Thursday, April 30, 2009
CW - This and That....
Our dear friends, we write to thank you all for your generous donations over the last few weeks and months, which has certainly helped out in a lot of developing parishes.Between vestments for clergy and laity alike, chalices and ciboria, Missals et al, over 25 parishes have been fully supplied with the basics required and other parishes are slowly building their supplies.
Thank you so much for all your help, and if you wish to donate locally we now have local posting contact points and persons so email us for details!!
Our investigations section shall continue to operate as before, and we are pleased to say that we have now managed to somewhat clear a backlog of submissions.In one particular case, we have now managed to appoint our first investigator to a submission received here some time ago, and this is being done on a voluntary basis by aforementioned investigator.
Once the investigation begins, and until such time as it is completed, we here will make no reference to it. However, upon completion, if agreement has been reached with all parties then the full report will be published hereupon!!!
It is hard to imagine that a year has passed since this initiative of the Irish Catholic Church was launched and now set to wind down....and we shall have to wait and see what fruits (if any) will become of it.We trust that God will tend to the needs of His church in His own particular way, but perhaps it is those earthly custodians who now need to reflect upon a few issues such as celibacy and women priests, and also the whole stagnation in relation to the permanent diaconate!!!
And now, we have reached the end of April, Easter has come to pass and we now prepare to enter the month of Mary.It is also a time for us here in CW to take a break over the next few days to recharge our batteries, but we will be having a monthly review meeting in Dublin on Saturday.
If any of you out there have any ideas, suggestions etc that you would like us to discuss, debate etc in relation to CW, submit them to us and we shall take them on board.
In the interim, we wish you all in Ireland a very safe and pleasurable Bank Holiday weekend - don't drink and drive please - and to the rest of you all...
Cách beannacht oraibh go léir
SV ED 1 2 3 & 4
Prayer to St Mark the Evangelist
(contemporary language)
Year of Vocations
O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to the faithful that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God.
Give them courage and strength to follow God's holy will.
Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labour in God's holy service.
Amen.
Pauline Year (29th June 2008/09) Prayer
Glorious Saint Paul,
Apostle full of zeal,
Martyr by Christ's love,
obtain for us a profound faith,
a firm hope,
a burning love for the Lord
so that we can say with you:
"It is no longer I but the Christ who lives in me."
Help us to become apostles
who serve the Church with a pure conscience,
witnesses of its greatness and its beauty
amid the darkness of our time.
With you we praise God our Father,
"To Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ
from age to age forever."
Museums to raise cash for Abruzzo quake victims
The Vatican Museums will be open to the public this Sunday and all proceeds will be given to the victims of the devastating 6 April earthquake that hit the central Italian region of Abruzzo.The museum - one of Italy's major tourist attractions - is usually closed on Sunday except for the last Sunday of each month, when entrance is free.
The Vatican said the move was intended to "show solidarity" with victims of the powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake that killed 295 people, left 55,000 homeless and destroyed thousands of buildings in the medieval city of L'Aquila.
The Vatican statement released on Wednesday says museum staff will also donate a day's pay to the Abruzzo quake victims.
The Italian Catholic church has pledged five million euros to rebuild L'Aquila and other quake-damaged areas of Abruzzo.
The cabinet last week approved the release of 8 billion euros for Abruzzo's reconstruction. It previously estimated this would cost at least 12 billion euros.
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Source (AKI)
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U.S. cardinals, other church leaders gather for annual dinner, Mass
A standing-room-only crowd greeted seven U.S. cardinals for the Mass April 24 at Houston's Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart prior to the annual dinner benefiting The Catholic University of America.Proceeds from the dinner fund scholarships for students attending the school in Washington.
In addition to Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the Mass and dinner were attended by Cardinals Francis E. George of Chicago; Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles; Sean P. O'Malley of Boston; Justin Rigali of Philadelphia; William H. Keeler, retired archbishop of Baltimore; and Adam J. Maida, retired archbishop of Detroit.
In his homily at the Mass, Vincentian Father David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, said Catholic higher education should work a miracle in its students similar to Jesus' miracle of the loaves and the fishes.
"Our students should become the bread that is then multiplied and given away, witnessing to Christ, witnessing to the church, witnessing to the truth -- because of what we teach, because of what we affirm, because of what we support," he said.
"If Christ does not 'happen' in their lives, if the church does not inspire them in their lives through our Catholic universities and colleges, Christ hasn't failed, the church hasn't failed -- we have failed," Father O'Connell said. "We should not fail, we cannot fail, we must not fail even though many things today tempt us to compromise our identity and mission and purpose."
Other participants in the dinner and Mass included Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, retired archbishop of Galveston-Houston; Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Galveston-Houston; Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu of San Antonio; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States; and Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, the university's chancellor and an alumnus.
Prior to the Mass Cardinal DiNardo and Father O'Connell addressed the local media in front of the co-cathedral.
"The reason we have this celebration today with the cardinals present is so we can raise funds for the scholarship programs at Catholic University of America. It is the one Catholic university in the country that is run by the bishops," Cardinal DiNardo said.
Noting that it was the first time the dinner had taken place in Texas, he added, "We have a lot of pride in Houston about our new cathedral and we are happy to show it off to the number of cardinals and people from all over the country who are here for this Mass and dinner."
During the gala, Angela House in Houston, a transitional housing facility for women after incarceration, was honored with the $10,000 American Cardinals Encouragement Award, which recognizes "faith-based initiatives that reflect Christian values."
Dominican Sister Maureen O'Connell, director of Angela House, was present to receive the recognition.
"What this (recognition) means to the women is that people care," she said. "And that a university like Catholic University of America and the archdiocese are supportive of them and want to help them come back to the community. That's the most meaningful thing about this evening."
Angela House has served more than 125 women since it opened its doors seven years ago. In that time 68 percent of the women taking part in the program have not returned to prison, which is conversely almost the exact percentage of women who usually are re-incarcerated (66 percent) after they are released.
"When our women come to Angela House, most are alone or have minimal family support," Sister Maureen said. "And for the most part are feeling worthless and ashamed of what they have done. To experience the support and encouragement of such a university and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encourages them to believe that they can change regardless of poor past choices."
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Argentina priests in drug protest
Hundreds of priests in Argentina have highlighted their concern after two of their number received death threats. Some 353 Catholic priests in Buenos Aires signed a document in support of the men, who work with addicts in some of the city's poorest neighbourhoods.
The Church last month published a report highlighting a huge increase in drug addiction and dealing in the city.
The report said hard drugs, like Paco - a kind of crack cocaine - are sold openly and often near schools.
