American monastic group moves to Ireland

An American community of men living according to the monastic Rule of Saint Benedict is moving to Ireland this month to ''return the love'' given by the Irish priests and religious who served the Church in the United States.

The Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle was established by Dom Mark Daniel Kirby four years ago in the Diocese of Tulsa at the invitation of Bishop Edward J. Slattery. 

Since then, a number of men have joined the community, and the prior felt a larger house in a rural setting was needed ''both for the accommodation of men trying their vocations and for hospitality to priests in search of silence, rest, and spiritual refreshment''.

Bishop Michael Smith has offered them a five year lease on the empty Visitation Monastery in Stamullen in County Meath, and they are expected to move in at the end of this month. 

In a newsletter explaining the move to Ireland, Prior Kirby said it was time for the American Church to give something back to Ireland.

''Given the immense number of priests and religious who left their native Ireland to establish and serve the Church in the United States, it seems to me that the hour has now come for some Americans to return love for love by leaving the United States to serve the Church in Ireland,'' he said.

Faith of Irish shaken

Church attendance here may not reflect the extent of the problem, but relations between Ireland and the Vatican are less cordial now than they have ever been. 

That may not be saying a lot. 

Over the years, Irish political leaders have been exceedingly deferential to even home-grown bishops and cardinals.

But two recent incidents demonstrate that the situation these days is clearly different.

Last July, the latest inquiry into clerical child sex abuse in Ireland — the so-called Cloyne Report — was published and it contained a breathtaking catalogue of neglect, deceit and collusion on the part of Irish church officials as well as those stationed in the Vatican.

Speaking in the Irish parliament in response to the report, Prime Minister Enda Kenny unleashed an unprecedented attack on the Vatican’s role in covering up in-house cases of child sex abuse.

The Irish leader pulled no punches.

The report, he said, exposed “an attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago.”

According to Kenny, the inquiry also uncovered “the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism” still dominating Vatican culture.

And in perhaps the most damning line of his heated address, the prime minister said: “The rape and torture of children were downplayed or ‘managed’ to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and reputation.”

This parliamentary assault set the stage for another decisive statement.

Last November, the Irish government closed its embassy to the Holy See. The move sent out an unambiguous message, both at home and abroad, that it is no longer business as usual between the Irish state and the institutional leaders of the country’s majority faith.

Given the current economic climate, the closure was touted as a cost-cutting measure — even though the sums involved seem paltry in light of the billions coming down the tracks in EU loan repayments. 

(In 2008, Ireland’s Vatican embassy cost 800,000 euros to run.)

Also, according to Irish Times Rome correspondent Paddy Agnew, Irish diplomats will now lose access to the Vatican’s “unparalleled and extensive network of contacts, intelligence and information.”

On the domestic front, meanwhile, opposition to the closure is growing among rank-and-file members of Fine Gael, the government’s majority party, who say they are hearing from their constituents that the Vatican embassy should remain open, given Ireland’s long-standing relationship with the Catholic church.

Even so, these are testing times for church leaders here.

How they react in the coming months and years to a government that now defies them openly will determine the nature of the church’s future involvement in Irish life.

Former Anglicans celebrate Mass in St. Peter's, give thanks to pope

For perhaps the first time ever, Anglican hymns, chants and prayers reverberated off the marble walls of St. Peter's Basilica as some members of the world's first ordinariate for former Anglicans celebrated their coming into the Catholic Church.

"Wonderful is not a strong enough word to express how we feel to be here," where the apostle Peter gave his life "and where his successors guarded the faith for generations," said Father Len Black in his homily.

Mass at the basilica and the pilgrimage to Rome generated "a feeling of coming home," said the Catholic priest who served as an Episcopalian pastor in the Scottish Highlands for 31 years.

The group of about 94 pilgrims, including a dozen priests, was led by Msgr. Keith Newton, head of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which was established in January 2011 for former Anglicans in England and Wales.

After celebrating morning Mass Feb. 24 in a side chapel, the group moved to the center of the basilica and stood in front of the "Confessio" -- a lower chapel honoring St. Peter's confession of faith that led to his martyrdom -- and recited the General Thanksgiving, a traditional Anglican prayer.

"That was very moving, thanking God for all we received this year and for the pilgrimage," he told Catholic News Service.

