Almost 700 new contacts to gardaí over alleged sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders since scoping report appeal

Gardaí have received nearly 700 contacts since their appeal relating to historical sexual abuse at schools run by religious orders.

The Scoping Inquiry into claims of abuse found there were 2,395 allegations in respect of 308 schools recorded by the religious orders that ran them.

The allegations were made in respect of 884 alleged abusers.

The inquiry has recommended that the Government consider a redress scheme for survivors of historical sexual abuse who went to schools run by religious orders.

It has also recommended that the Government approach relevant orders about contributing to redress.

Senior officials within the Government will have to make recommendations to the Commission of Investigation before any proposals for compensation for victims are signed off on.

In a statement, An Garda Síochána said 675 reports had been made since September 4.

It is not ­providing further detail on the nature of these contacts.

It said it is in the process of making direct contact with everyone who has come forward and that each person “will be given the time and space to discuss their personal experience”.

“An Garda Síochána will continue to support each person through the process at the pace and to the extent that they wish to engage with us,” it added.

The force said its overall response is being co-ordinated by the Sexual Crime Management Unit at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB).

Close to 600 people have been in touch with an organisation that works with adult survivors of childhood abuse

Individual investigations will be carried out by dedicated trained gardaí attached to the protective service units in each garda division.

Anyone who wishes to report a crime relating to historical sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders is being urged to contact gardaí.

Meanwhile, close to 600 people have been in touch with an organisation that works with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse since the publication of the report into abuse at schools run by religious orders.

Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One in Four, said many people who have been in touch with the charity were coming forward for the first time.

“We have had close to 600 people in touch since September to early October, on foot of the Scoping Inquiry report,” she said.

“They are new contacts, people who haven’t reached out to us before.

“On average, over a year we would generally work with between 850 and 950 people, so there has been a surge.

“Some people will have reached out because of the details in the scoping report.

“They’ll have reached out for the first time because they were able to identify with the stories in the report and expressed upset and told us about their own experience of sexual abuse in school. Many of them were male and they were also older.”

Ms Kenny said One in Four has been providing information and support to those who have been in contact.

For the purpose of reporting to gardaí, email GNPSB_SCMU@garda.ie or phone the Garda Child Sexual Abuse Reporting Line on 1800 555 222. This is a confidential and free service available 24/7.

Tour of St Bernadette's relics 'exceeds expectations' of clergy across the country

A candlelight procession snaked its way around the grounds of the historical Holy Cross Abbey in Tipperary, the long queue making it look like a respectful group of mourners waiting to extend their sympathies to a grief-stricken family.

But instead, there was a joy to be felt in the congregation as those waiting to get inside the door of the church felt that every step was one closer to coming close to the relics of St Bernadette, the Lourdes visionary.

It was not the only candelight procession during the two-month visit of the relics to each of the 26 dioceses across Ireland, as organisers of the relics’ visit sought to bring those who cannot travel to the Marian shrine in Lourdes a chance to be part of some of the pilgrimage experience at home. As well as candelight processions, healing ceremonies for the sick were also held.

On Tuesday afternoon, the relics of the popular saint left the Diocese of Elphin to be returned to Lourdes, after a farewell ceremony in Kiltoom, Co Roscommon. Tens of thousands of people turned out in the country’s 26 dioceses to welcome the relics of the saint beloved by Irish people. 

St Bernadette, who was a shepherdess, experienced 18 visions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France in 1858 and went on to become canonised by the Catholic church.

The visit to Ireland is not the first time the relics have left Lourdes, having previously been taken around France, to the UK, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, and America.

The relics’s arrival in the Ireland West airport at Knock in early September came after they were handed over at the grotto in Lourdes to Bishop Kevin Doran and pilgrims from the Diocese of Elphin. During the two-month visit, the relics were taken to Ireland’s own Marian shrine in Knock, where hundreds of pilgrims attended Masses in the church on the site of the apparition of Mary in 1879.

Young people wearing school uniforms turned out at churches across several dioceses, along with some families, and large numbers of older generations. Many touched the glass enshrining the relics, while others kissed it.

One of the organisers, Fr Gerard Fox, said: “It has certainly exceeded our expectations. People’s response has been wonderful. We have all taken a breath and said ‘wow’. The response that we have had back from the different host venues everywhere have had more people coming than they anticipated or planned. 

“In some places, the queues were more than an hour and another thing people have commented on is the good humour. People weren’t annoyed that they had to wait.” 

We have had a real cross section. There have been school groups, families coming. It has been right across the age range. It was noticeable to see the number of families who came.

The scenes around the country replicated those of visits of relics of other saints over the past two decades. For example, an estimated three million people turned out for the 11-week visit of the relics of St Therese of Lisieux in 2001, while tours in 2009 and 2012 were also popular. 

The relics of St Anthony of Padua were in Ireland for a week in 2013 during which Catholics flocked to venues in Cork, Limerick, Wexford, Galway, Dublin and Belfast. And once again, the faithful turned out in large numbers in Kerry in January 2023 when a glove which belonged to St Pio was handed over to the parish of Castleisland in Kerry.

Fr Fox said the visit of Bernadette’s relics are proof that people still have faith, even though “they might not express it regularly in terms of Mass attendance on a Sunday but it is still part and parcel of who they are”.

He continued: “Something like Lourdes as well is inter-generational. Almost every house in Ireland has a bottle of Lourdes water that somebody’s granny brought back, or a rosary. It is there in the religious sensibility and this event just touched into that. 

“St Bernadette’s connection to Our Lady of Lourdes is something that people have a love of, or an appreciation of but also Bernadette herself is what you would call a modern saint almost. Not contemporary but she is of an era where we have photographs of her. She was a poor young woman which makes her very accessible as well. 

She is not some sort of far-distant character. People could appreciate she was a young girl who was sick who lived in poverty who had a life that touches into the reality of some people’s lives.

