to come home during the final months of his life. No matter where he lived or how he served the Church over the years, he always considered Philadelphia his home. I ask the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to offer prayers for Cardinal Foley, and I invite our priests to offer Masses for the repose of his soul.

All of us are very grateful for the life and service of Cardinal Foley. His charisma and gentle spirit will be sorely missed throughout the Universal Church. May God grant him the gift of eternal life, and give peace and consolation to all those who loved, admired, and respected him.

PHOTO: Fr Daniel Good(1); Pool(2)

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"We Offer Him Back to God With Gratitude": For Foley, His Knights' Tribute... and the Vatican's

2011-12-11T08:52:00.006-05:00

11am Eastern -- Upon news of this morning's death of Cardinal John Foley, the following statement has been released by his successor as head of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien:

In his almost 50 years as priest and bishop Cardinal John Patrick Foley was totally and singularly dedicated to Christ and His Church.

As editor of Philadelphia's Catholic Standard and Times and later as President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in the Vatican, the Cardinal's professionalism and integrity was universally respected among his peers. For members of the press and for the English-speaking public around the world, in press conferences and radio and television commentaries, he was a gifted evangelizer, explaining Catholic teaching and practice clearly and thoroughly and often with a self-deprecating humor.

He has long been regarded as the patriarch of the American Catholic press.

During his four years leading the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem-years he compared to "a spiritual retreat"-the order grew significantly in lieutenancies and numbers throughout the world, largely due to his devoted commitment to the Church in the Holy Land and his constant travel. I will be ever grateful for his words of support and counsel these three brief months since my appointment as Pro-Grand Master of the Order.

The Cardinal frequently expressed his gratitude in being able to spend his final months in his beloved Philadelphia and among his brother priests. His love for the priesthood was extraordinary. He faced his impending death with remarkable serenity, looking forward in Christian hope to the reward that awaited him in Christ.

Though very many of us will miss him, we prayerfully offer him back to God with gratitude for his friendship, his sterling priestly example and his many contributions to the kingdom of God on earth.

May he rest in peace.

In the footsteps of the Philadelphia native, the New York-born prelate's August appointment as the millennium-old group's second non-European Grand Master was seen as a vindication of Foley's brief, but exceptionally successful tenure leading the Knights and Ladies, whose modern membership is principally concentrated in the English-speaking world, a plurality of them in the US.

From Rome, meanwhile, speaking to Vatican Radio on the loss of his longtime colleague and close friend, the Holy See's lead spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, paid an emotional tribute, saying that "all those who knew him admired and loved him so much for his kindness and his spirituality: he really was a man of a high spiritual caliber.

Foley "personified friendly relations in the best way," Lombardi added," in being "open and attentive about the church in the world of social communications, not [seeing it] as an 'impersonal' world, but as a world 'of persons.'"

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"The Prophecy of God's Plan"

2011-12-10T20:41:00.004-05:00

As Advent reaches its midpoint, for your Gaudete Sunday and the days ahead -- and before these pages turn in earnest toward American Catholicism's Mother of All Feasts -- in keeping with house custom for this time of year, here, the full Handel's Messiah (libretto), as performed by the Choir and Orchestra of New York's Trinity Church on Wall Street:

Hope your prep-time's going great, gang -- again, all the blessings and richness of these days to you and yours.

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Desde El Tepeyac... Y Ahora, Por Todos Los Estados

2011-12-10T17:00:00.006-05:00

Y por un otro año, iglesia del Norte, la fiesta del nuestro futuro esta aquí.

Virgencita de Guadalupe -- Emperatriz de la una America, Madre de Nuestra Esperanza y una Vida Nueva para esta Fé en estos Estados Unidos -- regresamos a ti para darte gracias por sus benediciones y cuidad, y para rogar que permanezcamos siempre más en el hueco de tu manto y en el cruce de tus brazos.

Morenita de Tepeyac, Estrella quien siempre nos dirige a tu Hijo, busca por nosotros los regalos de fuerza y valor para una Nueva Evangelización en este país, y que seguiramos tu ejemplo como madre y ayuda en dar bienvenida a todos de tus hijos, así que nadie -- especialmente los pobres, los que sufren y todos ellos en los márgines de vida -- sentirá se un extranjero en esta iglesia, que podemos llamarnos verdaderamente una familia de Dios.

Escúchanos, Madre de la Iglesia, Corazón de Nuestra Alegría y Felicidad -- ¡ruega por nosotros!

