We recommend new releases, classics, or content that you have not yet seen in theaters or on your favorite platforms.
This month, they are two stories of two teenagers who, despite their differences, are both inspirational figures.
Looking at the sky
José is 13 years old when he begins to live in his city and his country, Mexico, a religious persecution (1926) that ends up leading to a civil war that history will know as Cristera.
Enlisting in the Christian and rebel forces, Joseph was taken prisoner, tortured and finally executed. His story of virtue and martyrdom raised him to the altars in 2016.
Based on real events, this emotional historical drama comes to our screens trying to emphasize the biography and spirituality of the protagonist, and falling somewhat short when it comes to showing the epic of the conflict as we saw in Cristiada (Dean Wright, 2012) but also conveying love, forgiveness and hope.
Looking at the sky
DirectorAntonio Peláez
ScriptAntonio Peláez
ActorsAlexis Orosco, Marco Orosco, Mauro Castañeda Aceves, Carlos Hugo Hoeflich de la Torre
Platform: Cinemas
Eddie the Eagle
Eddie is a rather simple but extremely tenacious English boy whose dream is to go to the Olympic Games. His tenacity and enthusiasm will get him a place as the only representative of his country in ski jumping.
Based on a true story, "Eddie the Eagle" follows in the footsteps of "Chosen for the Win" (Jon Turteltaub, 1993) in creating a positive film, full of feeling and hope, portraying a person whose good character and commitment to achieving his goal brought him the attention of the media and the world.
Starring two great stars, Eddie The Eagle is a beautiful and thought-provoking film for the whole family.
Eddie the Eagle
DirectorDexter Fletcher
ScriptSimon Kelton, Sean Macaulay
Actors: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello
Platform: Disney +
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The first few weeks and months after Catholic Churches reopened after the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Sunday liturgies were not well attended. The weekday Masses were far worse; the pews were empty, and memories of a bustling Masses were in the past. But the loyal daily communicants were present to receive the best and only medicine they needed and will always need. Despite the health risks and the plea by government officials to 'avoid Mass,' they sought only to be with Him because they couldn't and still cannot get enough of Our Lord.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states:
The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible, during the Easter season.224 But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily (1389).
While that might be a relief for some Catholics, as it can be a challenge to get to Sunday Mass for some people, like Holly Godard, who has been attending daily Mass regularly for over two decades, missing the weekday liturgy, it is not an option. Holly travels from Brooklyn to Manhattan daily and, a young 86-year-old, said, "I just don't feel right when I don't go to Church." She, like many, enjoys seeing her Church friends with whom she's formed close bonds and whom she considers "family." She said, "I enjoy it."
When did the practice of daily Mass begin?
We cannot say definitively. However, there are reasons to believe it occurred during the early Catholic Church and the Patristic era. The faithful were expected to communicate as often as the Holy Eucharist was celebrated. In addition, in the tenth and eleventh centuries, "some religious orders were celebrating daily Mass."
From the Church's inception and the Apostles' time, Catholics have understood the importance of the Eucharist.
In an article, "When Did Church Start Having Daily Mass?" written by Fr. James Swanson, LC., he notes, "Even then, in the first Christian community in Jerusalem, it was the habit to have daily Mass, in order to receive the 'daily bread' and it was so central to the life of the community that people complained if they were forced to miss out – which brought about the ordinations of the first priests." Fr. Swanson writes "the Eucharist was already being celebrated on a daily basis from the earliest days of the Church."
We read in Acts 2:46 that "the faithful received every day. But Saint Augustine summed it up like this, "Some receive the Body and Blood of the Lord every day; others on certain days; in some places, there is no day on which the Sacrifice is not offered; in others on Saturday and Sunday only; in others on Sunday alone" (Ep. liv in P.L., XXXIII, 200 sqq.).
Addicted to the Eucharist
Our Daily Bread is the source and summit for Catholics, and while it is not obligatory to attend Mass every day, it is necessary for many who long to sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
The people who, instead of taking a stroll during their short reprieve from work or sitting in a café and eating slowly, prefer to be at the "banquet," shared Naida, who works at a bank and rushes to Our Savior Church for the noon Mass.
She said I come because "I'm coming to heaven, I'm coming to see the Blessed Mother, I'm coming to see Saint Joseph." She continued, "As the priest said, when we sing 'Holy Holy, Holy,' we join our voices with the angels and saints to proclaim God." The Sanctus marks is the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer, and "at that moment we make the connection…and we offer all of our prayers to the Father.”
Everyone’s journey is unique, and according to God’s timing.
I started to attend a few weekday Masses in 2018. I immediately felt stronger, more equipped, and filled with the peace of God. However, it wasn’t until 2020 that I started attending Mass every day, and I have never looked back. I remember vividly a conversation I had with one of the priests at the Church where I volunteer. He told me that going on Sundays and one or two days during the week wasn’t enough.
He said, “You should attend every day.” I’m indebted to him because daily communion has changed my life tremendously. With so many challenges, disappointments, and, sadly, tragedies, I am renewed and refreshed when I am with Jesus.
Moreover, I benefit from the homilies of our beloved priests. I will never forget a co-worker who was somewhat sarcastic in their tone and asked me, “Why do you attend Mass every day?” I said, I’m addicted to the Eucharist!”
The most precious of goods
Daily communicants know of the treasures of being at the sacred banquet, as did Pope Pius X (June 2, 1835-August 20, 1914). At the closing of the Congress in Rome, Pope Pius X said: I beg and implore you all to urge the faithful to approach that Divine Sacrament. And I speak especially to you, my dear sons in the priesthood, in order that Jesus, the treasure of all the treasures of Paradise, the greatest and most precious of all the possessions of our poor desolate humanity, may not be abandoned in a manner so insulting and so ungrateful.
They say that ‘anything you do for twenty-one days becomes a habit.’ Many Catholics are in the habit of rushing home after work, meeting friends for 'happy hour,' or using the time in the morning to go for a workout at the gym before class. It's become part of their routine. But, as we approach the new school year, why don't we start a new habit of
receiving Our Lord daily? I promise you it's better than any Pilates class, and His wine is divine!
Except on some occasions conditioned by other events or liturgical celebrations, Pope Francis is dedicating the general audiences of this year 2023 to evangelization.
September 3, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
Except on some occasions conditioned by other events or liturgical celebrations, Pope Francis is dedicating to evangelization the general hearings of this year 2023. Even those who are not familiar with this aspect of Christianity will realize that this is not just any old topic if they consider the general theme of this series of catecheses, which Francis enunciated at the beginning of the series on January 4. The title, in fact, embraces two expressions: "the passion for evangelization," which is, therefore, something deeply and intensely felt; and "the apostolic zeal of the believer," that is, we are speaking of a diligent zeal shared by each of the faithful and by the Church, to which the Lord entrusts the responsibility of spreading his Gospel.
The content of the catechesis began with Sacred Scripture, where Jesus appears as the model and master of the evangelizing proclamation. He then reflected on the call of the first disciples and the way in which they carried out their mission; on the action of the Holy Spirit as the first protagonist; and on the apostolic condition of the Church and of all the baptized, manifested above all in witness. In these weeks, the Pope is recalling the example of some of the witnesses of Jesus Christ, beginning with St. Paul.
This issue of Omnes brings together several contributions on this dimension so essentially integrated in the teaching of the present Pontiff. It is already very apparent in the exhortation Evangelii Gaudium 2013, and since then in the constant call to live as a "Church going out". It was only a few weeks ago that the World Youth Day in LisbonThis was an extraordinary and successful manifestation of the Church's missionary awareness, aimed at proclaiming the faith to the young people of our time. Naturally, this does not mean that we should think only of an effort of the hierarchy when speaking of evangelization, no matter how hard it is worked, nor only of mass convocations, not even collective ones. The apostolate is a responsibility shared by all, which has its roots in baptism, and which each member of the faithful carries out according to his or her own vocation and in the conditions of life that are proper to him or her; in any case, as the Pope has said, he or she must know that he or she is "obliged" to give "the treasure that you have received with your Christian vocation". This is why it is translated in practice, today as always, into a very varied multiplicity of initiatives, which are just mentioned in this dossier.
It is obvious that this is not a new invention of this pontificate. This year's catecheses reflect that it has always been present in history, in many ways. The Magisterium has also recalled it with permanent impulses, nuanced by the needs of each time and the accents determined by each Pope. Also following Francis, this issue recalls the value that has Evangelii nuntiandi Paul VI as the main reference on this point; it also takes up the orientations received from the pontificate of Benedict XVI.
Pope's first day in Mongolia as "Pilgrim of Friendship
The Holy Father has begun his visit to Mongolia. Although he arrived on the afternoon of September 1, the time difference meant that the official events began on September 2. A visit to the authorities and a meeting with religious and consecrated priests marked today's agenda.
The journey of the Pope in Mongolia began, in an active way, this morning in the "Ikh Mongol" Hall of the Government Palace. There, in front of the authorities of the country, he defined himself as a "pilgrim of friendship, arriving on tiptoe and with a joyful heart, eager to enrich myself humanly with your presence".
The Pope wished to recall, first of all, the ancient relationship between Mongolia and Christianity, which dates back to 1246, when Friar John of Plano Carpini, papal envoy, visited Guyuk, the third Mongol emperor, and presented the Great Khan with the official letter of Pope Innocent IV. That letter, "is preserved in the Vatican Library and today I have the honor to give you an authentic copy, made with the most advanced techniques to ensure the best possible quality. May this be a sign of ancient friendship that grows and renews itself," the Pope stressed.
The figure of the ger, the traditional nomadic, round, Mongolian houses, served the Pope as a line of his speech. First of all, he emphasized their respect for the environment, as well as the unity between tradition and modernity. The Pope also referred to the plurality of peoples that make up Mongolia: "For centuries, the embrace of distant and very different lands highlighted the exceptional capacity of your ancestors to recognize the best of the peoples that made up the immense imperial territory and to place them at the service of common development," the Pope said,
Looking up
"When entering a traditional ger, one's gaze is raised to the center, to the highest part, where there is a window open to heaven. I would like to emphasize this fundamental attitude that your tradition helps us to discover: knowing how to direct our gaze upwards," continued the Pope, who praised the fact that "Mongolia is a symbol of religious freedom".
In this regard, the Pope stressed that religions "when they are inspired by their original spiritual heritage and are not corrupted by sectarian deviations, are to all intents and purposes reliable supports for the construction of healthy and prosperous societies, in which believers spare no effort to ensure that civil coexistence and political projects are always at the service of the common good, also representing a brake on the dangerous decay of corruption".
The Pope wanted to remember the small Catholic community in Mongolia, which "although small and discreet, participates with enthusiasm and commitment in the growth of the country, spreading the culture of solidarity, the culture of respect for all and the culture of interreligious dialogue, and dedicating itself to the cause of justice, peace and social harmony".
The Pope's day continued in the afternoon in Mongolia with a particularly significant meeting that Pope Francis held with bishops, priests and consecrated men and women in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.
"Welcome to our ger"
The president of the Bishops' Conference of Central Asia, Msgr. José Luis Mumbiela was in charge of welcoming the Holy Father to a land that "has been waiting for more than two decades for the visit of the Bishop of Rome" as Mumbiela pointed out.
A visit that, as the president of the bishops of the area wanted to emphasize, "is a living and joyful testimony that justifies the hope of so many centuries; it is like a theophany that accompanies and stimulates us in our pilgrimage as a missionary Church. In Asia we know what it means to live by hope. And now we are also convinced that 'hope does not disappoint us.
The Bishop of Almaty also wanted to emphasize that, although most of the missionaries and consecrated people gathered there come from different parts of the world, "no one is a foreigner, because within the Catholic Church, no one is a foreigner. The Church creates fraternity, because the Church is fraternity".
Missionaries, living books of faith
Salvia Mary Vandanakara, M.C., Peter Sanjaajav, a Mongolian priest and Rufina Chamingerel, one of the pastoral agents working there to offer their testimonies to the Pope.
In the first of these, Mother Teresa's Missionary of Charity has detailed to the Pope how her work focuses on "caring for physically and mentally disabled children, caring for the sick and elderly abandoned by their families, sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry and reaching out to poor and neglected families." Not an easy task in a nation whose poverty rate is around 20%.
"Through all these works of charity, we try to make people realize how precious they are in the eyes of God," said the nun, who recalled how she arrived in the country in 1998, when the Church had just restarted its work there.
"At that time, many children did not have adequate facilities to do their homework, so we organized an after-school program with the help of some Mongolian teachers, and later we were able to admit them to regular schools so that they could complete their studies," recounted the religious, who added with emotion how "among the young people we served, there was also a boy who is now a priest, our dear Fr. Sanjaajav Peter."
This young priest was the next to speak. With visible emotion, Sanjaajav Peter emphasized to the Pope that "God has given me numerous opportunities to grow as a Mongolian in Mongolian soil, and has also chosen me to contribute to the salvation of my people" and recalling the traditional Mongolian way of life, tied to the land, he affirmed, hopeful, how "the fruit of God's love began to grow long ago, is ripening right now, and I am sure that your visit will produce a rich harvest".
Finally, Rufina Chamingerel, a pastoral agent who told the Pope her story of faith that was accentuated in her student days. Rufina felt a responsibility to be a beacon of faith in her country and this led her to study in Rome and return to Mongolia to help the Church grow. "Learning to know Catholicism seemed to me like learning a new language, the Catholic language. I have been studying this language for fourteen years, and I will continue to learn it", she told the Pope, to whom she wanted to emphasize the very important role of the missionaries in Mongolia: "we do not have many catechetical books in our language, but we have many missionaries who are living books".
Pope: "Return to the first glance".
Referring to Psalm 34
"Taste and see how good the Lord is" together with them, he wanted to "savor the taste of faith in this land, remembering stories and faces, lives spent for the Gospel. To spend one's life for the Gospel: this is a beautiful definition of the Christian's missionary vocation, and in particular of the way in which Christians live this vocation here", the Pope emphasized.
The Pontiff wanted to emphasize the personal relationship with the Lord, which is necessary for carrying out the mission and dedication to our brothers and sisters. Without this relationship of personal love, mission is not possible - out of love for the other - because there is no experience of God: "This experience of God's love in Christ is pure light that transfigures the face and makes it in turn resplendent. Brothers and sisters, the Christian life is born of the contemplation of this face, it is a matter of love, of a daily encounter with the Lord in the Word and in the Bread of life, in the face of others, in those in need, where Christ is present".
In this sense, he encouraged the small but active religious community and consecrated men and women who carry out their pastoral work in Mongolia to "taste and see the Lord, to return again and again to that first glance from which everything arose".
The Church has no political agenda
Another point the Pope wanted to stress was the mission of the Church, which governments need not fear because the Church "has no political agenda to advance, but knows only the humble power of God's grace and of a Word of mercy and truth, capable of promoting the good of all.
Although the numbers of the Church in Mongolia are small, the Pope stressed the need for communion. In this sense, he wanted to point out that "the Church is not understood on the basis of a purely functional criterion, according to which the bishop acts as moderator of the various members, perhaps based on the principle of the majority, but by virtue of a spiritual principle, by which Jesus himself becomes present in the person of the bishop to ensure the communion of his Mystical Body".
In this sense, he recalled that the unity of the whole Church and communion with Rome have a clear example in Mongolia, which, despite its small number, has a cardinal at its head: Msgr. Giorgio Marengo.
Finally, the Pope has turned his gaze to Our Lady. It is not a casual glance, Marian devotion has a strong meaning in this trip in which the Pope will bless the image of the Mother of Heaven, a wooden carving that a Mongolian woman found and rescued from a garbage dump before the fall of the communist system and the arrival of the Church.
The Pope referred to this Marian devotion as a sure pillar and emphasized that "our heavenly Mother, who - I was very pleased to discover - wanted to give you a tangible sign of her discreet and prompt presence by allowing an image of herself to be found in a rubbish dump. This beautiful statue of the Immaculate appeared in a waste place. She, without stain, immune to sin, wanted to become close to them to the point of being confused with the refuse of society, so that from the filth of the garbage has emerged the purity of the Holy Mother of God".
On August 26, 2023, Pope Francis met with the participants of the fourteenth annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network. During the audience, the Pope emphasized the need in the Church to form Catholic leaders who contribute "to the building up of the Kingdom of God".
Pope Francis met in late August 2023 with the participants of the fourteenth annual meeting of the "International Catholic Conference of the World's Indigenous Peoples".International Catholic Legislators Network"(International Network of Catholic Legislators). The central theme of the conversation was leadership and the Church's need for Christians committed to the common good. During his address, the Pope spoke about the "dominant technocratic paradigm" and the questions raised by "the place of the human being" in the world. In the Church, Francis said, there must be Catholic leaders whose formation to address these questions contributes "to the building of the Kingdom of God."
The Holy Father expressed his concern for the "subtle seduction of the human spirit" propagated by the current paradigm. Technocracy leads us to abuse our freedom, encourages us to "exercise control over material or economic 'objects,' the natural resources of our common home, or even over each other, instead of guarding them responsibly."
Francis mentioned that this reification occurs in "everyday choices that may seem neutral," but which in reality form the basis of the world and the society we want to build.
The dangers of the media
The Pope cited some harmful tendencies of technocracy that are propagated through the media. He echoed the spread of fake news, the promotion of hatred, partisan propaganda and the reduction of human relationships to algorithms.
In the face of these dangers, the solution suggested by the Pontiff is a "culture of authentic encounter". This implies knowing how to listen to and respect the other, even if there are disagreements. But it is also possible to go further. Francis pointed out that the ultimate goal is to "cooperate to achieve a common goal."
The Church, a great network of leaders
The Pope linked the Church's identity to solutions to technocracy, as the People of God are "called to live both in communion and in mission." Therefore, Francis encouraged the "International Catholic Legislators Network" and other similar entities to "form a new generation of well-educated and faithful Catholic leaders committed to promoting the Church's social and ethical teachings in the public sphere." In this way, the talents and skills of Christians will contribute "to the building up of the Kingdom of God."
Christ, the leader par excellence
There are other organizations dedicated to promoting leadership based on Christian values. The Catholic Leadership Institute, based in the United States, considers Catholics in leadership positions to be "influential voices in society".
One of their objectives is that "Jesus' example of loving and servant leadership be modeled in every family, workplace, parish and community". To achieve their goals, they focus on three fundamental pillars: love for Jesus Christ and the Church, the pursuit of the highest level of excellence, and attention to the individual.
Leaven to elevate society
Pope Francis has spoken on other occasions about the need for Catholic leaders in the Church. The Pontiff links leadership with service to Christ and to others. Thus, in 2021, speaking to members of the Catholic Legislators Network, he asked that God grant them "to be the leaven of a regeneration of mind, heart and spirit, witnesses of political love for the most vulnerable, so that in serving them you may serve Him in all that you do."
Some characteristics of Catholic leadership can therefore be established:
World Youth Day brought together more than one million young people from all over the world. They came with different expectations. But they were called one by one. Before them and with them "a singular choreography" unfolded: the fullness (catholicity) of a call and an encounter.
As Francis underlined on Wednesday following the days spent in Lisbon, the World Youth Day (WYD) after the pandemic was "felt by all as a gift from God that has set in motion the hearts and steps of young people, many young people from all parts of the world - so many of them!" (General Audience, 9-VIII-2023).
The forced isolation that the pandemic meant for everyone, particularly felt by young people, was now overcome by a "push" to go out to meet many others, precisely in Portugal, on the shores of the sea that unites heaven and earth and the continents with each other. And all this with a certain "haste", represented by the figure of Mary in her visit to her cousin Elizabeth (cf. Lk 1:39).
It was a festive atmosphere, with a certain amount of effort in terms of the road and the dream, and also because of the work of the organizers and 25,000 volunteers who made it possible to welcome everyone.
Taking note of a certain controversy that had arisen weeks earlier, the Pope noted a posteriori : "Youth Day is an encounter with the living Christ through the Church. Young people go to meet Christ. It is true, where there are young people there is joy and there is a little bit of all these things.". The encounter with Christ and joy, celebration and effort, work and service must not be opposed to one another.
In a world of conflicts and wars, the young people showed that another world is possible, without hatred and weapons. "Will the great ones of the earth listen to this message?". The Pope threw the question into the air.
Dreaming big
In its meeting with the authorities (Cfr. Speech 2-VIII-2023), he recalled the signing, in 2007, of the Treaty on the Reform of the European Union. He noted that the world needs Europe, its role as a builder of bridges and peace between countries and continents:
"Europe will be able to contribute, within the international scenario, its specific originality, outlined in the last century when, from the crucible of world conflicts, it lit the spark of reconciliation, making possible the dream of building tomorrow with yesterday's enemy, of opening paths of dialogue, itineraries of inclusion, developing a diplomacy of peace that extinguishes conflicts and eases tensions, capable of catching the faintest signs of détente and of reading between the most twisted lines.". He will be able to tell the West that technology, which has marked progress and globalized the world, is not enough, let alone weapons, which rather represent the impoverishment of real human capital: education, health, welfare for all.
And he proposed three "laboratories of hope": care for the environment, care for the future (especially for young people who need work, an equitable economy, a culture of life and adequate education) and fraternity (they urge us to break down rigid barriers erected in the name of different opinions and beliefs). With regard to education, he underlined the need for an education that can not only impart technical notions for economic progress, but that is "...".intended to enter into a history, to transmit a tradition, to value man's religious need and to foster social friendship.".
Overcoming "the fatigue of the good guys".
On the same day, at Vespers which he celebrated in the Hieronymites monastery (cf. Homily, 2-VIII-2023), he insisted on this program that interprets the dream that God, in relation to the vocation and mission of Christians: "finding ways for a joyful, generous and transformative participation for the Church and humanity". Jesus called us not because of our works, but because of his grace (cf. 2 Tim 1:9). And today too he wants to count on the fishermen of Galilee and their weariness, to bring the closeness of God to others.
He referred to the dangerous "weariness of the good" in our countries of ancient Christian tradition, today affected by so many social and cultural changes and by secularism and indifference to the faith. The danger consists in allowing worldliness to enter hand in hand with resignation and pessimism, facilitated by the anti-witnesses and scandals (among us) that disfigure the face of the Church. "and that call for a humble, constant purification, starting from the cry of pain of the victims, who must always be welcomed and listened to".
In the face of this danger, which can turn us into mere "functionaries" of the things of God, we must once again welcome Jesus who climbs into our boat. "He comes to look for us in our loneliness, in our crises, to help us start again.". As a great Portuguese missionary (António Vieira) used to say, God gave us a small land to be born, but looking out over the ocean, he gave us the whole world to die.
Navigating together, without accusations
Therefore, Francis deduces, it is not the time to moor the boat or to look back, to escape from our time because it frightens us and to take refuge in forms and styles of the past; rather, we are before a time of graceThe Pope proposes three decisions. The Pope proposes three decisions.