According to academic Dr Niamh Wycherley of Maynooth University, the reactions of Irish people to the visit of relics is not new, neither is it confined to the Catholic faith.

She has previously written on the cult of relics, which included reference to a visit to Ireland of relics of “holy martyrs” from Rome in the 7th century.

She says: “Essentially I would say that the Catholic veneration of saints taps into a need that seems to be common to many individuals and communities and from different backgrounds and faiths and historical eras, right up to the present day.” 

She elaborates: “There are a couple of different things going on because there is a difference between organised religion and faith and religious beliefs. Sometimes they come together and sometimes they don’t. People today may feel very estranged from the Vatican and the Catholic Church but they might still have their own personal faith where they go to Mass every Sunday and pray to the Virgin Mary and subscribe to a Catholic ethos. 

"But the veneration of saints' relics is kind of unaffected by that because it is doing a few things – it taps into something that is essentially human. It is the physical proximity of the saint’s relics and you can nurture this intimacy and relationship with the saint in a way that you can’t do with God perhaps.” 

She continued: “You can see echoes of this in the cult of the celebrity too — for example visiting the grave of Elvis. There seems to be this human thing that if you go to someone’s grave or you touch an item that they held in their lifetime, it makes you more connected with them.”

Fr Fox says it is now hoped that the visit will not just boost people's faith but will also lead them to visit Lourdes, explaining that pilgrimages to the French shrine are “heavily reliant” on volunteers to help take care of sick pilgrims. 

He said: “The group of people who organised this from the Irish perspective are all pilgrimage directors so we all have a connection with Lourdes and that is part of getting the message of Lourdes out to people.”

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, features on Christmas stamp

Royal Mail has today announced that an original illustration of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, will feature as the Second-Class Large Class stamp for its Christmas special stamps in 2024.

The stamps feature some of the many spectacular cathedrals in the UK, the remainder completing the set being Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bangor and Westminster.  The stamps were illustrated by Penzance-based, British artist, Judy Joel, whose popular paintings have been sold worldwide over the last 50 years.

The Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Shane Forster, said: “I am delighted that Royal Mail has chosen St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh to feature on this year’s Christmas stamps. The image of the light shining out through the Cathedral’s stained-glass windows, along with young people carol singing and playing in the snow, portrays a lovely traditional winter scene.

“The artist, Judy Joel, is to be congratulated for creating a very special set of seasonal stamps which send out a message of joy and hope at Christmas. The Cathedrals that feature on the stamps stand as symbols of faith at the very centre of each picture and at the heart of their local communities.”

David Gold, Royal Mail’s Director of External Affairs and Policy, said: “Cathedrals are a hugely significant part of our cultural heritage and provide support to their communities. They come into their own at Christmas, offering warmth and welcome to all. These stamps featuring beautiful illustrations of cathedrals from across the UK will spread the joys of this celebratory time of year.”

Christmas is a time of celebration in the midst of winter darkness at all of the United Kingdom’s cathedrals. A cathedral is the seat of a bishop (cathedra in Latin) and the principal church of the diocese, or church administrative area. 

From St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, founded by the great Irish saint (originally from Roman Britain) as a monastic community on a hilltop, to Liverpool Cathedral, consecrated a century ago, cathedrals bear witness to history and play a key role in the nation’s spiritual, cultural and social life. 

With candlelight, festive decorations, magnificent architecture, awe-inspiring art and treasures, and sublime music and liturgy, cathedrals are wonderful and welcoming places to visit at Christmas.

Brothers of Mercy elect new Prior General

"I would like to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to be your servant. I am sure that, with your help and God's, we will work together to spread Hospitallers throughout the world," said Ahodegnon after his election. 

He replaces the Spaniard Jesus Etayo Arrondo, who has headed the order since 2012. 

The General Chapter is still in session until Thursday.

The Brothers of Mercy of St John of God currently have 965 members in 18 provinces on all inhabited continents. 

In Germany, there is the Bavarian Province, to which 17 brothers belong, including one novice. 

It runs several clinics and facilities for the disabled with more than 11,000 employees. 

The community has been active in Bavaria since 1622. 

The first facility was the monastery and hospital in Sankt Wolfgang an der Donau. 

In addition to the Brothers of Mercy of St John of God, two other religious communities with a similar name are active in Germany: the Brothers of Mercy of Maria Hilf, based in Trier, and the Brothers of Mercy of Montabaur.

(POSTING : 70,000)

Beatification process for Marco Gallo, who died at 17

Marco Gallo, who died at the age of 17, could soon be beatified. 

According to the Italian "Teleradiopace", the person responsible for the beatification process, Father Andrea Mandonico, announced on All Saints' Day in Rapallo in Liguria (near Genoa) that the beatification process has been initiated. 

As the online medium reports, the tradition of a pilgrimage to the pilgrimage church of Montallegro (Rapallo) has been established since Gallo's death on 5 November 2011. 

On All Saints' Day, Gallo's friends and family organised an annual pilgrimage with the celebration of a Holy Mass. 

This year, many young people once again came to the Eucharistic celebration led by Bishop Giampio Luigi Devasini (Chiavari) to remember Marco Gallo.

Priestly Fraternity of St Peter continues to grow

The traditionalist Fraternity of St Peter has grown again in the past year. 

According to statistics published at the beginning of November, the community, which celebrates the pre-conciliar liturgy, now has 583 members. 

The members include 386 priests, 15 deacons and 182 seminarians. 

In the previous year, there were 368 priests, 22 deacons and 179 seminarians. The average age of the members is 39.

Last year, 18 priests were ordained for the Fraternity of St Peter and 15 members of the community died. 

In the previous year, there were 14 new priests and 12 deaths. 

The Confraternity of St Peter, the community of priests and lay people associated with the Fraternity of St Peter, has over 10,000 members for the first time. 

Compared to the previous year, it has grown from 9,546 to 10,515 members. Of these, 1,330 live in German-speaking countries, compared to 1,231 in the previous year.