FOTO: de Falls Church, Virginia

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On Immaculate's Day, B16 Recalls "The Sins of the Church"

2011-12-09T21:10:00.002-05:00

Much as the whole reflection is, as ever, worthwhile, B16's address at yesterday's traditional 8 December homage to the pillar of the Immaculate Conception in Rome's Piazza di Spagna has garnered considerable attention for the following statement in its final grafs:

[U]pon the head of the woman clothed in the sun there is “a crown of twelve stars.” This sign represents the 12 tribes of Israel and means that the Virgin Mary is at the center of the People of God, of the whole communion of saints. And thus this image of the crown of twelve stars introduces us to the second great interpretation of the celestial sign of the “woman clothed in the sun”: besides representing our Lady, this sign personifies the Church, the Christian community of all times. She is pregnant, in the sense that she carries Christ in her womb and must bear him for the world: this is the suffering of the pilgrim Church on earth, who in the midst of God’s consolations and the world’s persecution must bring Jesus to men.

It is precisely for this, because she brings Jesus, that the Church meets the opposition of a ferocious adversary, represented in the Book of Revelation by the “great red dragon” (Revelation 12:3). This dragon sought in vain to devour Jesus – the “male child destined to govern all the nations” (12:5). The dragon tries in vain because Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has ascended to God and he has taken his seat upon his throne. This is why the dragon, defeated once and for all in heaven, turns his attacks toward to the woman – the Church – in the wilderness of the world. But in every age the Church is sustained by the light and by the power of God, which nourishes her in the wilderness with the bread of his Word and the Holy Eucharist. And so in every tribulation, through all of the trials that she meets in the course time and in different parts of the world, the Church suffers persecution but is always victorious in the end. And precisely in this way the Christian community is the presence, the guarantee of God’s love against every ideology of hatred and [selfishness].

The only threat the Church can and must fear is the sin of her members. While, in fact, Mary is the Immaculate, free from every stain of sin, the Church is holy, but at the same time she is stained by our sins. This is why the People of God, in pilgrimage through time, turns to its heavenly Mother and implores her help; it asks this so that she might accompany us on the journey of faith, that she might encourage the undertaking of a Christian life and support our hope. We need her above all in this very difficult moment for Italy, for Europe, for various parts of the world. Mary helps us to see that there is a light beyond the dark clouds that seems to envelop reality. For this reason we too, especially on this occasion, do not cease ask for her help with filial confidence: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Ora pro nobis, intercede pro nobis ad Dominum Iesum Christum!

(Emphases added.)

PHOTO: Reuters

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"Complacency Is the Enemy of Faith": For Chaput's Philadelphia, "Real Change" Is Coming

2011-12-08T18:30:00.012-05:00

Analysis/background to come... but for now -- and for those already aware of the degree of the problems in these pages' backyard -- below is the fulltext of a significant Pastoral Letter sent today to the priests of Philadelphia by Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap., marking out a starkly different road ahead for a once-triumphant local church now beleaguered and humbled to historic proportions.

His mandate to effect a thoroughgoing renewal of River City Catholicism bolstered even further after a private ad limina audience with Pope Benedict a week ago today, the letter is Chaput's first high-profile public message to his new charge since his September installation and outlines the challenges he's inherited, the sum total of which has come to be viewed in hierarchical circles as the most difficult situation an American bishop has been called to tackle in the last-half century, and possibly even longer.

Obtained earlier today by Whispers, the archbishop's letter will be read at all Masses in the 1.3 million-member archdiocese this weekend and is likewise to be circulated as best possible in parish bulletins.

After nearly a fortnight of reporting on the state of Philadelphia to the Holy See, Chaput will return home from the ad limina late Sunday.

* * *

December 8, 2011
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Dear friends in Christ,

Exactly three months ago, on September 8, I was installed as Archbishop of Philadelphia. In the weeks since, traveling the archdiocese, I’ve been struck by two things I encounter again and again: the reservoir of good will in our people, and the fidelity of our priests.

The Church in Southeastern Pennsylvania has deep roots and an extraordinary legacy of saints, service and public witness. These are profound strengths, built by the faith of generations of Catholic families. But all of these good facts depend on our willingness to sustain them by our actions in the present. Advent is a season of self-examination in the light of God’s word; a season of conversion and looking forward in hope to the birth of a Savior at Christmas. There is no better time to speak frankly about the conditions we now face as a community of believers.

Complacency is the enemy of faith. To whatever degree complacency and pride once had a home in our local Church, events in the coming year will burn them out. The process will be painful. But going through it is the only way to renew the witness of the Church; to clear away the debris of human failure from the beauty of God’s word and to restore the joy and zeal of our Catholic discipleship.