First, to sail out to sea, rejecting all sadness, cynicism and defeatism, and trusting in the Lord. Of course, for this, much prayer is needed; a prayer that will free us from nostalgia and regrets, from spiritual worldliness and clericalism.
Second: go all togetherliving the spirit of communion and co-responsibility, building a network of human, spiritual and pastoral relationships. And to call everyone. Francis insists, as he has been doing in the last months: to "everyone, everyone, everyone"each one as he stands before God.
Third: to be fishermen of men: "We, as the Church, have been entrusted with the task of immersing ourselves in the waters of this sea, casting the net of the Gospel, without pointing fingers, without accusing, but bringing to the people of our time a proposal of life, that of Jesus: to bring the welcome of the Gospel, to invite them to the feast, to a multicultural society; to bring the closeness of the Father to the situations of precariousness and poverty that are increasing, especially among the young; to bring the love of Christ where the family is fragile and relationships are wounded; to transmit the joy of the Spirit where demoralization and fatalism reign.". And Francis specifies that it is not a matter of beginning by accusing: "This is a sin"The goal is to invite everyone and then bring them closer to Jesus, to repentance.
Loved as we are, "without makeup".
Already in the welcoming ceremony (cf. Speech at Edward VII Park(Lisbon, 3-VIII-2023), the Pope welcomed the young people. He told them that they had not come by chance, but called by the Lord, from the beginning of their lives, and also concretely now.
We have been called before our qualities and before our wounds, because we have been loved. "Each of us is unique and is original and the beauty of it all we can't glimpse." And that is why our days must be "vibrant echoes of God's loving call, because we are precious in his eyes.".
Before the Pope, so many flags, languages and nations were unfurled. To all he said that we come from a single heartbeat of God for each one of us: "Not as we would like to be, as we are now." And this is the starting point of life: "loved as we are, without makeup".
God has called us by name because he loves us. Not like the algorithms of virtual commerce, which associate our name simply to market preferences, to promise us false happiness that leaves us empty inside. We are not the community of the bestWe are all sinners, called as we are, brothers and sisters of Jesus, children of the same Father.
Francis knows how to touch the hearts of young people. He insists: "In the Church there is room for everyone.". Also with gestures: "The Lord does not point his finger, but opens his arms. It is curious: the Lord does not know how to do this. (pointing with finger), but does this (makes the gesture of embracing)". Therefore, he leaves them his message: "Do not be afraid, have courage, go forward, knowing that we are "amortized" by God's love for us.".
Search, educate, integrate
Hours later, also to the university students (Cfr. Speech at the Catholic University of Lisbon, 3-VIII-2023) he proposes to go forward "desirous of meaning and future", without substituting faces for screens, without substituting questions that tear for easy answers that anesthetize.
On the contrary, we must have the courage to replace fears with dreams. Also because we are responsible for others and education must reach everyone. Lest we do not know how to answer when God asks us: Where are you? (Gen 3:9) and Where is your brother? (Gen 4:9).
Addressing the educators, he raised the need for a conversion of the heart (towards compassion, hope and service). And also from "a change in the anthropological vision".to achieve true progress, using scientific and technological means to overcome partial visions and achieve an integrated and sustainable integral ecology.
All of this needs God, because - as if echoing something Benedict XVI insisted - "there can be no future in a world without God". To educate with a Christian inspiration, the Pope proposed some criteria. First, to make the faith credible through actions, attitudes and lifestyles. Second, to support the Global education pact and its proposals (with special attention to the person, youth, women, the family, the most vulnerable, true progress, and integral ecology). Third, to integrate education with the Gospel message. All this leads to the need for overall visions (so characteristic of a Catholic vision) and educational projects.
Stain your hands, but not your heart
Particularly educational was the meeting with the young people from Scholas Occurrentes (Cfr. Meeting in Cascais, August 3, 2023).
They had prepared a mural of three and a half kilometers, collecting situations and feelings, based on lines and somewhat disjointed brush strokes, many of which had been captured by those who experienced them... When the Pope arrived, they showed it to him. And then they gave him a paintbrush to give the final touch to this "work of art", to this "Sistine Chapel", as Francis called it, half jokingly.
For his part, he explained the icon of the Good Samaritan, and spoke to them about the need for compassion, also to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He invited us to ask ourselves where each one of us is, if we hurt others or have compassion for them, if we get our hands dirty helping in real difficulties or not. Because, he said, "sometimes, in life, you have to get your hands dirty so as not to dirty your heart".
Already at the vigil of the final day (Cfr. Speech in Tejo Park, Lisbon, 5-VIII-2023), the Bishop of Rome focused on the figure of Mary, who goes in haste to Elizabeth's house, because joy is missionary. We Christians are to bring our joy to others, just as we have received it from others.
A joy that must be sought and discovered in our dialogue with others, with a lot of training; and that sometimes tires. Then we have to get up, and this happens many times. And that is why we have to help others to get up. That was the central idea that he wanted to leave: "Walk and, if you fall, get up; walk with a goal; train every day in life. In life, nothing is free. Everything is paid for. There is only one thing free: the love of Jesus.".
Surfers of love
Finally, the next day the Gospel of the Mass presented the scene of the Transfiguration (cf. Homily 6-VIII-2023). To concretize what the young people could take back to their daily lives, the Pope went through three steps.
First glow. Jesus shone before the three apostles. Jesus has also enlightened us, so that we may enlighten others. Well then: "We become luminous, we shine when, welcoming Jesus, we learn to love like Him. To love like Jesus, that makes us luminous, that leads us to do works of love.". Instead we shut down when we focus on ourselves.
Second, listen. The whole secret is there. "He teaches us the way of love, listen to Jesus. Because, with good will, we sometimes take paths that seem to be of love, but in the end they are selfishness disguised as love. Beware of selfishness disguised as love.".
Third, not to be afraid. This appears frequently in the Bible. Fear, pessimism and discouragement must be overcome. But with Jesus we can stop being afraid, because He is always watching us and knows us well.
In his farewell speech to the volunteers (Cfr. Speech at the Algés Maritime Pass, 6-VIII-2023), the Pope thanked them for their efforts, because they came to Lisbon to serve and not to be served.
It was for them a way to meet Jesus. "Meeting Jesus and meeting others. This is very important. The encounter with Jesus is a personal, unique moment, which can be described and recounted only to a certain extent, but it always comes thanks to a journey made in company, realized thanks to the help of others. To meet Jesus and to meet him in the service of others (...) Be surfers of love!"
Pablo Ginés: "The Fellowship of the Ring needs dwarves, hobbits and elves."
September 2, 2023 will be the 50th anniversary of the death of J. R. R. Tolkien. Pablo Ginés, one of the founders of the Catholic Tolkien Association, talks to us in this interview about Tolkien and the association as a tribute to this anniversary.
Pablo Ginés, besides being a journalist, is deeply Tolkienian. He belongs to the Spanish Tolkien Society (STE) since 1992, one year after its foundation, and has been its president for two years. This year, he founded with three other colleagues the Tolkien Catholic AssociationThe Society, a society that, in addition to carrying out activities around the figure and work of Tolkien, seeks to proclaim the Gospel.
What is the Tolkien Catholic Association?
The ATC arises in part from members of the Spanish Tolkien Society (STE), I belong to both. The STE, the "civil" one, so to speak, was born in 1991. I joined in 1992 and organized the Barcelona group. Then, I was president for a couple of years, at that time there were between 150-180 members. Now there are more than 1,000, representing the whole of Spanish society: there are Catholics, atheists, left-wingers, right-wingers... everything. We have to manage this plurality in such a way that everyone finds their niche and that there are no internal conflicts.
From a certain point on, a few Catholics from the STE and others who do not belong to it, but are Tolkienians, thought that an association of Tolkienists was needed. Tolkien that was specifically Catholic. The Tolkien Catholic Association (ATC) is evangelizing, seeks to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, and includes prayer, even if it is only an Our Father at the beginning of the meeting. It also includes a certain level of community, that is, it aims to evangelize primarily through culture, but also through friendship. We believe that friendship is a very powerful weapon in an age of screen addiction and loneliness, and that it can be very good for many young people and teenagers. But, within friendship, there has to be a moment when you can say "Jesus".
There will be some formation, but no catechesis, we are not an itinerary. When we announced it, half of the people who wrote to us who were interested were from Latin America, and an ATC has already been organized in Peru.
Among Tolkienians you can live the way of friendship, but also other things of fantasy, literature and art. Creative people attract other creative people. And it is necessary to fulfill that of "watch how they love each other". The Company of the Ring needs dwarves, hobbits and elves, and, although there are very different people, we have to accept each other.
Is it possible to belong to both companies?
Yes, in fact we encourage everyone to stay in the Spanish Tolkien Society and belong to both.
Where are groups being formed, besides Peru?
It seems that there will be groups, before the end of the year, in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and perhaps Alicante, Murcia, Seville, Burgos. Later, maybe in Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, an area that is linked to Tolkien by his father Morgan, Uncle Curro, his guardian when he was orphaned.
What new releases will be published for the 50th anniversary of Tolkien's death?
For example, the expanded version of Tolkien's "The Cards", which includes 50 new cards. In England they come out in November, in Spanish it has not yet been announced. They are not secret letters that they have found now, those 50 letters Carpenter, who is the author of the biography, had them when he made the selection for the 1981 edition together with Christopher Tolkien. But because the book was getting too long, they decided to remove fifty. The question is, of these 50 that they have left out, how many deal with religious themes and how many with literary and other themes. And we don't know that, but we suspect, myself and other Christians, that they left out quite a bit of religious material.
We have to keep in mind that we depend on Carpenter. I bought "The Letters" in English when I was about 16 years old. I read them with my English at the time, which was not very good, and with passion. Reading Tolkien is complicated, and more so in the letters, because one idea leads to another and he gets involved, and he also thinks that his reader understands him, because many times his reader is his son, but not me. I was very astonished to discover that there was a lot of Christian material in the letters. I knew he was Catholic, I had read his biography, but I didn't know that the religious theme influenced his life so much.
For his part, Carpenter was the son of the Anglican Bishop of Oxford. He first did a biography of the Inklings. At that time he was not yet rebounded against the faith, but neither was he devout. When he did the Tolkien biography, on the other hand, I think he was already half rebounded, and, when he did the edition of the letters, he was almost fully rebounded.
Shortly after finishing "The Letters," he ceased to be interested in Tolkien. At that time, devoting himself to researching Tolkien prevented him from reaching the literary elite, because writing about Tolkien and the Inklings was considered to be writing about a minor subject, which was not high literature. So it's possible that for a long time the base of material we have was moderately trimmed. Tolkien says in one of the letters, very famously, that "The Lord of the Rings" is a religious and eminently Catholic work, which he didn't realize when he wrote it, but he realized in the revision.
In Tolkien, for example, there is a creator God, with angels who participate in the creation, there is a fall, there is a rebellious angel, it is not necessary to be very devout to understand that it is a Judeo-Christian vision of creation. One of the founders of the Catholic Tolkien Association was astonished that there were people in the Spanish Tolkien Society who did not see this Judeo-Christian root in any way, because they live in paganism and do not even have a Christian culture.
There remains the "applicability".
Yes, Tolkien says that a good story will have applicability. He says that fantasy is like a kind of cauldron into which all sorts of things are thrown. Then in a letter to Murray he says that the religious elements are "in solution." What does solution mean? Solution is coffee with milk, or cola cao. He means it's there, it gives flavor, aroma, color, but it's very difficult to find it as parts.
But it's true that, sometimes, people who like literature want to see it as pieces, and get into the game of "let's detect the secret clues", which some Tolkien saw and some he didn't. There are pieces that come from the literary tradition, not necessarily religious: for example, Bilbo has to steal a valuable object from the dragon. There are pieces that come from the literary tradition, not necessarily religious: for example, Bilbo has to steal a valuable object from the dragon. Why? Because Beowulf stole a valuable object from the dragon, you can't be going around a dragon with his treasure and not steal a valuable object.
There is a literary tradition that you have to follow. If it's medieval, it often comes, in addition, from Troy and Greece. In fact, Lewis says it clearly in his book "The Discarded Image": for every mention of Wayland the Blacksmith, which was an Anglo-Saxon legend of a blacksmith god who travels among men in disguise, or fairies and goblins, there are 80 or 100 mentions of Hector, Achilles, the Trojan War and Ulysses in medieval literature. So, if Tolkien knew medieval Anglo-Saxon literature, etc., how much of that gets in by tradition in solution as well, and how much in pieces you can undo? How much gets in from the Bible?
There is an essay award from the Spanish Tolkien Society, the Aelfwine Award, which was given to a seminarian who did a paper on patristic influences on Tolkien. He found quite a few, and the idea of angels handing out tasks the ancient Christians had taken for granted and it seemed quite normal to them. Then C. S. Lewis says that, just as today we cannot think that God and the world do not start from a radical egalitarianism, because we belong to a very egalitarian culture (which is precisely the heritage of Christianity), for the medieval people the universe was hierarchical, and nothing happened because of it.
And the angels were classified into nine categories: thrones, dominations, powers... Those above sing to those below: "Holy, holy, holy"... The one above transmits the glory of God to the one below. The last ones are the ones who speak with men, take our prayers and bring them up. Everything is hierarchical, everyone has a position in the medieval conception of the world. Also the Valar, in the Silmarillion, have their hierarchy, each one has his functions and his personality. Some people consider that this comes from the pagan gods. But in patristics there is enough of this. What is not there is an intention to transmit the faith through the book directly, nor to evangelize. That is nowhere in Tolkien.
In fact, Stephen Lawhead, from an evangelical family, who wrote "The Chronicles of Pendragon", says in an essay in the book "Lord of Middle Earth" that he had always been told that a Christian has to evangelize constantly and in everything, and he thought that, if he wrote fantasy, he had to evangelize. Then he read Tolkien's letters and discovered that he wrote "The Lord of the Rings" because the publisher had asked him to do a sequel to "The Hobbit." And that's what he set out to do, he wasn't thinking about how to reach people. Says Lawhead: "Art doesn't need justification, when I understood that, ah freedom, freedom, that meant that my work didn't have to be covertly preachy or somehow include the four spiritual laws of salvation".
In fact, the first thing Tolkien had written were the stories that would later make up the "Silmarillion".
Yes, and he wanted to make a work that would fill his heart and the hearts of his readers, with stories he had told his children, and he spent ten years going over it to make internal sense. Hence the whole theme, which comes up even in the crappy "Rings of Power" series, of the soul of the orcs: where does the soul of the orcs come from? Only God can create souls, are they some kind of robots, are they pure and simple monsters? So do they have demonic spirits in them? Where do the spirits of the monsters come from?
The concept of "monster" is very problematic for Christianity. Because did God create monsters, what do we call monsters, is it just an animal or is it something that is outside the natural system? It should be something that is outside the natural system, the monsters that Beowulf faces are monsters, they are not big animals and that's it. I mean, he didn't have it all figured out, and in the last ten years of his life he struggled to try to fit it in.
In Tolkien's work, as everything happens before the Incarnation and before the Redemption, the characters can only function on hope, and Tolkien himself says so: the great form of worship in such a world, which has received hardly any revelation except a little natural revelation, is resistance to darkness, to slavery, to the worship of that which you know is not God, and to human sacrifices.
As soon as they create a false religion in Númenor, the first thing they establish is human sacrifice. And it cannot be otherwise, even in Spain we are living it, we are in a new civilization. The doctor, who since the time of Hippocrates was a special caste that did not kill and who swore an oath not to kill, is now someone who sometimes kills and sometimes cures. If you call anything a "doctor", then nothing is.
For me, euthanasia is the change of civilization, because there is much more war against abortion than against euthanasia, because we are all afraid of "if I were to suffer too much"... When we have the best therapeutic arsenal there has ever been. Tolkien, in the third volume of "The Lord of the Rings", only uses the word "pagan" once: to refer to suicide, when he says that Denethor wanted to commit suicide like the pagan kings of old. Paganism, in addition to killing children and human sacrifices, has a relationship with suicide.
I am very angry at the whitewashing that is being done of paganism, in general. Fantasy does it, because it creates worlds where, without Christianity, people are quite nice. But in reality it's not like that. One thing we want to do in the ATC is a meeting with Alejandro Rodriguez, who has written the book "The Paganism of the World".Empires of cruelty"to talk about paganism in Tolkien. Let's not clean up the pagans, they were cultures that tried to control people with religiosity, with more and more and worse human sacrifices, as shown by the Mayans, who were magnificent mathematicians, but they were in continuous war, and continuous human sacrifices. And the Aztecs were worse.
A more modern example is Japan in the 16th-17th century, where they did not want Christian religiosity because it made human life worth too much, and it did not suit them because then there would be no omnipotent power of the state, which had been born after four centuries of civil wars. The persecution against Christians in the 16th and 17th centuries is that of a unified state, totalitarian to the maximum, with a systematic persecution in a prison-island-state. Laugh at the persecution of the Anglicans and Presbyterians against Catholics, because, in the Scottish islands where there were Catholics, once in a while an Irish priest would come, confess, marry once a year and go back to Ireland and hide. But you couldn't do that in Japan. The last expedition that tried to get into Japan is the one that's in the movie Silence, and it's terrifying how they chase them and torture them.
In closing, which Tolkien scene would you choose?
I like the epic and war part, and I like the recreation of the dwarves, for example. But, spiritually, it is very impressive the temptation of Galadriel. "On the dark throne you will install me, I will not be dark, but beautiful and terrible...". The ring is offered to her and she refuses it. "I have passed the test. I will go to the West and be only Galadriel." You have to make yourself small, recognize that you can't do all the great things you wanted to do, try to fix the messes you've made and prepare to go to the West, because our whole life is to prepare for death. Galadriel is the greatest, but she has to make herself small.
He could have said: "The ring has come to me. Why? Because destiny wants it, it came to me". That's what the ring always says: "You deserve it, you are very special, you are not like the others, you can wear the ring". But she has already seen other corruptions. Spiritually, that can help us a lot in everyday life: to become small and, like Galadriel, to reject greatness and prepare ourselves to go to the West.
Then there is another part that theologically I want to work on a lot and I am going to prepare something on the subject, which is praise. I realized that "The Lord of the Rings" is full of praise, and so is the Bible. There is a letter from Tolkien that is key in this regard, from 1969, four years before he died. Camilla Unwin, daughter of his publisher, was 16 and doing a class assignment on the meaning of life. Her father tells her to ask Tolkien. Tolkien explains to her that, for there to be a meaning to life, there has to be something behind it that includes intelligence and purpose.
If there is a mind that dominates everything and understands everything, it must be God. To ask what is the meaning of life if there is no God is nonsense. And, if there is God, the meaning of life is, and he says it at the end after three pages of letter (it is number 310): "The main purpose of life for any of us is to increase according to our capacity the knowledge of God by all the means at our disposal. And to be moved by Him to praise and thanksgiving." "To do as we say in the gloria in excelsis: laudamus te, benedicamus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te...". Meaning of life: praise.
The only worship there is in Númenor are three prayers, one of them the "Erulaitalë", the praise to God, Eru, and another one the "Eruhantalë", the thanksgiving to God, which are made on the sacred mountain, the Meneltarma. That is an aspect of Tolkien's work that is not very well studied.
Then there are two stories that people who don't read Tolkien should try: "Blade of Niggle" and "The Blacksmith of Wootton Major". They have a lot of theological value.
Pope sets foot on Mongolian soil for the first time
On August 31, 2023, Pope Francis' trip to Mongolia began, marking the first visit of a Pope to this country. The Holy Father landed in Ulaanbaatar on September 1, 2023.
Before starting its 43rd Apostolic Journey International, the Pope greeted 12 young people of different nationalities who have been helping the Dicastery for the Service of Charity prepare food shipments to Ukraine. Francis then proceeded to Rome-Fiumicino International Airport, where at 6:41 p.m. he took off on an A330/ITA Airways for Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
During the flight, the Pope addressed a few words to the journalists accompanying him and thanked them for accompanying him on the trip and for their work. "A comment made by one of you inspired me to tell you this: to go to Mongolia is to go to a small town in a big land. Mongolia seems endless and its inhabitants are few, a small village of great culture. I think it will do us good to understand this silence, so long, so big. It will help us to understand what it means, but not intellectually: to understand it with the senses. Mongolia is understood with the senses. Let me say that it will do us good perhaps to listen a little to the music of Borodin, who knew how to express what this expanse and greatness of Mongolia means."
As usual, the Pope sent telegrams to the countries he was flying over, starting with a farewell telegram to the Italian president, and then to the presidents of Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and China.
On Friday, September 1, Francis landed at the international airport "Chinggis Khaan" in Ulaanbaatar at 9:51 am local time (3:51 am Rome time), where he was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, Batmunkh Battsetseg, with whom he had a brief conversation in the VIP lounge of the airport.
The Pope then drove to the Apostolic Prefecture in Ulaanbaatar.
Evangelization is part of the deepest identity of the Church. It is a mission that every Christian, by virtue of his or her Baptism, must have in his or her life. This is the theme of issue 731 of Omnes magazine.
The magazine includes an extensive reflection on the urgency of evangelization in today's world, the examples and the constant appeal of Pope Francis in this year's catecheses, in which he has successively placed before the eyes of the baptized various examples of holiness and evangelization, as well as a dissertation on some of Benedict XVI's evangelizing lines, in three areas: reason, art and beauty, and culture and dialogue.
This issue also reviews other examples of evangelization and Christian commitment in today's world, especially in the area of civil and working life of most Christians, and in the area of charity, with examples such as Christ in the cityThe project is a volunteer project in the cities of Denver and Philadelphia, in the United States, and also includes missionary experiences in Tanzania and Uganda and the beginnings of the faith in these areas of Africa.
Archdiocese of Las Vegas
This issue of the "Diocese of the Frontier" series brings all the information and news from the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. The Catholic people also live their faith in the entertainment capital, as the pastor of St. Anne's Church tells in the interview included in the report.
The growth of Las Vegas has been a challenge for the Church there, which has been met thanks to the close collaboration between the clergy and the lay faithful of the archdiocese, who are involved in the activities organized by the parishes. All this has resulted in a great feeling of communion among the parishioners living in this city of Nevada.
WYD messages
WYD in Lisbon takes up a large part of the pages of this magazine. Thus, the issue of Omnes echoes the IV International Congress on the Care of Creation that took place at the end of July at the Portuguese Catholic University, within the framework of the World Youth Day in Lisbon. The congress resulted in a manifesto highlighting the need to make truly political decisions, with special attention to the most vulnerable and with long-term projects adapted to the needs of each local reality, while in the economic sphere, selfish and unsustainable decisions must be overcome.
The Pope's teachings The key points of Pope Francis' speeches to the participants of the World Youth Day in Lisbon are collected, as could not be otherwise, in the following pages. These speeches highlight the call to go together, living the spirit of communion and co-responsibility, building a network of human, spiritual and pastoral relationships, as well as "finding ways for a joyful, generous and transforming participation for the Church and humanity".