The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter was founded in 1988 as a reaction to the unauthorised episcopal ordinations by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in the Society of Saint Pius X. 

The Society of Apostolic Life of Clerics of Pontifical Right is in full communion with the Church, unlike the Society of St Peter. 

The headquarters of the German-speaking district is in Opfenbach-Wigratzbad (district of Lindau, diocese of Augsburg), where the largest of the community's three seminaries is located.

Public burning of bishop’s edict latest front in Syro-Malabar civil war

When Bishop Bosco Puthur was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly last December, there was hope the 77-year-old might finally be able to bring peace to the troubled community, split for years over liturgy, money and power.

Instead, the conflict shows no signs of abating, with the latest flashpoint coming Nov. 3 when clergy and laity joined in burning a new circular letter from Puthur outside churches where people had gathered for Sunday Mass.

The protests came after Puthur had appointed three priests to key positions in the archdiocese who are seen by dissidents as tainted by association with real estate scandals under the former head of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal George Alencherry.

The protests also followed the issue of a circular letter by Puthur which, among other things, insists that newly ordained priests must celebrate Mass in a controversial new manner decreed by the Church’s synod, and bars priests and laity from criticizing authorities or documents.

Father Kuriakose Mundadan, secretary of the presbyteral council in the archdiocese, told Crux that he believes Puthur is acting “as a dictator.”

“He is blockading basic freedom of expression of the priests and the laity,” Mundadan said. “By silencing the people of God, Bishop Bosco Puthur is going against basic Christian and gospel values.”

Tensions in Ernakulam-Angamaly reach back at least to 2017, when complaints surfaced that Alencherry had sold certain properties belonging to the archdiocese without consulting the presbyteral council, which resulted in a $10 million loss. The controversy lead the Vatican to curtail Alencherry’s administrative powers and to appoint an apostolic administrator in June 2018.

Divisions deepened in 2021, when the synod of the Syro-Malabar Church based in Kerala decided to adopt a uniform mode of celebrating the liturgy, which priests face the people during the Liturgy of the Word and then the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, turning around again to address the congregation after communion.

While virtually all of the Church’s dioceses have adopted the new system, clergy and laity in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, by far the largest Syro-Malabar jurisdiction, have rejected it, arguing that facing the people throughout the Mass is a legitimate liturgical variation and one more consistent with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

Last December Pope Francis released a video message to the archdiocese demanding obedience to the bishops and implementation of the new liturgy, but it did little to end the protests, with dissidents claiming the pope had been misinformed and misled.

Recently, a delegation of twelve priests went to the archbishop’s residence to meet Puthur in person to discuss the disputed appointments, but were blocked by police who had locked a gate to the entrance to the structure. After the priests refused to leave, the Assistant Police Commissioner agreed to mediate a meeting with Puthur in order to resolve the situation.

According to sources present in the meeting, the priests told Puthur that clergy and laity would not cooperate with him on anything until the three disputed priests are removed from their new positions.

At least in part, Puthur’s Oct. 30 circular letter likely was a response to the incident.

In it, Puthur said ordinations of deacons to the priesthood would take place Nov. 4, and the newly ordained priests will be permitted to say Mass only in the form approved by synod. He also decreed that the synodal Mass must be celebrated during at least one scheduled Sunday Mass in every parish.

Puthur also barred parish councils and other groups from taking any decisions contrary to the instructions of the bishop, and instructed priests and laity to refrain from “backbiting” with regard to church authorities. Priests were instructed not to criticize church leaders, and priests and religious were prohibited from belonging to any organizations which are not official recognized by the church.

Puthusn also warned of unspecified “canonical sanctions” for violations of his provisions.

Mundadan claimed that Puthur was “trying to protect his tainted priests whom he has selected as his close collaborators” by issuing the circular letter.

“The priests and the laity will raise their voices against Bishop Bosco and the synodal bishops who have violated canon laws and the procedures for taking a common decision in the Church,” he said.

Mundadan also charged that by seeking to prevent priests and laity from speaking out in protest of Church decisions, Puthur had violated the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech in article 19.

Mundadan is not the only cleric objecting. Father Sebastian Thalian, convener of the Archdiocesan Protection Council, called on Puthur to withdraw the circular letter, while Father James Pereppadan, who has served as the archdiocese’s judicial vicar for 16 years, as well as the director of its Safe Environment Committee, resigned in protest.

The Syro-Malabar Church is the second largest Eastern Rite Catholic church in the world, after the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, with an estimated five million members across 35 dioceses. Its largest single jurisdiction is Ernakulam-Angamaly, with roughly 500,000 Catholics.

Texas nuns vow to continue Carmelite path despite dismissal

Statement by the Reverend Mother Prioress, Chapter & Community 

Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity
Discalced Carmelite Nuns
5801 Mt. Carmel Drive
Arlington, Texas 76017

 October 30, 2024

+Praised be Jesus Christ: now and forever!

The statements posted on the Diocese of Fort Worth website on October 28th concerning us require urgent clarification.

What began in April 2023 with a false accusation against our Mother Prioress and that has been pursued relentlessly since then by Bishop Olson for his own ends has been compounded over time so that we have now reached the point where it is asserted that we are dismissed from religious life and that we have somehow “defected notoriously from the Faith.” These assertions are egregiously false. 

Given our recent acceptance for association by the Society of St Pius X last August, any “dismissal” declared by Mother Marie of the Association of Christ the King is a moot point. The Vows we have professed to God cannot be dismissed or taken away. By virtue of them we belong to Him and are His. 

Given that we pray every day for the Holy Father, Pope Francis and our Ordinary, Michael Olson, any claim that we have departed from the Catholic faith is ridiculous. We firmly believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God. Disputes about one man’s wishes and man-made rules do not exclude us from the Church. 