In the year ahead, we have a grave and continuing obligation to help victims of clergy sex abuse to heal; to create Church environments that protect our young people; and to cooperate appropriately with civil authorities in pursuing justice for both the victims of sexual abuse and those accused.

At the same time, we need to remember that many hundreds of our priests -- the overwhelming majority -- have served our people with exceptional lives of sacrifice and character. Since arriving in September, I have pressed for a rapid resolution of the cases of those priests placed on administrative leave earlier this year. The first months of 2012 will finally see those cases concluded. Whatever the results, the confidence of our people and the morale of our priests have suffered. The hard truth is that many innocent priests have borne the brunt of the Church’s public humiliation and our people’s anger. The harsh media environment likely to surround the criminal trial which begins next March will further burden our lay people and our clergy. But it cannot be avoided.

Finally, the resources of the Church do not belong to the bishops or the clergy; they belong to the entire Catholic people, including the faithful generations who came before us. The Church is a community of faith alive in the present but also connected across the years through time. The Church holds her resources in stewardship for the whole Catholic community, to carry out our shared apostolic mission as believers in Jesus Christ. This means that as archbishop, I have the duty not just to defend those limited resources, but also to ensure that the Church uses them with maximum care and prudence; to maximum effect; and with proper reporting and accountability.

In the coming year we will face very serious financial and organizational issues that cannot be delayed. They must be addressed. These are not simply business issues; they go to the heart of our ability to carry out our Catholic ministries. The archdiocese remains strongly committed to the work of Catholic education. But that mission is badly served by trying to sustain unsustainable schools. In January, the archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission will provide me with its recommendations on Catholic education. The Commission has worked for months on this difficult issue with extraordinary sensitivity and skill. It will likely counsel that some, and perhaps many, schools must close or combine. It will also offer a framework for strengthening our schools going forward.

Over the next 18 months the same careful scrutiny must be applied to every aspect of our common life as a Church, from the number and location of our parishes, to every one of our archdiocesan operational budgets. This honest scrutiny can be painful, because real change is rarely easy; but it also restores life and health, and serves the work of God’s people. We cannot call ourselves good stewards if we do otherwise.

These words may sound sobering, but they are spoken with love as a father and a brother. They are a plea to take our baptism seriously; and to renew our local Church with Christian charity, justice and zeal. As Scripture reminds us so frequently: Do not be afraid. God uses poor clay to create grandeur and beauty. He can certainly use us to renew and advance the work of the Church -- and he will.

On this great feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, may God grant you and those you love a holy Advent; and lift your hearts; and make you ready for the joy of Christ’s birth. And please pray for me, as I pray for all of you and your families every day.

Gratefully yours in Jesus Christ,

Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia

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On Mary Immaculate

2011-12-07T17:00:00.019-05:00

“We take this occasion, brethren, to communicate to you the determination, unanimously adopted by us, to place ourselves and all entrusted to our charge throughout the United States, under the special patronage of the holy Mother of God, whose Immaculate Conception is venerated by the piety of the faithful throughout the Catholic Church.

By the aid of her prayers, we entertain the confident hope that we will be strengthened to perform the arduous duties of our ministry, and that you will be enabled to practice the sublime virtues, of which her life presents the most perfect example.”

--Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of the United States
Sixth Provincial Council
Baltimore
5 May 1846

* * *

A year after the petition of the early Stateside bench -- then numbering less than 30 bishops -- the declaration of Mary Immaculate as patroness of these shores was confirmed by Pope Pius IX.

Notably, the move came almost a full decade before Pius formally defined the dogma of the Theotokos' conception without original sin. The patronal feast, however, wasn't made a holy day of obligation in the US until 1866.

Ergo, tutti auguri per una buona festa dell'Immacolata to all the Yanks among us... even if the de facto saint's day of American Catholicism's modern era is still four nights away.

Yet in the meantime, whose voice could mark this solemnity better than that of the most accomplished and celebrated evangelist -- and son of Mary -- in the history of this national church, with the poem he made famous for a generation... and, indeed, not just among our own:

After a 60-year ministry that saw him create and host the most-watched TV hour in the land -- and in prime time, no less -- Friday marks the 32nd anniversary of the death of the great and beloved "Bishop Sheen."

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O Albero: For Gubbio Mega-Tree, A PopeLighting

2011-12-07T14:05:00.006-05:00

As has been feverishly anticipated in some parts over recent days -- in large part amid fresh questions of which device the Pope would use to do the honors -- B16 lit the "World's Biggest Christmas Tree" earlier tonight, tapping a tablet computer to flick on the 2,500 foot-high display of lights in the shape of a tannenbaum splayed on an Umbrian hillside.