Venezuelan cardinal prays for health of President Hugo Chavez

Cardinal Jorge Urosa of Caracas prayed for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who announced he needs to undergo further treatment in his fight against cancer.

During his homily on Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22 at the Cathedral of Caracas, Cardinal Urosa prayed “in a special way for the physical health of the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.”

The Venezuelan leader will travel to Cuba for surgery to have a potentially cancerous tumor removed.

Cardinal Urosa underscored the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation during the Mass and encouraged the faithful to fight sins associated with the flesh, reported local journalist Ramon Antonio Perez.

“We must learn to control our carnal passions and make great sacrifices in order to bear witness to Christ before the world, and to offer our lives for souls as future priests,” the cardinal said.

He also reminded the faithful of the obligation to observe the norms on fasting and abstinence during the season of Lent.

“Lord willing our prayer will be more fervent, and this year the Church encourages us to read the Word of God.  But we should also attend Mass, which is the commemoration of the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” he added.

Cardinal Ursa also highlighted the practice of charity, recalling Christ’s command to “Love your neighbor as yourself. Lent should be a time to help the poor and needy in our society, as a task of each Christian.”

Further details of Pope’s Lenten spiritual exercises revealed

Pope Benedict XVI’s spiritual exercises for Lent will include contemplative prayer and meditations on spiritual themes like the communion of the Christian with God. 

Over seven consecutive days starting Sunday Feb. 26, the Pope and senior members of the Roman Curia dramatically reduced their usual workload to make time for daily mini-retreats.  

They undertake the exercises collectively during the seasons of Advent and Lent with the aim of growing closer to Christ. 

The titles of each of the seven days of mediations were: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”; “Communion and Life”; “Communion and Mercy”; “Breach of communion, sin”;  “God is love”; “Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and Prayer - The Holy Spirit”; and “Love and Faith.” 

The meditation “God is Love” will explore themes like the death of a priest, penance and reconciliation, fraternal love, and the Virgin Mary as “Mother of Believers” who is “a model of communion with the Father and the Son.” 

The Pope’s spiritual exercises will take place in the Vatican’s Redemptoris Mater Chapel. 

The theme is taken from the New Testament letter 1 John 1:3:  “And our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”  

This year the exercises will be guided by Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa in the Congo.

The exercises began at 6 p.m. on Sunday with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Evening Prayer, and a meditation followed by adoration and Benediction. 

After that the daily routine will be see the first mediation begin at 9 a.m. after Morning Prayer. 

At 10:15 a.m. Mid-Morning Prayer will be followed by the day’s second mediation. 

The third and final mediation will then take place at 5 p.m. whereupon it will be followed by Evening Prayer, adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Since 2007 the 72-year-old Cardinal Monsengwo has been Archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals in 2010. 

He was a pivotal figure in the Congo’s transition from dictatorship to democracy in the 1990s and continues to be an outspoken critic of corruption in public life.

In recent years other notable clergy who have been invited to preach to the Pope during Lent have included the emeritus Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Marco Cé, the emeritus Archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, and the French Discalced Carmelite and theologian Fr. François-Marie Léthel.

Chicago cardinal said to snub Irish Prime Minister’s visit over Vatican Embassy closure

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago has turned down an invitation to the Irish Fellowship Club’s St. Patrick Day dinner, and speculation is rife that it is because Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny is the main speaker, the Chicago Sun Times has reported.

Kenny lashed out at the Vatican in a widely reported attack last year over their refusal to cooperate in the inquiry into child sexual abuse in the diocese of Cloyne in Cork.

Then, late last year, the Irish government decided to close their Vatican Embassy in a move widely seen as related to the strong criticism of the Vatican role in the sex abuse scandals.

Now Cardinal George has refused an invitation to the prestigious St.Patrick’s eve event on March 16th run by an organization with deeply Catholic roots and a major donor to Catholic charities

His spokesman told the Chicago Sun Times that he has a previous engagement at a youth retreat at a local high school -- widely seen as a lesser event.

The Sun Times asks: “Has Cardinal George now become the latest participant in the 'cold war' between Ireland and the Vatican over... the Catholic Church’s failure to tell the truth about its major sexual-abuse scandal there?"

The prestigious Irish Fellowship Club has deeply Catholic roots and raises funds for scholarships for Catholic schools. 

It is the main organization for top Irish American political and business leaders.