The report added that there was is a lack of political will to deal with the results.
"The drug trade has been like a tsunami breaking over us," said Padre Pepe de Paola, one of the priests who has received death threats.
"Heavy drug trafficking started in 2001 when the Argentine economy crashed and we haven't been able to cope."
One dose of Paco costs around $1.50 (£1) and children as young as 12 are becoming addicts, taking up to 40 doses a day.
The Church says there is a lack of spending on education and decent schooling where children can develop their own way in life.
It adds that Argentina as a whole has a disregard for the problems of the young and poor.
Most of those who are making money from drug trafficking, the document says, do not live in poor neighbourhoods but in rich ones.
Two years ago, government figures said there were 27,000 addicts in greater Buenos Aires, but recent research estimates this figure has doubled.
"It's going to take a long time, and it's not just one government who will need to work on this, it's got to be a long-term approach," said Padre Pepe de Paola.
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Source (GRCN)
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Book says late pope kept sense of fun in his final years
Pope John Paul II sang and made jokes even at the end of his life, said a Polish archbishop who was one of the pope's personal secretaries."The pope loved to laugh and could play innocent pranks," said Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of the Latin-rite Archdiocese of Lviv, Ukraine.
"He wasn't exuberant and didn't collect information, and he preferred to listen rather than talk. But he also noticed it when you'd had a hard day or were in bad mood. He would wink at you and smile."
The archbishop spoke recently to Poland's TVN 24 about his book, "He Liked Tuesdays Best," about life with Pope John Paul. He said that on Tuesdays during the papacy, Pope John Paul often would make discreet, unreported excursions outside Rome.
Archbishop Mokrzycki said the pontiff was addicted to fresh air and insisted on keeping his Vatican apartment windows open, even in cold weather.
The late pope rose regularly at 5 a.m. to watch the sunrise and "also liked sunset, during which he often cut himself off and became immersed in prayer," Archbishop Mokrzycki said.
"When he had a worry, he'd ... sit on the terrace to pray in solitude. You could always count on him to remember you in his prayers. His secretaries placed the cards left in the Vatican with prayer requests on his chapel kneeler, and he read them all," said the archbishop, who was ordained a priest in 1987 and named to his Vatican position in 1996.
In the Polish-language book published by Krakow's Wydawnictwo M publishers, Archbishop Mokrzycki said he was often asked to sing Polish folk songs by the pope, who "very much missed" his homeland, watched Polish TV news daily and supported Krakow's local soccer team.
Pope John Paul also loved cakes, although nuns in the papal household tried to control his weight.
"The sisters didn't usually serve dessert since the Holy Father was fighting (becoming) overweight, but he had such a sweet tooth he often signaled a request to them," said Archbishop Mokrzycki. "We all knew the sign -- he didn't have to say anything. Without even looking at the nuns, he'd draw a circle with his finger on the tablecloth and keep on drawing it."
Archbishop Mokrzycki said the pontiff found it "very hard" to accept his growing incapacity with Parkinson's disease, during which he had to be helped with washing, dressing and eating.
"When he tried to stop his hand shaking and found he no longer could, he'd get irritated and hit the chair hard, as if wanting to say, 'Why is this happening?'" Archbishop Mokrzycki said. "We sometimes saw him do this during general audiences. Watching him, I realized how much he must be suffering. He'd always been strong, with so much energy and such an active life. Now, he had to get used to another, weaker self."
The archbishop said Pope John Paul was "fully conscious" April 2, 2005, the last day of his life, blessing visitors and saying farewell to the dozen closest friends at his bedside.
He added that the pontiff's face changed in his final moments and was "beautiful, smooth and without creases" at his death.
Among other details, Archbishop Mokrzycki said Pope John Paul always kept his parents' photo by his bed, as well as images of "Christ the Merciful" and the painting "Ecce Homo" by St. Albert Chmielowski.
Among the pope's key dislikes, the archbishop listed new shoes and having to wear ceremonial dress at official audiences.
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Source (CNS)
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Native leader sees Papal apology as foundation for Canadian reconciliation process
Grand Council Chief John Beaucage says the "expression of sorrow" issued by Pope Benedict XVI about the Catholic Church's role in operating Indian Residential Schools should seen as a foundation on which a reconciliation process can be built."We want to see the Bishops, dioceses and Roman Catholic communities and churches in Canada embrace their responsibility and move towards reconciliation with First Nations," said Beaucage, who represents 42 Anishinabek Nation communities in Ontario.
"I'd like to see the impacts of the Papal apology be recognized and addressed, not only at the Vatican, but within Canada."
Beaucage said that, if elected National Chief at the Assembly of First Nations assembly in Calgary this July he intends to meet with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to determine a course of action to build on Wednesday's apology issued by the Vatican following a private audience with an AFN delegation.
The Anishinabek Nation leader congratulated National Chief Phil Fontaine for his advocacy on behalf of residential school survivors. Fontaine said Benedict's statement "closes the book" on the issue of apologies for residential school survivors.
Apologies for their roles in operating the network of 130 residential schools in Canada have previously been offered by the Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches, and last June Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an apology on behalf of the government of Canada.
Beaucage said Fontaine, himself a survivor of residential school abuse, has left a historic legacy in making Canadians aware of the horrific impact residential schools have had on First Nations communities.
"Now it's important that we build on his efforts by ensuring they are used as building blocks for the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission," Beaucage added.
The Anishinabek Nation established the Union of Ontario Indians as its political advocate and secretariat in 1949. The Union of Ontario Indians is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots back to the Confederacy of Three Fires that have existed long before European contact.
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Source (CNW)
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Pope to receive Czech President Vaclav Klaus on May 30
Pope Benedict XVI will receive Czech President Vaclav Klaus in the Vatican on May 30."The meeting itself is unique as the Pope only receives for private conversations heads of state, which means his opposite numbers he invites to the meetings," Jindrich Forejt, director of the Presidential Office Protocol Department, told the server.
"Other political representatives from a country in question only meet the Pope within the general audience that is open to all pilgrims who come to the Vatican, mostly on Wednesday," Forejt said.
The talks will focus on Pope's visit to the Czech Republic. He is likely to come on September 26-28.
Vatican representatives visited the Czech Republic in the past days over the visit. Official webpage www.navstevapapeze.cz has been launched for the occasion.