In a brief greeting to the people of Gubbio before hitting the virtual "switch," the pontiff said that the lights of the tree represent those which "light the path of our life... especially in these days when many of us feel the weight of difficulties, problems, suffering, and a veil of darkness seems to envelop us.

"May each one of us be a light for those around us," Benedict added, encouraging his audience to "give a little more attention to the other, a little bit of love. Each little act of goodness is like a light on this big tree: together with all the other lights, it's able to brighten the darkness of the night, even the darkest ones.

"My first [Christmas] wish, then, is that in our outlook of mind and heart, we won't stop only at the horizon of this world, of material things, but might be a little more like this tree, that always points upward, toward God. He never forgets us, but asks that we, too, don't forget him either!"

Despite the camera for the video-link being placed directly in front of him, B16 kept looking toward the flat-panel TV placed at an angle from his desk, almost as if he was being filmed from that side.

And lastly, connected via internet to Gubbio's power grid, when the lighting device was brought forward after the pontiff's remarks, the shot was wide (and quick) enough that the make of the much buzzed-about tablet could not immediately be determined. (SVILUPPO: On further examination, the look of the case appears to be that the tablet used was, indeed, not the long-rumored iPad encore, but a Sony S.)

Here, video of the Pope's talk and the lighting (albeit tutto in italiano):

Tomorrow, of course, Benedict will lead Rome's traditional civic opening of the Christmas season as he presides at the annual feast-day homage to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in the Eternal City's Piazza di Spagna.

PHOTO: L'Osservatore/Pool

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For US Church, The New Year Brings New Saints

2011-12-06T21:24:00.020-05:00

Only six years after Mother Marianne Cope was beatified, the New York-bred collaborator of St Damien deVeuster on Hawaii's Molokai leper colony has cleared the final hurdle to sainthood.

Earlier today, officials of Blessed Marianne's Syracuse-based cause relayed word that the cardinal-members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints had affirmed that a second inexplicable healing attributed to the intercession of the Franciscan nun (1838-1918) was, indeed, miraculous. Following the initial judgment of its medical board, the full dicastery's vote to recommend canonization marked the last deliberative part of the sainthood process.

A decree of the miracle's authenticity will now be presented to Pope Benedict at his next audience with the Congregation's prefect, Cardinal Angelo Amato SDB, which is expected to take place within weeks. Once the pontiff's pro forma approval of the finding is granted, Cope's canonization date would then be announced by the Pope at a subsequent consistory of the cardinals resident in Rome.

Don't book tickets yet, but if the consistent pattern of B16's six-year reign holds, smart money sees Rome's second mass dose of Aloha as most likely to come next October, just three years after liturgical hula first broke out in basilicas on Father Damien's elevation to the altars. Though Benedict customarily holds an earlier canonization each year during the Easter season, the time needed to arrange the 8,000-mile pilgrimage would indicate the later date.

The Roman move comes on the heels of last month's 216-2 vote by the US bishops to add the Franciscan's feast to the national calendar, along with that of Blessed John Paul II. While Blessed Marianne is commemorated in the dioceses of Honolulu and Syracuse (her community's home base) on her 23 January birthday -- and is additionally recognized as a saint by the Episcopal church -- conflicts with the wider calendar have left the feast's national scheduling in the hands of the Holy See.

Initially buried at the isolated Kalaupapa colony where she served Hansen's patients for over three decades, Marianne's remains were returned to the Empire State at the time of her beatification for re-interment at the Franciscan Sisters' Motherhouse. Relics of the saint-to-be are kept for public veneration in Syracuse's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Honolulu's Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.

And that's not all -- as first relayed on the Inside Pages in early November, likewise expected in the impending batch of miracle decrees is the long-awaited final step to sainthood for the "Lily of the Mohawks," Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-80).

Beatified in 1980, the convert and catechist of Mohawk-Algonquin roots enjoys a particularly intense devotion among Native American Catholics, and is likewise regarded as a patroness of ecology and the care of the environment. Though Kateri's cult extends far beyond her home-turf, like Mother Marianne, she can be considered a New Yorker, having been born near present-day Auriesville (home of Martyrs Shrine).

Her 14 July feast long on the US calendar, Bl Kateri is buried in a mission church near Montreal. A national shrine to her is kept at her onetime home in upstate New York, but is only open seasonally.

Since his 2005 election, Benedict has already canonized two heroes from current-day US territory: the French-born Indiana foundress Mother Theodore Guerin in 2006, and the Belgian-born Father Damien -- now a Hawaiian folk hero -- who's revered worldwide as a particular patron for HIV/AIDS sufferers and the marginalized in general.