The two other main honorees at their dinner are Catholic priests. The club will also be honoring this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal, Rev. Clete Kiley, Director for immigration Policy at  UniteHere and Guest of Honor,Rev. Jack Clair, Assistant Executive Director, Misericordia Home and Special Honoree Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.

Cardinal George is no stranger to controversy. 

Earlier this year George compared the Gay Rights movement to the Ku Klux Klan when a dispute over a parade passing a Catholic Church erupted.

"You know, you don't want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism,"he said.

He later apologized, saying he was “truly sorry.”

The 74-year-old George, a conservative, is said to be very close to Pope Benedict.

Archdiocese Of New York Copes With Dwindling Priest Population

It is no secret Cardinal Timothy Dolan values the work of priests. 

"They keep me tethered to the people," the cardinal said.

But there are fewer priests who can. 

Some 500 active diocesan priests currently serve under Dolan, the shepherd of 2.6 million Catholics. 

The average age of priests is 65 and climbing, with retirement usually at 75 years of age.

The future is not promising. 

In 2010, seven men were ordained and in 2011, only four were ordained.

"This year, we'll only have one ordination but next year, God willing, we'll have eight," said the Reverend Luke Sweeney, the director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York.

The archdiocese wants to ordain at least 20 a year. Still, the number is a far cry when compared to the better part of the 19th century.

"Historically the priesthood was seen as a spiritual vocation that was regarded as higher then marriage, for example. This is how it was emphasized," said Commonweal Magazine editor Paul Baumann. 

"After the Second Vatican Council, the church said that actually married life was a vocation, an aspiritual vocation of equal dignity. Well, once that equation is made, it's very hard for the church to go back." 

There is also the question of celibacy, a matter of discipline, not doctrine.

"Historically, of course, the Catholic Church has had married priests. It had married priests for its first 1,000 years," said Baumann.

Church leaders say talk of dropping celibacy or endorsement of marriage would not serve the church's interests.

"It's also the practical implications. Someone who does not have a family does not have a wife and children that they can be more practically available to the parish communities," said Sweeney.

With celibacy and the ordination of women off the table, the church has been recruiting overseas, but there can be cultural and language barriers.

The church have also allowed married Anglican clergy, even with children, who are ordained in the Catholic Church to serve. 

The archdioceses are currently undergoing an internal review to increase recruitment.

Savannah diocese, bishops sued over priest child abuse case

The Catholic Diocese of Savannah and two of its bishops have been sued in South Carolina over alleged sexual abuse of a minor by former priest Wayland Y. Brown.

The suit, filed Nov. 16 in the Court of Common Pleas in Ridgeland, alleged that Brown abused a Savannah youth whom he met through youth programs at Savannah’s St. James Catholic Church and school in the mid-1970s.

According to the suit, the victim, a “devout Catholic” identified as John Doe, was sexually abused by Brown on various church and school properties as well as in various locations in South Carolina.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah and bishops Raymond Lessard and Gregory Hartmayer are named as defendants in the suit.

“In approximately 1976-1979, Priest Brown sexually assaulted the minor plaintiff, John Doe, on numerous occasions,” the suit alleged.

The 25-page suit also alleged the church “knew or should have known” Brown was assaulting the victim and the church used “a policy of concealment, secrecy and obfuscation of child abuse by church employees and priests.”

The suit asks for a jury trial to determine damages.

Brown, 67, was ordained in the diocese in July 1977, allegedly over the objections of some diocesan staff, by then-Bishop Raymond Lessard and in 1988 served as associate pastor at St. James Parish in southside Savannah.

Hartmayer was installed as bishop Oct. 18.

Brown was removed from active ministry in July 1988.

Bishop J. Kevin Boland, who served between the two named bishops and is not a defendant in the civil case, started the process to remove Brown from the priesthood in February 2003.

The Vatican dismissed Brown from the priesthood in December 2004. Brown voluntarily agreed to return to Maryland in June 2002 to face prosecution on charges of molesting a Maryland teenager decades earlier.

He pleaded guilty in a Maryland court in November 2002 to charges of child abuse and battery for performing sexual acts on a teenage boy and his younger brother between 1974 and 1977.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but in April 2008 was released after serving five years based on good behavior.

He was required to register as a child sex offenders on the Maryland sex offender registry

Brown has not been charged with sexual abuse in the Savannah area, but at least one man has claimed he was molested by a former St. James priest.