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Palestinian refugees asking pope to take their story to the world
When Pope Benedict XVI comes to the Aida Refugee Camp May 13, Um Omar will climb to the balcony on the top floor of her building and wave both her hands in a victory sign in his direction."We don't have money to pay the water and electricity bills. If he can help us with that, he is welcome. If he can help us remove the wall, he is welcome," said Um Omar, 52, whose given name is Widad Abu Akkar but who is known by the traditional moniker of "mother of Omar," her oldest son.
She has raised all 14 of her children in a cramped 650-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment.
When her children were growing up there was an open field opposite their apartment building and she would spend most of her time there, letting them tumble about as they enjoyed picnic lunches.
Today, the building -- which has grown by four floors as sons and cousins have married and built apartments for their wives -- overlooks the stage in front of the Israeli separation barrier from which the pope will address the camp's 4,860 residents.
While much of the camp is a jumble of narrow, sunless, garbage-strewn alleyways, on his visit the pope will be taken down the wide dusty main road to the stage abutting the wall, which separates the camp from Bethlehem.
"I don't know what he is coming to do," said Mourad Malash, 23, who is unemployed and spends his time between his home and the houses of his friends. "He should ask the youth how they feel. Can he find jobs for the people?"
Teenage boys amble through the streets in the early afternoon on their way home or to visit friends. All of them have quit school and now spend their time playing computer games, hanging out like teenagers do and sometimes walking into Bethlehem for a pizza or a "shwarma," a sandwich made from thinly sliced, spit-grilled meat stuffed into a pita.
They want the pope to remove the separation wall, create jobs and build places for youth activities.
"If I could I would go live anywhere abroad," said 17-year-old Hazzam Abu Akkar, who, as a third-generation refugee, feels little connection to family lands that he has never seen in the West Bank village of Ras Abu Amar, near Hebron.
"I don't think the pope's visit will make much difference," said Saddam Sduk, 16, who was injured by Israeli soldiers in 2004 while playing soccer on a field now separated from the camp by the wall. One of his friends was killed in the incident. "The other pope came to Dehiyshe camp and what did he do? We want to have something fun to do here. After his visit he should leave us a park or something."
Following the second intifada the high school dropout rate increased, said Salah Ajaram, 36, general manager of the camp's Lajee cultural center and a member of the coordinating committee for the pope's visit. He fears that the lack of education is harming the younger generation.
During the years after the camp opened in 1950, the refugees, displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, lived in tents. Later they built small one-story homes. As the population grew so did the buildings, climbing skyward because there is no other place for expansion. For many years the refugees refused to leave the camps, believing that if they did so they would forfeit any claims, including the right of return to their old homes. Today many of the second- or third-generation refugees have moved to less-crowded quarters.
The worsening economic situation is making it more difficult for people to buy land or apartments outside the camps, explained Ajaram, whose family hails from the West Bank village of Ajour and whose lands are now part of an Israeli kibbutz.
"They know that no matter where they are living physically they will always still be refugees," said Ajaram, whose organization last year received funding from the Pontifical Mission for Palestine for a new activities hall for youngsters.
This year the Pontifical Mission for Palestine -- a Vatican-founded relief agency under the direction of the New York-based Catholic Near East Welfare Association -- also will provide funding to the Aida Camp Al Rowwad Cultural and Theater Training Center with a grant from the Salam ya Seghar (Peace for the Children) program.
A large metal sculpture of an old-fashioned key perches atop the main entrance to the U.N.-administered Aida camp, symbolizing the refugees' right to return as well as the keys to their ancestral homes -- keys many of the families say they still have in their possession.
"The most important man in the world is coming here. He can bring thousand of journalists with him (to see our life here)," Ajaram said. "He can be close to the wall and see how the wall separates our lives between our people. He is the one to talk about justice and peace. We feel there can be no justice without the right of return and the pope can take this message out with him.
"To stay in your country as a refugee is more difficult than living as one outside," Ajaram added.
More than two dozen people were killed in the Aida camp during the second intifada, and Israeli soldiers still conduct raids into the camp to arrest men suspected of terrorist activities. Many of the young men have been jailed on various charges, including belonging to terrorist groups or throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers. Most of those jailed, including Um Omar's recently-married son, Majdi, deny the charges. The 23-year-old spent two years in jail. Another son spent six years in jail. Um Omar said both are innocent.
Despite the difficulties, elation from the wedding remains in Um Omar's family. After greeting guests while wearing a long white traditional hijab, or veil, Um Omar retires to a back bedroom of her apartment with her granddaughter and new daughter-in-law, preparing spinach-filled yeast pastries and watching an Arabic soap opera.
Her husband, Mustafa, who made a good living working as a construction laborer in Israel before the intifada, said the pope is welcome and could act as an olive branch of peace to bring hope to camp residents.
But their 24-year-old daughter, Nehaya, who did not finish high school and stays home most of the day, tosses her head with a mischievous half-grin as she brings in tea.
"The pope doesn't know me and I don't know him," she said, walking back to the kitchen. "I want to travel. I want to go abroad. I want to see different faces."
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Muslim calligrapher writes Gospel of Luke for pope
Muslim calligrapher Yasser Abu Saymeh has dedicated the past two months to Christian art, writing the Gospel of Luke in ornate Arabic script to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI when the Roman Catholic leader visits the Holy Land next month. Abu Saymeh never read a New Testament text before he was picked for the prestigious assignment by Bethlehem's Christian mayor.
He said he has since come to appreciate the shared strands of the two faiths.
"I found that many of the things emphasized in Christianity exist in our religion," said the 51-year-old Abu Saymeh.
The artist has nearly completed the Gospel's text, which will eventually cover 65 poster-sized pages. It will be accompanied by colored drawings depicting the life of Christ, from the Nativity to the crucifixion.
The pope will receive the gift on May 13, when he visits Bethlehem as part of a pilgrimage that also includes stops in Nazareth and Jerusalem, the other focal points in the life of Jesus.
During a May 11 reception at the residence of Israel's president, Shimon Peres, the pope will receive another rare gift of Scripture — a 300,000-word Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible inscribed on a silicon particle the size of a grain of sand, using nanotechnology.
Calligraphy is prized in Islamic cultures because Islam frowns upon figurative art as idolatrous.
Abu Saymeh was trained in Baghdad and works in a small studio in Bethlehem, a few hundred yards (meters) from the Church of the Nativity, built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto.
He opens his workshop early every day, right after dawn prayers at a mosque near his home. The walls are decorated with handwritten verses from the Quran and Arabic poetry. Writing tools are laid out on an old table, including two dozen calligraphy pens and black, green and red ink.
Every few days, a local priest checks completed pages for accuracy. The text and drawings will be bound in deer hide and presented in a mother-of-pearl box, a specialty of Bethlehem artisans.