The Chosen, beyond a job
Derral Eves producer of the TV series, has given an interview to Omnes in which he highlights how being a part of the TV series The Chosenhas changed her life and how "collaborating with such talented people, all united by a shared vision, has reaffirmed my faith and deepened my commitment to using media as a force for good and inspiration." Eves further emphasizes in this interview that working in The Chosen"it's not just a job; it's a vocation that I feel privileged to have responded to."
Juan Luis Lorda, for his part, addresses in the section Theology of the 20th century the renewal of morality that took place in the 20th century and in which fertile inspirations converged with some perplexities and difficult contexts.
Church movements
The section of Experiences brings, in this issue, an interesting article, signed by the priest and professor of the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University, José Miguel GranadosThe parish should be informed about ecclesial movements and groups and the proper integration of the various ecclesial groups, associations, communities and movements into parish life.
Among other things, he emphasizes that the parish insertion of groups and movements, if well channeled, can greatly enrich the parish community and its evangelizing action, which, thanks to them, is often filled with enthusiasm, commitment, strength and vitality.
This will also be the theme of the next Omnes Forum, which will be held in Madrid on September 20 and about which we will provide detailed information in the coming days.
Eduardo Ngalelo Kalei: "The formation in Rome prepares me to face the challenges of the Church in my country, Angola".
The story of Angolan Eduardo's vocation is basically linked to an event as natural as a soccer match between friends. This led to a reflection on his Christian identity, and he is now preparing to become a priest.
Eduardo Ngalelo Kalei is a seminarian of the Diocese of Benguela, Angola, where he was born. From a Christian family, he was baptized a few months after his birth, but it was in his late childhood that he began to attend parish catechism classes. He is now preparing for the priesthood by furthering his theological studies in Rome thanks to a scholarship from the CARF Foundation.
How did you discover your vocation?
-Although I come from a Christian family, I didn't want to go to church as a child. But everything changed one day when my friends invited me to play soccer and then to a luncheon to commemorate the 10 years of existence of the Missionary Group for Children and Adolescents in the parish.
That event marked a turning point in my life, because from that day on I began to understand my vocation as a Christian, attending mass, catechesis and receiving the sacraments. It was in this context that my priestly vocation was born in me. I met several seminarians during their vacations, and they helped me to understand what I had to do, how to do it and why if I wanted to become a priest. I decided to embark on the path of a priestly vocation and entered the Good Shepherd Seminary. At the beginning, everything was strange to me, but at the same time very beautiful. Later, I studied philosophy, and then my bishop sent me to Rome to continue my theological studies, thanks to the opportunity granted by the CARF Foundation.
What is the peacemaking role of the Church in Angolan communities?
-The Church in Angolan communities is constantly striving to follow the method of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which involves seeing, judging and acting. To this end, the Episcopal Conference of Angola and St. Thomas and Prince (CEAST) plays an essential role, drafting documents and organizing meetings to promote the sharing of evangelization, support peace and denounce injustices. There is a significant effort on the part of the Episcopal Conference and of each bishop in their respective dioceses to face the difficulties and spread the knowledge of Christ, presenting him as Life and Salvation for all.
What challenges does the Church face in your country?
-The Church in my country faces several challenges. First, it faces the proliferation of religious denominations, such as neo-Pentecostal movements and sects, which are constantly emerging and often promote a superstitious culture that cages the faithful.
Moreover, on the political and cultural level, we continue to face a culture of intimidation and control of the media, which restricts the exercise of freedom of expression. Institutional barriers prevent the full participation of lay people, often compounded by an inferiority complex due to social, ethnic and professional factors.
How can your training help the future of the Angolan Church?
-The formation in Rome plays a fundamental role for the future of the Church in Angola. Here we not only have the opportunity to study with professors from all over the world, but also to share experiences with peers and colleagues from different nations and cultures, each with their own unique approach to tackling problems and understanding the teachings.
This environment allows us to deepen our understanding of the history of Rome and to understand the meaning of martyrdom, historicity and ecclesiastical realism, sustaining our faith in Jesus and in the Church He founded. This formation prepares us to face more effectively the challenges that the Church faces in our country.
What have you discovered about the universal Church?
-It is incredible how in Rome we are in contact with the whole world. Here I had the opportunity to discover how Mass is celebrated in the different rites, a unique experience compared to what I experienced in my own country.
I was able to attend audiences with the Pope and meet the bishops who come to meet the Pope and then return to their dioceses, thus expressing the true communion of the Church. Moreover, also thanks to the visits to the museums of Rome and, above all, to the Vatican, I had a complete vision of the Church as a universal Church.
The Pope will bless in Mongolia the image of the Mother of Heaven, before which Cardinal Giorgio Marengo consecrated Mongolia to Our Lady on December 8, 2022.
The story of this image is unique: it was found in a garbage dump by Tsetsege, a Mongolian woman whom the Pope will greet on his trip.
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On September 1, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This date also marks the beginning of the "Time of Creation", a month that Catholics and Orthodox dedicate especially to pray and act in favor of ecological conversion.
The Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1. This day also marks the beginning of the "Time of Creation," a month dedicated by Catholics and Orthodox to acts of ecological conversion. The motto for this ecumenical period is "Let justice and peace flow", and the image chosen is that of a flowing river.
The Pope Francis considers that we are in a "senseless war against creation". Therefore, in his message for this Day published in May 2023, he encouraged "all followers of Christ" to work so that "our common home may once again be filled with life."
To begin the "Time of Creation", the Holy Father will participate in an ecumenical event on September 1, at the start of his apostolic journey in Mongolia. Mongolia is one of the countries most affected by the climate crisis, according to reports published by GIZ.
A month of action
The "Time of Creation" will end on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. On the same day, Pope Francis will publish an apostolic exhortation to complement the encyclical "Laudato si'". In addition, throughout the month of September, various global events will be held on a variety of themes, always with the aim of promoting "ecological conversion". Among the activities planned are an ecumenical vigil at the Vatican, the approval and promotion of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and cleanups of natural environments. More information about the events can be found on the "Laudato Si' Movement".
The celebration of this day and of the ecumenical month has its raison d'être in the "senseless war against creation" that is taking place. A contest with "victims of environmental and climate injustice," in the words of Pope Francis.
In the face of this crisis, the Holy Father suggested in his May message that "we must decide to transform our hearts, our lifestyles and the public policies that govern our society."
To this end, we need to live an authentic "ecological conversion". This implies "the renewal of our relationship with creation, so that we no longer consider it as an object to be exploited, but on the contrary, that we guard it as a sacred gift of the Creator".
The creation
To avoid getting confused amidst the terminology, Francis specified the meaning of 'creation'. This "refers to the mysterious and magnificent act of God who creates out of nothing this majestic and most beautiful planet, as well as this universe, and also to the result of this action, still in progress, which we experience as an inexhaustible gift."
This gift requires responsible behavior on our part. The Pope asked that we "collaborate in God's continuing creation through positive choices, making the most moderate use of resources, practicing joyful sobriety, eliminating and recycling waste, and turning to increasingly available products and services that are ecologically and socially responsible."
Synod of Synodality
As Francis noted in his message, the closing of the "Time of Creation" coincides with the opening of the Synod on Synodality. The Pontiff expressed his desire that the Synodal Church contribute to the care of the earth and of mankind. "As a river is a source of life for the environment that surrounds it, so our synodal Church must be a source of life for the common home and for all those who inhabit it. And as a river gives life to all kinds of animal and plant species, so a synodal Church must give life by sowing justice and peace wherever it reaches."
The Pope turned to the Holy Spirit to encourage both the initiatives in favor of the care of creation and the results of the synod, so that "he may lead us to the 'renewal of the face of the earth'" (cf. Psalm 104:30).
Sustainable monasteries, centuries of caring for creation
September 1, 2023 is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, instituted by Pope Francis in 2015. Monasteries have been models of this care and respect for God's creation since their origins.
September 1 begins the "Time of Creation"The "Time of Creation" concludes on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a period destined to reflect on the care for all that God has created and which this year will have the motto "Let justice and peace flow", inspired by Amos 5:24. In his message for this day, the Pope commented that "God wants justice to reign, which is essential for our life as children in the image of God, as water is for our physical survival.
This justice must emerge where it is needed, not hide itself too deeply or disappear like evaporating water before it can sustain us. God wants everyone to seek to be just in every situation; to strive always to live according to his laws and thus to make it possible for life to flourish in fullness. When we seek first and foremost the kingdom of God (cf. Mt.6:33), maintaining a just relationship with God, humanity and nature, then justice and peace can flow, like an inexhaustible stream of pure water, nourishing humanity and all creatures."
The Pontiff urged us to renew "our relationship with creation," "so that we no longer consider it as an object to be exploited, but, on the contrary, guard it as a sacred gift of the Creator."
In commemoration of this day, we will take a look at some monasteries that, for centuries, have been respecting this care and respect for Creation.
Poblet Monastery, Spain
The monastery of Poblet was founded in the mid-twelfth century. Although it was abandoned in the 19th century due to the disentailment, it is now active again. Its prior, Lluc Torcal, began a series of reforms a few years ago to integrate new sustainable technologies in the monastery. Thus, a system of solar panels was implemented, a geothermal system for heating (it was one of the first places in Spain where geothermal energy has been implemented), and ionized showers that produce the "waterfall effect": they clean without the need for soap.
Of course, the cultivation of the garden is also carried out without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and applying crop rotation so as not to impoverish the soil. They also use ecological cleaning products and are committed to the "blue economy": what is discarded is reused.
Fulda Abbey, Germany
Fulda Abbey is located in the federal state of Hesse, located in central-western Germany.
It is a Benedictine monastery founded in 744 by St. St. Sturmius, a disciple of St. Boniface. It was a very important religious and cultural center during the Middle Ages, and a key point of evangelization for the Germanic people.
His century-old method for growing crops without using chemicals and working only with natural methods is described in the book "The Natural Way of Growing".The organic garden of the convent", from the Susaeta publishing house.
Boulaur Abbey, France
This Cistercian abbey, located near Toulouse, has also opted for a sustainable model. In this case, the Boulaur Abbey has launched the project Grange 21which seeks to implement permaculture methods in the monastery. This system mimics natural ecosystems so that the growing areas sustain themselves without the need for chemicals.
The nuns of the abbey managed to get the project off the ground through Credofunding, a Christian funding platform in France.
His project is not only focused on the cultivation of the land, but also on the sustainable use of the resources of the animals on his farm (cows, calves, pigs...).
Solan Monastery, France
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is ecumenical, as it is celebrated together with Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox monastery of Solanlocated in France, in the Gard region, is another example of organic farming.
The nuns of this convent also implemented a sustainable method of working the land on a plot of land they acquired in 1991. "We rely on the conviction that man has not been placed by God in the world to dominate it, in search of unlimited profit, but that his function is to be like the choir director of a creation made to sing the glory of its Creator," they indicate on their website. For this project, they counted on the advice of Pierre Rabhi, one of the promoters of agroecology, and with the help of the Association des Amis de Solan.
Other monasteries
The Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, located in Toledo (Spain), which was founded in 1476 by the Catholic Monarchs, also undertook a renovation of its cloister lighting system in July 2023 to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, the Poor Clare monastery in Lecce, located in southeastern Italy, uses photovoltaic energy, firewood and has no gas installation.
In addition, the Dominican convent in Avila, Spain, is home to the "Santo Domingo de Guzmán organic garden," a Caritas project in which participants learn to grow crops sustainably and without chemicals.
Back to the origins
The monasteries had worked the land in this way for centuries, but in some cases, industrialization led to a change of model and the use of toxic products.
However, in recent years there has been a general tendency to return to the traditional model used in monasteries, while incorporating new sustainable technologies.
Evangelization, a Christian's mission, is the theme of the September issue of Omnes magazine.
The September 2023 issue of Omnes is now available in its digital version for the magazine's subscribers. In the next few days, it will also arrive at the usual address of those who have this type of subscription.
Evangelization is part of the deepest identity of the Church. It is a mission that every Christian, by virtue of his or her Baptism, must have in his or her life. This is the theme of issue 731 of Omnes magazine.
The magazine includes an extensive reflection on the urgency of evangelization in today's world, the examples and the constant appeal of Pope Francis in this year's catecheses, in which he has successively placed before the eyes of the baptized various examples of holiness and evangelization, as well as a dissertation on some of Benedict XVI's evangelizing lines, in three areas: reason, art and beauty, and culture and dialogue.
This issue also reviews other examples of evangelization and Christian commitment in today's world, especially in the area of civil and working life of most Christians, and in the area of charity, with examples such as Christ in the cityThe project is a volunteer project in the cities of Denver and Philadelphia, in the United States, and also includes missionary experiences in Tanzania and Uganda and the beginnings of the faith in these areas of Africa.
WYD messages
WYD in Lisbon takes up a large part of the pages of this magazine. Thus, the issue of Omnes echoes the IV International Congress on the Care of Creation that took place at the end of July at the Portuguese Catholic University, within the framework of the World Youth Day in Lisbon. The congress resulted in a manifesto highlighting the need to make truly political decisions, with special attention to the most vulnerable and with long-term projects adapted to the needs of each local reality, while in the economic sphere, selfish and unsustainable decisions must be overcome.
The Pope's teachings The key points of Pope Francis' speeches to the participants of the World Youth Day in Lisbon are collected, as could not be otherwise, in the following pages. These speeches highlight the call to go together, living the spirit of communion and co-responsibility, building a network of human, spiritual and pastoral relationships, as well as "finding ways for a joyful, generous and transforming participation for the Church and humanity".
The Chosen, beyond a job
Derral Eves producer of the TV series, has given an interview to Omnes in which he highlights how being a part of the TV series The Chosenhas changed her life and how "collaborating with such talented people, all united by a shared vision, has reaffirmed my faith and deepened my commitment to using media as a force for good and inspiration." Eves further emphasizes in this interview that working in The Chosen"it's not just a job; it's a vocation that I feel privileged to have responded to."
Juan Luis Lorda, for his part, addresses in the section Theology of the 20th century the renewal of morality that took place in the 20th century and in which fertile inspirations converged with some perplexities and difficult contexts.
Church movements
The section of Experiences brings, in this issue, an interesting article, signed by the priest and professor of the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University, José Miguel GranadosThe parish should be informed about ecclesial movements and groups and the proper integration of the various ecclesial groups, associations, communities and movements into parish life.
Among other things, he emphasizes that the parish insertion of groups and movements, if well channeled, can greatly enrich the parish community and its evangelizing action, which, thanks to them, is often filled with enthusiasm, commitment, strength and vitality.
This will also be the theme of the next Omnes Forum, which will be held in Madrid on September 20 and about which we will provide detailed information in the coming days.
Faced with the temptation of nostalgia, we must ask for the gift of hope. It is not easy to obtain, because we tend to resist grace. We prefer to settle in and stay in our comfort zone.
September 1, 2023-Reading time: 3minutes
The... end... of... the... summer... No song like this one by the Dynamic Duo manages to arouse that bittersweet feeling that one feels on days like today, when the sorrow of leaving the time of rest mixes with a strange illusion of returning to the necessary routine.
For days, newspapers have been publishing interviews with psychologists and psychiatrists who explain how to avoid the so-called post-holiday syndrome, how to adapt to the change of activity or how to cope with the return to school, which this year will be "the most expensive in history" due to the galloping inflation.
Nostalgia is envy towards oneself, towards the "I" of the past. It is a feeling that basks in contemplating the good things I had that I can no longer have. There is a certain perverse taste in those tears of self-pity, in that licking one's wounds as if one were the center of the world. "Poor me," the nostalgic person consoles himself, "that I have to endure a cosmic conspiracy against my happiness. Turning our life into drama has even become a fashion on social networks. It is the so-called "sadfishing" consisting of sharing publications or videos in which the aim is to give pity in order to get the public's sympathy and, therefore, more followers.
Faced with the temptation of nostalgia, we must ask for the gift of hope. It is not easy to obtain, because we tend to resist grace. We prefer to settle down and stay in our comfort zone. Abraham, the father of the faith of more than half the inhabitants of the planet, serves as a model for us in the face of sedentary lifestyles. Obeying the voice of the Father: "Go forth from your land", he set out on his journey, without fear of the future, supported only by a promise. Lot's wife, on the other hand, turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, warns us of the danger of not wanting to let go, of not trusting that God is already ahead of us, preparing the way. For the second time, Abraham went out of himself, taking his son Isaac with him, and went up Mount Moriah with him, ready to sacrifice him, convinced that, in God, there is no room for evil.
On so many occasions, the Word of God speaks to us of trusting, of hoping against hope, of not longing for the past like the people of Israel when they missed the onions of Egypt, for that is not God's desire. In the face of this feeling, the beatitudes speak to us of a great reward for those who hope and trust in God. Why worry about starting a new stage? Do we distrust the one who gave his life for us?
I am not naïve. I know that the difficulties we face throughout our lives are many and sometimes very hard, but He has promised to be with us, every day, until the end of the world. In His company, the yoke is soft and light.
Returning to work, to study, to domestic or pastoral tasks may make us lazy, but there He is waiting for us. The Holy Spirit is always alive, on the move, drawing us out of the cenacle and taking us to the rooftops, less safe zones where it is He, and not us, who speaks in languages. Like the golden snitch of J. K. Rowling's universe, its fluttering is capricious and swift, not easy to follow and not easily caught. So many times it baffles us when we see how it throws down our plans and tells us: "come on, start again". Couldn't everything be as easy as it was in summer, couldn't we go back to the way things were before?
In order not to deny his nudges that pull us out of lukewarmness, we must have a faith like Abraham's. He would see opportunities and challenges where others see insurmountable obstacles or enemies bent on annoying us. He would see opportunities and challenges where others see insurmountable obstacles or enemies bent on annoying us; he would feel God's call to get up and go to a better place where others feel dread, clinging to our structures like a child clinging to his mother on his first day of school; he would look forward to the future when we are depressed at not being able to return to the past.
The end of summer is here, our activity changes, but the Lord gives us a promise for this new course and that is that "I will never, never forget you".
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
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Mongolia: This is the nation that welcomes Pope Francis
In early September, Pope Francis set foot on Mongolian soil. What was once an immense empire during the 13th century is today a country of contrasts and characterized by a wide plurality of tribes and traditions.
It will be a short and unusual trip. Pope Francis opens September with a visit to Mongolia. This vast nation, where the endless steppes meet the deserts and mountain ranges of the north, hosts a small Catholic community, shepherded by the youngest cardinal in the Church today, Msgr. Giorgio Marengo.
A rich history of tribes and ancient empire
The golden age of Mongolian history is inextricably linked to the name of Genghis Khan, whose empire, in the 13th century, came to occupy regions of what is now China, Eastern Europe, and parts of India and Russia, among others. The population of what was then the great Mongol empire reached over 100 million inhabitants.
A century later, the Mongol empire would begin a decline that would be accentuated by China's conquest of the throne. In the 17th century, China gained total control of Mongolia. The empire was divided and the presence of the Chinese Qing dynasty would be a constant until the beginning of the 20th century.
The fall of the Qing dynasty led to a very brief period of independence for the central and northern parts of Mongolia, but in 1918, these areas would return to Chinese control.
In 1924, supported by the Soviet Union, the Mongolian People's Republic was formed. It was then that the city of Ulan Bator (literally in Mongolian "Red Warrior") was established as the capital.
During its communist period, Mongolia remained close to the Soviet orbit and not in the Chinese communist bloc. The Soviet government took advantage of this situation to use Mongolia as a base to "control" its Chinese counterpart.
The communist system in Mongolia lasted until 1990, when the communists relinquished control of the government. In 1992 a constitution was adopted that created a hybrid presidential-parliamentary state.
Mongolia is characterized by the multitude of nomadic tribes that, since ancient times, have roamed and inhabited its vast landscapes. A history of diverse traditions and coexistence, marked in recent times by the search for peace, in Bruni's words.
Catholicism in Mongolia
At present, Catholicism represents 0.04% of the religion of the inhabitants of Mongolia. A nation dominated by Tibetan Buddhism, traditional shamanism and Islam (to a lesser extent). In recent decades, Mongolia has seen the growth of Christian communities, Catholic, Evangelical and other Protestant denominations. This multiplicity of denominations will be present at the ecumenical and interreligious meeting.
The history of Catholicism in Mongolia is linked to the history of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (or Missionaries of Scheut), founded by the Belgian Theophilus Verbist. This missionary history is one of the characteristics of his Catholic community, as he wished to emphasize in the briefing for the press, the director of the Sala Stampa, Matteo Bruni.
Verbist would be one of the first missionaries to enter the Asian nation. This charism of apostolate among non-Christians, characteristic of the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, led other members of the congregation to Mongolian lands over the centuries. In fact, in 1863 the Congregation of Propaganda Fide entrusted to this congregation the administration of the mission in Mongolia.
Theophil Verbist died in Laohoukeou, a town in Inner Mongolia, on February 23, 1868. The presence of the community has been a constant until today, both in its female and male branches.
In Soviet times, the prohibition of religious practice was particularly harsh on Christian denominations whose presence, at least in official figures, was practically nil.
In 1991, Mongolia and the Holy See established diplomatic relations and a community of Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was once again established. Wenceslao Selga Padilla arrived there and was appointed ecclesiastical superior of the mission sui iuris of Urga (former name of Ulan Bator).
Father Wenceslao would be named the first prefect of Ulaanbaatar by St. John Paul II in 2002, when this prefecture was established. Padilla, is one of the figures most remembered and loved by the Mongolians, his special attention and care for street children, the homeless, the disabled and the elderly, was a constant until his death in 2018 and without him the reestablishment of Catholic worship in the Mongolian capital is not understood.
At present, the Vatican Pontifical Yearbook lists 1,394 Catholics throughout the country. They are distributed in 8 parishes that are served by 25 priests (6 diocesan and 19 religious priests). Together with them, there are 5 non-priestly male religious, 33 religious sisters, 1 lay missionary and 35 catechists. An encouraging fact is that Mongolia currently has 6 major seminarians.
A small community faithful to Rome to whom the Pope will address words of encouragement.
The papal trip
On August 31, the Pope begins this papal trip, the 43rd of his pontificate, to Mongolia. A long journey that, together with the Pope's somewhat delicate health, will mean that the events, except for the official welcome at the airport, will begin a day after the Holy Father's arrival in the country.
Among the events of this trip, whose agenda The meeting with the bishops, priests, missionaries, consecrated men and women and pastoral agents in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul stands out, as can be seen on the Vatican website. This temple, built in the last decade, is reminiscent in its structure of the traditional Mongolian yurts and its silhouette is part of the official logo of the trip.
The following day, the Hun Theater will host an ecumenical and interreligious meeting, one of the highlights of the trip. Representatives of almost all religions present in the country will attend: Tibetan Buddhism, traditional shamanism as well as various Protestant denominations.