“Father Brown is a convicted sex offender,” said Charleston attorney D. Scott Beard, one of John Doe’s lawyers. “According to our lawsuit, he was placed in a position of authority with young boys even though church officials knew of his inappropriate sexual behavior with minors.”

Beard said Brown “left a trail of child victims in the places where he was assigned by the Catholic Church. If Church officials had not acted recklessly in allowing Father Brown to be around children, they could have prevented John Doe and others like him from being abused.”

Diocese spokeswoman Barbara King said Friday, “We cannot comment on pending legal action.”

Appeal by church against de-baptism verdict

The Catholic church in France is appealing against a verdict recognizing a de-baptism, the first to be recorded there.

The ruling would allow French Christians to have their names officially deleted from baptismal registries.

If the ruling prevails, Deutsche Welle Radio reports it may set a legal precedent and highlight a broader drift from the church in Europe.

There are no official statistics on de-baptism in France, but the number is estimated to be small.

However, falling baptismal numbers are regarded as a greater concern.

Some 90% of children were baptised half a century ago. 

Today, the number is one in three.

Is the Church ready for an American pope?

In just a decade, Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York City, has risen from a local bishop to becoming a prince of the Catholic Church. 

He returned from Rome after receiving his cardinal's red hat and ring, like a rock star; a bevy of cameras and lights in tow.

Worldwide buzz around the newly minted Cardinal Dolan is that with his popularity, political savvy, and passion for the church, the question is being raised as to whether he could be the first American pope.

And it's more than just wishful thinking.

"There is something qualitatively different about the speculation surrounding Cardinal Dolan in New York right now," John Allen, senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, said.

Dolan, the shepherd of New York's nearly three million Catholics, was coy when a journalist in Rome posed the question, answering only "Um, non parlo inglese," meaning, "I don't speak English"

And again on his home turf, he was equally evasive, pointing to his ears and claiming the jet lag was still affecting his hearing.

Predicting who the next pope is never a sure bet. In 1978 no one saw a Polish pope, Karol Woytyla, who became John Paul II. 

And in 2005, many thought Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Benedict VXI, was too old, too European and too controversial.

Papal politics, says Allen, is not like the Iowa caucuses, candidates don't declare themselves, you don't have yard signs and bumper stickers. 

The cardinals choose the pope's successor in secret conclave at the Vatican, after the death of a sitting pope.

Americans, though, have always been considered long shots. Conventional wisdom holds that the nation's super power status runs counter to the Church's outreach mission. 

And, Dolan himself lacks a mastery of foreign languages, useful skills that other popes possessed as head of a global church.

Still, the possibility of an American as the next Bishop of Rome has never been so strong Allen, whose latest book, "A People of Hope", is a lengthy interview with then Archbishop Dolan, says,

"With Timothy Dolan there is some of the JP II magic (Pope John Paul II). This guy is a rock star in any room he walks into. He exudes charisma, it's almost as if its charisma on steroids. 

At a time when the Catholic Church is suffering from an image problem I think a lot of people see in Dolan someone who can put a positive face and voice on the Catholic message."

Right now the message has turned political as the nation's bishops, headed by Dolan, are embroiled in a high stakes showdown with the Obama administration over the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act. 

Allen concedes that if the bishops fail and lose this fight it might dim Dolan's star. 

But, the perception is that Dolan has rung Obama's bell, and the president is paying attention. As cardinal of the most prominent pulpit in America, Dolan has the platform to wield a powerful political punch.

In the end though, the next pope will only ostensibly be chosen by the cardinals. 

The faithful believe that ultimately God will raise up the man who is best fit for the task.

Pope warns against 'arrogant' IVF

The Pope has called on infertile couples to shun artificial procreation, saying such methods are a form of arrogance.

Benedict XVI was speaking at the end of a three-day Vatican conference on diagnosing and treating infertility. 

Reiterating Vatican teaching, he called marriage the only permissible place to conceive children.

He also pressed a church ban against artificial procreation. He said infertile couples should resist resorting to any method to try to conceive other than sex between husband and wife.

He said the drive for profit as well as "arrogance" seemed to dominate the field of infertility and warned against what he called the "fascination of artificial procreation technology".

£1m revamp of historic Belfast cathedral planned for 2013

A million pound restoration and regeneration project for St Columb's Church of Ireland Cathedral was unveiled recently.