Please know that here we continue our vowed life of prayer and sacrifice in the Discalced Carmelite tradition for the Church and the world, and for all of you, our dear friends and benefactors, including those who may disagree or disapprove of the decisions we have had to make in the best interests of our Community. 

We are profoundly grateful to all those who continue to show us their support and are happy to welcome you to our Monastery Chapel for private prayer or for the celebration of the beautiful traditional Latin Mass that it is now our joy to participate in each day.

May the Carmelite saints and martyrs intercede for us all! 

+Praised be Jesus Christ: now and forever!

-----------------------------------------------------

STATEMENT OF ARLINGTON CARMEL

SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

For the past several years we have experienced much joy and spiritual renewal in the re-discovery of the riches of the immemorial liturgical tradition of the Church. In our desire to grow in holiness and an ever deeper fidelity to our Discalced Carmelite charism, and as an appropriate means to better serve Our Holy Mother the Church, in August, following the unanimous decision of the Chapter of the Monastery, and with the agreement of the whole community, we completed the final steps necessary for our Monastery to be associated with the Society of Saint Pius X, who will henceforth assure our ongoing sacramental life and governance. We are profoundly grateful to the Very Reverend Father Superior General and to his delegates here in the USA for their paternal understanding and welcome.

The motto of Pope St. Pius X was: To Restore All Things in Christ. Such is the case for our Community as well, which has prayerfully, over a period of many years, sought to return to the fullness of our Catholic Tradition and to restore all things in Christ, in both our liturgical life and in the way we live our Carmelite vocation.

We share an affinity with the Society of St. Pius X in its emphasis on training holy, dedicated priests, willing to sacrifice all for Christ, which coincides with our own vocation of prayer and sacrifice at the heart of the Church, pouring out our lives for the Church and especially for priests.

Given our formal association with the Society, our triennial elections were held here at the monastery in August, presided over by a representative sent by the Superior General. Mother Teresa Agnes was re-elected Prioress for a three-year term and confirmed in Office with supplied jurisdiction from the Society.

We are very happy to be able to share our life of prayer and the riches of the Church's traditional liturgy with others. Our chapel is open for private prayer and the faithful are welcome to join us in assisting at daily Holy Mass celebrated in Latin, according to the traditional Roman rite.

And as always, in union with the whole Church, we pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and Bishop Michael Olson, the Bishop of Fort Worth.

Please know that you also continue to be in our prayers, and we are most grateful for all your support especially during these past 18 months. May God bless and reward you.

The Prioress, Chapter and Community of the Arlington Carmel

How does Notre Dame of Paris intend to avoid another fire?

“It's simple: In terms of fire protection, we've gone from 0 to 100.” 

These encouraging words come from Éric Lazzari, representing the company commissioned to install the new fire protection system at Notre Dame of Paris, speaking to the press at the end of September.

"A first for a cathedral in France"

The cathedral is now equipped with over 300 fire detection points. These include thermal cameras that will detect abnormal levels of heat or smoke and automatically activate a water mist fire extinguishing system if necessary. 

Pipes running along the wooden roofing frame and spire will release “a mist of water” to quickly extinguish a fire, limiting “collateral damage” to the wooden structures.

“It’s a first for a cathedral in France,” announced Philippe Jost, head of the public institution in charge of the reconstruction project, in December 2023.

5 Pillars

In more detail, Notre Dame's new fire protection system rests on five pillars.

The first is surveillance. “In addition to thermal cameras, an air suction and analysis system will be in constant operation,” explains the public institution in charge of restoring Notre Dame of Paris. “Any outbreak of fire detected by at least two pipes will automatically trigger the misting system.”

The system will release a mist consisting of fine droplets of water diffused into the wooden framework, which, if necessary, will considerably reduce the temperature in the space and smother the incipient fire.

The third pillar is the thickening of the batten: the thin planks of wood that separate the trusses from the lead roofing. “One millimeter thick has a fire resistance of one minute: We added 15mm [0.6”, editor’s note], giving the fire a quarter of an hour less chance of spreading to the roof,” explains the company.

Fire-stop trusses have been installed to separate the spire from the choir on one side and the nave on the other. They divide the space in three, preventing or delaying the spread of fire from one to the other.

Finally, the entire network of dry columns has been redesigned to facilitate firefighting operations. The flow of water that can be mobilized has been multiplied by three to reach up to 600m3 (264 gallons) of water per hour.

Vatican: Holy Days of Obligation not Dispensed If Transferred to a Monday

The Vatican has clarified that Catholics in the United States must still attend Mass on holy days of obligation even when they are transferred to Mondays or Saturdays, correcting a long-standing practice in the U.S. Church.

In its complementary norms, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stipulates that when certain feast days fall on a Saturday or Monday, the obligation to attend Mass on that day is “abrogated.”

Dec. 8 is typically a holy day of obligation celebrating the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, but this year the feast day lands on a Sunday in Advent. 

As a result, the USCCB transferred it to Monday, Dec. 9, according to the 2024 USCCB liturgical calendar. 

In its complementary norms the USCCB does not list the Immaculate Conception as a solemnity to which the abrogation normally applies. Nevertheless, the bishops’ calendar this year stated that “the obligation to attend Mass … does not transfer” to Monday, Dec. 9.

Yet the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts, in a Sept. 4 letter to Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, stated that all of the feasts in question “are always days of obligation … even when the aforementioned transfer of the feast occurs.” 

Paprocki, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, had in July written to the Holy See seeking clarification on whether an obligation transfers when the feast itself is transferred.

Archbishop Filippo Iannone, the prefect of the legislative text dicastery, told Paprocki that “the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” 

Iannone noted in the letter that certain feast days are established by canon law as days of obligation. These “must be observed” and “the canon does not provide exceptions,” he noted in the letter.

Iannone clarified that if someone is unable to attend Mass for a “grave cause” such as illness or caring for an infant, then they are excused, as “no one is bound to the impossible.” 