When it came to choosing a calligrapher for the project, the choice quickly fell on Abu Saymeh. He had won distinction in 2007, when he presented a handwritten copy of the Quran to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
He also teaches calligraphy at a local university, and is sometimes asked to testify in court as a handwriting expert, usually in fraud cases. Raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, he began his career by drawing signs for what he said were peaceful demonstrations against Israel's military occupation.
Mayor Victor Batarseh said he chose Luke among the four Gospels because he felt his writing contains the most detail about Jesus' time in the city. And he picked Abu Saymeh not just because of his talent, but to send a message of peaceful religious coexistence.
"It's a message to the world that Bethlehem is the city where Christianity was born," he said. "It's also the place of brotherly relations between Muslims and Christians."
Relations between Christians and Muslims in Bethlehem are generally good, though there is occasional friction, usually involving either land disputes or mixed couples breaking the taboo of marrying someone from another religion.
Muslims make up two-thirds of the population in the town of 30,000 and Christian influence has been receding steadily.
The issue of interfaith relations will be high on the pontiff's agenda during his May 8-15 tour, which includes several meetings with Muslim leaders.
Among many Muslims here resentment is still festering from 2006, when Benedict linked Islam and violence. The pope quoted a Medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."
Benedict long ago expressed regret for any offense his words might have caused, but his comments on the upcoming trip will be watched closely by Muslims and Chrisians in the Palestinian territories. Any misstep could upset the delicate relations between the Muslim majority and a dwindling Christian minority.
The calligrapher said he took on the mission, in part, because he wanted to send a conciliatory message and distance himself from extremists.
"I would like this to be a message from a Muslim artist through this simple work that the Muslim artist is tolerant and not aggressive, despite abuses that may come from here and there from extremists who use our religion for their own interests," he said.
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Source (USAT)
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Bishop Leo O'Reilly's keynote address "Catholic Education: Vision for Life and Service to Society"
"Catholic Education: Vision for Life and Service to Society"Keynote address by Bishop Leo O'Reilly at the JMB/AMCSS 22nd Annual Conference
Hotel Europe, Killarney, Co Kerry
- Your commitment and achievement in the education and formation of the young ... [is] crucial for the life of the Church in Irish society into the future
- The new realities of decline in the practice of the faith in homes, the advent of a diverse, multi-religious and multi-cultural society, and the increasing influence of a culture of secularism make it necessary to take stock of where we are in Catholic education
- As Catholic educators what we offer society must be about much more than what can be measured by examinations or listed in league tables
- We must consciously aim to influence society through the students we educate
- Education has a particular role to play in building a more united and peaceful world
- Because of the historical evolution of the education system at second level, we tend to attract the more academically inclined students. Given this historical tendency we have to take extra care to ensure that our policies and practices are such as to encourage and welcome students of all backgrounds and abilities to our schools
- The vision [for Catholic education] is rooted in faith and takes its inspiration from the person and the teaching of Christ
- To say that faith in Jesus and in His presence in the Church is a key component of effective leadership in a Catholic school clearly has many implications for Boards of Management, for Principals and for those in key positions of leadership in our schools. There are implications about ongoing formation for such personnel, the qualities and qualifications desirable in candidates for such posts
- There are some who would distinguish radically between information (Religious Education) as content, and formation (Catechesis) as socializing people into Christian identity. The reality is we need both and they complement each other
- This is not to say that the task of formation in faith is the sole responsibility of the school. Formation is a community centred task and demands a coalition of parish, family, and school
- The challenge remains to commit ourselves anew to live out the ideals of Catholic education in the day to day life of schools, so that our pupils may act with justice and integrity in an imperfect world when they are adults themselves
- Living out the ideals of Catholic education in the day-to-day life of the school will involve three Ws: Witness, Worship and Welfare
- Catholic schools are characterised by an atmosphere of pastoral care and a deliberate attempt to create community
- As bishops we have the responsibility for holding the ethos of Catholic schools. I assure you of our unfailing support now and in the future
1. INTRODUCTION
I wish to thank the leadership of AMCSS for inviting me to give the keynote address to the JMB/AMCSS 22nd Annual Conference 2009. I am honoured to address, for the first time, the Principals and Boards of Management of over four hundred Catholic Voluntary schools.
I have been associated with second level schools as teacher, school chaplain and bishop. I have worked in the Voluntary Schools sector and in a Community school. I am acutely aware from my own experience of the difficulties that you face daily in your schools and I also know that your work has an enormous impact on your students and on society. Your leadership is crucial for the pupils in your care, for their education and formation as they grow towards adulthood. It is also crucial for the staff in your schools and for the parents who entrust their children to your care.
Currently the Management and Leadership of schools take place in difficult social and financial circumstances. At all times the management and leadership of schools is a demanding task, albeit an exciting and fulfilling one. But in the current context in which you exercise your role the demands on management and leadership in schools are even greater. I am thinking of the present economic downturn, which results in lessened resources for essential services, and of social trends which fundamentally challenge the ethos of Catholic schools.
I wish to thank you for the management and leadership of Catholic Voluntary Schools. We appreciate your commitment and achievement in the education and formation of the young. It is a challenging and exciting task. Part of my brief here this evening is to pledge support to you in your work. The bishops and all entrusted with leadership in the Church hold your work in high esteem and sees it as crucial for the life of the Church in Irish society into the future.
'Vision 08'
On 12 May last year the Bishops’ Conference launched their pastoral letter, Vision 08: A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland, which outlines the key elements of our vision for Catholic Education. We had an opportunity to celebrate that vision and reflect on it during the Catholic Schools’ Week that took place from 26 January to 1 February this year. I want to thank all of you who participated in the activities of that week and helped to make it a great success.
I now wish to reflect more fully on the vision the Pastoral Letter sets forth and some of its implications for the life of Catholic Voluntary Secondary Schools. The letter attempts to set out the ideas and ideals which should inspire all those who are involved with Catholic education, parents, pupils, teachers at all levels, administrators, governors and trustees. It draws on the long tradition of Church teaching about Catholic education but there are some emphases which are quite new. These newer elements of the vision derive from the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the numerous documents on Catholic schools and education published by the Vatican in the intervening years.
Modern Context
The letter restates the ideals and vision for Catholic education in the context of 21st century Ireland. The opening paragraph outlines the main features of that context. Clearly the new realities of decline in the practice of the faith in homes, the advent of a diverse, multi-religious and multi-cultural society, and the increasing influence of a culture of secularism make it necessary to take stock of where we are in Catholic education. What are we offering to modern Irish society and to whom are we offering it?