This major piece of work will centre on the deanery, deanery yard and stable block of the Londonderry church.

It will restore the basement of the deanery with its largely intact period kitchens and pantries, plus further develop the music rooms dedicated to famous hymn writer CF Alexander.

Rev Dr William Morton, Dean of St Columb's, presented the plans to the Department of the Environment minister Alex Attwood.

The cathedral will be a venue for major events during the 2013 City of Culture year.

The Dean and vestry is initiating its own programme of tourism events, including a joint programme with the Walled City Cluster.

“The priority for 2013 would be the deanery and No 1 St Columb’s Court,” Rev Dr Morton said. “With modest investment, elements of this project could be taken forward to significantly improve the visitor experience of the UK City of Culture in 2013. It will help complete the development of the Walled City as a signature tourism destination for Northern Ireland. These historic buildings, opening directly on to the City Walls and onto the southern entrance to the Walled City at Bishop's Gate, lend themselves to housing major exhibitions on the story of the City Walls and on the Earl Bishop."

“The deanery basement will provide a unique opportunity to experience what life was like ‘beneath the stairs’ in Georgian Derry. The full regeneration of the Cathedral precinct will have a catalytic effect, promoting the regeneration of the historic, but still neglected, area which makes up the southern quadrants of the Walled City around Bishop's Gate, radically improving the experience for visitors and for the |communities who live and work here.” 

Factfile

St Columb’s Cathedral was built on the site of a native Christian church on the highest point of the ancient hill of Derry and was designed both as the mother church and as the citadel for the Plantation Walled City of Derry. 

The cathedral will be a focal point for the UK City of Culture programme.

In the Netherlands on Saturday orthodox Jews can go around without documents

In the Netherlands on Saturday orthodox Jews will go around without documents.

In this case, the lay Supreme Court of the Netherlands has established a principle intended to cause controversy:  religious obligation prevails over the law.   

So Orthodox Jews have been exempted from showing, at the request of the police, their identity card since this is in conflict with their religious beliefs.   

In fact, their religion  forbids Orthodox Jews to take anything out of the house on the Sabbath.   

Therefore also their identity card.  

 «It was not the Jews who preserved the Sabbath but it was the Sabbath that preserved the Jews», explains the Jewish thinker Achad Ha'am to emphasize the importance of Shabbat,  the day of Saturday, a crucial appointment for the identity of a Jew.  

The centrality of the Sabbath in Jewish life is confirmed by the fact that the weekdays are counted in relation to the day of Shabbat ("first day", "second day" and so on, with Saturday that closes the week).

 

The idea of a weekly day of rest for all, including slaves and animals, can be regarded as the most singular contribution that Judaism has made to humanity.   

The commandment of rest (Sabbath means "rest") on the seventh day of the week finds its origin in the history of the creation of the world.

According to the book of Genesis, God completed the work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh.  

According to the rabbis, on the seventh day God continued to create and He created rest. The Torah commands Jews not to do any work during the Sabbath day, without explaining what it means by "work".   

The rabbis, noting that the term "work" in the Bible is used to describe various activities necessary for the construction of the "tent-tabernacle" in the desert, have established 39 types of activities from which the Jews must refrain: these include many jobs uncommon to most contemporary Jews such as harvesting, dyeing, sheep shearing and so on.

 

Today the main activities that are prohibited: travel, shopping, cooking and writing. 

Orthodox Jews do not even use electricity during the Sabbath day and therefore spend one day a week without television, telephone or internet.   

As for basic appliances and electricity, many Orthodox Jewish families have installed automatic timers.  Obviously, these prohibitions may, indeed must, be broken if there is danger to life.   

«To an outsider, the Sabbath day may seem like a restrictive set of prohibitions, but almost all the Jews who observe them insist that it is one of the most refreshing and liberating experiences»,  says the scholar of Judaism, Daniel Taub .    

The fact of not working, not answering the phone or mail, makes every Jew free to focus on his inner life.   

The Sabbath is a day devoted to contemplation, the hospitality of friends, leisure with their children.

In modern life it is easy to forget these simple pleasures.   

The Shabbat helps the faithful to rediscover themselves, creating what Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called "an island in time".   

Since that day, in Judaism, begins with the evening, the Sabbath begins on Friday evening.  

For the occasion, the family wears her best clothes and the table is laid in a solemn manner.  