Several U.S. dioceses are already stipulating that Mass attendance is obligatory on that day. The Archdiocese of Boston lists the day as obligatory on its website. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati website cited the Vatican’s clarification in making the announcement.

The Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, also cited the Vatican’s clarification that the obligation transfers with the feast day. 

Multiple other archdioceses confirmed to CNA that the day would be treated as obligatory, including Portland, Oregon; Las Vegas; Miami; Atlanta; St. Louis; Denver; Oklahoma City; and Seattle.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, meanwhile, granted a dispensation for the feast day given the “short notice” of the change. 

DiNardo noted that “many parishes and families already have in place the schedules for Advent and Christmas, and that this will cause confusion due to the short notice of this change.”

He urged the faithful, however, to “make a special effort to attend Mass on Dec. 9 even though there is no obligation to do so this year.”

The Diocese of Tulsa in Oklahoma also granted a dispensation, a spokesman told CNA. 

The USCCB 2024 liturgical calendar had not been updated with the change at the time of publication. The USCCB did not respond to queries on the matter.

Abbot Columba Receives Abbatial Blessing

The recently-elected abbot of Glenstal Abbey received his abbatial blessing at a ceremony presided over by Kieran O’Reilly, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, on Friday 1^st November.

Born and raised in Dublin, Abbot Columba McCann OSB served as a priest of the Dublin Archdiocese before entering the monastery more than two decades ago.

The seventh abbot of Glenstal Abbey was elected by the community of twenty eight Benedictine monks earlier this year. 

The monastery was founded nearly a century ago and serves as a place of prayer, work, education and hospitality.

Held on the Solemnity of All Saints, the liturgy called for God’s blessing, strength and guidance upon the new abbot as he begins his role as father, teacher, and model for the monastic community.

Speaking as his eight year term of office gets underway, Abbot Columba commented: “the worst days of the pandemic brought home to us just how interconnected we are on our planet, even at a spiritual level. 

Part of our task as monks today is to keep rediscovering what it is we bring to the Church and the world, and what God wishes to bring to others through us.”

The ceremony was attended by a congregation of more than two hundred guests, with the Mass concelebrated by Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick, in the presence of ecumenical representatives including the Church of Ireland’s Bishop of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe Michael Burrows, Dean of Limerick and Ardfert Niall Sloane and the Methodist Church’s Gillian Kingston.

Maryland's first cemetery dedicated to only natural burials is in Baltimore Archdiocese

From the rural road in Windsor Mill, a small sign and a gravel driveway mark the entrance to Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery and Arboretum. 

It doesn't look much like a cemetery from the roadway, since there are no gates or raised headstones.

Located near the city of Baltimore, the cemetery had been a corn farm but had sat stagnant for three decades or more. 

The land has been family-owned since 1965. In 2023, the Berg brothers — Richard, David and Howard — completed five years of working with the community and local civic leaders to open Serenity Ridge as the first cemetery dedicated to only natural burials in Maryland.

Natural burial — or green burial, as it is sometimes called — is done without embalming, and uses either a biodegradable shroud only, made of cotton, linen, hemp, wool or other natural fibers, or a shroud and a biodegradable casket, made of bamboo or soft woods such as pine or bark. The caskets even include wooden screws, rather than metal.

No concrete vaults are used. Headstones placed on the grave are made from locally sourced stone. The graves are topped with soil, straw and flowers, and are replenished often over the first year as the body decomposes and the grave settles.

Melissa Baughman worked for the cemeteries for the Archdiocese of Washington for 10 years and the cemetery at Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg for six months before becoming cemetery manager at Serenity Ridge. She had always been an advocate for green burial and had talked about and dreamed about working at a natural cemetery, but there were none in the area.

"It's interesting because I feel that there's more respect with a natural burial," she told the Catholic Review, Baltimore's archdiocesan news outlet. "There's nothing wrong with a traditional burial," but she said she sees a greater intimacy for the family being able to be a part of the burial at Serenity Ridge, and they visit the grounds often to stop by the grave.

"All of us who work there take care of everyone who's buried there," she said. "It's very important to us."

She said when she worked at a Catholic cemetery, there were always people actively praying for the deceased, especially because priests were there often.

"As the only Catholic working here, I pray for (those interred at Serenity Ridge) every day. It's my mission to fill in that gap," said Baughman, who lives in Frederick County where she attends several different parishes.

The property at Serenity Ridge covers 100 acres, but only 45 acres has been set aside for cemetery use. The rest was given back to Baltimore County as an easement, protected forever. The cemetery allows visitors to use the area for hiking, bird-watching and other activities.

Traditional cemeteries have about 1,500 graves per acre; at Serenity Ridge, it's about 600 per acre. Currently just two areas are open in Windsor Mill: Valleys and Meadows, with rolling hills and native fields, and Inspiration Point, a wooded area closer to the forest. 

About 85 people are interred so far, according to Chelsea Berg, community and events coordinator, who conducted a tour for prospective clients.

The cemetery staff, along with volunteers from the community, including families of those buried, work to keep the place natural by planting flowers and trees and cleaning up invasive species, she said.

Berg said families usually choose to work with a funeral home, which helps with the preparation for burial, including legal documents such as a burial transit permit. Serenity Ridge provides a list of funeral homes that can work with green burials, including the requirement that they have refrigeration, since natural burials can take place as many as 10 days after death, to provide time for family and friends to gather. Natural burials can be less expensive than traditional burials, Berg said.

Ed Morman, 77, a Baltimore City resident, took a small-group tour of Serenity Ridge on a clear fall day. He said he is considering natural burial because "it's clean. Cremation pollutes the air. I like the idea of returning to the earth," he said, though he acknowledged that cremation takes up less space than traditional burial.

A secular Jew, he said there may be a spiritual aspect to green burial. "I'd like to leave a smaller footprint," when he dies, Morman said.

Patricia McNally and her husband Andrew Kittell, both 67, of Baltimore City, also toured the property. She said they adopted a child in their late 40s and don't want her to have to deal with planning for their funerals.