Flying in the face of the reigning pontiff's intent to declare far fewer saints than his prolific predecessor, it's very plausible that the uptick of Americans reaching the altars of late can be linked to the Stateside church's recovery from a decade of epochal scandal, and Benedict's repeated, emphatic response to the crisis it birthed.

Much as recent years have seen no shortage of heated calls for institutional reform, the Pope's consistent retort has been that -- as opposed to the fold's loudest, most prominent or incendiary elements -- "in every age the saints are the true reformers of the church’s life" through their ability to inspire and challenge others to embrace a deepened fidelity to Christ and the Gospel, and by the integrity of their witness.

While six American saints have been elevated on the basis of individual causes since the "Mother of Immigrants" Frances Xavier Cabrini in 1946, never have two been canonized at once. Then throw in a rare convergence of Indians, Halau and Yankee fans, and you've got the makings of quite the trip.

SVILUPPO: As the news of Blessed Marianne's green-light to sainthood broke earlier today, Bishop Larry Silva of Honolulu released the following statement:

"We thank God that the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of the Saints has approved a petition to ask Pope Benedict XVI to officially declare Blessed Marianne Cope, OSF, a saint of the church. We are particularly joyful in Hawaii, because of Blessed Marianne's worked here, but her example of selfless love can soon be an inspiration to all the world. She was a woman who brought hope and joy to people who had good reason to lose hope and to lament their condition in life. At this time when so many people are losing hope because of our economy and the increased unrest throughout the world, Blessed Marianne inspires us to work simply for the good of others and to allow God to work miracles through the simple things we do. We look forward to honoring this holy woman in our celebrations, and most of all by our faith in the God who begins and sustains every good work among us."

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For America's "Mother," The Pope's Homage

2011-12-06T11:31:00.025-05:00

Since 2005, the re-rendering of the tilma to include our first Mexican Pope -- at least, as he's regarded by many to Points South -- has become a mainstay of the annual celebrations at Christianity's biggest shrine... which, to be sure, is no longer Rome.

And in an exceptional tribute from the Vatican side of things, as the "Year of Wojtyla" winds down at the Home Office, this 12 December will see B16 celebrate a Monday Mass in St Peter's to mark the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, America's native patroness.

As significance goes, suffice it to say, Papa Ratzinger hasn't come close to doing this for his boyhood's own beloved Madonna of Altötting.

For a pontiff who doesn't celebrate the funeral rites of Rome-based cardinals and has returned to the practice of delegating beatification liturgies to the local churches, any Papal Mass scheduled for reasons other than a major feast of the universal calendar or top-shelf Vatican event (e.g. consistories, canonizations or synods) is a distinct rarity these days. Add in that it's taking place on a weeknight, during a time of year when the papal planner is already chock-full of more traditional December engagements in the run-up to Christmas, and the occurrence is all the more striking.

In its official announcements on the event, the Holy See has said that the Mass is being held to commemorate the bicentennial year of Latin America's first major movements toward independence. Among historians, however, 1810 is the more widely-cited year of the continent's decisive break away from colonialism.

Given the discrepancy, a more plausible -- albeit ad intra -- understanding would see the prime rationale in Guadalupe's role as "Star" of what's increasingly become Benedict's foremost pastoral priority: the New Evangelization, which has come to loom ever larger in the reigning pontiff's public teaching and emphasis over the last two years. Similarly, considering the intense devotion Blessed John Paul II held toward the Virgen de Tepeyac, the all-but-declared year of Vatican initiatives and events built around the legacy of the Polish Pope finds a fitting close in a very high-profile celebration of her feast.

Along those lines, the Mass' late hour -- 5.30pm, Rome time -- is likely owed to Benedict XVI's desire to broadcast a live message to the Americas, where it'll be late morning as he reaches the High Altar of the Vatican basilica. Accordingly, it has been speculated that the liturgy could well provide the backdrop at which the Pope will announce a springtime trip to Latin America, on which Cuba and Mexico have long been tipped as the host-countries.

Despite the latter's presence on the itinerary, a trip to the Guadalupe shrine itself is apparently a no-go; Italian reports have indicated that Mexico City's 7,500ft altitude has been deemed too risky for Benedict's delicate health. Closer to home, meanwhile, as of last hearing the scramble over the trip's scheduling has further delayed the notification of several USCCB regions as to when their ad limina visits to Rome, initially foreseen through most of March, will take place.