The mother is responsible for lighting the two candles that welcome the Shabbat and, in some families, the same number of candles are lit as the number of  that are children present. 

The liturgy in the synagogue on Friday evening is particularly beautiful and includes special prayers to welcome the Sabbath (Kabbalat Shabbat).

The ritual ends with a particular song, the Lecha Dodi ("come, my beloved, to welcome the Sabbath as a bride"), which greets the Sabbath as a beautiful bride.

The welcoming rite (Kabbalat Shabbat) began to spread in the sixteenth century, thanks to the Jewish mystical movement born in the Israeli town of Safed, where the faithful went through the fields to the edge of the village to symbolically welcome Saturday as a bride.   

«After the celebration in the synagogue, while returning home, the parents bless their children and  warmly invite guests», points out Daniel Taub.

 

A special blessing, the Kiddush, is recited over a glass of wine while another blessing is pronounced over two loaves in the shape of a braid (Challah).

During the meal it is customary to discuss the Torah and sing typical songs.

On Saturday morning, the service in the synagogue is longer and includes the reading of the weekly section of the Torah. 

Upon return from the synagogue, the family gathers for a festive lunch, always in the company of guests, discussions and songs. The. Shabbat ends on Saturday evening, when the first three stars appear in the sky.

To celebrate the end of Saturday a small ceremony takes place called Havdalah (separation):  

Some blessings are recited over wine, candles and spices.

These are used to "revive the spirits" because in the house reigns sadness for the Saturday that is about to end.

Eucharistic Congress 2012 - Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You were sent by the Father
to gather together those who are scattered.

You came among us, doing good and bringing healing,
announcing the Word of salvation
and giving the Bread which lasts forever.

Be our companion on life’s pilgrim way.

May your Holy Spirit inflame our hearts,
enliven our hope and open our minds,
so that together with our sisters and brothers in faith
we may recognise you in the Scriptures
and in the breaking of bread.

May your Holy Spirit transform us into one body
and lead us to walk humbly on the earth,
in justice and love,
as witnesses of your resurrection.

In communion with Mary,
whom you gave to us as our Mother
at the foot of the cross,
through you
may all praise, honour and blessing be to the Father
in the Holy Spirit and in the Church,
Now and forever.

Amen

New Dean elected for St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

The Revd Canon Victor Stacey has been elected as the next Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, in succession to The Very Revd Dr Robert MacCarthy, who retired at the end of January. 

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland and the dean is elected from among the members of the Cathedral Chapter by the members of the Chapter.

The Revd Canon Victor G. Stacey is Rector of Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) and Prebendary of Maynooth (St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin).

The Most Revd Alan Harper, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland said, ‘I welcome the election of the Revd Canon Victor Stacey. St Patrick’s Cathedral plays a significant role in the life of the Church of Ireland. First, as a place where the highest standards of liturgical worship have been maintained over many centuries. No doubt the maintenance of this tradition will be the highest priority of all for the new dean.

Second, it is a place of pilgrimage and a tourist attraction to which in excess of 300,000 people resort every year, uniquely placed to make an important contribution to the presentation of the Christian faith in Ireland, thus enabling people to come closer to God. Third, the Cathedral has afforded a special opportunity to many Deans to make a distinctive contribution to the discussion of significant issues in the life of the Liberties and of Ireland as a whole. Judicious use of such opportunities by the new Dean, should he choose to avail of them, will be welcomed by many in the Church of Ireland. I was privileged to serve for ten years as a chapter member and the cathedral holds a particularly important place in my heart. I pray, therefore, that the new Dean will maintain and build upon the great tradition of St Patrick’s in the years to come.’

The Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, said, ‘I have pleasure in welcoming Canon Victor Stacey as Dean–elect of St Patrick’s, the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland and a Christian foundation of antiquity and resonance in the heart of Dublin. In its witnessing to the faith, in the rhythm of its worship and as a place of prayer, St Patrick’s plays a vital role in the life of the country and the Church, bringing clergy from across the whole island to maintain and further its mission. The co–operation of Cathedral Chapter, Cathedral Board and Dean is essential to the next phase of the life of St Patrick’s. I wish Victor well in his role as Dean, and it is my prayer that the Cathedral will flourish under his guidance.’

Today’s election was preceded by a celebration of the Eucharist by the Archbishop of Dublin. 