McNally said their original plan was to be cremated and scattered in the mountains in New England, where they used to live, but that cremation is not environmentally friendly and it might be hard for their survivors to hike into the mountains in the winter. The non-practicing Catholics said they just changed their wills to indicate their plan for natural burial.

"We're in excellent health. We're just planning ahead, to take the burden off our daughter," McNally said.

Father Patrick Carrion, director of Cemetery Management for the Baltimore Archdiocese noted that burying without embalming has been done for centuries. Maryland law does not require a burial vault, although particular cemeteries might have that as part of their protocol.

Natural decomposition also respects the body, which in Catholic teaching is "made in the image and likeness of God and a temple of the Holy Spirit."

Having a place of burial, with a blessed grave in a Catholic committal service, "recognizes what that person was in life and respects them in death," Carrion said.

Henning acknowledges a 'wounded church' at installation as Boston archbishop

Standing in the middle of the sanctuary at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, speaking for 20 minutes without notes or a prepared text, Archbishop Richard Henning presented himself as a modest fellow believer to his new flock in Boston.

"The most important thing that you, the people of this archdiocese need to know about me, is that I believe," Henning said during his Mass of installation Oct. 31.

Besides joking that he has often been asked if he's going to become a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Henning focused his homily on spiritual themes related to God's mercy, forgiveness and desire to be in relationship with humanity.

"This God longs to redeem us, to save us from sin, from death, from ourselves," Henning said. "God is faithful, does not give up on us. God follows after us, seeks us out and this God longs to be in a relationship with us. I believe that God desires us to be a part of a partnership."

Hundreds of people packed the cathedral in Boston's South End to witness the elaborate liturgy where Henning was installed as the 10th bishop of Boston, succeeding Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who had served as archbishop there since 2003.

Dozens more sang hymns outside the cathedral while a small group of clergy sex abuse survivors held signs and protested on the sidewalk. Robert Hoatson, a clergy sex abuse survivor and reform advocate, said he did not expect "much to change at all" in the new church leadership in Boston.

"The bishops all play from the same playbook and that is to protect the assets and protect the image of the church," Hoatson told National Catholic Reporter.

The episcopal transition in Boston marks a momentous moment for the U.S. Catholic Church. O'Malley, who was seen as an early voice in the hierarchy who recognized the gravity of the clergy abuse crisis, gained national and global renown for his leadership and personal humility.

A Capuchin Franciscan friar who eschewed the archbishop's palatial residence for the cathedral's inner-city rectory, O'Malley became Boston's archbishop in July 2003 when the archdiocese was still reeling from the clergy sex abuse scandals revealed by the Boston Globe in 2002.

With O'Malley, who turned 80 on June 29, accompanied in the cathedral sanctuary by dozens of other bishops from across the country, Henning in his homily acknowledged the painful history and legacy of the sex abuse crisis in Boston.

"This church of Boston, it is in a very real sense, a wounded church, because of the failure to act with compassion and healing," said Henning, who spoke of "sins against the innocent" and the efforts over the decades since to protect the vulnerable.

"But still we feel the weight of those wounds," Henning said, adding that the church owes "a debt of gratitude" to the scores of victim-survivors who have told their stories.

Said Henning, "For they have helped to protect new generations by their courage and by their prophetic truth-telling to us, and in their living of the faith, in their capacity for compassion and solidarity, of love of neighbor, they become for us hope in the midst of the world, a light in the darkness."

Ordained a priest in 1992 for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, Henning was consecrated an auxiliary bishop for that diocese in July 2018. In November 2022, Henning was appointed a coadjutor bishop for the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island. He succeeded Bishop Thomas Tobin as the bishop in Providence on May 1, 2023.

On Aug. 5, the apostolic nunciature in Washington, D.C., announced that Francis had accepted O'Malley's resignation and appointed Henning to be Boston's 10th bishop and seventh metropolitan archbishop.

In addition to being credited for steering the archdiocese through the fallout of the clergy abuse crisis and stabilizing its finances, O'Malley's ecclesial profile grew during Francis' pontificate. O'Malley has been a member of the pope's Council of Cardinals, also known as the C-9, since it was formed in 2013 to advise the pope on matters of church governance.

O'Malley has also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since that entity's creation in 2014. On Oct. 29, the commission released its first annual report that assessed measures taken to prevent sexual violence and abuse within the church. Speaking at a Vatican press conference, O'Malley said he hoped the report would help ensure the church's "firm commitment" against sexual abuse.

Though O'Malley struck a hopeful note, he at times also received criticism from victim abuse survivors and advocates who saw him as not doing enough to address the sex abuse crisis. Many survivors and advocates say that the hierarchy aren't rooting out the clericalist culture that they say exacerbates the cover-up of sex abuse. Holding a sign outside the cathedral on Oct. 31, Melanie Perkins McLaughlin, a documentary filmmaker, said there needs to be more transparency among the hierarchy.

"I don't think there has been as much transparency as there should be," McLaughlin said. "Maybe it's time for change. Maybe it's time to bring people back into their spiritual faith through change and honesty and all the things that God has clearly wanted us to do all along, in terms of the faithful and being more forthcoming."

Speaking Oct. 31 at the cathedral in Boston, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's ambassador to the United States, thanked O'Malley "for all the ways you have been close to God's people." O'Malley received a standing ovation from the congregation.

And referencing Francis' call for bishops to be close to God and their people, Pierre thanked Henning for his "pledge to continue" that closeness in his episcopal ministry.

Said Pierre, "I am confident your experiences as a pastor and leader will help you in your mission here, but even more fundamentally, what will guide you is what you have come to know from your own encounter with God. It is there, in this personal encounter, that you are able to receive the Lord's love, kindness, understanding and mercy. This is the God you will reveal to those whom you serve here."

Henning said he knows there will be challenges being the shepherd of one of the country's leading archdioceses.