We have something valuable to offer society. Catholic schools here and elsewhere are known to deliver good educational outcomes. But, as the English Jesuit educationalist, Fr Gerald Grace, reminds us, “a Catholic conception of education...[is]...primarily moral and spiritual, concerned with principled behaviour and focussed on community and public good outcomes.” As Catholic educators what we offer society must be about much more than what can be measured by examinations or listed in league tables. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the newly appointed Archbishop of Westminster, speaks about our involvement with society in this regard in terms of a mission:
A Catholic school is not an isolated enterprise, living and functioning in a world of its own, concerned only about its own well-being……..Like the Catholic Church, it is not only knitted into our wider society but it also has a sense of mission to that wider society. So here there is no place for narrowly defined leadership. (Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Leading a Catholic School, Conference ‘Visions for Leadership, 31 March 2009).
We must consciously aim to influence society through the students we educate and I hope that what we are offering society will become clearer as I explore the elements of the vision contained in the Pastoral Letter.
2. KEY ELEMENTS OF A VISION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION
a) Inclusivity
Even a generation ago the question about those to whom we are offering education would hardly have arisen. Catholic education was provided for Catholic students. That is still true, but it is by no means the whole truth. We now find ourselves offering education to students from different religious backgrounds, people of other denominations and faiths and people of none. We also have students from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and different abilities in our classrooms. We welcome them all provided we have place and resources to accommodate them.
A new emphasis in the vision of the Catholic school is the emphasis on inclusivity. The Pastoral Letter captures this emphasis succinctly when it says:
Catholic education values tolerance and inclusiveness... [It] is open to generous dialogue with Christians of other traditions and those of other faiths and none... The presence of children from other denominations is seen as an enrichment of the educational experience offered by the school...The schools see such diversity as offering opportunities for deeper understanding among people holding diverse convictions. (p. 8)
This is not just a case of the Church here making a virtue of necessity. Inclusivity is now very much at the heart of Church teaching on education and is one of the most radical initiatives of the late Pope John Paul II. In his Message - Dialogue between Cultures for a Civilization of Love and Peace - for the celebration of the World Day of Peace on 1 January 2001, Pope John Paul outlined the responsibility of education in intercultural dialogue. The Pope pointed out the need to overcome all ethnocentric selfishness and make it possible to combine regard for one's own identity with understanding of others and respect for diversity… Education must make students aware of their own roots and provide points of reference which allow them to define their own personal place in the world. At the same time, it must be committed to teaching respect for other cultures. There is a need to look beyond one's immediate personal experience and accept differences, discovering the richness to be found in other people's history and in their values… Thanks precisely to this broadening of horizons, education has a particular role to play in building a more united and peaceful world. It can help to affirm that integral humanism, open to life's ethical and religious dimension, which appreciates the importance of understanding and showing esteem for other cultures and the spiritual values present in them. (Pope John Paul II, Dialogue between Cultures for a Civilization of Love and Peace, par 20)
There are two very important issues here. The first is the need to understand and appreciate one’s own identity as a Catholic, to be clear and confident about what we believe ourselves. We cannot reach out in dialogue to people of other faiths or cultures if we are not well grounded and secure in our own. We need, as the Pope says, to be able to define our own place in the world. But that is only the first step. The second is the need to look beyond our immediate personal experience and to discover the richness to be found in other people’s history and their values.
Another aspect of this emphasis on inclusiveness is the commitment to students suffering disadvantage of one kind or another and particularly students with special needs. The Pastoral Letter states: “In the Catholic school there is a strong commitment to pupils for whom the traditional methods of education are a challenge. This means, for example, that those who are educationally disadvantaged and those with special needs are actively supported in achieving their full potential (p5)”
In the wake of the publication of the Audit of School Enrolment policies by the Department of Education and Science in November 2007 there were many unfair and unfounded charges of elitism against Catholic schools. However, we have to acknowledge that in many places, because of the historical evolution of the education system at second level, we tend to attract the more academically inclined students. Given this historical tendency we have to take extra care to ensure that our policies and practices are such as to encourage and welcome students of all backgrounds and abilities to our schools.
b) Role of Laity
In recent Church documents there is a greater recognition of the role of lay people in Catholic education than before. This is an obvious development from the Second Vatican Council’s teaching in its Constitution on the Church and its Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People, as well as in its Declaration on Christian Education. While there were always lay people involved in Catholic education, what is new is, first of all, the clearer recognition that this involvement is an apostolate, and, secondly, that lay people’s involvement is not confined to the roles of teaching or even managing, but also includes leadership and ownership of the educational project. The Bishops’ Pastoral of last May talks about the new forms of trusteeship in which some or all of the responsibility for religious-run schools is being transferred to trusts made up wholly or partly of lay people. Speaking about transferring religiously owned schools into these new forms of trusteeship which some of you here represent, the letter says: “The decision to do this springs from the belief that Catholic education is the responsibility of the whole Catholic faith community.” (p. 6)
c) Christ-centred
Alongside these new emphases, however, the traditional elements of the vision of Catholic education are reaffirmed. The vision is rooted in faith and takes its inspiration from the person and the teaching of Christ who came among us so that we might “have life and have it to the full”. Its philosophy of life is one which embraces time and eternity: “What is entailed here is not only the fullest possible human flourishing in this world but a hope for the world to come.” (p. 2) To quote Archbishop Nichols again:
We say that at the centre of true human ecology is the person of Christ. He then must be at the centre of our Catholic school. He then must be at the centre of the task of school leadership. He then must be at the centre of the life of the leader. Faith in Jesus and faith in the outflow of that presence of Christ into the Church is the key component to effective leadership in a Catholic school. (Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Leading a Catholic School, Conference ‘Visions for Leadership’, 31 March 2009)
To say that faith in Jesus and in His presence in the Church is a key component of effective leadership in a Catholic school clearly has many implications for Boards of Management, for Principals and for those in key positions of leadership in our schools. There are implications about ongoing formation for such personnel, the qualities and qualifications desirable in candidates for such posts, and the processes of advertising and filling them.
d) Person-centred
Catholic education is person-centred. It recognises in each student someone created in the image and likeness of God and therefore someone with a dignity and destiny that transcend all other values. It aims at the full and harmonious development of the potential of every student as a human being. This means there is much more to education than achieving academic results. The aim is the full growth of the individual spiritually, socially and morally and physically, as well as intellectually, in communion with Christ.