Following the election the Dean–elect, together with the collegiate body, processed to the chancel, where a setting of Te Deum was sung by the cathedral choir. 

Details of the new dean’s installation will follow in due course.

Biography

The Revd Canon Victor G. Stacey is a graduate of the National University of Ireland (BA, 1969), Queen’s University, Belfast (MTh) and the Church of Ireland Theological College, Dublin. 

He was ordained Deacon in 1972 and Priest in 1973. 

He was Curate in Derriaghy (Connor) from 1972 to 1976 and in Knock (Down & Dromore) from 1976 to 1979. 

He was Incumbent of St Martin’s Ballymacarrett, Belfast from 1979 to 1986 before moving to become Rector of Dublin Santry with Glasnevin (Dublin & Glendalough) in 1986. 

In 1995 the Revd Victor Stacey was appointed as Rector of Dun Laoghaire. 

He has been Provincial and Diocesan Registrar from 1995 and Prebendary of Maynooth, St Patrick’s Cathedral from 1997.

A songwriter bishop against a secularized Europe

The Auxiliary of Czestochowa, Antoni Diugosz, has recorded a CD to commemorate the Old Continent that cannot forget God.

The best known is certainly the now former Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, author of a CD of traditional African songs, sung by him before he became famous for his marriage to the Korean acupuncturist Maria Sung. 

But there is another Bishop who records songs written by him.

His name is Mgr. Antoni Diugosz, Auxiliary Bishop of Czestochowa, and he writes songs for children. 

This was announced by the Catholic Polish agency Kai (Catolicka Agencja Informacyjna). 

Diugosz recently completed his new CD called Europe, you cannot live without God, which represents a boost for the Old Continent, “guilty” of having forgotten its Christian roots. 

In the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europe, published in 2003, John Paul II had already used a very harsh expression when speaking of a “silent apostasy” that was taking shape on the continent. 

With this disk, the Auxiliary Bishop of Czestochowa will contribute to the new evangelization.

The CD is marketed by the Pauline Polish publishing house and contains 11 songs, which the Bishop has written and performed with the help of some famous Polish singers. 

“By doing this I would like to point out that Christ cannot be excluded from Europe,” Mgr. Diugosz told Kai agency, defining his new album as “a form of spiritual exercise.” 

The seventy-one year old Auxiliary Bishop of Czestochowa, appointed bishop by Pope John Paul II in 1994, is well known in his homeland for his participation in religious television programs for children, during which he performed songs based on biblical texts adapted for children, but also for his work with drug addicts and the disabled.

Kazakhstan: When the law stifles religious freedom

Religious freedom in Kazakhstan is at risk.  

AsiaNews agency reported that the new laws on religious freedom have led to the disappearance of 579 Protestant churches, Islamic sects and faith groups and communities with less than 5 members. 

According to Kairat Lama Sharif who is responsible for religious affairs, as of 21 October, the date when the law came into force, the number of churches dropped by 13%.   

Many Protestant churches, including Christian Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists will be forced to celebrate their rituals in their homes and under the strict surveillance of the authorities. 

In recent days, the Kazak government sent a letter to all communities inviting them to adhere to the new regulations or stop their worshipping activities. 

Authorities have given a one year deadline for churches to gather the minimum number of faithful required for registration. 

However, during this period, no church with less than 50 faithful will be allowed to celebrate in public, even if they meet the above mentioned regulations.

Vyacheslav Melnik, pastor at Grace Church in Shakhan, in the district of Shakhtinsk (Karaganda region), stated that the police summoned him to police headquarters so that he could have the government’s communiqué read out to him. 

“Our community – he said – is terrified. Faithful are afraid to pray together or even to meet just to talk.” 

Various leaders have protested against acts that violate religious freedom. But despite the appeals and the consultations requested by minorities, the government has been rigid in its approach, justifying the law as an act that is necessary for the defence of the Country from religious terrorism. 

For this reason, whoever refuses to register or celebrates religious rituals in public without permission will be punished. 

The first victim of this new system was Aleksei Asetov, leader of the Council of Baptist Churches in Ekibastuz. 

Mr. Asetov was forced to pay a fine of 2.486 Euro, equal to 18 months of salary, for not registering his congregation. 

Asetov is a cobbler and father of 10. 

If he fails to pay the fine, not only will he go to jail, but his possessions will be confiscated.

The laws were enforced last 21 October by decision of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and were intended as a means of combating Islamic extremism. 