While the first half of the Mass will mostly keep to Vatican custom and be celebrated in Latin, the bulk of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is unusually slated to be prayed in Spanish. The readings, Gospel and intercessions will be in either Spanish or Portuguese, and the day's Collect will uniquely likewise be en español.

Though the Guadalupe observance was raised to the rank of a feast for the entire American continent by John Paul on his 1999 pilgrimage to the tilma, the Vatican Mass will celebrate the day as it is in Mexico -- that is, with the full bells and whistles of a solemnity.

Concelebrating alongside the Pope will be four cardinals -- his "Vice-Pope," the Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone; the influential prefect of Bishops Marc Ouellet in his secondary capacity as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (whose day-to-day business is now, in a first, overseen by a layman); Mexico City's Norberto Rivera Carrera, and the head of the continental mega-conference of bishops, the CELAM, the Brazilian Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida.

Speaking of Brazil, as a spring trip would be Benedict's second to the continent that's home to half of the world's billion-plus Catholics, the scheduling of a 2012 Latin American tour has merely underscored an already lingering question mark over whether the pontiff will return again the following year for the next global celebration of World Youth Day, now set for July 2013 in Rio de Janiero.

Either way, as the church's long-fraught relations with Cuba's Communist government have continued to thaw over recent years, the prime purpose of the expected Lenten trek would be to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the island's patroness, the Caridad de Cobre (Our Lady of Charity).

Even without the Pope, however, the Guadalupe shrine in Mexico's capital has become the most visited pilgrimage spot in Christianity. Some 20 million faithful make their way to Tepeyac each year, with estimates of five to seven million devotos converging just on the days around Monday's feast.

By contrast, the Islamic world's annual Hajj to Mecca -- required of each of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims at least once in their lifetime -- draws a far lighter crowd averaging, at most, 3 million pilgrims for the weeklong rite each year.

* * *

Much as Benedict is well-known to embrace and encourage -- not to mention get quite a lift from -- the exuberance of spirit well evident across the Spanish-speaking church, it's worth recalling that, as with some other things, he's merely following in his predecessor's footsteps.

Over the 104 overseas trips of his 27-year pontificate, Blessed John Paul II visited Mexico five times -- more than any other destination save his native Poland, France (historically, the church's "eldest daughter") and, of course, the US... which, however, he conspicuously bypassed on his final journey to Morenita and continent alike.

Perhaps it's telling that the lion's share of these visits came during the last decade of Papa Wojtyla's global pilgrimage. Still, for whatever might've inspired the amplified focus toward the end of his reign, the message was unmistakable -- that Guadalupe wasn't just located almost squarely at the "geographic heart" of the American continent by some tectonic accident, but was the providential, "insurmountable" spiritual epicenter of North and South alike. As a result, only once her message resounded in every part of the Western hemisphere would its spiritual renewal and future be assured.

Of course, in some of the more difficult cases, she's had to send in the storm-troopers to aid that end along. Already, though, the operation's fruits are evident -- thanks to her own's identity and numbers, their youth, fervor and spirit of hard work and welcome, it can now be said that the next chapter of Catholicism en este Norte will be decidedly guadalupano, reconfigured in an image and likeness far different than the one it's predominantly known for nearly two centuries.

In a pastoral letter issued just before the 2002 canonization of Juan Diego -- whose feast the church observes on Friday -- the Mexican bishops recalled that, on their turf, "the Guadalupe Event marked the beginning of evangelization with a vitality that surpassed all expectations."

Yet only now, 480 years since his tilma first revealed the image of the expectant mother of a continent, is the vision finally set to reach full birth.

All that said, Monday's Mass won't be the Vatican Basilica's first celebrated in homage to American Catholicism's "Mother of Hope." That came on the Guadalupe feast in 1997, as John Paul closed the special Synod of Bishops dedicated to the church's future on this one continent.

Ergo, as Rome's yearlong commemoration of el grande, amadisimo Papa guadalupano draws to its close, we'd be remiss to not end with the last words of Juan Pablo's homily on the day:

We have concluded the Synod's work on the day dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the first witness to Christ's presence in America. Her shrine in the heart of the American continent represents an indelible reminder of the evangelization achieved in the past five centuries. The Mother of Christ appeared to a humble man, a Native American named Juan Diego. She chose him as the representative of all her beloved sons and daughters of those lands, in order to proclaim that divine Providence calls for the salvation of people of all races and cultures; the indigenous peoples, who lived there centuries ago, as well as people who came from Europe, in order to bring, despite their limitations and faults, the immense gift of the Good News.