Perhaps one of the most striking issues of this trip is the total absence of Orthodox representatives at this meeting. The Orthodox community has a small presence in Mongolia, located in Ulan Bator, and depends on the Russian Orthodox Church, led by the Patriarch of Moscow. In this regard, Mateo Bruni, during the briefing of presentation of this trip to the press, emphasized that "the door is always open".
Sunday afternoon, September 3, will be the time for the celebration of the Holy Mass at the Steppe Arena. Pilgrims are expected not only from Mongolia but also from China, Russia, Macao, South Korea, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan and other countries.
The finishing touch: the Misericordia house
Undoubtedly, one of the most anticipated points of this trip will be the meeting that will put the finishing touch to this visit: the inauguration of the Casa de la Misericordia.
This project, which began four years ago, will especially serve women and minors who are victims of domestic violence. It also has an area set aside for homeless people and will also serve as a temporary shelter for immigrants.
A significant final touch, as Mateo Bruni pointed out, was to conclude this trip with a call to "care for the poorest".
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It is the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream".
August 28 marked the 60th anniversary of the event that marked one of the most important moments in the struggle for civil rights in the United States: "The March for Jobs and Freedom".
August 28 marked the 60th anniversary of the landmark event that marked one of the most important moments in the struggle for civil rights in the United States in Washington D.C.The March for Jobs and Freedom. On that occasion, 250,000 people marched from the George Washington Monument to the esplanade of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall to protest against racial discrimination and to support what was then only a civil rights bill to be passed in the U.S. Congress.
That August 28, 1963 call was launched by the group known as the "Big Six" of the U.S. civil rights movement: James Farmer, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Participants in the march demanded equality before the law for all: whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, without distinction. This event was one of the cornerstones that shaped the struggle for civil rights in America. A battle that had already begun in the 1950s, but which would come to fruition with a series of key events. First, the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the historic verdict known as "Brown v. Board of Education" in 1954.
The Court ruled that laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional, even when such institutions were governed under the principle of "segregated but equal." This verdict thus overruled the 1896 "Plessy v. Ferguson" decision declaring racial segregation to be constitutional. The Brown v. Board of Education case began when in 1951 a public school in Topeka, Kansas, refused to enroll the daughter of an African-American named Oliver Brown in school. His family and twelve others filed suit in Kansas District Court. The ruling was negative and so Brown, along with Thurgood Marshall appealed the ruling by introducing it to the Supreme Court. Marshall would later become one of the greatest American jurists and the first African-American to be elected to the Supreme Court.
The bus boycott
Another event that would mark the history of the struggle for civil rights was the so-called "Montgomery Bus Boycott", Alabama, initiated by Rosa Parks, an American woman who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public transportation bus to a white person. Until the early 1950s, African Americans were only allowed to sit in the back of the bus. She was jailed and fined for this behavior. This prompted a boycott of Montgomery's public buses, a protest led by a little-known Baptist pastor, Martin Luther King Jr.
The Alabama demonstration was to be followed by another on the East Coast, the so-called "Greensboro Sit-ins". In 1960 a group of African American college students went to a Woolworth chain store in Greensboro, North Carolina to purchase items and then decided to stay for lunch at the counter. Seeing them comfortably seated and ready to order food, the waitress told them emphatically, "I'm sorry. We don't serve blacks here." And they were asked to vacate. At the students' refusal the manager intervened. However, they persisted and remained seated ("sit-in") on the counter stools until the store closed. This same sit-in action was repeated in other similar stores in the region. Although many of those who participated in these sit-ins were taken to jail for "disorderly conduct" and "disturbing the peace," their actions had an impact that would transcend the borders of North Carolina, as a few months later Woolworth and other public establishments would eliminate their segregationist policies.
The August march
The struggle for civil rights reached its peak with the "March for Jobs and Freedom" on August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C. The event was attended by several personalities, including Bob Dylan and several civil rights fighters such as Rosa Parks and Myrlie Evers, among others. Martin Luther King Jr. at the foot of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, the president who in 1863 had proclaimed the emancipation of three and a half million enslaved African-Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. said: "I have a dream: that one day on the red hills of Georgia the children of former slaves and the children of former slave owners may sit together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream: that one day even in the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream: that one day down there in Alabama...black boys and black girls will be able to hold hands with white boys and white girls, as sisters and brothers."
A year after this historic march, the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited civil and employment discrimination based on sex or race. From that date until now, there have been advances and legislative victories in civil rights.
A struggle that continues
However, there is still much work to be done, as acknowledged by the Archbishop of Baltimore William E. Lori in a message he delivered on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, D.C.: "Perhaps we take comfort in the progress we have made thus far. Or perhaps we have a false belief that we have arrived at a post-racial society, in which, as Dr. King pointed out, people are not judged by the color of their skin. However, one need only look at the social inequalities in health, wealth and prosperity among racial groups in the U.S. to see that we are not there yet".
Those social disparities, Lori said, are the lingering consequences of the racism that prevailed in the country for decades and that some have called one of America's original sins. In light of this, Bishop Lori said that a continual conversion of heart is necessary. To do so, it is necessary to turn to the Church's social teaching, rooted in the dignity of the human person. "The peaceful and compassionate society that Dr. King dreamed of requires God's grace and our commitment to teach, learn and practice nonviolent actions to foster social change." Archbishop Lori urged reflection on racism from two pastoral reflections he authored called, "The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Principles of Nonviolence," from 2018 and "The Journey to Racial Justice: Repentance, Healing and Action" from 2019.
The consequences of decades of racial segregation are still being felt 60 years after the historic march in the nation's capital. Dr. King's dream has yet to be realized as he envisioned it. "And when this happens and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every town and every village, from every state and every city, we can hasten the coming of that day when all God's children, white men and black men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual (chant), "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! We are free at last.
The cross as the way of salvation. 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.
Joseph Evans-August 31, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The world's great religions have tried to address the problem of suffering in different ways. Buddhism proposes an ascetic way of trying to free ourselves from all passions, aspiring to such a radical detachment from them that we can be indifferent even to suffering. The summit of Jewish and Islamic thought is to recognize how little we know and that suffering is part of a greater divine plan that we can never, and should never even attempt to, comprehend. We must only accept it. We see this approach in the Old Testament book of Job. But Christianity, based on the life of Jesus and the prophecy of Isaiah announcing a Messiah who saves people through suffering (something ancient Israel could never accept), came to see in suffering a path to salvation, ours and that of others. In today's Gospel, Jesus announces this way to the apostles, but Peter, still too influenced by his Jewish background, is scandalized by this possibility.
"From that time Jesus began to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and there suffer much at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes, and that he must be put to death and be raised on the third day. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: 'Far be it from you, Lord! This cannot happen to you.
Peter makes such a big mistake that Our Lord has to rebuke him publicly. "He said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you think as men do, not as God does'". In trying to turn Jesus away from his Passion, Peter was acting, albeit unknowingly, as an instrument of Satan, because it is through suffering that Christ would save us. It is a mystery that we will never fully understand. But at least we can perceive that evil necessarily causes suffering and that, by accepting its "sting" in loving union with God, we can turn something bad into something good. The poison of sin brings suffering, but we can accept this suffering and overcome it through the "antidote" of love. Thus insists Our Lord: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". We must be willing to lose this life, he explains, in order to gain the next. With the same vision, St. Paul exhorts us to present "the way of the Lord.your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God; this is your spiritual worship". Accepted with love, suffering can become a form of worship, bodily at least, even if our mind is not lucid enough to pray. The prophet Jeremiah, in today's first reading, though he does not fully grasp the saving power of suffering, glimpses it in his determination to continue to proclaim God's word even though he suffers ridicule for it. It is worthwhile to do so faithfully even when "the word of the Lord has been a daily reproach and contempt to me".
Homily on the readings of the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.
Pope exalts Catherine Tekakwitha, first Native American saint
This morning the Holy Father Pope Francis praised St. Francis Catalina Tekakwitha, first The Pope praised her "great love for the Cross in the face of difficulties and misunderstandings," "a definitive sign of Christ's love for all of us. The Pope encouraged "that we too may know how to live the ordinary in an extraordinary way".
Francisco Otamendi-August 30, 2023-Reading time: 4minutes
One day before beginning his apostolic journey "to the Asian continent, to visit the brothers and sisters of Mongolia"The Pope asked you to "accompany me with your prayers," and this morning the Roman Pontiff resumed the series of catecheses on "The Passion for Evangelization: the Apostolic Zeal of the Believer. The subject of his reflection was the first native saint of North America, Catherine Tekakwitha.
In his first words in the Paul VI Hall, packed with faithful from different countries, Pope Francis recalled in his address to the Pope that General Audience some features of the biography of the American saint. As mentioned by OmnesCatherine Tekakwitha was born in 1656 at Ossernenon, which was part of the Iroquois Confederation. This union of nations had its capital in present-day New York State. Catherine was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Algonquin Indian (from eastern Canada). Her mother was a Christian, but her father was a pagan, so the young Indian did not really come to faith until she was eighteen.
"Many of us," the Pope stressed, "were also introduced to the Lord for the first time in the family setting, especially by our mothers and grandmothers. Evangelization often begins in this way: with simple, small gestures, like parents who help their children learn to speak to God in prayer and speak to them of his great and merciful love. The foundations of Catherine's faith, and often also for us, were laid in this way".
When Catalina was four years old, a severe smallpox epidemic struck her village. Both her parents and her younger brother died and Catalina herself was left with scars on her face and vision problems. "From that moment on Catherine had to face many difficulties: certainly the physical ones due to the effects of smallpox, but also the misunderstandings, persecutions and even death threats she suffered after her Baptism on Easter Sunday 1676," the Pope recalled.
"A holiness that attracted."
"All this made Catherine feel a great love for the cross, the definitive sign of the love of Christ, who gave himself up to the end for us. Indeed, witnessing to the Gospel does not consist only in what is pleasing; we must also know how to carry our daily crosses with patience, trust and hope," Pope Francis noted.
Her decision to be baptized "provoked misunderstandings and threats among her people, so she had to take refuge in the Mohican region, in a Mission of the Jesuit Fathers. These events aroused in Catherine "a great love for the cross, which is in turn the definitive sign of Christ's love for all of us. In the community, she distinguished herself by her life of prayer and humble and constant service" to the children of the mission whom she taught to pray, to the sick and to the elderly.
At the Jesuit mission near Montreal, Catherine "attended Mass every morning, spent time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, prayed the Rosary and led a life of penance," "spiritual practices that impressed everyone at the Mission; they recognized in Catherine a holiness that attracted because it was born of her deep love for God," the Holy Father said.
"Living the ordinary in an extraordinary way."
Although she was encouraged to marry, the Pope continued, "Catherine, on the other hand, wanted to dedicate her life completely to Christ. Unable to enter the consecrated life, she made a vow of perpetual virginity on March 25, 1679, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Her choice reveals another aspect of apostolic zeal: total dedication to the Lord. Of course, not everyone is called to make the same vow as Catherine; however, every Christian is called to commit herself daily with an undivided heart to the vocation and mission that God has entrusted to her, serving Him and her neighbor in a spirit of charity," she said.
Francis pointed out that "in Catherine Tekakwitha, therefore, we find a woman who bore witness to the Gospel, not so much with great works, because she never founded a religious community or any educational or charitable institution, but with the silent joy and freedom of a life open to the Lord and to others. Also in the days before her death, which occurred at the age of 24, on April 17, 1680, Catherine fulfilled her vocation with simplicity, loving and praising God and teaching those with whom she lived to do the same. In fact, her last words were: 'Jesus, I love you'".
"In short," the Pope concluded, "she knew how to bear witness to the Gospel by living the ordinary with fidelity and simplicity. May we too know how to live the ordinary in an extraordinary way, asking for the grace to be - like this young saint - authentic followers of Jesus".
Canonizations in France and Poland
In his greeting to the French-speaking pilgrims, the Pope made special reference to "the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, who are celebrating their General Chapter, in light of the recent canonization of their foundress, Marie Rivier". And among the English-speaking,
greeted "the cyclists who have come all the way from England, with the assurance of my prayers for their commitment to the fight against cancer", and in particular those from Malta and various groups from the United States.
In Poland "they are impatiently awaiting the imminent beatification of the Ulma family. In many parishes the novena, which will begin the day after tomorrow, will be a spiritual preparation for the event. May the example of this heroic family," the Holy Father added, "who sacrificed their lives to save the persecuted Jews, help you to understand that holiness and heroic acts are achieved through fidelity in the little things".
Ukraine and second Laudato si'
Greeting the Italian-speaking pilgrims, among other recipients, the Pope renewed "our closeness and our prayers for the beloved and tormented Ukraine, so tried by great sufferings".
The Pope recalled the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which will be celebrated this Friday, September 1. And he reiterated that he intends to publish a second edition of the Laudato si' October 4, feast of St. Francis of Assisi. In an audience with jurists on August 21, Francis revealed this upcoming exhortation.
The Ulma family: a normal life, the basis of their extraordinary dedication
Ahead of the upcoming beatification of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children, which will take place on September 10 in Markowa, the Polish Bishops' Conference sent a pastoral letter to the faithful. This is an unprecedented beatification. The whole family will be brought to the altars, including the baby that Wiktoria was expecting when she was murdered.
The facts are well known: during the Second World War, all members of the Ulma family were killed for hiding Jewish families in their possessions. The eldest son was eight years old and the youngest one and a half years old. The mother was expecting a son who was already seven months old.
Together with them, eight Jews from the Szall and Goldman families were murdered, including the latter's little daughter. In the letter published before this beatification, the Polish bishops emphasize that the Ulma family "is an inspiration for modern marriages and families. Their heroic attitude is a testimony that love is stronger than death," reads the letter of the episcopate.
Martyrs
The heroic act of the Ulma family was recognized by the Catholic Church as a martyrdom for the faith. It is logical to ask: Why martyrs? The motivation for this martyrdom is clear and eloquent: a manifestation of the Christian faith is the loving defense of the life of one's neighbor. In this case there were no doubts at all, everything was made easier thanks to the innovative decision of St. John Paul II on the canonization of Maximilian Kolbe. It was then that the Polish Pope affirmed that in order to recognize someone as a saint it is enough to demonstrate that the candidate for sainthood gave his life for another person.
The beatification of Maximilian Maria KolbeThe canonization process, carried out by St. Paul VI in 1971, for various reasons, including political ones, was as a defender of the faith, not as a martyr. John Paul II broke with tradition and decided that giving one's life for a man in the Auschwitz camp was sufficient reason for canonization as a martyr, without requiring the process of a new miracle. This gesture of forty years ago opened the way for all the beatifications and canonizations that take place with this extended formula, that is, to give one's life for another man, as a consequence of the Christian faith lived is an act of witness of faith, it is to be a martyr.
"In preparing for the beatification ceremony, we want to contemplate his holiness and draw from it an example for contemporary marriages and families. It will be an unprecedented beatification, because for the first time the whole family will be elevated to the altars and for the first time an unborn child will be beatified," the bishops wrote.
The bishops emphasized that Józef and Wiktoria Ulma show the beauty and value of marriage based on Christ. "Their love, realized in everyday life, can also motivate them to open themselves to life and take responsibility for the education of the young generation. The heroic attitude of love for one's neighbor should impel us to live not so much for our own comfort or the desire to possess, but to live as a gift of ourselves to others.
"As we await beatification, let us look at the example of an extraordinary family who achieved sainthood in ordinary life circumstances. It is an inspiration for contemporary marriages and families."
Extraordinary holiness in the ordinariness of life
"You must decide to be a saint! Saints must be brought down from the clouds and become a normal, everyday ideal for believers." (Rev. F. Blachnicki. Letters to the Prisoner, Krościenko 1990, pp. 15-16).
The family of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma lived at the beginning of the 20th century in Markowa, Podkarpacie. They had seven children. As head of the family, Józef combined caring for his loved ones with hard work on the farm. At the same time, he was open to development and knowledge. Despite the effort he put into running the farm, he was able to find time to enjoy his passion for photography, beekeeping, silkworm breeding, bookbinding and horticulture. He built himself a camera and a windmill, which he used to generate electricity.
Józef's passion for photography was used to record not only the lives of his loved ones, but also local events, churches and family celebrations. He also took commissioned photos, portraits for documents, thanks to which he became known throughout the area. She inspired others not only with her knowledge and skills, but also with her constant willingness to help and give advice.
Wiktoria Ulma, née Niemczak, was an exemplary wife and mother, caring with great care and love for the good Catholic education of her children. She came from a home where the principle was that no man who asked for help could be refused. She was always a support for her husband, and at the transcendent moment, when they had to decide to take in the Jews threatened with death, she gave testimony of her love for others. She tried to introduce a kind and friendly atmosphere in the home, emphasizing that the family should be based on mutual respect, kindness and devotion.
Józef and Wiktoria were married on July 7, 1935 in the local church. Soon the family began to grow. Stasia, Basia, Władzio, Franuś, Antoś and Marysia were born, and at the time of his tragic death, Wiktoria was in a state of bliss with another son.
The Ulma family treated their marriage as a community of people who trust, love and strive for holiness through the faithful performance of their daily duties. In their lives, the essence of the sacrament of marriage was realized, in which Christ himself "Abides with them, gives them the strength to follow him by taking up their cross, to rise after their falls, to forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1642).
Their human love was purified by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, brought to fullness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit permeated their lives with faith, hope and love.
The daily life of their marriage was based on real and concrete gestures through which God dwells in this diversity of gifts and encounters. They lived the promises made on their wedding day, fulfilling every day the covenant of faithful married love.
As Pope Francis stated during the audience of November 28, 2022, the family of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma must be "an example of fidelity to God and his commandments, love of neighbor and respect for human dignity."
Looking at the example of the married life of Józef and Wiktoria, it is worthwhile to perceive our homes as places where God's love is visible and personal, where it manifests itself in concrete deeds, and Christ is present in the sufferings, struggles and joys of every day. He strengthens and enlivens love, reigning with his joy and peace.
Ulma marriage, open to life
"The fundamental task of the family is to serve life" (John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 28).
Józef and Wiktoria discovered a vocation to a special participation in God's creative work through the lives of their seven children. Despite the difficult conditions, they did not fear adversity. They trusted in God's Providence. They believed that God, in giving life, also gives strength to fully realize the vocation to motherhood and fatherhood.
They were concerned about the good education of their children, based on gospel values. They lived a life of faith under their own roof. They transmitted a living faith to the children through the example of life and the teaching of prayer. The children learned to talk to God by watching their parents do so. In family prayer they found strength to make daily sacrifices and witness to Christ. The Ulma's taught their children to worship God both in church and at home. They introduced us to experience the Holy Mass and to practice love of neighbor.
Wiktoria, as a loving mother, devoted time to her children, helping them to learn, taking care of their upbringing and education. From eyewitness accounts, we know that she taught the children housework and cleanliness in and around the home, caring for younger siblings and caring for each other. She enjoyed the loving atmosphere between siblings. He observed how they formed a community as they worked, played, walked and prayed. Józef, for his part, taught his children how to work on the farm and in the garden and answered their many questions.
Merciful love
"Love begins at home and develops at home" (Mother Teresa of Calcutta), but it does not end there. It must radiate to others.
The life of the Venerable Servants of God Józef and Wiktoria consisted of countless sacrifices and deeds of love every day. The fruit of adopting this way of life was the heroic decision to help the Jews condemned to extermination. It was not hasty, but was the result of reading the Word of God, which molded their hearts and minds and, therefore, their attitude towards their neighbor. For them, the Bible was the authentic book of life, as is confirmed by the outstanding fragments of the Gospel, especially the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Ulmas, trying to live like Christ, implementing the commandment of love on a daily basis, were willing to give their lives for their neighbor. Józef and Wiktoria decided to take in eight Jews, despite the threat of the death penalty from the Germans for helping to hide Jews. Three families took refuge in the attic of their small house: the Goldmans, the Grünfelds and the Didners. For many months, they provided a roof over their heads and food, which was a real challenge during the war.
Their selfless attitude came to a tragic end on March 24, 1944. Then the German Nazis broke into their house, cruelly shot the Jews they were hiding and then Józef and Wiktoria were murdered in front of the children. The tragedy was the murder of children. Józef and Wiktoria Ulma, fully aware of the risk, sacrificed their lives to save Jews in need. Their heroic attitude is a testimony that love is stronger than death.
Markowa: a people of the righteous among the nations.
It is not about trying to beatify a nation, nor to expose the positive side of a large part of Polish society during the Great War. It is to prepare a beautiful ceremony of beatification of a family who sacrificed their lives to save the Jews.
The database of the Institute of Polish Memory has on file the names of some six thousand people who paid with their lives for hiding Jews during the Second World War. So the Ulma family is no exception.
The Christian-inspired role of the peasant movement in shaping the attitudes of Józef and Wiktoria should be noted (Józef was, among others, chairman of the Agricultural Education Committee of the District Youth Board of the Republic of Poland "Wici").
There is a list of people from Markowa who hid Jewish families. They were Michał and Maria Bar, Antoni and Dorota Szylar, Józef and Julia Bar, Michał and Katarzyna Cwynar, Michał and Wiktoria Drewniak. In addition to the Ulma family, about 9 families participated in the help. Thanks to this probably 21 Jews were saved in Markowa. The families who took in Jews, including children, amounted to almost 36 people.
Some described Marków as "the town of the righteous among the nations". It is better to say that it was a town where many Righteous lived. However, those who actively participated in helping the persecuted Jews did not constitute the majority of the inhabitants, because at that time the town numbered about 4,000 people, ten percent of whom were Jews. Of course, this is not surprising, because heroism is not an attribute of the majority of society. It is always the great heroes who are in the minority, which is why they are so highly esteemed.
Among the Poles there were also people who handed over Jews to the Germans, or informed on Polish families hiding Jews, or even participated in those murders. The occupier encouraged them. However, on the occasion of the Ulma's beatification, we want to remember that there were other families in Poland who, contrary to German law, helped Jews. There were many Poles who dared to help. The Ulma family is the most famous, but there were many others and thanks to this beatification the world can discover that human and Christian behavior up to heroism is not the property of a few.
What is the Ulma family telling us today?
The Ulma family is an example of a "very large phenomenon" that was the rescue of Jews by the Poles during World War II. Not tens, not hundreds, not thousands, but hundreds of thousands of people participated in this activity. 'Save the Jews' can be said to have been a motto for many Poles. This activity was systematically organized and carried out by the Polish underground state and government-in-exile. Helping Jews was officially one of the goals of the underground state.
The Ulma family and their behavior is seen today as a special ethical attitude that should be maintained in Poland. The Ulma attitude, in which today we see the greatest heroism, could have been perceived differently during the war.
At the time, many did not see it as heroism. It is necessary to know the context of prewar Polish antisemitism-both popular antisemitism and elite antisemitism-and the context of the cruel German law prohibiting aid to Jews.
The Ulma family should be a model for the world, their example must continue to be present in Poland. In pre-war Poland there were anti-Jewish attitudes, there was a real conflict of national and economic interests, but never to the point of legal discrimination as in the Third Reich. Even people with anti-Jewish attitudes before the war, like Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, asked for help to the Jews persecuted by the Germans.