 But they impact all religious groups in the Country and are aimed at nationalising the faiths that are considered traditional or which have many followers, according to the control model used by the Chinese government. 

In order to survive on a national level and avoid sanctions, non native churches have to demonstrate that they have at least 5000 members. 

The law forbids any form of religious expression in public places and prohibits Muslim women from wearing the veil. 

In theory, only the Russian Orthodox Church and Kazak Islamic communities, considered to be the traditional faiths, had previously been excluded from these restrictions. 

However, the recent discovery of extremist groups in Kazakhstan and the October 31^st attacks in Atyran, in the western part of the Country, have pushed the government to clamp down on these faiths too.

Trócaire launches box design competition to mark 40th anniversary of agency

Trócaire launched its 39th Lenten campaign earlier this week, with a competition. 

Primary school children all over Ireland are being invited to design the well-known Trócaire box for next year’s campaign, which will mark the Catholic relief agency’s 40th anniversary.

The winning entry will feature on the 2013 Trócaire box, which will be distributed to 1 million homes, schools and churches.

“We decided to ask primary classes to design our 40th anniversary Trócaire box in recognition of the tireless efforts of teachers, parents and pupils across Ireland on behalf of the world’s poor,” said Justin Kilcullen, director of Trócaire. 

Schools have until Friday, April 27, 2012, to submit their designs. 

Meanwhile this year’s campaign focuses on Uganda, which has recently emerged from a brutal 20-year civil war.  

The war claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced as many as two million people from their homes.  

Although the conflict is now over, according to Trócaire, people have lost everything and must now pick up the pieces of their lives.  

The campaign will focus on attempts to help communities get back on their feet, rebuilding their farms and their lives following the devastating conflict. 

Speaking at the launch of this year’s campaign, Justin Kilcullen noted how the Trócaire box had not only changed the lives of families across the developing world, but also impacted on the lives of thousands of young people here in Ireland by teaching them about the world and the, “injustice faced by communities in the developing world.”

He went on, “A staggering 925 million people go hungry in our world, but thanks to the efforts of teachers and schools, the poorest and most vulnerable people have never been forgotten by the Irish public and our young people have grown up with a better understanding of the world around them.”  

Kilcullen said that even with the cutbacks in their own sector, teachers were still making time to, “encourage pupils to look beyond Ireland and learn about the world.”

Trócaire was established in 1973 with a mandate to raise awareness in Ireland about global poverty in the developing world and its education programme, in hundreds of schools across Ireland, is part of this work. 

Its Lenten campaign and the Trócaire box is one of the oldest and most established fundraising campaigns in Ireland, which raises approximately €8 million to fund Trócaire’s long-term development programmes.

Arms treaty need to protect poor, Vatican's UN observer says

The unregulated sale and transfer of weapons and weapons' technology harm the poor and threaten peace and security around the world, a Vatican official told a U.N. meeting.

Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, addressed a committee preparing for the U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty; the conference will be in July.

According to the United Nations, "The global trade in conventional weapons -- from warships and battle tanks to fighter jets and machine guns -- remains poorly regulated. No set of internationally agreed standards exist to ensure that arms are only transferred for appropriate use."

Archbishop Chullikatt, addressing the preparatory committee in New York Feb. 13, said the Vatican believes the treaty's aim should not only be regulating the sale of conventional weapons, "but should be, above all, the disarming of the international illicit market."

If adopted, he said, the treaty also would contribute to "the promotion of a true culture of peace through responsible cooperation between states, in partnership with the arms industry and in solidarity with civil society."

The lack of international regulations and restrictions increases instability and conflict and promotes a culture of violence and criminality, he said.

Responsible action and a "strong, effective and credible legal instrument that is capable of regulating and improving transparency in the trade of conventional arms and munitions" can help improve the situation and promote peace, he said.

Archbishop Chullikatt said the Vatican would like to see five points reflected in the treaty's final text:

-- The treaty should include small arms and light weapons, which are easy to access on the black market and harm hundreds of thousands of people each year.

-- It should spell out the threats to human rights, humanitarian law and development posed by illegal weapons sales.

-- The treaty should promote and reinforce international cooperation and assistance.

-- It should include provisions for assisting victims of the illegal weapons trade.

-- The treaty should be flexible so it can be updated over time to cover new weapons technologies as they are developed.