Year Of The Faith

Pope Benedict XVI announced the “Year of Faith” through his Apostolic Letter “Motu Propio Data”, “Porta Fidei”, 11 October 2011.  He wrote: “In the light of all this, I have decided (Motu Propio) to announce a Year of Faith.  It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and it will end on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November 2013” (n. 4).

Aim: “…to help people understand that the texts bequeathed by the Council Fathers need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart as important and normative texts of the Magisterium, within the Church’s tradition” (n. 5).

Church renewal through witness: “The renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers: by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us” (n. 6).

“The Year of Faith…is a summon to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the World” (n. 6).

 “Caritas Christi nos” (2 Cor. 5:14)  Christ’s love “fills our hearts and impels us to evangelize” (n. 7).  Motive to evangelize is Christ’s love.

The Year of Faith is “a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist” (n. 9).

Two tasks:  “to rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed and to reflect on the act of faith…” (n. 9).

 A path to better understand the content and act of faith.  Pope Benedict quotes St. Paul:  man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved” (Rom. 10:10).  “The heart indicates that the first act by which one comes to faith is God’s gift and the action of grace which acts and transforms the person deep within” (n. 10).

Benedict XVI adds: “Confessing with the lips…implies public testimony and commitment”.  Faith demands social responsibility” (n. 10).

Systematic knowledge of the content of the faith can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (cf. 11).  Important to retrace “ the history of our faith, marked…by the interweaving of holiness and sin” (n. 13).

Holy men and women contributed “to the growth and development” of the Church.  While sin provokes in us “a sincere and continuing work of conversion” (n. 13).

Today, we need “credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the Word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many in the desire for God and for true life, life without end” (n. 15).  Credibility and competence are qualities of effective evangelizers

New Resting Place For John Paul II

The urn containing the remains of Blessed Innocent XI (1676 – 1689) was moved from chapel of St. Sebastian to the Altar of the Transfiguration to make room for the body of John Paul II.

The space beneath the altar is now open to receive the body of John Paul II after his beatification on May 1, 2011.

Coffin containing the remains of John Paul II will be removed from the place beneath the Vatican Basilica (crypt) on 29 April and placed before the main altar on May 1 for public viewing after the beatification ceremonies.

It (the coffin) will not be opened.  It will be “enclosed” and the tomb marked by a simple marble stone imposed with “Beatus Ioanes Paulus II” (Vatican, April 10, zenith.org)

Visitatio Ad Limina Apostolorum

Visit to the apostles’ portals is mandatory to all residential bishops.  This visit takes place, normally, once every five years.  Main objective is to strengthen the fraternal and charitable bond between bishops and the Holy See.  A 5-year report is sent months before the actual visit.

Twenty-seven bishops from Mindanao(20) and the Metropolitan Province of Lipa (7) made their visit on 21 February – 5 March 2011.

Three parts: (1) meeting with Pope Benedict XVI; (2) masses in the 4 major basilicas; and (3) visits to congregations, pontifical councils, pontifical commissions, etc.

Feb. 21, 7:30am.  Mass atSt.Peter’s at altar of the Tomb of St. Peter.  9:30, Congregation for Divine Worship, Card. Antonio Cańizares Llovera, Prefect.  New ICEL Roman Missal.  Binations and Trinations.  Minster of Confirmation.  Multiple stipends? (1 for priest, rest to Bishop) Rito Toledano, wedding rite used inPhilippines, is moso-arabico.  Used only in 6 parishes in Toledo Archdiocese (Spain).  Now revised.  11:00am, Congregation for the Clergy.  Prefect Card. Mauro Piacenza was absent.  Secretary presided.

Protocol on sexual abuse by priests.  Christ is strength of priests.  Identity of priests.  Security Bearers of the sacred.  Intellectual formation is very important.  Dispensation of priests-fathers (children should have fathers as they grow up).

Feb. 22, 9:30am.  Congregation for Bishops, Card. Marc Ouellet, PSS, Prefect – a very congenial person.  Bishops to accompany priests.  Holy, knowledgeable, shepherds after Christ’s heart, peace-makers, able to read “signs of the times”, faithful to Pope.

Feb. 23, 4:00pm.  Mass at St. Paul’s outside the Walls. 5:30pm, dinner with L’ Opera della Chiesa, the community of priests, religious women and lay providing transport for bishops.

Feb. 24, 9:30am.  Council for Justice and Peace.  Card. Peter Koduvo Appiah Turkson, President.  Human Rights Mindanao Conflict.  Ecological degradation.  No official stand on GMO, specially BT Corn, BT eggs, etc.  The officials are new.  Not knowledgeable about global situation.  10:30am, Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants.  Abp. Antonio Maria Veglio, President.  Very genial.  Proposal: to make Apostolatus Maris (Apostolate of the Sea) a Vicariate.  No clear response. 4:00pm, Mass at St.Mary Major.

Feb. 25, 9:30am.  Congregation for Catholic Education.  Card. Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect.  11:00am, Council “Cor Unum”, Card. Robert Sarah, President.