It is worth noting that the Ulmas are an example of holiness in everyday life, a holiness that history has put to the test. It should be known that in Markowa normal and neighborly relations prevailed between Poles and Jews. It is impossible to understand the history of the Ulma family without knowing the history of the people of Markowa.
As we await beatification, let us look at the example of an extraordinary family who achieved sainthood in ordinary life circumstances. It is an inspiration for modern marriages and families. Józef and Wiktoria Ulma show, above all, the beauty and value of marriage based on Christ, where God's grace is the foundation of everything.
Their love realized in daily life can also motivate them to be open to life and to take responsibility for the education of the younger generation. The heroic attitude of love towards our neighbor should stimulate us to live not so much for our own comfort or the desire to possess, but to live as a gift of ourselves to others.
Pope focuses on those living on the margins of society
The World Network of Prayer of Pope Francis has published the video of the month of September. On this occasion, the Pope asks for prayers for those who "live on the margins of society".
The video of Pope Francis with his prayer intention for September has already been made public. During this month, the Pontiff asks Catholics to pray for those "living on the margins of society".
The Pope denounces the widespread indifference. He puts the emphasis on the media, where the situation in which more than 700 million people live is not denounced. The "throwaway culture", says Francis, "dominates our lives, our cities, our way of life".
In the face of this situation, the Holy Father asks that "we stop making invisible those who are on the margins of society, whether for reasons of povertydependencies, mental illnesses or handicaps". In this way, we can move from a culture of discarding to a "culture of welcoming".
Therefore, the Pope asks that "we pray that people who live on the margins of society, in subhuman living conditions, may not be forgotten by institutions and may never be discarded".
José Ángel Saiz Meneses: "The brotherhoods have more and more an evangelizing conscience".
He has been shepherding the archdiocese of Seville since 2021. He arrived in Seville from Terrasa, which meant a substantial change in the profile of the diocese. Seville is also one of the great epicenters of the Spanish Holy Week, one of the most deeply rooted manifestations of popular piety and, in just over a year, the archdiocese will host the II International Congress of Brotherhoods and Popular Piety.
– Supernatural Twitter account of the Archbishop of Seville, Jose Angel Saiz Meneses (Sisante (Cuenca) August 2, 1956) reported a fact: last August 12, the Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Mons. Richard Umbers and a team from his diocese visited Seville for several days to learn, in the field, about the Brotherhoods and Confraternities. In addition to being amusing, the anecdote is revealing: popular piety is, at present, the main brake on secularization in Western nations.
This year also marked the thirtieth anniversary of the visit of theSt. John Paul II to the village of El Rocío. There, in the heart of one of the most beloved popular devotions in Spain, the Holy Father encouraged Catholics to delve into "the foundations of this devotion, to be able to give these roots of faith their evangelical fullness; that is, to discover the profound reasons for the presence of Mary in your lives as a model in the pilgrimage of faith.
Recalling this event and with a view to the undeniable strength of popular piety, the bishops of the dioceses of southern Spain published the Pastoral Letter "Mary, Star of Evangelization. The evangelizing power of popular piety."in which they affirm how popular piety "gathers the best of each culture and converts it into a living expression of faith".
In this interview with Omnes, Bishop Saiz MenesesThe president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, who is already preparing the congress on popular piety, emphasizes how the "Brotherhoods are a transversal reality, like the Church itself" and popular piety is undoubtedly "a dike of containment of secularization".
You have been able to become immersed in the importance of popular piety in a diocese as outstanding in this aspect as Seville. Is it really a dike to contain secularization?
-I arrived at Seville two years ago. I come from Catalonia. In Tarrasa, I accompanied 24 "rocieras" brotherhoods that could not go to the Rocío and celebrated their pilgrimage there, with much affection. That was like a little plant of popular piety. Here in Seville it is a whole forest. In this diocese we have Sisterhoods with thousands of brothers, some with more than 16,000. In these years, I have not seen a single case of suppression of any brotherhood; on the other hand, there are continual requests for new brotherhoods. Therefore, it is a growing phenomenon.
I have been able to verify that the southern half of Spain is less secularized than the northern half and this, in good part, is due to this world of the Brotherhoods and Confraternities. Why? Because the transmission of the faith, which is something so important in the life and pastoral work of the Church, continues to be done in a natural way in the Brotherhoods.
When talking about this natural wayWhat are you referring to specifically?
-Faith is transmitted in the Sisterhoods as if by osmosis. It is lived. During Holy Week, I usually take the opportunity to go to the exit of the processions that I can, especially in neighborhood parishes. It attracts my attention to see mothers dressed as Nazarenes, with children in their arms, who are not walking, also dressed as Nazarenes, and that child, when he starts to walk, will go with his mother accompanying the Virgin or Christ.
Saiz Meneses with Pope Francis.
Last June, I traveled with the executive committee of the II International Congress of Sisterhoods and Popular Piety to see Pope Francis and I remembered this example. The Pope commented that mothers use a "maternal dialect" to transmit the faith, that they are the ones who speak to their young children of the Virgin, of Jesus... that they carry them along with them, in their arms to this faith.
This is lived, naturally, in the Brotherhoods and explains this brake on secularization.
There are those who, even today, pigeonhole popular piety as a mere display of "sentimentality"?
-In two boxes: that of sentimentalism and that of low culture. Years ago, above all, it seemed that popular piety was typical of people with little culture. That it belonged to people with little education who "could not aspire to more". This is not so.
I receive many governing boards of fraternities that come to present their actions and projects and I meet businessmen, company directors, many professors and university professors. Along with them, self-employed, workers, employees... The Brotherhoods are a transversal reality, like the Church itself.
Popular piety is not for illiterate people, it is a way of encountering God: the via pulchritudinis which is not only perfectly valid for the encounter with God, but is complementary to a more speculative way. There are many very educated, very cultured people, for whom this way is the one that most helps them to encounter God.
Do you think that progress is being made in the area of formation in the confraternities?
-The Brotherhoods are governed by rules in which there are three pillars: worship, formation and charity.
The cults are solemn celebrations, which are very well done.
Formation, indeed, is the area that costs the most, but as it costs priests and bishops the ongoing formation. Many times we have so many pastoral urgencies that prayer is hardly enough, let alone in the case of lay men and women, fathers and mothers of families....
Finally, charity. The brotherhoods have an impressive social and charitable work, so what more can we ask for?
How is the manifestation of faith, personal commitment, promoted in this area?
-In addition to the three dimensions already known, we are gradually seeing a fourth dimension gaining importance in the lives of women and men. Sisterhoodsmission awareness and evangelization.
In November 2021, shortly after my arrival in Seville, the mission of the Gran Poder took place. The statue visited the poorest neighborhoods of the city, it was in each of the parishes. I attended everything I could, especially the transfers. That was impressive: the faces, the looks on the faces of the children, the young people, the elderly, the sick?
The carving of Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder has, in itself, a great aesthetic beauty and, above all, a spiritual and religious strength that could be felt just by passing by. "The Lord of Seville who comes to see me", people said... That was something very great.
Now other brotherhoods are carrying out these missions. This dimension is being strengthened, because the human being is sensitivity, feeling, heart; is reason, understanding; and is faith and spirituality. The three levels are necessary and complementary, not exclusive. So why exclude this level that helps people so much? It is a pastoral task that is gaining strength.
How does popular piety fit into parish, community and daily life?
-When I explain the Archdiocese of Seville to people who do not know it, I point out to them: 264 parishes, most of them very active throughout the diocese, 125 communities of active life, 34 monasteries and convents of contemplative life. Together with them, all the ecclesial realities: Opus Dei, Neocatechumenal Way, Cursillos de Cristiandad, Focolarinos, the Work of the Church, Catholic Action..., etc., etc. All with great presence and vitality. And together with them, 700 brotherhoods.
Faced with this reality, the first thing to do is not to fall into complacency and, above all, what we must do is to grow in ecclesial communion and synodality. Thus, united, the pastoral and evangelizing effect will multiply.
In the case of the Brotherhoods, for example, their spiritual directors are usually pastors of the village churches, they are united to many parishes and, therefore, they are united to this parish life. For example, the catechetical itineraries are done in the parishes, they are not duplicated.
The bishops of the South have published an interesting pastoral letter on popular piety. How can we prevent it from being forgotten?
-Certainly, with all official documents there is a danger that they go from the printing press to the bookshelf. In Seville, in preparation for the II International Congress of Brotherhoods and Popular Piety in December 2024, the ongoing formation of the Brotherhoods will deal, this year, with this letter. I myself always give a conference to the older brothers at the beginning of the course and we will talk about this letter.
How has the Pope welcomed this II International Congress of Brotherhoods and Popular Piety?
-Last June, I presented the congress to the Pope. He spoke to us about the importance of evangelizing culture and inculturating the faith. He stressed the importance of popular piety as that personal, familiar, close piety that is transmitted in the home, through the mother's dialect.
He urged us to strengthen this area, to accompany him and to be very welcoming. In addition, the Pope asked us to take care of the "faith of the simple" and of everyone. He advised us to give content and formation to all this area and to strengthen this evangelizing dimension.
He also insisted on coherence of life, that we help all the faithful to live a coherent social, professional and ecclesial life.
At dusk, when the intense summer heat was already waning, I came across a group of girls, maybe 14 or 15 years old, dancing in front of a tripod with a phone. They were rehearsing a simple choreography to the background music of a song from the 90s, but at a higher speed: a "speed-up" of something by Alanis Morrisette. The group's composition and the spirit with which they undertook the challenge for Tiktok were commendable. And they were clearly putting into practice Seneca's advice: "There is no smooth road from the earth to the stars" ("Hercules furens"). Since time immemorial, each generation has faced unique challenges that define its era. However, that timeless truth, expressed by the philosopher Seneca in the words "Non est ad astra mollis e terris via".reminds us that there is no easy path from earth to the stars. This is the journey that our young generation, those souls between the ages of 15 and 20, are beginning to travel, and as they do so, the challenges they face are both universal and specific to their time. But how low the bar is set, if social media dancing is the ultimate difficulty for this generation" ... we might think. Indeed, if they are only facing the drama of the number of likes, it is low aspiration. Nothing to do with a world (or civil) war or with the hunger and poverty of other times.
Current challenges
But it is that the future of our society suffers from a silent and deeper epidemic. The challenges of this generation are somewhat more invisible and pernicious. And here I would like to present the three clearest effects of the plague that is decimating them: the fear of being unique, the hindrance of indifference, and the drama of short-sightedness.
This is not a pessimistic view. Every generation has its challenges and its glories. History has shown us that in every epoch there emerge references that, despite their youth, manage to have a profound impact on the collective conscience. The Renaissance, for example, was a golden age where young people like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo raised the human spirit with their insatiable curiosity and passion for discovery and creation. Not unlike what young people of faith, such as St. Sebastian and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, did by showing unwavering conviction in their beliefs, even in difficult times.
While the cultural references of the past can offer us lessons, current circumstances also have their own peculiarities. In this globalized world, technology has brought with it a double sword: on the one hand, it has democratized access to information and enabled interpersonal connections across geographical barriers, but on the other hand, it has magnified a culture of instantaneousness and constant social comparison. Social networks, despite being powerful communication tools, can often be a source of pressure, especially for younger people, who may feel an overriding need to conform to certain molds and seek constant external validation.
Today's young revolutionaries
Carlo Acutis, a young Italian who left this world at the tender age of 15, is an inspiring example of how one can combine faith, passion and technology to leave a lasting impact. Carlo, who was beatified in 2020, used technology to create a virtual exhibit on Eucharistic miracles around the world. His mantra, "we are all born originals and die as copies," is a profound reflection on the importance of embracing our uniqueness in a world that often favors conformity.
The reality is that while every generation has faced the challenge of finding its identity, our youth today do so in a scenario flooded with stimuli and distractions. Often, in their search for belonging, temptations can arise. One of these is the temptation to be uncomplicated, or in other words, to seek the path of least resistance in a culture that favors instant gratification. Lasting rewards, those that truly matter, require time, effort and, sometimes, facing adversity. This is where the analogy of building a tower, stone by stone, takes on meaning. Every effort, every small accomplishment, is one more step toward the culmination of a larger goal.
Another challenge they face is the "drama of ignorance and short-sightedness". Disinterest often stems from a lack of exposure to the world in all its diversity and wonder. Therefore, it is essential to promote in them an explorer mentality, where the desire for discovery becomes an engine for learning and growing. Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski is a living testimony to this spirit. From building her own airplane at age 14 to being recognized for her work in theoretical physics, Sabrina embodies the power of dedication and passion for learning.
For all these reasons, it is crucial that we not only identify these challenges, but also act. Young people, with all their potential and energy, need mentors, guides to help them navigate this complex landscape. As a society, it is our duty to provide them with tools, not only to overcome obstacles, but also to build a better world for all. I envision a world where spaces are created, such as mentoring groups or community workshops, that foster intergenerational dialogue. Where the experiences and wisdoms of past generations merge with the freshness and momentum of youth.
Ultimately, facing the challenges of raising a new generation is no easy task, but with love, mutual support and conscious action, we can help them chart their own path from the ground to the stars. Because, at the end of the day, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the future is in capable hands, and who better than our young people to lead us to a brighter tomorrow? I invite everyone to join in this mission and to be, at every step, the beacon that guides the next generations toward a future filled with promise and hope.
Russian Catholic youth gather in St. Petersburg after WYD in Lisbon
From August 23-27, 2023, the 10th National Meeting of Catholic Youth of Russia took place in St. Petersburg, which this year was an extension of WYD Lisbon 2023.
The 10th National Meeting of Young Catholics of Russia has been held since 2000. In 2023, the first time it is being held in St. Petersburg, it has attracted some 400 participants from 54 Russian cities and the four Catholic archdioceses of Russia. On August 25, Pope Francis addressed the event by videoconference, delivering a speech on the theme of the event. speechHe listened to the testimonies of the young people and answered some questions. His participation lasted a little over an hour.
A Russian WYD
On this occasion, the event has been conceived as an extension of the WYD Lisbon 2023 and followed a similar structure, with Masses in common and catechesis every morning in groups of 25-30 people based on the same themes that were discussed in Lisbon. The five bishops of the Russian Bishops' Conference participated: Paolo Pezzi, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God of Moscow (the main archdiocese of Russia), and Auxiliary Bishop Nikolai Dubinin; Clemens Pickel, of St. Clement of Saratov; Joseph Werth, of the Diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk; and Kirill Klimovich, of St. Joseph of Irkutsk.
In addition to young Russians, foreign students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, India and Colombia, among other countries, as well as religious and catechists also participated in the event.
The days opened in the parish of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth in St. Petersburg, echoing the motto of WYD Lisbon, "Mary arose and departed without delay" (Lk 1:39). In addition to Masses, catechesis and prayer evenings, the meeting included festive moments and personal and communal prayer. As in Lisbon, the pilgrims were welcomed by parishes and Catholic families from St. Petersburg.
Catholics in Russia: less than 1 % of population
Oksana Pimenova, deputy director of the St. Thomas Institute in Moscow and one of the organizers of the meeting, told Fides Agency that "although the Catholic Church in Russia is made up of small communities scattered over a vast territory, we are united by a 'chain of handshakes': we do not all know each other directly, but we often have acquaintances in common, and moments like this help us to grow in communion and friendship with one another. Being together with people so different in origin and vocation means being able to recognize ourselves as part of a large family that knows no boundaries, whose members, despite their diversity, are called to be together".
During the day, two young Russian Catholics, Alexander and Varvara, gave their testimonies. After listening to them, Pope Francis gave a speech in Spanish, taking up some reflections on the theme of WYD Lisbon 2023.
Called and outbound
First of all, the Pope indicated that "God commands us to go out and walk (...) We are all chosen and called (...) before the talents we have, before our merits, before our obscurities and wounds, before everything we have been called. Called by name, you to you. God does not go to the heap, no. God goes from you to you.
Elizabeth, who was barren, and Mary, the Virgin: two women who became witnesses to the transforming power of God. God transforms. It is that experience of God's overflowing love that cannot fail to be shared. That is why Mary got up and left without delay, she was quick. She has to get up in a hurry. When God calls, we cannot sit still".
"God always welcomes".
The second idea that the Pope emphasized was that "God's love is for everyone and the Church belongs to everyone. God's love is recognized by his hospitality. God always welcomes, creates, creates space so that we all have a place and sacrifices himself for others, he is attentive to the needs of others. Mary stayed three months with Elizabeth, helping her in her needs. These two women are creating space for the new lives that are born: John the Baptist and Jesus.
But they also create space for each other, they communicate. The Church is a mother with an open heart, who knows how to welcome and receive, especially those who need more care. (...) Admission is free. And then let each one feel the invitation of Jesus to follow him, to see how he stands before God; and for this journey there are the teachings and the Sacraments. Let us remember the Gospel: when the master of the banquet sends for the crosses on the road, he says: 'Go and fetch everyone' (cfr. Mt.22, 9)".
Young and old
Thirdly, Francis stressed that "it is vital that young people and the elderly open up to each other. The young, in meeting with the elderly, have the opportunity to receive the richness of their experiences and their experiences. And the elderly, in meeting with the young, find in them the promise of a future of hope. It is important, you young people, to dialogue with the elderly, to dialogue with grandparents, to listen to grandparents, to listen to that experience of life that goes beyond that of parents.
The meeting point between Mary and Elizabeth is dreams. They both dream. The young dream, the old dream. It is precisely the dream, the ability to dream, the vision of tomorrow that has kept and sustains generations together (...) Elizabeth, with the wisdom of the years - she was old - strengthens Mary, who was young and full of grace, guided by the Spirit".
"Artisans of peace".
Finally, the Pope commented that he wishes for the young Russians "the vocation to be artisans of peace in the midst of so many conflicts, in the midst of so many polarizations on all sides, which beset our world. I invite you to be sowers of seeds, seeds of reconciliation, small seeds that in this winter of war will not sprout for the moment in the frozen earth, but in a future spring they will blossom. As I said in Lisbon: have the courage to replace fears with dreams.(...) Give yourselves the luxury of dreaming big!"
In conclusion, the Holy Father used the Virgin Mary as an example, asking young people to "conceive" the Lord "in their hearts, and quickly, with haste, take him to those who are far away, take him to those who need him. Be a sign of hope, a sign of peace and joy, like Mary, so that with the same 'humility of her servant', you too can change the history you have to live".
Young Russians in Lisbon
Less than twenty pilgrims from Russia attended WYD in Lisbon, some of whom, although they came with the group, were foreign students. Only a dozen of this group were of Russian nationality.
For their part, 300 Ukrainian pilgrims took part in the WYD in Lisbon. You can read the chronicle about these groups here y here.
Carol Enhua receives the Dama de San Silvestre ribbon from the hands of the Pope
Carol Enuha had the immense honor of receiving the Lady of St. Sylvester ribbon from Pope Francis, in recognition of her work in helping and supporting Christians in Nigeria and the United States.
"Go Forth And Do The Work of Christ" is what Carol Enhua has been doing her entire life. Perhaps that may be why Pope Francis has recognized her efforts and ministry.
It's not every day you meet someone who has been knighted. However, among 1.3 billion Catholics around the world, Carol Enuha received the immense honor of receiving the Lady of St. Sylvester ribbon from Pope Francis. This special honor is bestowed on lay people whose altruism and philanthropy positively impact their communities, who "go out and do the work of Christ" and take their vocation of service seriously.
Carol Enhua on the day she received the Dama de san Silvestre ribbon (Copyright: Carol Enhua)
The Order of St. Sylvester was instituted by Pope Gregory XVI and later reformed. This prestigious decoration is awarded to lay men and women who are active members of their Church and make positive changes in the lives of their brethren.
Omnes sat down with Carol and discovered she has always listened to the 'call' Jesus placed in her heart. Growing up in Nigeria, Carol witnessed abject poverty and hopelessness in her local communities.
The Good Samaritan
At thirty years old, she began her ministry in Lagos, Nigeria. Carol always felt called to serve the Church. She remarked, "When I see a need, I help”. For more than forty years, Carol, with the help of her husband, Engr. Hyacinth Enuha has created solutions for her Catholic neighbors and has ignited the hope of many when there was none.
It is no surprise that Carol was given this unique Papal award. Her dedication to her community is impressive. Carol shared how she once saw a school in Nigeria that was "dilapidated, with no roof." The Good Samaritan that she was, and still is, provided the necessary funds for the building to be torn down and then had it rebuilt.
"Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." John, 2:19. What did Jesus mean when he said these words to the Pharisees? Perhaps with Him, nothing can be destroyed. But, if we are Christ-like in our words, thoughts, and deeds, we can do all things through Christ.
In addition, Carol raised money to pay for two hundred people who needed cataract and glaucoma surgery, provided eye exams by entomologists, and distributed glasses to those in need. "You meet them where their points of needs are," said Carol. And she does.
She also served as president of the Lyons Club and during her tenure, Carol initiated numerous charitable acts and raised significant money to further her missionary work. However, her efforts continued. For example, when local parishes in Nigeria needed pews, Carol donated over two hundred. In addition, she donated land in Ketu, Lagos, to the Oblates of Saint Joseph to construct a church. The list continues. Carol rolls up her sleeves and gets to work when there is a need. We know that Jesus taught us that it's more rewarding to give than to receive, and Carol looks not to acquire gifts but rather to give.
A perfect combination
Carol met her husband, Engr. Hyacinthn, an engineer, when he was on a business trip in Nigeria. They would eventually get married. And would travel back and forth to Delaware, where they had a second home for many years. However, in 2015, they moved permanently to New York City and called The Big Apple their new home, along with their children and grandchildren.
Her award and the recognition of her philanthropy have not gone to her head; she remains humble and seeks to serve in any way she can in her daily life and at her local parishes, where she loves to attend Mass, pray, and bond with fellow parishioners. She likes many things about her local Church; for example, "There is a sense of community; a lot of bonding among the parishioners, and you can really feel it." And people care about you." She also appreciates when fellow parish members "… call to find out where you have been when they don't see you." Carol also commented on how friendly the parishioners are. There's a palpable sense of support.
Her ministry continues, and her faith is steadfast. She is a starting member and pioneer secretary for the Legion of Mary and Our Lady of the Cenacle, LOM, and she takes her Papal award seriously. Her mission is still the same: She strives to help her community, restore someone's confidence, instill God's eternal love, and rebuild whatever may be broken, whether a person's heart, faith, or a building.
With God everything is possible
Life is filled with blessings, but there are seasons when we are all tested. But Carol's faith does not waiver. Throughout our conversation, she repeatedly said it is "always at the appointed time." "Don't lose hope!"
She shared that the Lord was and remained near when her husband had an enlarged heart. "In intense troubles and needs, God has been faithful and our ever-present help twenty-four seven."