Archbishop Nichols has interesting things to say on this topic too:
In a Catholic school, the true development of the person, pupils and staff, takes precedence over all other things. We insist that it is more important than the public recognition of the success of the school; than the demands of political pressure; than the requirements of the economy, significant though these things are (Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Leading a Catholic School, Conference ‘Visions for Leadership’, 31 March 2009)
The full growth of each student, spiritually, socially, morally and intellectually is a noble ideal. How do we reconcile it with the race for points on the Leaving Certificate? How do we square it with trying to survive in a classroom on a Monday morning where perhaps a percentage of the students are still bleary-eyed and ‘hung-over’ after the week-end? It is in these situations more than any other that we really need faith in Christ and Christ-like attitudes, and a hope that is strong and resilient and rooted in something more than human.
e) Integration of Faith and Culture
- Religious Education
….faith is not simply the subject-matter of particular lessons but forms the foundation of all that we do and the horizon of all that takes place in the school. (p.3)
Here we touch on the integration of faith and culture that is spoken of so frequently in the Church documents on Catholic education. It is a particular challenge for contemporary culture which, while it might be prepared to recognise the claims of faith in the private sphere, would prefer to keep it there.
Today the need is for Religious Education based on a thorough knowledge and understanding, leading to a Catholic faith that is well informed. There are some who would distinguish radically between information (Religious Education) as content, and formation (Catechesis) as socializing people into Christian identity. The reality is we need both and they complement each other.
It is urgent that schools therefore have the expertise necessary to impart a thorough knowledge of faith. Our schools need to create an environment that brings to life the values and content taught in the classroom. This is not to say that the task of formation in faith is the sole responsibility of the school. Formation is a community centred task and demands a coalition of parish, family, and school. As Thomas Groome points out, the task of formation “is a profoundly sociological one; it requires handing on the community as well.” (Thomas Groome, Handing on the Faith – The Need for Total Catechetical Education in Handing on the Faith, Robert P. Imbelli, Editor, p. 173)
- Formation and Information
- “….tries to develop each one’s capacity to reflect on and respond to the often difficult and complex moral issues which confront us…”(p. 5)
- “includes growth in realistic knowledge, love and acceptance of ourselves and an understanding of the world we live in.”(p. 5)
- Witness, Worship, Welfare
1. Witness as an aspect of the school. The environment of the school attempts to reflect the communal values of the Christian faith – respect and reverence for every person, hospitality and care towards all, and living witness to faith, hope and love. Furthermore the formal catechesis in the school encourages students to engage with and participate in the parish community thus nurturing their ecclesial identity.
2. Worship as an aspect of the school. Opportunities for shared prayer and liturgy, for experiences like retreats and spiritual mentoring, are integral to the formal catechetical programme. And indeed the very pedagogy of a class or gathering can include moments of prayer and contemplation, of ritual and celebration. Again the success and effectiveness of worship is enhanced by correlation with the liturgical year and engagement in the local parish
3. Welfare as an aspect of the school. Schools have come to recognise “service programmes” as effective in faith education. These are things like Trócaire projects, St Vincent de Paul branches, outreach to nursing homes and so on. Such works and experiences are not just an outcome of Religious education and formation but rather a source of formation in faith as well. It should be possible in the formal curriculum to give pupils the opportunity to name and reflect on their service experiences. Thus students will be able get a practical grasp of Catholic social teaching and how they can contribute to the common good.
By way of drawing out some practical implications, could I suggest that Catholic schools should be to the forefront in promoting participation by students in the Junior and Leaving certificate programmes in religious education. Catholic schools are entitled to present these programmes in such a way that they support and express the ethos of the school. The guidelines for teaching these programmes in Catholic schools, provided by the Bishops’ Conference when the programmes were introduced, should be an important resource in this regard.
f) Community Dimension
The community dimension of Catholic education is a central part of the vision outlined in the Pastoral Letter. Schools are not just institutions of learning, still less educational businesses delivering academic outcomes. They are communities:
Catholic schools recognise that ‘education can be carried out authentically only in a relational and community context’. (p. 6)
In December 2008 the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe organised a Congress on Catholic Schools entitled “The Catholic Schools in the European Public Area”. In putting forward a vision for Catholic Schools the Congress noted that “a Catholic school is a school striving to be a Christian community.” (‘The Catholic School in the European Public Area’, European Congress on Catholic Schools CCEE-CEEC, Rome, 30 November - 2 December 2008)
Every Catholic school must aspire to being an educational community and one with a specifically Christian flavour. The Vatican document, The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, sets the bar very high:
From the first moment that a student sets foot in a Catholic school, he or she ought to have the impression of entering a new environment, one illumined by the light of faith and having its own unique characteristics… an environment permeated with the Gospel spirit of love and freedom. (par 25)
About ten years ago Brother Matthew Feheny wrote an essay on the future of the Catholic school from an Irish perspective. He looked at research on the success of Catholic schools in America, England and Australia. Referring to the American experience specifically he pointed out that their success was due not so much to better teaching of secular subjects but “rather that Catholic schools are characterised by an atmosphere of pastoral care and a deliberate attempt to create community.” In all three countries he found that Catholic schools “were found to be especially successful in creating school communities out of educational institutions. This success is even more striking with children in deprived communities.”(From Ideal to Action, pp. 211, 217)
Mr Etienne Verhack, the General Secretary of the European Committee for Catholic Education, addressed this issue of the community dimension of Catholic education at a Conference in Bucharest last month. He stressed the importance of learning to listen to others and of the link between the school community and the person of Christ. He says:
Because the human person doesn’t live without others, the Catholic school has the objective to create a community and to teach [young people] to live together. Such education begins with listening to the other. But there is something more….At the centre of the Catholic school’s life and mission there is the person of Christ. Jesus Christ expresses the paradox of our human mission to be poor but rich in the grace of God, to be mortal but called for living eternally. Knowing Christ is also discovering the Father and the true sense of life. This has consequences for education and life in a school community. (Address to Princess Margareta of Romania, Bucharest, 6 March 2009)
Once again the ideal is a noble one, but not an easy one to achieve. The Vatican document I quoted earlier, The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, spoke of a new environment permeated by the gospel spirit of love and freedom. It goes on to say how this will come about and leaves us in no doubt about who it relies on to bring it about:
Prime responsibility for creating this unique Christian school climate rests with the teachers as individuals and as a community. The religious dimension of the school climate is expressed through the celebration of Christian values in word and sacrament, in individual behaviour, in friendly and harmonious interpersonal relationships and in ready availability. (par 26)
3. SUPPORT AND SERVICES
a) Formation and the Staff in Catholic schools
To achieve the goals of Catholic schools as envisaged in the Church’s teaching and outlined in Vision 08, the leadership and staff of Catholic schools need support and the specific formation required to fulfil the mission of the school. This formation of lay Catholics as leaders and teachers in schools is crucial for the future of our schools. The European Congress on Catholic Schools in December of last year had something important to say in this regard:
What is crucial here is that Catholic school leaders and teachers are able to give an account not only of what they do but also of why they do it. The high quality of education offered in Catholic schools is reasonably well known. What is not known, not necessarily well understood by Catholic schools leaders and teachers themselves, is how the truths of faith underpin and inspire this quality of education. Much greater formation of leaders and teachers is needed so that they can genuinely bring together the inspiration and motivations of faith as enriching and strengthening their professional expertise. (‘The Catholic School in the European Public Area’, European Congress on Catholic Schools CCEE-CEEC Rome, 30 November - 2 December 2008)
In recent years courses in the leadership of Catholic schools have been devised for schools’ staff. These courses, delivered by training colleges and universities, are of immense importance for Catholics schools. A seminar organised on behalf of the CEEC brought together school Principals from European countries for a week long course in Ireland in September 2008. Such courses are essential for initial training, formation, and in-service of Catholic schools’ staff.