Feb. 26, 11:00am.  Personal meeting with Holy Father.  Seven Mindanao bishops had a photo session with Pope Benedict XVI.  Then he blessed the religious articles presented by the bishops for later distribution.  Finally, conference with the Pope.  Mining, logging, GKKs (Small Christian Communities – Pope’s concern), vocations, formation of lay leaders, Reproductive Health Bill, gambling, drug, Christian-Muslim relations: Bishops-Ulama Conference, Interreligious dialogue, etc.  each bishop gave a report on these matters.  A very holy man.  Welcoming.  Happy.  Intelligent.  Accommodating – he autographed his book “Light of the World” which I bought the other day.

Feb. 28, 11:00am.  Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue – Card. Jean – Louis Tauran – Prefect.  4:00pm, Mass at St.John Lateran.  6:00pm, dinner with Ambassador Mercy Tuazon at her residence, Parioli, rich suburb.

Mar. 2, 9:30am.  Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.  Card. Ivan Dias, Prefect.

Mar. 3, 11:30am.  General meeting with Pope.  All 27 bishops belonging to the 3^rd and last  batch met with the Holy Father at the Sala Clementina.  His address touched on the necessity of catechesis today so that people would understand the Church’s teachings on faith and morals.  He also emphasized parents’ role as the first educators of their children in the faith.  Pope Benedict XVI thanked the bishops for the wonderful job in these areas.  He mentioned the priests’ dedication to service, emphasizing St. Paul’s words: “Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest” (Gal. 6:9).  He praised the bishops for putting in place programs of continuing formation for young priests.  Recollections, yearly retreats and programs for priests in difficult situations, are to be promoted.  Mass of the Chrism is an occasion to remind priests of their commitment to celibacy.  Obedience and an ever greater dedication to pastoral service.  He also acknowledged efforts in ecumenism and inter-religious dialogues for mutual understanding and the advancement of the common good of humanity.

Mar. 5, 11:30am.  Personal audiences with Pope.  Last group of bishops.

John Paul II To Be Beatified

Vatican announced on 14 January 2011 John Paul II’s beatification on 1 May 2011.

Pope John Paul II died on 2 April 2005 and buried on 8 April 2005. Some 3 million people attended his funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Weeks later Cardinal Ruini, Vicar General, Rome Diocese, initiated the process of beatification/canonization. An extraordinary initiative. Ordinarily the process starts at least 5 years after a person’s death.

However, Benedict XVI waived this 5-year waiting period because of “extraordinary circumstances” declared Card. Ruini. These extraordinary circumstances was the popular acclaim “Santo, Subito” (saint immediately) during the funeral. Such popular protestation belongs to the “sensus fidei/sensus fidelium” – sense of faith – a clear manifestation of the workings of the Holy Spirit. This is the “ecclesia discens” – the learning Church.

One certified miracle is needed for beatification. Sister Marie Simon Pierre Normand, a 49 – year old French nun of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards, was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. She was cured after she and her community prayed to Pope John Paul II. Thorough scientific investigation revealed the cure was miraculous. Pope Benedict XVI accepted the experts’ conclusion. This is the “Ecclesia Docens”, – the Teaching Church or Magisterium.

Beatification implies the person is now certainly in heaven and limited veneration is allowed.

Pope Benedict XVI will preside during the Beatification Rites. Never before has a pope beatified his immediate predecessor.

The period between John Paul II’s death on 2 April 2005 and his beatification on 1 May 2011, almost 6 years, is the shortest in modern history.

May 1st is Divine Mercy Sunday. It was also the day Sr. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun was canonized. John Paul II is devoted to the Divine Mercy.

Who Is Pope John Paul II?

He was born Karol Joseft Wojtyla on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice, Poland.

By age 20 he was all alone. Parents, sister and brother were already dead.

Studied in 1938 (18 years old) philosophy and philology at Krakow Juggiellonian University. Spoke 12 foreign languages; 9 extensively used as pope.

1940 – 1944 worked as a messenger in a restaurant and a laborer.

Studied in the clandestine seminary under Stefan Cardinal Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow in 1942-1946.

Ordained priest on 1 November 1946 ( 26 years old) by Card. Sapieha. Sent to study at the Pontifical International Athaeneum Angelicum, Rome (now Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas) where he earned his License (STL) and Doctorate in Theology (STD).
Returned to Poland in 1948. Parish Priest and professor at University of Lublin.

Earned a second doctorate, Ph.D., in 1954.

Appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow on 4 July 1958 (38 years old). Ordained bishop by Pius XII on 28 September 1958.

Archbishop of Krakow on 13 January 1964 (44 years old).

Created a Cardinal on 26 June 1967 (47 years old).

October 14, 1978 conclave to elect Pope John Paul I’s successor began. Card. Wojtyla, a compromise candidate between the conservative Siri of Genoa and the liberal Benelli of Florence, was elected on the 8th balloting: 99 votes of 111 electors (89%; 74% or 2/3 is required) He was 58 years old.

First non-Italian since Dutch Pope Adrian VI (1522).

As pope he beatified 1,340; canonized 483. A record!