Carol and her family's motto is," With God, all things are possible." Therefore, with Carol, her husband, and the support and love of her children Sandy, Uche, Abua, and Oluchi, and their sweet grandchildren, Harry, Charlie, and Somtochukwu, there is nothing they cannot do when they embody the virtues that the good Lord bestowed upon us. And, when Carol and her husband's family members see the simple eloquence of the example by which they live, goodness and mercy shall multiply.
Carol Enhua after receiving the award (Copyright: Carol Enhua)
The painter Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674) depicted St. Augustine holding a flaming heart in his hand, to imply that the thought and doctrine of St. Augustine can be summed up in love.
St. Augustine himself, once converted, will regret not having loved God before and will say: "Late I loved you, beauty so old and so new, late I loved you" (conf. 10, 38).
The life of St. Augustine is an intense journey of purification of love, passing from worldly loves to the love of God. For this reason, Augustine takes up a phrase of the pagan poet Virgil, who had said Omnia vincit amor. St. Augustine will say that it is not the love of this world, but the caritas, it is the love of God that conquers all. This is how St. Augustine understood it when he heard the voice in the garden of Milan inviting him to drink and read (Tolle lege) the letters of St. Paul. But Augustine's adventure had begun further afield.
Its early years
St. Augustine was born on November 13, 354 in Tagaste (today Souk Ahras in Algeria). His parents were St. Monica and Patricius. After studying in his hometown, he learned grammar in Madaura, and later Rhetoric in Carthage. In Carthage, when he was eighteen years old, he met a woman with whom he lived for fifteen years and with whom he had a son, whom he named Adeodatus (conf. 4, 2).
After teaching Rhetoric in Carthage, he emigrated in 383 to Italy in search of new horizons (conf. 5, 14).
Trip to Italy
In Italy he would find more formal students than those in Carthage, but they did not pay him his fees (conf. 5, 22). Therefore, when the post of official orator of the court of Emperor Valentinian II became vacant, St. Augustine took the tests established to choose the best candidate, and was chosen for his extraordinary gifts as an orator (conf. 5, 23).
Around the year 385 St. Augustine left Rome for Milan where he met with the bishop of the city, St. Ambrose, and was impressed by the close and familiar welcome he received (conf. 5, 23). In Milan he fulfilled his mission as official orator of the court, and it fell to him to pronounce different oratorical pieces in the ephemeris of the imperial court.
The beginning of your conversion
In Milan he decided to return to the religion in which his mother had taught him. In fact, St. Augustine was never a pagan. From his earliest childhood he had been brought to the Church where he received the rite of Christian initiation and became a catechumen of the Catholic Church (conf. 1, 17). For this reason, after having sought the truth by many paths –the Manichean, the Platonic philosophers, the skeptics-he finally returned to the point where he had begun his search, the Catholic Church.
St. Ambrose's sermons showed him that the truth he was looking for was in the Catholic Church (conf. 5, 24)
Touched and marked by the words of St. Ambrose, St. Augustine decided to break with his past life. To this end, after the scene of the Tolle Lege to which we have already referred (conf. 8, 29), gave up his classes in Rhetoric and resigned from the post of official orator at the court of Emperor Valentinian II.
Baptism of St. Augustine
On Easter night in 387, St. Augustine was baptized in Milan by St. Ambrose (ep. 36, 32). That night the request that his mother, St. Monica, had insistently presented to God was fulfilled, for she prayed and shed abundant tears before God asking for her son's conversion (conf. 3, 21).
After his baptism, St. Augustine decided to become a monk and set out for the seaport of Ostia. In this city, together with his mother, he experienced the famous ecstasy of Ostia, where both, seated at the window overlooking the garden of the house in which they were staying, began to converse about the mysteries of God and eternal life, and gradually rose above the things of this earth until they touched for a brief moment the very mystery of God himself (conf. 9, 23). His mother Monica would die a short time later in the same city of Ostia, and would be buried there (conf. 9, 17)
Return to Tagaste and monastic life
In 388 St. Augustine returned to North Africa. At Tagaste he established the first monastery. St. Augustine had a dream of spending the rest of his life retired in a quiet monastic life, sharing with his brothers in community and writing his works (ep. 10, 2).
However, God's providence had other plans for him. Thus in 391 he made a trip to the city of Hippo (now Annaba, about 100 km north of Tagaste) to visit a friend and to see about the possibility of founding a second monastery in that city (s. 355, 2). When attending the liturgical celebration in that city, Bishop Valerius asked the faithful people to help him choose a new collaborator in the priestly ministry for the city of Hippo. The eyes of the whole assembly were fixed on St. Augustine. And as Hipponate himself points out (s. 355, 2), he was literally seized by the crowd and presented before Bishop Valerius so that he could be ordained.
Saint Augustine priest
As a priest, St. Augustine was called to fight against his former co-religionists, the Manichaeans. He would also begin his work against the Donatist schism that had afflicted North Africa for almost a century.
The sermons that St. Augustine delivered as a priest were very numerous. He has left us many works of biblical commentaries from this stage of his life, such as the commentary on the Sermon on the Mount and the exposition of the Letter to the Galatians, among others.
St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Bishop Valerius not only thanked God for having sent St. Augustine to him, but he had begun to fear that one day they would come from some diocese that had no bishop and take him away (Vita 8, 2). Therefore, he secretly asked the primate bishop for permission to ordain St. Augustine as bishop. Thus, around the year 395 or 396 St. Augustine was ordained a bishop.
As a bishop, he wrote his most famous work, the Confessionsas well as multiple works of biblical exegesis, theological, apologetic, pastoral and moral works, as well as his Rule that would mark the entire Western monastic tradition.
Several thousand sermons were delivered by St. Augustine as bishop, although only about six hundred are preserved today.
The city of God
In the year 410 an event happened that convulsed the world at that time. The Gothic troops of Alaric entered the city of Rome and sacked it for three days. As a consequence of these events the pagans accused the Christians of being guilty of the sacking of Rome. They said that Rome had suffered such a humiliation because the worship of the gods that had made Rome great had been abandoned. St. Augustine responded to these accusations with his masterpiece called The City of GodIn the first part, he criticizes history and pagan religion, and in the second part he exposes the birth, development and culmination of the city of God. In this work he reminds us that every believer is a pilgrim or stranger on this earth and is heading towards his eternal destiny in the city of God, where "we will rest and contemplate, contemplate and love, love and praise" (1).ciu. 22, 5).
St. Augustine and the second Christian hospital
An unknown facet of St. Augustine is his great interest in the poor and his own creativity to remedy their needs. In fact, he had a maticula pauperum (ep. 20*, 2)He was the first Augustinian hospital in Hippo, that is to say, a list of the poor of Hippo who were periodically helped, as well as a place to receive them, a sort of diocesan "caritas", something that did not exist in other dioceses of that time. But the great Augustinian social contribution is that he was the builder of the second Christian hospital in history. And if we take into account the Latin world, the work of St. Augustine is the first. Thus, in order to welcome and help the poor, emigrants and the sick, he ordered the construction of a building in Hippo which he called Xenodochium (s. 356, 10). Charity for St. Augustine was not just a beautiful theory, but implied a real commitment to the poor and needy.
His last years and death
The last years of Augustine's life were not quiet, but were marked by various theological polemics and the unstoppable crumbling of the Western Roman Empire.
In fact, St. Augustine died in a besieged city, since the Vandals had crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in 429, and had begun an unstoppable advance towards Carthage. In 430 they reached the city of Hippo and laid siege to it.
St. Augustine died on August 28 at the age of 76 in a city in a state of anguish, surrounded by the enemy troops of the terrible Vandals. Nevertheless, St. Augustine died with the awareness that although something was dying with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, a new world was emerging, and his works would be a fundamental spiritual, human and theological guide for this new world.
The remains of St. Augustine are currently preserved in the Church of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro in Pavia (Itaia). There, in the monumental ark dedicated to St. Augustine, we can see a recumbent image of the Bishop of Hippo at the top of the monument. This image holds an open book in his hands. This book is Sacred Scripture. St. Augustine is still alive in his works and every time we read his writings, he himself explains the Bible to us and invites us to an encounter with the inner Master, the same one who called him in the garden of Milan in 386 and who continues to call every man and woman to "Take and read" the Scriptures to discover in them that, in spite of all the sorrows, the love of God conquers everything (Omnia caritas vincit: s. 145, 5).
The authorEnrique A. Eguiarte B. OAR
Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum (Rome)
Jesus walks beside us, encourages Pope "happy" to travel to Mongolia
At the Angelus this Sunday, the Holy Father asked for prayers for his apostolic journey to the heart of Asia, to Mongolia, which begins on the 31st. He also said that "Christ is not a memory of the past, but the God of the present. Jesus is alive and accompanies us, he is at our side, he offers us his Word and his grace, which enlighten and comfort us on our journey, the Pope encouraged on the feast of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine.
Francisco Otamendi-August 27, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The Roman Pontiff said this morning at the Angelus in St. Peter's Square that he is "happy" to travel to the heart of Asia on the 31st, on "a long-awaited visit" to Mongolia, "a Church very small in number but great in charity," he said.
It is a trip in an "interreligious context," added the Pope, who is coming to the Mongolian state "as a brother to all". He also thanked all those who are participating in the preparations for the trip.
During his visitPope Francis will meet with civil authorities, clergy, consecrated persons and workers in charitable institutions. The program of the trip also includes an ecumenical meeting.
Mongolia has about three and a half million inhabitants with 1,500 baptized local Catholics gathered in eight parishes and one chapel, spread over a vast territory of more than 1.5 million square kilometers. It is a small but very lively community, the official Vatican agency reported in a interview with Cardinal Giorgio MarengoThe Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, capital of the East Asian country, said that the Pope's visit is "a special grace and a great honor, an immense gift".
"We are not alone."
Before the prayer of the Marian Adoration at the AngelusCommenting on the Gospel in which Jesus asks the disciples "Who do people say is the Son of Man?", the Pope stressed that "on the journey of life we are not alone, because Christ is with us and helps us to walk, as he did with Peter and the other disciples".
"Precisely Peter, in today's Gospel, understands this and by grace recognizes in Jesus 'the Son of the living God,'" the Pope pointed out. "He is not a figure of the past, he is not a deceased hero, but the Son of the living God, made man and come to share the joys and labors of our journey!
"Let us not be discouraged, therefore, if at times the summit of the Christian life seems too high and the road too steep," the Pope encouraged. "Let us look to Jesus, who walks beside us, who welcomes our frailties, shares our efforts and rests on our weak shoulders his firm and gentle arm. With him close to us, let us also reach out to one another and renew our trust: with Jesus, what seems impossible alone is no longer so!"
Finally, the Pope asked, "For me, who is Jesus? A great personage, a point of reference, an unattainable model? Or the Son of God, who walks beside me, who can lead me to the summit of holiness, there where alone I am not able to reach? Is Jesus really alive in my life, is He my Lord? Do I entrust myself to Him in moments of difficulty? Do I cultivate His presence through the Word and the Sacraments? Do I allow myself to be guided by Him, together with my brothers and sisters, in community?"
The Pope remembered those affected by the fires in Greece and again raised a prayer for the suffering of the Ukrainian people and made mention of St. Monica, whose feast the Church celebrates and wanted to pray "for so many mothers who suffer when a child is a little lost in the streets of life".
"May Mary, Mother of the Way, help us to feel her Son alive and present with us," concluded the Holy Father, before praying the Angelus with the faithful in St. Peter's Square.
St. Monica and the Mothers' Coffee in the 4th century
Today you do the washing machine, send some reports, pick up the kids from school, have a coffee with your friends, get some highlights and continue to be a mother and wife. St. Monica, paradigm of the family vocation in the Catholic Church, probably did something very similar to us but in her 4th century version.
Whoever is a wife and mother knows that she can never stop being one. Today you do the washing machine, send some reports, answer twenty emails, pick up the kids from school, have a coffee with your friends, get some highlights to hide your gray hair, and you are still a mother and a wife. St. Monica, paradigm of the family vocation in the Catholic Church, probably did something very similar to us but in her 4th century version.
In the year 332 Monica of Hippo was born in Algeria. She is known for being the mother of the brilliant (and somewhat problematic) intellectual, St. Augustine. Her untiring love and dedication to the men in her home, which undoubtedly caused her so many headaches, have made her the paradigm of the Catholic wife and mother. Patient, kind, humble, generous, honest, honest, honest... St. Monica lived in fullness that which St. Paul sing about the charity.
It is easy to believe that Monica of Hippo had no great ambitions of grandeur in her life, which makes her even more of an example for living the everyday. She grew up in a Catholic family and her education was in the hands of a maid who shared the faith of the household. While still very young, she married a member of the senate of her city, Patricius. This decurion was older than her and had vices that clashed head-on with those of his wife: he was given to drink, libertine and violent temperament.
Monica patiently resisted all her husband's faults. She knew she had been cheated on and endured the angry outbursts, but she was not an impassive angel. She also needed to breathe, to take some distance. You know that coffee with friends that brings you back to life after a week of math homework with your toddler? The saint would have her equivalent. Tagaste was a city full of commerce and culture, so it's not hard to imagine Monica strolling through its streets, amusing herself talking to a neighbor, browsing the stalls, maybe petting the donkey loaded with merchandise, or sitting in a pew in the church, where she went every day to pray for her husband, who is in a great mood today....
We know from St. Augustine that his mother devoted much time to prayer for the members of her family. Every tear was offered to God and her prayers were answered. Patrick was converted at the end of his life, died shortly after embracing Christianity and Monica decided not to remarry. It was time to devote herself completely to her children.
The offspring of the marriage were not baptized. The father refused to do so when they were born, so the little ones grew up without receiving the sacrament. Monica, however, made sure to do what all mothers do: a gesture, a phrase, a look... The Tagaste home was, to be sure, impregnated with the gentle scent of Christ. It was a delicate fragrance, but the saint spread it throughout the rooms of the home, waiting for someone to take a hint.
The famous Augustine was not the only son of Monica to whom she dedicated these motherly gestures. Three of her descendants survived childhood, a boy named Navigius, a girl whose name is unknown, and the bishop of Hippo. Little is known of the saint's siblings compared to him, who left his own biography in the "Confessions".
Agustín says of himself that he wasted his life being lazy. His intelligence and charisma opened the doors to a world of lack of control and sensuality, which he later condemned in his work. Despite this, outside the family home he maintained a stable relationship with a woman and at the age of seventeen he had a son, Adeodato.
St. Monica knew her son's lifestyle and suffered for him. However, it is already known that she was a woman, a human being. Augustine managed to unsettle his mother, who threw him out of the house when the young man returned to her, obsessed with some Manichaeism and other things of young people that no one understands. But the banishment did not last long. Apparently the saint received in a vision encouragement to reconcile with her son. Monica opened the doors again for Augustine to return and continued to pray with the conviction that "the son of so many tears will not be lost".
The mother's patience would be tested again not much later. The son escaped to Rome and Monica, with that maternal instinct that follows children to the end of the world, traveled after him. With disappointment she realized that she was late, for Augustine left for Milan before the saint arrived. The pain caused by this cat and mouse game was alleviated by an essential event in the young man's life: in Milan he met Bishop Ambrose, a key figure in his conversion to Christianity.
When St. Augustine embraced the religion of his mother, a time of peace came into the life of St. Monica. Adeodatus, Augustine and Monica lived together in what is now Lombardy. The little boy was baptized, but died two years later, when he was not yet twenty years old.
By then, St. Monica's spirit was calling for a return home to the African continent. Her dedication and prayer were bearing fruit that she was beginning to see, it was time to rest. However, she never set foot on her home again. God called Monica in Ostia, Italy. Her death inspired Augustine to write the most beautiful pages of the "Confessions", and to leave proof of his mother's legacy: a woman who lived her vocation as wife and mother to the full, who welcomed trials and consolations.
After her death, St. Monica began to be held up as an example for Christian women. Her life consisted of lovingly carrying the 4th century equivalent of our washing machines, our chauffeur-driven walks between soccer practices and birthdays, the silence before the snort of teenagers and the caress to the husband sulking because Real Madrid does not score a goal. Wife and mother, like yesterday, like today, like always.
St. Monica receiving the cincture from the Virgin Mary (Wikimedia Commons)
Cinema and Family. A book to deal with the big issues that appear on the screens.
The influence of cinema on young people and the family, how grandparents are presented in current series and movies, topics such as forgiveness or sexuality in various films are some of the topics that make up the volume. Film and Family. Discovering values through the films of our lives..
Film and Family. Discovering values through the films of our lives. is coordinated by Daniel Arasa, director of Cinemanetan association that promotes human, family, social and educational values through film.
The book gathers the contributions of experts in cinema and linked to this association such as Guillermo Altarriba, Isabel Rodríguez Alenza, Gloria Tomás or Alfonso Méndiz. All of them, each with their own nuances and approaches, have given rise to a useful and dynamic guide, highly recommended for parents and teachers, which offers valuable clues to understand and above all, use the audiovisual language as a vehicle of training for the youngest.
As its coordinator, Daniel Arasa, emphasizes for Omnes, "today more than ever we have to be trained to see and understand cinema, because its influence and power as a vehicle for transmitting values is very great".
Arasa points out that the changes that the audiovisual industry itself has undergone in recent decades have been very big: "not only have the technical aspects changed, but also the conception of the big issues".
Indeed, "we have gone from going to the movie theaters or watching a specific movie with the whole family in the living room to perhaps having each member of the family a device in which very different things are played, which are not watched together, and then, in addition, the rise of series, which in the end are 8, 20 or 200 small movies".
Daniel Arasa, coordinator of the book Film and Family. Discovering values through the films of our lives.
This conceptual change and, above all, the impact on the change of social behaviors or the normalization of different situations is one of the keys to understanding the book and one of the most important aspects to help parents and teachers to create dialogues and critical spaces with young people on key issues: family, women, sexuality, dignity or love.
Universal themes that appear, in one way or another, in each and every one of the cinematographic proposals that reach the screens.
Major topics
"All cinema -because series are cinema in another format-, talks in one way or another about the key themes of humanity: the person, love, family... although it does so in a tangential way", says Arasa, "in a war film, perhaps the main theme does not focus on a love relationship, but it talks about love, for example, about the family of the people who fight, their relationships at those moments..."
For Arasa, "the responsibility of filmmakers is something difficult to delimit. But I think every filmmaker should ask himself the question of whether what he is doing uplifts and dignifies the person or degrades him".
The book describes these major themes and their treatment in titles ranging from Sophie Scholl or Heidi to Padre no hay más que uno or Frozen, without forgetting series such as Gambito de Dama, Por trece razones or Homeland. Among these themes, the book highlights family, love, forgiveness...
"It's not a book that says which movies 'you can watch' or not," Arasa explains, "you have to know the reasons why it's not convenient to watch a movie or a series, for example, for minors, to explain the reasons. Banning for the sake of banning is not enough. That's why we also want to shed light on some topics that appear in series or movies that we may not recommend to anyone.
A useful book
The book Film and Family. Discovering values through the films of our lives is not only a way to has a symmetrical structure. As Arasa explains, "we wanted each of the people who write, who have been linked to Cinemanet for years, to contribute what they know and do it in their own style. The objective is to offer readers, especially parents and educators, an instrument that is useful to them, that is useful to them and gives them examples they can use.
The book gathers the experience of the more than three lustrums that Cinemanet has been dedicated to cinema and to the formation of families through the seventh art. Proof of this are the "Family" awards, which, each year, Cinemanet gives to a film released the previous year in Spain in which, in one way or another, the human, family, educational, social and civic values promoted by the organization are reflected. Another recognition is also awarded to the person in the cinematographic world (director, screenwriter, actor, actress, producer, distributor...) whose professional and vital trajectory reflects these values.
Film and Family. Discovering values through the films of our lives.
CoordinatorDaniel Arasa
Editorial: Sekotia
Pages: 320
Year : 2023
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The truth, from the deepest charity, must also be told and exposed with pedagogy, at the right time.
August 26, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The emperor's new clothes by Hans Christian Andersen seems to me to be a tremendously topical tale. We see the Emperor walking in front of our eyes totally naked and no one dares to say it out loud for not looking bad. And at the expense of our stupidity and fear, some allegedly swindling tailors, who know the human heart very well, get rich and escape with our money.
Who dares to say that the purpose of human sexuality is the union of the couple and the reproduction of the species, and that its very nature is that of complementarity between man and woman? Simply quoting Scripture and saying that 'male and female he created them (cf. Gen 1:27) already seems a provocation.
Chesterton said that "the day will come when it will be necessary to draw the sword to affirm that the grass is green". I do not know whether it is necessary to draw the sword or the pen to defend the truth, but what is certain is that a tyranny of political correctness has been imposed in which for defending the obvious you are branded as radical or you are ostracized.
But it is necessary to dare to say that the king is naked. It is not enough that we do not echo this ideology and pass by, as if on tiptoe, without pronouncing ourselves in silence. There are silences that are affirmations. There are truths that, if we do not proclaim them, however obvious they may seem, are obscured.
Demetrio Fernandez, bishop of Cordoba, addressed this topic in the catechesis he gave at the World Youth Day to the young people's questions. He did not duck the tough question. And many other uncomfortable ones about abortion, the 2030 agenda and other thorny issues for which young people seek answers.
There would be many questions to ask ourselves in all fairness on this subject. The questioner Cui prodest, who benefits, which leads us to look at the alleged tailors who have sold us a suit that is false and who escape with the emperor's money. Because I have no doubt that there is a confluence of economic, ideological and power interests in us assuming this new ideological dictatorship.
We need some child with an innocent look, as in the story or as happened with the prophet Daniel when they were going to stone the chaste Susana, to make us see clearly what for fear of the powerful we did not dare to say.
We must be as innocent as doves and as cautious as serpents (cf. Mt 10:16), because those who are ready to throw stones are hiding in every corner. The truth, from the deepest charity, we must also know how to speak it and expose it with pedagogy, at the right time.
For, again to quote the wisdom of the English journalist, 'adventure may be mad, but the adventurer must be sane'.
And today there is no adventure more exciting and difficult than telling the truth.
Teaching Delegate in the Diocese of Getafe since the 2010-2011 academic year, he has previously exercised this service in the Archbishopric of Pamplona and Tudela, for seven years (2003-2009). He currently combines this work with his dedication to youth ministry directing the Public Association of the Faithful 'Milicia de Santa Maria' and the educational association 'VEN Y VERÁS. EDUCATION', of which he is President.
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The Spezieria di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere and the Ceramics Room, both just outside the Sistine Chapel, are the two new rooms that can be visited in the Vatican Museums.
The first recreates the 17th century pharmacy run by Benedictine nuns for three centuries, while the second recreates the pavement designed by Raphael for some of the Vatican's rooms and other unique works such as the 34 plates from the Carpegna Collection.
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"From Union Square to Rome" ("From Union Square to Rome," a new memoir by Dorothy Day will be released in the coming months. Day was a co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Her cause for sainthood was officially opened in 2000.
The government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua has dissolved the Jesuit order. This is just one of the latest incidents signaling an escalation of violence against Christians in various countries around the world.