During the Synod, we experienced the special presence of Our Lady, the Mother of God, venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe. And today we want to entrust her with the future path of the Church on the great continent of America....

I now prostrate myself spiritually at her feet, recalling my first pilgrimage in January 1979, when I knelt before that wonderful image to invoke her maternal help and protection on my recently begun pontifical service.

On that occasion I placed the evangelization of America — especially Latin America — in her hands.... And in your name, I renew today the call I made to her then:

Mary, Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of all America, help us to be faithful stewards of the great mysteries of God. Help us to teach the truth your Son proclaimed and to spread love, which is the first commandment and first fruit of the Holy Spirit. Help us to confirm our brothers and sisters in the faith. Help us to spread hope in eternal life. Help us to guard the great spiritual treasures of the members of God's people who are entrusted to us.

Queen of the Apostles! Accept our willingness to serve unreservedly the cause of your Son, the cause of the Gospel and of peace, based on justice and love among individuals and between peoples.

Queen of peace! Save the nations and peoples of the whole continent who trust in you; save them from war, hatred and subversion. May all, governors and the governed, learn to live in peace; may they be educated for peace, and undertake everything required by justice and respect for the rights of each person, so that peace may be strengthened.

¡Escúchanos, Virgen morenita, Madre de la Esperanza, Madre de Guadalupe!

Amen.

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"The Greatest Who Made Himself Small... The Strongest Who Became Weak"

2011-12-05T08:33:00.009-05:00

From yesterday's noontime Angelus, B16 on Advent:

This period of the liturgical year highlights the two figures who played a prominent role in preparation for the historical coming of the Lord Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. In fact today’s Gospel of Mark focuses on the figure of the Baptist. Indeed it describes the personality and mission of the Precursor of Christ (cf. Mk 1.2 to 8). Beginning with his outward appearance, John is presented as a very ascetic figure dressed in camel skin, he feeds on locusts and wild honey, found in the desert of Judea (cf. Mk 1.6). Jesus himself once held him in contrast to those who "wear fine clothing” in the “royal palaces " (Mt 11.8). The style of John the Baptist was meant to call all Christians to choose a sober lifestyle, especially in preparation for the feast of Christmas, when the Lord - as Saint Paul would say - "became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich"(2 Cor 8.9).

With regard to the John’s mission, it was an extraordinary appeal to conversion: his baptism "is tied to a fiery invitation to a new way of thinking and acting, it is above all linked to the announcement of God's justice" (Jesus of Nazareth I, p. 34) and the imminent appearance of the Messiah, defined as "he who is mightier than I" and who will "baptize with the Holy Spirit" (Mk 1,7.8). Therefore, John’s appeal goes far beyond and deeper than a call to a sober lifestyle: it is a call for inner change, starting with the recognition and confession of our sins. As we prepare for Christmas, it is important that we find time for self contemplation and carry out an honest assessment of our lives. May we be enlightened by a ray of the light that comes from Bethlehem, the light of He who is "the Greatest" and made himself small, he who is "the Strongest" but became weak.

All four Evangelists describe the preaching of John the Baptist referring to a passage from the prophet Isaiah: " A voice proclaims:In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God'"(Isaiah 40.3 ). Mark also adds a quote from another prophet, Malachi, who says: " Now I am sending my messenger— he will prepare the way before me " (Mk 1.2, see Mal 3.1). These references to the Old Testament Scriptures "speak of the saving intervention of God, coming out of his inscrutability to judge and save, we must open the door to Him, preparing the way" (Jesus of Nazareth, I, p. 35).

To the maternal intercession of Mary, the Virgin who awaits, we entrust our journey towards the Lord who comes, as we continue our journey of Advent to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Emmanuel, God-with-us.

As the Vatican wends its way through the season, this week brings one traditional December ritual of the Popes... and a new one that's anything but.

On Thursday's solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Benedict XVI will travel to Rome's Piazza di Spagna (above) for the customary late afternoon wreath-laying and prayer at the foot of the statue dedicated to the Madonna under said title at the center of the square.

Over the years, the ceremony -- known in Italian as the Omaggio all'Immacolata -- has come to double as the unofficial opening of the city's Christmas celebrations, somewhat akin to the arrival of Santa Claus at the close of Thanksgiving parades in the States (and not just because the reigning Pope's taken to donning the Santaesque ermine mozzetta for the day, either).

The night before, however, will see the first instance of a decidedly modern Yuletide kickoff, as the pontiff turns on what's become known as the world's "Biggest Christmas Tree" -- a 2,000 foot high light-form splayed on an Umbrian hillside -- with a tap of an iPad.