"I know at the start of my journey here, with you, that there will be many difficult things to come," he said. "There will be many challenges. I'm sure there'll be days when you'll have a hard time and I'll be exhausted. But I know this, believe this, that whatever happens on any day, whatever comes, Jesus is still Lord."

Pope Francis adds Naples archbishop to list of new cardinals

Pope Francis is adding another name to the list of Catholic prelates he will appoint as cardinals in December, the Vatican said on Monday.

Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, 61, is based in Italy's third largest city Naples and will join a cohort of 20 other senior churchmen announced by the pope last month.

A brief statement from the Vatican gave no reason for the addition to the list. In recent years, Francis has only announced the appointment of new cardinals during his weekly Sunday noon-time prayer in St. Peter's Square.

Cardinals are the highest-ranking officials in the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church beside the pope. At the pontiff's death or resignation, they are tasked with entering a conclave and choosing his successor.

Francis will install the new cardinals in a ceremony, known as a consistory, on Dec. 7. It will be the 10th consistory called by the pope since his election in March 2013 as the first pontiff from Latin America.

Battaglia, archbishop of Naples since 2020, joins a group coming from a wide array of countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Britain, Serbia, Japan Canada, Ivory Coast and Algeria.

One of the original appointees named by Francis on Oct. 6 has since decided not to become a cardinal.

Indonesian Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur told Francis he wanted "to continue growing in the priestly life," the Vatican said on Oct. 22. The Vatican has not provided further details.

There are currently 47 Italian cardinals out of a total 233 -- the largest single national grouping, reflecting Italy's continued importance within the Catholic Church -- with 13 of them under the age of 80, meaning they can enter a conclave.

Following Monday's announcement, five more Italians will receive their red hats next month, four of whom will be elector cardinals.

Church failure to curb society's egotism partially to blame for wars, says Archbishop in address to Royal Irish Regiment

Wars are caused not just by failures of diplomacy, but by the church failing to be ‘a curb and a cure for society’s boundless egotism’.

That’s according to Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell, as he addressed the Royal Irish Regiment’s annual service of remembrance in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Sunday.

Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, he said that the failures of diplomats, states and the church all contributed to the outbreak of the Second World War.

But, he said, due to Christ's sacrifice Allied soldiers in that war, including those who landed in Normandy on D-Day exactly 80 years ago, carried with them the knowledge that evil cannot triumph.

“The Cross is a tragedy greater than any war,” he said.

“In the Cross, God went deeper into innocent suffering than has ever happened in war or in peace.

“On the Cross, human folly and evil lost its chief servant, death, which now became the minister for eternal life.

“And, whether consciously articulated or not by those young men who waded from landing crafts onto Sword Beach or who landed in gliders in fields which Rommel had flooded, we know that in the end evil cannot triumph, because it failed to do so on the one occasion when it could – on the Cross of the Son of God.”

Recalling his childhood growing up on an East Belfast housing estate built for ex-servicemen, the archbishop spoke of a specific terrace that housed seriously wounded veterans of the Royal Engineers who had lost limbs.

“They were great men, fully involved in the life of church and community, and certainly weren’t going to let the trauma of severe injuries prevent them from making their mark,” he said. “We owe those men, and the many who didn’t come back.

“Perhaps we owe them also something else – to ask and answer the question, what kind of civilisation carried this war in its womb and gave birth to it in 1939?

"And we ask the question to make sure that we do all that we can to make sure that it never happens again.”

Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Grob to succeed Listecki as Milwaukee archbishop in 2025

Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey S. Grob, who grew up on a farm just west of Madison in Cross Plains, will be installed as the 12th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Vatican announced Monday.

Grob, 63, will succeed Jerome E. Listecki, who gave his notice of retirement on March 12, as bishops are required to do when they turn 75. Listecki has been Milwaukee's archbishop since 2010.

Ordained a bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago in November 2020, Grob (pronounced "Graab") will be installed as archbishop of Milwaukee on Jan. 14. Listecki will continue in his position until then.

"While still recovering from the surprise of the Holy Father's appointment, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to take up this new role in my home state," Grob said in a statement. "And trusting deeply in the Lord's goodness, I commit myself to the service of the people of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I am excited to get to know them and look forward to growing together in faith."

Once installed, Grob will face a range of issues: a shrinking Catholic population, empty and underused buildings, an ongoing need for more priests, and divisions over social and cultural issues. This year’s election season has exacerbated those social and cultural divisions, particularly the Church’s opposition to abortion, birth control, in vitro fertilization, and full LGBTQ+ acceptance. Grob will also be called on to maintain Catholic schools' enrollment numbers and continue reaching out to Milwaukee's large poor and vulnerable population. 

Almost all mainline Christian faiths have seen precipitous drops in the pews, but the smaller presence of Catholicism is particularly evident in Milwaukee, where Catholic churches historically have anchored neighborhoods and acted as virtual community centers.  

Today, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee tallies 184 parishes, a nearly 30% drop from 60 years ago, when a building boom was underway. It counts about 530,000 Catholics, a 23% drop over the same period. Increasingly, priests serve multiple parishes through collaborative arrangements, and more collaborations and mergers are expected in coming years.

Three of five state dioceses now led by natives of Wisconsin

The Milwaukee archdiocese covers Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Dodge, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha. There are five Catholic dioceses in Wisconsin; Milwaukee is the archdiocese because of its size and historical importance. 

Once Grob is installed, three of those dioceses will be led by bishops who are Wisconsin natives. 

The Madison diocese is led by Bishop Donald J. Hying, who is from West Allis, and the Superior diocese in led by Bishop James Powers, who is from Baldwin. The two other Wisconsin dioceses are La Crosse, under Gerard Battersby from Detroit, and Green Bay, under David Ricken from Dodge City, Kansas.

A native of the south side of Chicago and both a civil and canon lawyer, Listecki was the bishop of La Crosse when he was appointed to the Milwaukee position.