Tension and religious intolerance are growing in some countries. On August 16, 2023 several churches, homes and a Christian cemetery were attacked by a mob in Pakistan. On the other hand, Daniel Ortega's regime in Nicaragua dissolved the Jesuit order at the end of the month after confiscating all the assets of the university and the congregation's residence in the country. These incidents are just a sample of the threats suffered by thousands of Christians in different countries around the world.
In the case of Nicaragua, the Church has suffered persecution for years. In 2022, one of the most tense moments occurred when the government imprisoned Msgr. Rolando Alvarez. The bishop remains in prison after having refused opportunities for banishment, believing that the faithful of the country need him to remain with them. The prelate is accused of treason and the conditions in which he is living in captivity are largely unknown.
Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez in a 2022 photo (OSV News photo /Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters).
The official communiqué of the Jesuits in Nicaragua
Following the aforementioned dissolution of the Jesuit Order, the Central American Province of the Society of Jesus published a press release condemning the aggression and pointing out that the repression they are suffering is considered a crime against humanity. On the other hand, the Jesuits point out that the actions of Ortega's government are heading towards "the full establishment of a totalitarian regime".
The communiqué calls for an end to the repression and the search for solutions that respect people's freedom. It also shows its closeness to the victims of the dictatorship and thanks "the countless signs of recognition, support and solidarity".
Persecution in Pakistan
At the same time, Pakistan is also experiencing intense religious persecution. The country's blasphemy laws are very often applied to minority religious groups.
According to the data provided by the evangelical organization "Open Doors"The level of violence experienced by Christians in Pakistan is extreme. Moreover, "they are considered second-class citizens and suffer discrimination in all aspects of life".
The attacks on Christian communities, mostly in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, include beatings, kidnappings, torture, forced marriages and sexual violence. Despite the attacks, the victims say that there is no authority to protect their rights and that the situation of insecurity is very high.
The Archbishop of Lahore, Sebastian Shaw, visited the communities attacked on August 16. With him were several Muslim leaders who wanted to show their support and closeness to the victims. Archbishop Shaw encouraged Christians to bring comfort to one another, becoming "witnesses to the love of Jesus".
Protest in Pakistan over attacks on Christian communities (Photo OSV News /Akhtar Soomro, Reuters).
Attacks in Nigeria
Nigeria is the sixth most persecuted country in terms of religious persecution, according to data from "Open Doors". Despite the attacks, almost half of the population is Christian. Most Christians live in the south of the country, while the north is largely Muslim.
Various violent groups raid villages of Christian communities, carry out attacks and confiscate the land of the inhabitants. This has led to thousands of internally displaced people in Nigeria fleeing killings, abductions, torture and marginalization.
A church in Nigeria after being attacked by an armed group (OSV News photo / Temilade Adelaja, Reuters)
Data on the lack of religious freedom
To get an overview of the current situation, "Aid to the Church in need"published in its annual report for 2023 data on violations of religious freedom. The analysis confirms that of the 196 countries in the world, religious freedom is violated in 61. Of these, in 28 countries there is persecution, while in 33 there is discrimination.
The differences between these two types of attacks on religious freedom are also explained in the report. Among the characteristics of persecution are hate crimes and violence, or the passing of laws that directly and negatively affect religious groups. Discrimination, on the other hand, involves conduct such as limitations on freedom of expression, prohibitions on wearing certain religious symbols, or difficulties in access to employment or housing.
Among the attackers of religious freedom there are three main groups: ethno-religious nationalism, Islamist extremism and authoritarian governments. The greatest concentration of attacks in the world is in Africa, which in the annual report of "Aid to the Church in Need" is identified as "the most violent continent due to the spread of jihadism".
While praying among some olive trees by the Kidron stream, the Messiah was captured. Some Jewish leaders had decided to put an end to the one who stubbornly maintained that God had become incarnate.
Perhaps they thought that the Most High had already given them all revelation and that there was nothing more to learn. Perhaps they believed that their intellects were, if not the source, at least the limit of reality.
His problem, at bottom, was philosophical in root, very similar to something we even call "contemporary": to take for granted that only what I can understand exists. That is, to confuse the real with the rational, as Hegel did.
The panorama that Jesus God had opened to the Jews had the audacity to correct some traditional ways of understanding the divine commands. Tradition, as an effective means of relating to well-known truths, had become an end in itself.
For those people, the purpose of their lives was not to know and love God through acts of worship, but simply to repeat those acts. Their glasses had been transformed into screens.
The Jewish Process
Coming from the descent of the Kidron to their first destination, the house of the still prestigious ex-supreme priest Annas, the soldiers carrying the bound Jesus probably entered the old city through the "gate of the Essenes".
It is plausible that they passed in front of the cenacle where Christ and his disciples had celebrated the Eucharist that same night, or at least could have seen the building nearby, since both were only a few streets away. Jesus would surely have glanced toward the cenacle and related his recent sacramental "death" to his coming actual death.
As Matthew and Mark affirm, there was a discussion in the Sanhedrin that same Thursday night about the case of Jesus, but it seems that Friday morning was the decisive one, as Luke tells us.
The night from Thursday to Friday he would have spent it in a kind of dungeon in that same house of Annas, where his son-in-law, the then high priest in charge Caiaphas, the same one who had said: "It is expedient that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" (Jn 11:50). Thus the case was already judged beforehand.
The accusations and condemnations shift from religious to political, presumably to gain Roman support for the execution, which was already expected to be noisy in the city. Jesus' initial silence is eloquent, and his torrential words - a powerful blend of fortitude and meekness - reveal all that was still in the ink.
A nepotic little chapel, jealous of its religious as well as social power, had led this deadly persecution against the son of Mary, subjecting him to a process more criminal than the wildest of accusations against him.
Unlike other members of the Jewish upper classes, such as Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea, these anonymous collaborators of Annas and Caiaphas made history without entering into it.
Meanwhile, it is imagined that the three apostles who had tried to pray with Jesus that night in Gethsemane (Peter, John and James the Greater) went to warn the other eight (totaling eleven, because Judas Iscariot by that time would be far from the group). Peter would tell them that the Lord did not let him stop the soldiers, but that he would still follow him, and John would be encouraged to accompany him.
The others, amidst prayers and anguish, would disperse to spend perhaps the worst night of their lives so far. Peter, however, also fell. First came the betrayal of Judas, then the abandonment of the nine, and finally the denials of the prince of the apostles. John alone resisted, held by the hands of Mary.
In the denials of the courageous Peter, faced with the possibility that they also wanted to kill him, the contours of Jesus' fortitude and his love for the will of God the Father can be better distinguished. On the one hand, there are the soldiers who fall to the ground when they hear the Lord's words; on the other, a servant girl is capable of morally subduing an impulsive fisherman with aggressive tendencies. What contrasts, what an abysmal difference between Jesus and Peter! But Peter was brave enough to the point of weeping over his mistakes.
Inside the high priest's house, on the other hand, besides Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, someone else is missing. Why was the Iscariot not there to accuse his Master, if he had already handed him over? Could it be that what he wanted to buy with the thirty pieces of silver could not wait until the following morning? Or perhaps in Gethsemane he wanted to give the impression that he was not really leading the crowd that was going to capture Jesus, but that he was only going to greet the Lord with a kiss, and now he lacked the courage to declare his opposition to Christ at the point of accusing him face to face? It is possible that he excused himself by saying that a minimum of two witnesses was necessary for a testimony to be legally valid. As if that process was a primordial legality! In any case, it was never clearer that sin weakens a person's will and divides him inwardly.
Nevertheless, that is precisely why every sinner has at least half of his heart still good, and is ready to be forgiven and converted if he repents with hope.
In the end, the members of the Sanhedrin get an open declaration from Jesus confessing to be the Messiah, the Son of God. That's enough, religiously there is nothing more to find out. Now they need the Roman crucifixion.
The Roman process
The Antonia tower was in the upper quarter and Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea, lived there. The business hours of the praetorium began at nine o'clock in the morning from the time Pilate had taken office, the year we now call 26 AD.
Some of the Sanhedrin would have addressed the procurator, perhaps in Latin, trying to convince him to condemn that seditious man, probably already known to Pilate. It was not convenient for him to oppose the Jewish leaders, because they had a lot of influence over the local population.
In times of "Pax romana"The maintenance of order was considered a great virtue of the ruler. So he listens to them, as he did to Jesus, and tries to create as little enmity as possible so as not to complicate his life.
Pilate does not care to know what the truth is, but only what kind of kingdom is that of the accused. Once again we see a so-called "contemporary" tendency already present twenty centuries ago: the contempt for the truth, believing that what is "for real"What matters is power, be it political, economic, religious or cultural. The range of human error is in fact very limited.
When Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean, he had the idea of taking the burden off his shoulders by sending him to Antipas. Attracted by the Passover, Herod Antipas was to be found in his palace in Zion, in the same upper quarter. But to him Jesus addressed no word. Herod also despised him, says the Gospel (cf. Lk 23:11), Jesus who was the truth (cf. Jn 14:6), and sent him back to Pilate. As a result, for the first time the despisers of the truth became friends. Anticipating the end of time, the lost were already gathered on the same side.
Neither the dream of his wife (cf. Mt 27:19), nor the custom of pardon, nor the preventive scourging were able to persuade the Roman procurator to be upright that time. It is necessary to clarify that the redactions of the Gospels, for diverse reasons of historical and religious conjunctural order, tend to exculpate Pilate and to blame the Jews more, so that it is convenient to ponder the question following more by the concrete actions of each person than the words or causal relations that can be being suggested.
The situation of the procurator was not easy, perhaps only with a heroic act he could get out of that predicament. Eventually he would have to face a whole revolt in his territory if he did not condemn Jesus. However, he also gave in to injustice and preferred to put an innocent man to death under torture rather than risk his political office and perhaps even his own life.
They are equal, we men are equal: pagans, Jews, Christians, old, young, contemporaries of Jesus, my contemporaries and yours.
Without God's help, we would have done the same or even worse than those of the first century. Before long, they, like some philosopher of the day before yesterday, would also say: "God is dead, and we have killed him".
The authorGustavo Milano
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The slender red brick tower that emerges from the steep silhouette of the mountains surrounding the El Grado reservoir gives an accurate idea of the situation in Torreciudad. This center of Marian devotion, rooted for centuries in the area and internationalized in the last forty years, has come to the forefront of the news by the appointment of a rector by the bishop of Barbastro-Monzon.
What is Torreciudad? Why was its rector appointed, until now, not by the diocesan bishop but by the regional vicar of Opus Dei in Spain? Is this decision in accordance with the law of the Church? How is the church supported?
A bit of history
What today is identified as Torreciudad comprises, in the foreground, the church designed by the team of architects led by Heliodoro Dols. This temple was built in the first half of the 70s of the twentieth century thanks to the donations of the faithful from various places encouraged by Opus Dei.
The new temple is located a few meters from the old 11th century hermitage that guarded the image of Our Lady of the Angels, patron saint of the region.
The ancient hermitage of Torreciudad
Between 1960 and 1975, the founder of the Opus DeiIn 1962, St. Josemaría Escrivá decided to build a new shrine to promote devotion to our Lady. In 1962 he concluded an agreement with the bishopric of Barbastro which, by means of a public deed, ceded in perpetuity the useable domain of the old shrine and the custody of the image of Our Lady to Opus Dei, as long as the conditions set out in the contract were fulfilled.
The new church of Torreciudad belongs to the Fundación Canónica Santuario Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Torreciudad.
The image of the Virgin
The image of the Virgin passed from the old hermitage to the new building when it was finished in 1975 after a restoration and the pertinent authorization of the then bishop of the diocese. Until then, the steepness of the area did not facilitate the arrival to the place and the central moment of devotion was the months between May and October, when the santera moved to the hermitage, where she did not live habitually. The celebration of the feast of Our Lady, in August, was the key date for the life of the hermitage of the Virgen de los Ángeles de Turris Civitatis.
Since then, the devotion has gone far beyond the borders of the Aragonese region. In fact, the Annual Report of the sanctuary corresponding to 2022 points to Madrid as the main origin of the pilgrims who come to Torreciudad with 28.79%, followed by Catalonia with 26.95%, and the Valencian Community with 12.71%. Pilgrims from outside Spain accounted for 14.82% of all those who came to Torreciudad in 2022. Among them, most came from France (36.23% of the total number of foreigners), Portugal (7.39%), the United States (7.22%) and Poland (7.13%).
Torreciudad is not currently considered a diocesan shrine, but an oratory of the Prelature of Opus Dei. For this reason, from the beginning, the rector has been appointed by Opus Dei. In the note of July 17, 2023, the bishopric of Barbastro-Monzon alluded to the need to "regularize the canonical situation of the sanctuary" as the justification for the appointment of a new rector by the diocesan bishop.
The bishopric did not specify the nature of this irregularity, but Opus Dei and the bishopric had begun talks to update the legal framework and to transform Torreciudad, if necessary, into a diocesan sanctuary.
In this case, the bishop has acted by applying the norms he considers applicable, formed by canons 556 and 557 of the Code of Canon Law.
Who finances Torreciudad?
Since the useful domain of the old hermitage of Torreciudad was ceded to Opus Dei, the Prelature has been in charge of its rehabilitation, maintenance and subsequent repairs, as well as promoting worship and guaranteeing access to pilgrims. It has also financed the construction of the new temple, which is sober in style and rooted in the local architectural tradition. To this must be added the modernization of the evangelization spaces that have been carried out in Torreciudad in recent years, which have given rise to modern museum and catechetical spaces.
The economic support of the Torreciudad complex corresponds to the civil association Patronato de Torreciudad, a non-profit entity declared of public utility that includes among its purposes the support of the Torreciudad sanctuary and the promotion of pilgrimages. It is currently chaired by a woman, Mª Victoria Zorzano. This Patronage gathers the donations and contributions necessary to cover the expenses of Torreciudad, which are added to the other sources of income. The diocese does not make any contribution. Since 1962, Torreciudad has paid an amount to the diocese in recognition of the bare property, which continues to belong to the diocese. The amount agreed at the time is currently equivalent to 19 euros per year.
What are the next steps?
Broadly speaking, the recent history of Torreciudad is characterized by the internationalization of Marian devotion and, above all, by its consolidation as a place of prayer for the family and for families.
In this context, the Marian Family Days, which take place every year, are a large number of celebrations that have been presided over, on many occasions, by bishops from numerous Spanish dioceses and in which the sanctity and future of the family have been placed in the hands of the Blessed Mother in a very special way.
The next one, on September 16, will be presided over by the bishop of the diocese of Barbastro-Monzon, Bishop Angel Perez Pueyo. By that date, it should have been clarified whether the legitimate rector is, according to the bishop's decision and since September 1, José Mairal, parish priest of Bolturina-Ubiergo, or the current rector. Ángel LasherasThe latter has appealed the last appointment to the competent Vatican dicastery.
The feeling is that a long judicial process could now begin to determine the validity of the arguments put forward by both parties, but also a period in which both could learn more about each other's reasons and reach an agreement that takes them into account.
The keys to the kingdom of heaven. XXI Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily.
Joseph Evans-August 24, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The Davidic monarchy-that is, the kings of David's lineage-organized their household in a specific way, and this included a chief minister who was the king's second-in-command. On behalf of the king was "father of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the house of Judah.". As a sign of this authority he received a key or keys, as the chief butler in a rich man's house might possess all the keys necessary to open every door in the house. In fact, the first reading continues: "It will open and no one will close; it will close and no one will open."
The image, deliberately chosen by Jesus, helps us to understand today's Gospel, in which Our Lord delivers to Peter "...".the keys to the kingdom of heaven". Jesus is making Peter, and the Popes after him, his chief minister on earth, father of the new people he is forming. And to make this even clearer, Our Lord continues: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." In the same way that only the chief minister could open or close some doors, the pope receives an authority that belongs to him alone. What the pope "binds", what he defines with authority or legislates in a permanent way for all to follow or believe, is ratified in heaven, but only because heaven has inspired this in him: "For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, the pope exercises this infallibility when "proclaims by a definitive act the doctrine in matters of faith and morals." (no. 891), that is, it is a teaching destined to last, to be sustained forever, not just a matter of an epoch. The Pope is not infallible every time he opens his mouth. In fact, he exercises his infallibility very rarely, although in practice, even in his ordinary, everyday utterances, we can assume that he has much more guidance from the Holy Spirit than we do.
God does not have a human advisor, not even an angelic one, as the second reading points out: "...God has no human advisor, not even an angelic one, as the second reading points out:"What an abyss of riches, of wisdom and knowledge that of God! How unfathomable his decisions and how untraceable his ways! Indeed, who knew the mind of the Lord? Or who was his counselor?" But even if we cannot "decipher" God's ways, He can reveal them. And He does so for our salvation. And having revealed His salvific truths to us, it makes sense that He has found a way for those truths to be transmitted over time without error. The Catholic affirmation of papal infallibility is not arrogance on the part of the Church. It is rather a recognition that, precisely because of human weakness (often seen in the Popes), God has intervened to ensure that this weakness does not damage or limit its truth. Papal infallibility simply shows us that the power of God is greater than human weakness.
Homily on the readings of the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.
Christ at the center of the educational process in Catholic schools
August marks the beginning of the academic year in the United States. Both public and private schools return to the classroom and Catholic schools are no exception.
August marks the beginning of the academic year in the United States. Public and private elementary, middle and high schools return to the classroom, beginning a new school year. Catholic schools are no exception. There are 5,920 elementary and high schools in the country with 1,700,000 students. Likewise, there are more than 200 Catholic universities attended by approximately 700,000 students. The oldest is Georgetown University in Washington D.C., founded by the Jesuits in 1789.
In the country, many elementary and middle schools are "parochial schools" that were born as an integral part of the parish community and are part of the parish; others are administered by religious congregations dedicated to education. These institutions stand out for the Christian faith and principles they transmit to their students: Christian morals, respect, service and self-discipline. These are not irrelevant issues, especially in the environment of public schools, places where ideas contrary to faith such as gender ideology or abortion are instilled in students. Another element for which Catholic institutions stand out is academic excellence and innovation.
In recent years, some Catholic institutions have initiated programs to be at the forefront of science and the humanities so that students can get an early introduction to science and the humanities. university or at least arrive with a solid foundation. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in 2021, Catholic elementary school students performed better in reading and math compared to public schools. Likewise, the high school graduation rate is 99%. 85% of graduates attend college. Catholic educational institutions incorporate faith, culture and life into their curricula. It is a scheme in which students, parents, teachers and administrators are involved and participate in the process. The faculty carries out their profession as a service to God, the church and their community.
Catholic schools in Los Angeles
One of the places where thousands of students returned to the classroom was in the Catholic schools of Los Angeles. On August 14, 68,000 students began classes in the Archdiocese's 250 elementary and secondary schools. This school year brings good news: enrollment has increased and innovative teaching programs continue. Paul Escala, Principal and Superintendent of these institutions said: "We are excited because after the end of the pandemic, enrollment has increased in the last two years. This increase is the largest in 30 years". Likewise, three very innovative programs continue with good results: the "STEM Network", that is, schools with programs oriented to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); the bilingual immersion program with a dual education system, English-Spanish and Mandarin English; and also micro-school programs, which as their name indicates, are institutions with a community of less than 100 people.
Paul Escala also expressed his gratitude to the philanthropic community that financially supports the schools and makes it possible for thousands of students to attend Catholic institutions. Unlike other educational systems in the world, Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States do not receive direct public funding from the federal government. They are financially autonomous; however, there are some states that have financial aid programs whose operation and eligibility vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. These include tuition vouchers, in which families with children in Catholic schools receive financial aid, and tax credits, in which the state provides tax incentives to taxpayers and educational institutions to provide scholarships to students who need them. Not all states have these incentives for Catholic education, as is the case of California.
To learn more about Catholic schools, Omnes interviewed Erick Ruvalcaba, head of Catholic mission and identity for the Catholic schools of the Catholic schools in Los Angeles.
Do Catholic schools in California receive any state or federal support, e.g., voucher or tax credit programs?
- No. Even though public schools are supported by the taxes we all pay, we don't have that benefit here. I am a parent and I have children in Catholic schools. I pay taxes to subsidize public educational institutions. However, I have to make a sacrifice to pay my children's tuition. But it is worth it because in public schools my children will not receive what we give them here: Christian values and principles based on faith.
What are the advantages of a Catholic school versus a public school?
- Christ is the center of the educational experience in our schools. We form leaders with Christian values. Our teachers transmit this Catholic identity to their students. God is at the center of everything we do. Faith is integrated into our daily activities, for example, in the Masses throughout the year, the prayer we initiate before any event, academic or athletic. We believe that schools are an instrument of evangelization for the church. The sacraments give foundation to our work and students have access to them. Parents enroll their children for the spiritual values we offer, but also for the excellent academic preparation. Public schools do not practice Christian faith and values.
In Los Angeles and other dioceses there are schools that focus their teaching around "STEM" subjects. What do these programs consist of?
- We have seven schools that are part of the STEM Network. These schools provide a holistic education that integrates mathematics, science and technology applied to the problems of daily life into the learning system. We also have ten schools that belong to the Dual Language Immersion Program. There is Mandarin (Chinese) and Spanish. In these programs, children are educated to read, write and master academic content in two languages, in addition to fostering a strong moral character based on the traditions of the Church. And finally we have 3 schools in the "Micro Schools Network". These are institutions with a small community of up to 90 students focused on learning on a personal level.
We know that there is a Catholic Education Foundation, which in the 2021-2022 cycle granted 13 million dollars to benefit more than 10,000 students. How can families benefit from a scholarship?
- One out of every six children in our schools has scholarships. Likewise, families can apply for the scholarship at the school where they wish to enroll their children and depending on their financial situation they will receive support. Each school has its own financial aid program. Parents can contact school administrators to find out specifically what support is available. But money should not be a problem to enroll children in Catholic school.
In January 2023, on the occasion of Catholic Schools Week, which is celebrated every year in the United States, Bishop Robert Barron noted, "We live in a society where a materialistic and secular philosophy reigns." "That is why I am convinced that especially now it is necessary to inculcate the Catholic ethos. The Catholic schools I attended (from elementary to college) gave me the opportunity to attend Mass, sacraments, religion classes, all enriched by the presence of priests and nuns. But perhaps the most important thing was the way in which those schools integrated faith and reason into the educational process."
Lay, celibate, of Opus Dei: "What makes you most happy is that the whole Church is salt and light for society".
In this interview, Pablo Álvarez, from Asturias, explains his vocation to Opus Dei and his contribution to the evangelizing mission through his daily life in his work and with the members of the parish to which he belongs.
Involved in his profession, he is a member of the board of directors of the Oviedo Press Association and of the Asturias College of Journalists. Pablo is an attaché of the Opus DeiHe maintains a close relationship with his parish priests and the members of his parish community.
Although he is used to being the one who "asks the questions" because of his professional work, he explains for Omnes what his vocation entails and influences his daily life.