b) Catholic Education Service
It has long been recognised that Catholic Education needs a service body to coordinate and bring unity of purpose to the vast edifice of our mission to formation, education and schooling in Ireland. As some of you are aware, work has been going on to establish such a service for some time. The Catholic Education Service is envisaged as the strong central structure needed to hold Catholic education into the future. It will serve the formal education system at all levels as well as the non-formal and informal sectors. It will support a vibrant Catholic education sector in response to changing social, economic and political conditions in Ireland.
The Catholic Education Service is an association established by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland (IEC) with the cooperation of the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI). The CES will initially consist of two agencies: The Trustee Support Service (TSS), which will provide a service to Catholic schools in Northern Ireland, and The Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP), which will provide service to schools in the Republic of Ireland. The TSS and the CES are already in the process of being set up and will:
- Foster coherence in Catholic education at a national level.
- Provide a unified voice for Catholic education in the public forum and with educational bodies and the Government
- Support Catholic educators in the core activities of learning and teaching to foster high quality lifelong learning and faith development for all learners
- Support the roles of Governance, Trusteeship and Management.
An article in The Tablet (4 April 2009) to mark the London G20 summit suggested that young people have been one of the main victims of an overtly capitalist society. The article quoted a Professor Orbach “that young people are increasingly preoccupied with becoming famous”. This has to do with the idea that one must proactively “create a self” seen, for example, in social networking websites such as 'Facebook'. The reason behind this, she suggested, was that young people were actually longing for community and a “desperate sense of recognition”(sic).
The Tablet article went on to quote Professor Orbach, Professor Sennet and Archbishop Rowan Williams as agreeing “that young people had been badly let down by an education system – based on an overtly capitalist notion of competition – that places too much emphasis on tests. The archbishop explained: “Competition… doesn’t actually produce particularly functional practice. It produces obsessive anxiety, an incapacity to imagine failure and therefore it creates a level of denial, tunnel vision, which is exactly how we got here, the crisis we happen to be in.”
When we reflect on the ethos that underpins our Catholic schools we are immediately aware that it aspires to provide education and formation that offers hope to the young, that aims to create a community where a sense of belonging is central and the dignity of each person is recognised. While our schools respond to the needs of our modern secular society they “….believe that over-emphasis on competition, a too narrow preoccupation with examinations and specialising at too early and age on highly specific courses are inimical to true education.” (p.6)
I spoke at the start about our schools having a mission to society. I hope I have shown that they have much to offer to the young people of this time and to contemporary society. The task of leading a Catholic school is one of great importance and significance. It involves combining the role of leadership with the personal and consistent practice of faith. It demands honesty, integrity and professionalism. It is a splendid and noble service and I thank all who fulfil it and I encourage many to aspire to leadership of Catholic schools. As bishops we have the responsibility for holding the ethos of Catholic schools. I assure you of our unfailing support now and in the future.
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London Catholics celebrate 10 years of gay-affirming Masses
Just two days after the bombing of the Admiral Duncan public house in Soho, 30 April 1999, London's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) Catholics, with their parents, families and friends, gathered in a convent chapel in Camden Town.The first Mass welcoming LGBT Catholics took place on Sunday, 2 May 1999.
First sponsored by the Roman Catholic Caucus of the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement, the Masses have gone from strength to strength, reaching around 300 people.
Now independant of any other organisation, the Masses are organised by the Soho Masses Pastoral Council (SMPC) as an officially recognised pastoral ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Westminster.
They take place at 17.00 pm, on 1st & 3rd Sundays at the historic 18th century Church of Our Lady of the Assumption & St. Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho W1B 5NB.
The 10th Anniversary Mass takes place on Sunday, 3 May, 17.00 pm, at the Warwick Street Church, with Canon Pat Browne, Catholic Dean for the City of Westminster presiding.
After the Mass, there will be a cutting of a specially made rainbow-coloured cake.
This lively community also includes a younger adults group and enables all who take part in the Masses various ways to grow in their faith and integrate this with their sexual orientation.
The 1st and 3rd Sunday celebrations offer a model of the kind of inclusive, welcoming community the Church aims to be.
"This is no holy-huddle or gay ghetto! We aim to be the kind of community pictured in the Church's earliest history, truly Catholic and universal, in welcoming a great richness of God's rainbow people where people of all sorts of background are welcomed. The difference is that our LGBT reality is recognised and named" the SMPC's Chairperson, Joe Stanley said.
Although predominantly LGBT, straight friends, parents, and other members of Warwick Street's congregation regularly take part.
The Masses are well known for the quality of their music, ranging from ancient Latin compositions to more contemporary forms.
The Soho Masses boasts a 15-strong classical Schola and a wind & string instrumental Consort.
A diverse rota of priests, including well-known theologians and writers from a variety of religious orders and dioceses, minister to this community.
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God alone satisfied aspirations of human heart, Cardinal Urosa says
The Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, said this week that consecrated men and women “bear witness that only God satisfies the aspirations of the human heart.”The cardinal’s comments were part of his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life, which will be marked on Sunday, May 3.
In his message the cardinal recalled that “because Jesus has desired to make use of human cooperation in order to carry on his presence, we need many vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.”
Responding to the Pope’s invitation to pray for vocations, Cardinal Urosa said, “We raise our prayers to the One and Triune God, that He may grant that many young people in Caracas, from our Catholic families, our parishes and schools, will hear and follow His call to be messengers of peace and reconciliation, of life and salvation, missionaries, heralds of the risen Christ, ‘the way, the truth and the life.’”