Of course, the lighting of the Gubbio tree will be Benedict's second public turn at an Apple tablet in the last six months -- in his first ever appearance with a computer, the Pope used an iPad to launch the Vatican's News.va portal in late June (above), at which time he likewise sent an unprecedented tweet.

While the pontiff's Advent calendar is still full with special events -- including a mid-month visit to a Roman prison -- in another sign of the gradual curtailing of his schedule as he prepares to turn 85 in April, for the first time since his 2005 election, Benedict did not celebrate a public Vespers in St Peter's Basilica on the Vigil of the First Sunday of Advent to mark the start of the new liturgical year.

Likewise, continuing a concession to his reduced stamina first introduced in 2009, B16's "Midnight" Mass of the Nativity of the Lord will yet again begin at 10pm Rome time on Christmas Eve.

SVILUPPO: According to a Vatican brief released on 6 December, the Pope won't return to using an iPad for the Gubbio "tree"-lighting, but a Sony tablet running Google's Android mobile operating system.

PHOTOS: Getty

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The "Super Bowl" Begins: In LA, A Morenita Mass (and) Procession

2011-12-04T15:15:00.017-05:00

We might still be a week out from the late-night mañanitas and the annual climax of the Stateside church's ever-booming Guadalupe festival, but the coast-to-coast celebrations of what's become American Catholicism's "Super Bowl" kick into full gear at this hour, in the city founded under the name of Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles -- that is, LA.

Following a lengthy parade through the streets of the city's east end, Los Angeles' 80th annual homage to the Morenita de Tepeyac will culminate with the usual mega-Mass in an outdoor football stadium for a crowd traditionally in the range of 30,000 people.

Bolstered by continuing waves of an overwhelmingly-Mexican Hispanic migration said to comprise some 70 percent of the LA church, the SoCal fold has more than doubled in size since 1985 to some 5 million Catholics today, a population roughly equivalent to that of the entire Irish church. Not only is it the nation's largest ecclesial outpost of our time, but -- by a margin of some two million souls -- it is the largest diocese in Catholicism's five-century history on these shores.

(On a related note, over recent years, Latinos are likewise considered to have reached de facto majorities in the ranks of the second and third largest American dioceses, respectively New York and Chicago, and also number half or more of the Catholic populations of many of the emerging hotspots of the "new" US church, among them Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Houston, Dallas and Phoenix, where estimates of the community's dominance in the local church run as high as 80 percent.)

While the dramatic Latin ascent to the threshold of half the nation's 70 million Catholics has Western and Southern roots going back five centuries, this year's celebration of the Empress of the Americas is especially historic, not to mention poignant: for the first time, a guadalupano nativo -- LA's Mexican-born Archbishop José Gomez -- presides over the North's largest diocese, the sixth most populous in the Catholic world.

Set to turn 60 later this month -- and, in time, break the 126-year Anglo monopoly on the country's seats in the College of Cardinals -- the pioneer prelado (shown above center at last year's procession) led today's festivities, following in the footsteps of his predecessors.

Significant as the East LA turnout is, though, it's not the largest of the American church's Guadalupe observances.

Over recent years, throngs as large as 50,000 have converged on Dallas' Catedral Santuario de Guadalupe to mark December 12th, and in just a matter of years, the estimated feast-night crowd of as many as 250,000 at Chicagoland's Maryville shrine in suburban Des Plaines, many of whom bike or even walk from the city, has become Stateside Catholicism's most massive gathering of all. What's more, having maxed-out the capacity of the satellite churches primarily immersed in Hispanic ministry in prior years, the mañanitas vigils of the 11th will be held in the cathedrals of locales ranging from LA, San Francisco, San Antonio and Salt Lake to Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the the US church's most iconic temple: St Patrick's in New York.

Here, some video from an earlier edition of the East LA Mass Introit... well, part of it:

To be sure, gang, the days of this thread's annual high-point are again upon us. Yet by no means is this a one-cycle or once-a-year event -- indeed, this week is merely the most palpable manifestation of The Great American Catholic Story of Our Time, one whose echoes are sure to loom large across the broad sweep of history.

As no less than the Pope himself once memorably preached, more than any other, this week to come makes it "wonderfully evident to us that the church is alive, and the church is young" in our midst.

Thing is, the driving force behind that vitality and youth just isn't Anglo anymore... pero en esta familia de Dios, nadie es un extranjero para Él, y nadie puede ser un extranjero entre los demás de nosotros.

Que viva la Virgen de Guadalupe, Estrella de la Nuestra Esperanza, Madre de la Vida y el Futuro de esta Iglesia en este País.

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