He became known as a straightforward communicator who reinforces church teachings and has good relationships with priests and parishioners.

As he headed toward retirement, Listecki said he took pride in boosting enrollment at the roughly 100 schools in the archdiocese.

He also touted the archdiocese's return to worship and in-person schooling after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the earliest in the country. And he said Mass attendance has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

This spring, nine men were ordained to the priesthood in Milwaukee, the most since 1992. The St. Francis de Sales Seminary is full, he said, with a total of 86 men studying, a sevenfold increase from when Listecki became archbishop, and there were 12 men in the seminary.

Listecki also led the archdiocese through a painful process of responding to victims of clergy sex abuse. In 2015, the archdiocese agreed to pay $21 million to compensate victims of abuse. That settlement allowed the church to emerge from bankruptcy filings. The period left some grateful to Listecki for turning the diocese around and putting it on the road to healing. It left others bitter and dissatisfied that the church had done all it could to be transparent.

Grob is a lifelong Badgers fan, a learned priest

Born in 1961, Grob went to St. Francis Xavier Grade School in Cross Plains, and Holy Name High School Seminary in Madison. He received his bachelor’s in religious studies from Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and his master’s in divinity from University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. He has two doctorates: one in canon law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario, and one in philosophy from University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 in Chicago, at age 31. In addition to two parish assignments, he held a number of leadership positions in the Chicago Archdiocese — assistant to the chancellor, associate vicar for canonical services, judicial vicar and chancellor. He was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Chicago on Sept. 11, 2020, and ordained two months later.

His episcopal motto is "Jesus is the vine," which refers to the Bible verse, "I am the vine, you are the branches." Grob is said to be a lifelong Wisconsin Badgers football and hockey fan, and enjoys movies, German food and walking.

In his four years as auxiliary bishop, he has been the vicar – or leader – of churches in Lake County, Illinois, and portions of northern Cook County. That territory, known as a vicariate, includes Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Lake Forest, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Schaumburg and Waukegan.

Grob lives at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, the location of Mundelein Seminary, where some Wisconsin priests have studied. At a press conference Monday, Grob said he received the news of his move to Milwaukee on Oct. 15

He will be installed as the new archbishop by the papal nuncio to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

Pope Francis names Archbishop Galbas as new leader of Warsaw Archdiocese

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Adrian Józef Galbas as the new metropolitan archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, accepting the resignation of Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, who will turn 75 in February.

The appointment was announced Monday by the apostolic nunciature in Poland.

Galbas, 56, has served as metropolitan archbishop of Katowice since May 2023. A member of the Pallottine Fathers, he previously served as auxiliary bishop of Ełk and obtained his doctorate in spiritual theology from Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw in 2012.

Within the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Galbas serves as chairman of the Council for the Lay Apostolate and is a member of the conference’s permanent council.

Born in Bytom, Poland, in 1968, he made his perpetual vows with the Pallottines in 1993 and was ordained a priest in 1994. 

Before becoming a bishop, he served as provincial superior of the Pallottines’ Annunciation Province from 2011 to 2019.

Pope Francis named him auxiliary bishop of Ełk in December 2019 and appointed him coadjutor archbishop of Katowice in December 2021. He became metropolitan archbishop of Katowice in May 2023.

The Archdiocese of Warsaw, established in 1798, serves as the primary see of Poland and encompasses the capital city of Warsaw.

Nycz led the archdiocese since 2007.

Pope Francis offers Mass for over 120 deceased cardinals and bishops

Pope Francis celebrated a Mass for deceased cardinals and bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday morning, saying they were “shepherds and models for the Lord’s flock” who loved the Church in their own way.

Seven Catholic cardinals and 123 Catholic bishops died within the last 12 months. 

“Our remembrance becomes a prayer of intercession for our dear brothers, elect members of the people of God. They were baptized into the death of Christ in order to rise with him,” the pope said in his homily at the Mass. It is the pope’s custom to offer a Mass in November for the prelates who passed away during the past year.

“Having broken the bread of life on earth may they now enjoy a seat at his table,” he continued. “Let us pray that they may exult in eternal communion with the saints and we, with firm hope, let us look forward to rejoicing with them in heaven.”

During the homily, the Holy Father invited more than 200 people present at the Monday Mass — including cardinals, bishops, priests, men and women religious, and laypeople — to meditate on the word “remember” in the account of Christ’s crucifixion recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel.

“‘Ricordare’ in Italian means to lead back to the heart [or] to carry in the heart,” the pope shared. “That man crucified alongside with Jesus transformed his dire pain into a prayer: ‘Carry me in your heart, Jesus.’”

Emphasizing the significance of Our Lord’s heart, the Holy Father said Jesus always listens to the prayers of defenseless sinners.

“This criminal who dies as a ‘disciple of the last hour’ desired only one thing: to find a welcome heart,” he said. “Christ’s heart, pierced by pain, was laid open to save the world. [He has] an open heart, not a closed heart. Dying himself, he was open to the voice of a dying man.”

“Jesus dies with us because he died for us,” Pope Francis repeated to the congregation.

Sitting in front of a covered Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, the Holy Father implored his listeners to have a merciful and compassionate heart like Jesus.

“How do we carry people in our hearts? How do we remember those right at our side throughout our lives? Do you judge? Do you divide? Or do [you] welcome?” the pope asked. 

“Dear brothers and sisters, by turning to the heart of God, men and women of today and of every age can find hope for salvation,” the Holy Father insisted. “The Lord is close to us.” 

“Jesus, remember us! Jesus, remember us!”

Six U.S. bishops were among the deceased clergy remembered during the Mass held in the Vatican: Bishop Raymond Emil Goedert of Chicago; Bishop Francisco González Valer of Washington, D.C.; Bishop Thomas John Gumbleton of Detroit; Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly of Worcester, Massachusetts; Bishop Edward James Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Bishop Basil Harry Losten of Stamford, Connecticut, of the Ukrainians.