Cardinal Urosa continued by describing the work of priests and religious.
“The priest is the center and motor of all pastoral action, of the life of the Church, from the proclamation of the faith, to the celebration of the Eucharist, to the encouragement of communities, to the formation of lay apostles. The consecrated bear witness that only God satisfies the aspirations of the human heart. Without priests there is no Eucharist, without the consecrated the Church is weakened. We risk the future of the Church in this area: vocations to the priesthood and to religious life,” he said.
Referring to the “Great Continental Mission” that the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean initiated at their last gathering, Cardinal Urosa said, “The carrying out of the Continental Mission of Evangelization is a great project of renewal and revitalization of the Church in all of Venezuela.”
He added, “It is a true necessity and, at the same time, it will lead to a growth in the number of young people who want to dedicate their lives to the Lord in this beautiful and luminous way that is the priestly and consecrated life.”
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Pope Benedict reflects on the 'Defender of Images'
Benedict XVI dedicated his general audience to teaching on St. Germanus of Constantinople, the defender of icons.St. Germanus’ teaching, he explained, invites people to follow Christ in order to become the image of God again, to love the Church and to develop a love for the beauty of the liturgy.
The Pope recounted for the 35,000 faithful in St. Peter’s Square how during Germanus’ patriarchate "the capital of the Byzantine empire, Constantinople, was subject to a threatening siege by the Saracens.”
On that occasion, St. Germanus led a procession with the image of the Mother of God ... and the relic of the Holy Cross. The faithful called upon the Most High to defend the city, and Constantinople was liberated from the siege.
This event, the Holy Father said, convinced the patriarch "that God's intervention was to be interpreted as evident approval of the reverence people showed towards holy icons.”
The Holy Father went on: "Patriarch Germanus' appeals to Church tradition and to the real effectiveness of certain images, unanimously recognized as 'miraculous', were all to no avail.”
After a drawn out battle over the veneration of icons with Emperor Leo III, Germanus was forced to resign as patriarch, exiling himself to a monastery, where he died in 733.
Of Germanus’ works, Benedict XVI continued, "certain homilies on Marian themes have survived, of which some have had a profound influence on the piety of entire generations of faithful, both in the East and the West."
One of these, Benedict XVI recalled, is cited by Pius XII in the constitution with which he proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption.
The pope indicated three elements that the saint has left for Christians. The first is that "there is a certain visibility of God in the world and in the Church, which we must learn to see."
"God created man in His image but that image was covered with dirt and sin," Pope Benedict said. “Christ invites us to become like him in such a way that in every man, the face of God may shine through again."
Secondly, Germanus shows us "the beauty and dignity of the liturgy." The liturgy, the Holy Father underscored, must be celebrated "with the awareness of the presence of God."
The third aspect is that of "love for the Church." "It may be," he explained, "that we see more the sin of man and the negative, but with the light of faith that makes us capable of seeing the good, still today and always we can rediscover in the Church the divine beauty.”
Germanus writes that in the Church, God talks with Christians and walks with Christians. The Pope recalled, “It is in the Church that God makes himself present, and remains present in adoration, it is in the Church that he speaks with us, it is in the Church that we receive the forgiveness of God, we learn to forgive."
"Let us pray to God," the Pontiff concluded, "that he may teach us to see in the Church his beauty and his hope in the world, and help us as well to be transparent for his light."
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Cardinal Sandoval calls for 'strengthened trust in God'
In a recent press release entitled, “Trust in God and Personal Care,” Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, of Guadaljara addressed the swine flu epidemic by calling for “strengthened trust in God.”After stating that for the time being Masses would not be canceled in Guadalajara, the cardinal pointed out that what is needed right now is greater trust in God.
“We read in the Sacred Scriptures that no leaf falls from the tree without the consent of the Father, and so our lives are in the hands of God.”
Cardinal Sandoval urged Mexicans to do everything possible to keep the swine flu from spreading. “Let’s follow the recommendations of our leaders and place our trust in God. Let us strive to live peacefully, avoiding any panic that could be counterproductive,” he said.
By faithfully following the preventive measures and maintaining hope in the Lord, “we will be able to confront this health care emergency we are experiencing,” he continued.
The cardinal encouraged the faithful to trust “in the protection of the Virgin Mary, under her title as Our Lady of Zapopan, the Patroness of this archdiocese, to whom we entrust our care.”
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Morning after pill for UK schools: Catholics forced to participate
A UK Catholic bishop has condemned a plan by Oxfordshire health officials to allow girls as young as eleven to order the abortifacient morning after pill by text message from their school nurse.An auxiliary bishop of the Catholic archdiocese of Birmingham told local news media that the proposed plan by local health authorities and the Oxfordshire County Council "goes against the very central idea the Catholic church has on human life."
Bishop Leonard William Kenney told the Daily Telegraph, "It is sending out the message that it was better to deal with the aftermath of what people do, rather than the causes.
"I don't think this will help solve the teenage pregnancy rate and is taking away responsibility from parents."
Set to begin in July, the pilot program will apply to six secondary schools in Oxfordshire county, including St. Gregory the Great Catholic school in Oxford.
Authorities have informed the schools that there will be no opt-out allowed, claiming that the texting service is "outside the governance of the schools" because it is offered outside of school hours.
Chaplain for St. Gregory's, Father Daniel Seward, said, "The school is part of the Catholic church and the Church has a very clear view that sexual relations take place properly within marriage and that any abortion or contraception is contrary to the dignity of the human person.
"Sex is never just a recreational activity," he added.
Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust conducted a poll and identified the ancient university city of Oxford and nearby Banbury as "hotspots" for Britain's endemic teen pregnancy problem.
In a joint statement issued in March, the Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust said, "This service would provide an extra level of support for those young people who think they have taken a risk, or have another health problem, and don't want to approach a doctor or a pharmacist but can text a nurse and ask what they can do."
Authorities emphasized that they would bring in child protection staff if a request came from any girl aged 11 to 13. The age of consent for sexual activity in England and Wales is 16, as specified by the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
John Smeaton, director of the UK's Society for the Protection of Unborn Children told LifeSiteNews.com, that the plan "just shows the contempt of the sex education industry for the unborn and for parents. Parents have got to resist this kind of development."
Smeaton urged concerned parents to contact the Safe at School Campaign, a program run by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children that aims to educate parents and teachers about the dangers of "sex and relationships education."
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