-Being a member of Opus Dei means that God has called you and has placed you in a small plot of his vineyard for you to cultivate. The fruits, if there are any, are given by God himself if you don't get in the way too much. You are happy that your plot is productive, but what pleases you most is that the whole vineyard, the whole Church, is salt and light for society. You enjoy the high production of the other plots. In the Church, those who are focused on their particularism have not heard anything.
How do you participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church?
-In this small part of Opus Dei, the search for holiness is cultivated and disseminated in daily occupations. The Opus Dei It helps me to treat Jesus Christ as intensely as possible in the midst of a very competitive and fast-paced profession in search of news, interviews, reports... It helps me to develop my work as a journalist by avoiding sloppiness, being very respectful of people and seeking to tell truths that help citizens to situate themselves in the world. It encourages me to strive to make life more pleasant for those around me.
All this is beyond me on all sides. That is why in Opus Dei they help me not to get discouraged and to get up every time I fall, which usually happens several times a day.
How does Opus Dei influence your life?
-In many ways, but I will highlight one: in Opus Dei they tell me to my face what I am doing wrong, in an effort to make me improve. Whether I succeed is another matter, but the loyalty of others gives you a lot of peace and freedom: if you do something wrong, they will tell you and even pray for you to change. Christian life is great: it is a radical antidote to narcissism, it is a continuous putting you in your place.
When you belong to Opus Dei, there are people who think you are better than you really are. Many tell you: "Pray for me (or for my son, or my husband...), that you are closer to God. But you know what is there, and with a certain frequency someone will remind you of it.
For you, what embodies the figure of the Father in Opus Dei?
-The Father is the one who serves all. The one who clears the way. The one who has not a minute to devote to his hobbies. The one who has no right to put his tastes or his ideas first. I have never commanded anything in Opus Dei, but I do know that commanding in the Work is a chore because it forces you to listen to even the most stupid people as if what they say were interesting; to always put yourself in the place of others....
I myself have given "badges" to those in charge that I find inconceivable today. Father does all this 24 hours a day. And you pray for him to be very faithful to God and very loyal to the Church. So far, we have been very lucky with the four fathers God has given us: very intelligent, very holy, very humble people.
How do you collaborate with the parish and the bishop of the area?
-I get along very well with my archbishop, Jesús Sanz Montes, even though I have asked him rather uncomfortable questions in some interviews I have done with him. He has always rigorously respected my work and I am not aware of any threats of excommunication (laughs).
Don Jesús appreciates Opus Dei, and has said so publicly on many occasions. With my parish priests, the most plastic thing I can say is that they come to eat at my house quite often, even on Christmas Eve, and that we share illusions and concerns.
I really enjoy getting to know the people in my parish and, to tell the truth, I have no trouble understanding anyone. I think this open-mindedness is the fruit of the formation I received in the Work.
Pope praises Our Lady of Guadalupe, "model of evangelization".
In resuming his catechesis on the passion to evangelize, Pope Francis, during today's General Audience, presented Our Lady of Guadalupe as an "exceptional model" of evangelization, with the particularity that she announced Jesus by following "the path of inculturation" and appeared to St. Juan Diego, "an Indian of the people".
Francisco Otamendi-August 23, 2023-Reading time: 3minutes
"On our journey to rediscover our passion for proclaiming the Gospel, we look today to the Americas. Here evangelization has an ever-living source: Guadalupe"The Holy Father began his catechesis on the passion to evangelize, resumed after the break due to the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
"Certainly, the Gospel had already arrived there before those apparitions", continued the Papabut "unfortunately it had been accompanied by worldly interests, instead of the path of inculturation, disrespecting the indigenous peoples".
In Mexico -as in Lourdes and Fatima- "In Mexico -as in Lourdes and Fatima- "In Mexico -as in Lourdes and Fatima- Mary appeared to a humble and simple person, to an Indian whose name was Juan DiegoIn this way, she made her message reach all the faithful People of God. She proclaims Jesus in the way of inculturation, that is, by means of the language and culture of the indigenous people, and with her maternal closeness she manifests to all her children the love and consolation of her Immaculate Heart", the Roman Pontiff emphasized in the Audience of today.
In this regard, the Pope emphasized that "Our Lady of Guadalupe appears dressed in the clothing of the natives, speaks their language, welcomes and loves the local culture: she is Mother and under her mantle all children find a place".
As for St. Juan Diego, Francis emphasized that "he was a humble person, an Indian of the people: on him rested the gaze of God, who loves to work miracles through the little ones. Juan Diego had already come to faith as an adult and married. In December 1531 he was about 55 years old. While he was on his way, he saw the Mother of God on a hill, who tenderly called him 'my beloved little son Juanito'. He then sent him to the bishop to ask him to build a temple in the place where she had appeared. Juan Diego comes with the generosity of his pure heart, but he has to wait a long time".
"Mothers and grandmothers, the first announcers".
Francis made an aside at this point to remind grandmothers and mothers of the transmission of the faith. "In Mary, God became flesh and, through Mary, continues to become incarnate in the life of peoples. Our Lady proclaims God in the most appropriate language, the mother tongue. Yes, the Gospel is transmitted in the mother tongue. And I want to thank so many mothers and grandmothers who pass on the faith to their children and grandchildren, so that mothers and grandmothers are the first heralds of the Gospel, for their children and grandchildren," the Pope said.
The Holy Father continued: "And she communicates, as Mary shows, in simplicity: Our Lady always chooses the simple, on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico, as in Lourdes and Fatima: speaking to them, she speaks to each one, in a language suitable for all, understandable, like that of Jesus".
"Suffer wrongs with patience."
The Pope then focused on the difficulties encountered by the Indian St. Juan Diego, "who did not find it easy to be the Virgin's messenger; he had to face misunderstandings, difficulties and unforeseen events. This teaches us that to proclaim the Gospel it is not enough to bear witness to the good, but sometimes also to know how to suffer evils, with patience and constancy, without fear of conflicts," Francis stressed in the catechesis. "In those difficult moments, let us invoke Mary, our Mother, who always helps us, encourages us and guides us towards God."
The Pope recalled that the bishop did not believe in the apparition, and that Our Lady consoled him and asked him to try again. "In spite of zeal, the unexpected comes, sometimes from the Church herself. In announcing, in fact, it is not enough to bear witness to the good, it is necessary to know how to bear evil," the Pope said. "Even today, in so many places, inculturating the Gospel and evangelizing cultures requires perseverance and patience, we must not fear conflict, we must not be discouraged."
"Marian Shrines: Our Lady listens to us".
"Here is God's surprise: when there is will and obedience, He is able to accomplish something.
unexpected, in times and ways that we cannot foresee. And this is how the sanctuary asked by Our Lady", the Pope pointed out.
The Holy Father Francis concluded with a reference to Marian shrines. "Juan Diego leaves everything and, with the permission of the bishop, dedicates his life to the shrine. He welcomes pilgrims and evangelizes them. This is what happens in Marian shrines, the destination of pilgrimages and places of proclamation, where everyone feels at home and experiences a homesickness, a longing for Heaven. There, faith is welcomed in a simple and genuine, popular way, and the Virgin, as she said to Juan Diego, hears our cries and heals our pains".
"We need to go to these oases of consolation and mercy," the Pope encouraged, "where faith is expressed in the mother tongue, where the mother tongue is spoken, where the fatigues of life are placed in the arms of the Virgin and one returns to life with peace in one's heart."
Cologne: a cathedral as a symbol of centuries of faith
Built over more than six centuries according to the original 13th century plans, the cathedral is not only one of the most famous in the world, but also houses numerous artistic treasures.
Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, is one of the best-known cathedrals in the world, not least because of its unmistakable silhouette. It is also the most visited monument - by far - in Germany: the number of visitors amounted, in 2022, to 4.3 million, while the new Philharmonie in Hamburg and the Museum Island in Berlin, which rank second and third in this ranking, received 2.8 and 2.2 million visits, respectively.
However, the present Gothic cathedral was not the first cathedral in Cologne. When construction began in 1248, Christianity already had a history of at least ten centuries in this city on the Rhine. As its name indicates, Cologne was founded as a Roman colony (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, CCAA), on the land occupied at the beginning of our era by the legions I Germanica and XX Valeria Victrix. It was Claudius - emperor between 41 and 54 A.D. - who granted it the status of colonywith more imperial rights than the previous one oppidum. Claudius was married to the Agrippina who gave Cologne its name and who was the daughter of the general Germanicus.
Although there are hardly any sources on the spread of Christianity along the Rhine, it is assumed that it spread slowly, also in Cologne. In any case, the first known bishop is St. Maternus, who is named as such both in the synod of Rome in 313 and in the synod of Arles in 314. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of new kingdoms, the first documented bishop of the Frankish period is Evergislus (Eberigisil) in the 6th century. Bishop Hildebold received the title of archbishop from Charlemagne in 794-795. Since then, Cologne has been an archbishopric.
Although there are remains of earlier buildings, such as a late Roman baptistery and a Merovingian church from the 6th century, Cologne's first cathedral - the Carolingian cathedral - dates from the 9th century. Although it is often referred to as "Hildebold Cathedral", construction probably did not begin until after Hildebold's death in 818. It was consecrated in 870.
The Three Wise Men and Cologne Cathedral
On the site of this Carolingian cathedral, which Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden had demolished in April 1248, construction of the present cathedral began; the bishop laid the foundation stone on August 15, 1248. The construction of a new, much larger and richer cathedral is closely connected with the Magi, whose relic Archbishop Rainald von Dassel brought from Milan to Cologne in 1164. Considered to be one of the most important relics of Christianity, a luxurious reliquary, made by the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun between 1190 and 1225, is not only created to house them, and is considered to be the largest and most artistically accomplished preserved from the Middle Ages. In addition, this new cathedral is conceived as a kind of "reliquary" or "reliquary in stone". The cathedral chapter decided that it should be built in the Gothic style of the French cathedrals and that it should surpass in height the twelve Romanesque basilicas that already existed in the city.
– Supernatural translatio The Three Wise Men is a response to Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa's idea of "sacralizing" the empire, independently of and on the same level as the sancta ecclesia. To do this, he carried out three acts: first, in 1157 he added to imperium the predicate sacrumSince then, the expression "Holy Roman-Germanic Empire" spreads. Secondly, the "wise men from the East" (Mt 2:1) became the "three Magi", following the Old Testament tradition of, for example, Psalm 72 (71): "Let the kings of Sheba and Arabia offer him their gifts; let all the kings prostrate themselves before him". Thirdly, Frederick I ordered the canonization of Charlemagne: since Archbishop Rainald von Dassel of Cologne canonized him in Aachen in 1165, the emperor could count among his rowsnot only with the kings magicians, but also with a king saint.
The Mailaender Madonna of the Cologne Cathedral
It took more than six centuries to complete its construction: although construction began between 1248 and 1528, following the plans of the master builder Gerhard, work was interrupted for almost 300 years: it was not until 1823 that it was decided to complete the construction, following the original plans: on September 4, 1842, the King of Prussia Frederick William IV - after the Napoleonic wars, the Rhineland became a Prussian province - and Archbishop Johannes von Geissel lay the first stone for the construction of the western facade with the characteristic towers, 157 meters high; the completion is officially celebrated on October 15, 1880, although the mosaic of the choir would not be finished until 1899.
Relics and images of great devotion and artistic value
In addition to the relic of the Magi, Cologne Cathedral houses a number of masterpieces such as the Gero Cross ("Gerokreuz"), so called because it was commissioned by Archbishop Gero (bishop between 969 and 976). It is one of the oldest large crucifixes (2.88 meters) that have been preserved north of the Alps: made of oak wood towards the end of the 10th century, iconographically it is considered a turning point in the representation of the Savior; until then, depicted victorious in an upright position, he now appears suffering and human. Possibly it is due to new trends in theology, which at the end of the tenth century placed the redemptive death of Christ at the center of the doctrine. The Gero Cross served as a model for numerous medieval representations.
The third object of veneration, after the Magi and the Gero Cross, is the "Madonna of Milan" ("Mailänder Madonna") in the Cathedral. Sculpted around 1290 in polychrome wood, it is currently the oldest image of the Madonna in the Cathedral. Its name is due to the fact that it replaced a statue that Rainald von Dassel brought from Milan together with the Magi and that was destroyed in the fire of the previous cathedral. Of Gothic style, it is closely related to the figures of the choir pillar, a highlight of the Mannerist style of the full Gothic.
The Virgin of the votive offerings. Cologne Cathedral
In the chapel of daily celebration during the summer months - in winter, daily masses are celebrated in the chapel of the Most Holy - stands another of the cathedral's jewels: the altarpiece "of the Patrons of the City", considered to be Stefan Lochner's most important work and one of the most outstanding works of medieval painting in Cologne. The triptych, commissioned by the city council in 1426, has been in the cathedral since 1809. Merging Italian coloring with Flemish realism, Stefan Lochner depicted on the central panel the Magi adoring the Christ Child on the lap of his enthroned mother. In the wings are depicted the patron saints of Cologne: on the left, St. Ursula with her "eleven thousand virgins"; on the right, St. Gereon with soldiers of the Theban Legion. On the outside, when the altar is closed, the Annunciation of Mary can be seen.
One of the images that enjoy the greatest devotion is the "Schmuckmadonna" ("Virgin of the votive offerings"), as attested by the large number of candles that can always be found burning in front of it. The image is adorned with numerous pieces of jewelry from the 19th and 20th centuries as votive offerings in thanksgiving for favors received. The veneration of the image dates back to the end of the 17th century.
Croziers on display in Cologne Cathedral
Next to this image hang the "annual croziers": in gold-covered wood, they are placed above the entrance to the Treasure Chamber and indicate how many years the current archbishop has been in office. Year after year, another crozier is added on the anniversary of the archbishop's inauguration. Thus the inscription reads: "Quot pendere vides baculos, tot episcopus annos huic Aggripinae praefuit" ("As many croziers as you see hanging, so many years the bishop of Cologne resides"). The origin of this custom is unknown, but it appears in the travel report of Arnoldus Buchelius, from Utrecht, in 1587.
Buried personalities
In Cologne Cathedral are buried, besides some personalities such as Richeza, Queen of Poland (995-1063), the bishops of the diocese: from the aforementioned Gero († 976) and Rainald von Dassel († 1167) to the last ones, Cardinals Josef Frings († 1978), Joseph Höffner († 1987) and Joachim Meisner († 2017), the latter in the crypt built between 1958 and 1969.
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Father Dustin Feddon is the founder of "Joseph House", a house in Florida where he welcomes men who have been released from prison and want to rebuild their lives. Inspired by the example of Joseph, son of Jacob, this community wants to be a witness that all people have the potential to be good and to do good.
In Florida there is a house in which live men with diverse occupations and pasts who, however, share one characteristic: they have all been in prison. "Joseph House" is a home for ex-convicts who wish to rebuild their lives, having found hope in the Gospel.
The idea was born in the heart of the priest Dustin Feddon when he was still a seminarian. During his pastoral year, he felt that God was calling him "to serve those who are incarcerated or have been in prison". As a result, for years he has lived in the house with men who have been released from prison and spends much of his time accompanying those who are incarcerated, on death row or in solitary confinement.
Joseph House founder Dustin Feddon.
In this interview with Omnes, Feddon talks about his ministry, explains his vision for the U.S. prison system and the great reality of God's mercy in people's lives.
When did you realize you wanted to be a priest working in prisons?
– I was a seminarian and in my diocese we have a “pastoral year”, that is like a year of apprenticeship. During my internship I was assigned to a parish not far from where I am now. At that time I was already thinking that I wanted to do a ministry outside of the walls of the parish and the priest that I met during my internship suggested prisons and put me into contact with a gentleman that was the chaplain of death row and solitary confinement at that time.
I was still a seminarian but in my first couple of visits I felt strongly that within me there was something that was clarifying for my own vocation. Mother Teresa and others call it “the vocation within the vocation”, so I felt as though there was something happening inside of me that was leading me to dedicating my life to serving those that are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated.
How did Joseph House come to be and why did you decide to name it after Joseph?
– For me it started by going into Florida’s prisons in 2014. I started going to solitary confinement camps, going onto death row and other parts of the prisons. Getting to know the men that I would visit with, early on I had a few guys that would drop the name Joseph from the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, the son of Jacob, as being a story that inspired them because Joseph also was a estranged from his family, he was enslaved, incarcerated, he was put into confinement… And yet, he was a relentless dreamer. For the men that I would speak with about Joseph, I think it was in particular that they too felt themselves to be dreamers. And their dream kind of allowed them to be resilient in their present conditions, being imprisoned in Florida.
The capacity to dream meant that they had hope in their future, that one day they would be restored to their families and to society, and that they would be able to contribute something. Between 2013 and 2017, was when I started thinking about a place and community where men could come and live after their period of incarceration.
How do you help these men find hope through your ministry?
– There’s certainly a lot of sadness and despair in these prison cells and dorms that I go to visit. And yet I’m mystified and surprised with the hope that many of these men already have. They believe that, if given the opportunities, they can still live a good life and they can still fulfill their dreams. So, oftentimes, I just kind of wait until I listen to those faint echoes of hope inside of these men that I'm visiting. And then, I respond to that and I encourage it. I try to dream with them about their own hopes and desires. I certainly attribute that to God.
When you firmly believe that God is present in every situation and in every person, you never feel like there’s an utterly hopeless situation or person.
How do you talk about justice and hope to those waiting in the death row or solitary confinement?
– I’ve been with men that were awaiting execution and I’ve accompanied men to their execution, and at that point we talk about how the state of Florida, the warden, the governor, etc, ultimately don’t have power over their soul. Especially if the person is a believer, they know that God is infinitely merciful and is love itself, He’s their only judge, the ultimate judge, so they can discover liberation and hope in Him.
I’ve seen that for some men, this conjures a real sense and reality of hope. Though they are to be executed, they can still have a real hope that their life can be a witness to others and that ultimately God is their sustainer.
Has your ministry given you a different perspective on the sacrament of reconciliation, God's mercy, freedom and forgiveness?
– Yes. I think so much of my own understanding of Theology and my reading of Scripture, and the sacraments, has developed in new ways through my experience in the prisons, the faces of the men that I’ve served and that I’ve accompanied.
The sacrament of reconciliation is something, in a very particular way, that I’ve come to discover talking with men who committed murder, for example, is that in seeing their own transformation and their own ability to come into contact with that indestructible goodness that is inside of each one of us, and living their lives entirely in a state of mercy.
Most people won’t know what’s the worst thing that I’ve ever done, whereas for all of these men, it’s been published by most newspapers, it’s been broadcasted on the news, it's there on the Internet. The worst thing they've done is oftentimes what people actually first identify them with. And yet these men can live in a state of mercy, in a place of freedom.
I don’t mean to sound cheeky about this but there’s nothing that anyone in my parish, for the most part, is going to tell me, that is going to in any way probably outdo what I’ve heard in the prisons. And yet these men in prison have come to a place of freedom, of mercy, and I have a real sense of going into the sacrament of reconciliation that God’s mercy does triumph.
How do the activities of "Joseph House" allow these aspects of freedom and mercy to be fulfilled in the lives of prisoners?
– Well, the “house” part is important. It’s “Joseph House”, not “Joseph Community”, “Joseph programme” or “Joseph Institution”... It’s a home. “Joseph House” is like any typical middle class home where there are kids in high school or college. And I say that not to be condescending to the men that are here, that are adult men, but I mean it in terms of everyone’s going about doing their own thing. Here each guy is working, or going to school, or working on things here at the house, and we live our life together.
That’s why the word accompaniment is so important to me, because Joseph House is not about putting on them programmes and rigorous rules or whatever, it’s more about how do we live life together so that we can walk side by side with each other on this shared journey.
It must be hard for some of these men to leave prison behind, with all its loneliness, and enter a new chapter living with more people, right?
– That’s true. Different men respond in different ways. Some immediately acclimate and from the moment they get here they feel the confort, the warmth and the solidarity in the house. Other men, because of pretty serious traumas, take considerably more time and often we put a lot of high premium on therapy. Our guys have the opportunity to see therapists who will help them. We try to work in such a way that we are a therapeutic environment. We try not to force our men into socializing if they don’t want to.
Do you believe that there are aspects that should be treated mainly through psychological rather than spiritual channels?
– I believe that grace builds on nature. As someone who is a believer, a disciple of Christ committed to the Church, my ultimate hope is that each of the men that I accompany, visit or live with, that they come to discover God and His love in their lives. And I know also, because so many are wounded and have their own histories of trauma and tragedies, that it takes time for their minds, psychology and emotions to heal in a way that prepares them for the possibility of believing in a God that is all good, not a God that is a tyrant that just wants to punish. That takes time and sometimes requires the healing of the mind.
Volunteers and people working at "Joseph House" need to be prepared, how do you help them to deal with the different situations they may encounter?
– Knowing that our residents come to us from trauma-induced environments that foster exclusion, a sense of not belonging, violence, impoverishment, abuse, we at Joseph House seek to mitigate these effects by creating a therapeutic community that reinforces their dignity. Volunteers play a significant role in this community. Initially we relied heavily on volunteers because we had no staff. But now that we have staff, including a wonderful social worker, we are now able to train our volunteers to contribute to our community in ways that benefit our residents. As you might imagine it can be overwhelming for men who have been isolated from society to meet new people of all walks of life.
A therapeutic community prioritizes the dignity of each person and functions in a way to make it easier for each resident to become more fully themselves in relation to the greater community. We as a community fulfill this aim by modeling communication styles in daily life together that cultivates a desire to make our needs known and to understand each other more. Over time and with increased encounters, we model conflict resolution and our volunteers help us with this. As a house, we emphasize the value of daily living that opens new pathways for change. It is our mission to create a culture of hospitality and mutual living in community to model a safe and healing environment and trained volunteers are essential in this process.
What are your hopes and dreams for "Joseph House"?
– With Joseph House, my personal dream is that the men that we have served, that some of them, go on now to be the next generation of Joseph House. That they themselves become leaders in our community and that they are the ones that are really going to carry the legacy of Joseph House as a place where dignity is restored, where we come to find that we are all sisters and brothers, and for them to lead us forward. They are the ones that know most about the realities of where they come from, but also of what they’ve been able to do on the outside. My dream is that they’ll be our shepherds and prophets in the future.
And, of course, I would love more houses. Because I know there are many men and women who need this.
What do you think is missing right now in the U.S. prison system to treat people more humanely?
– There’s a lot missing. There’s the absence of anything that we could consider humane healthcare or education. But I think that the thing that is missing is the belief and the hope in restoration, the conviction that all people can be restored and redeemed. We need to know that the sum of us is not the worst part or our worst actions. I’d say that what’s missing is the conviction that justice can, and perhaps even ought, to be restorative.
In Florida, the criminal justice system equates justice with punishment or retribution. And so there’s a failure of vision beyond retribution and thinking about justice as something that can also contribute to restoration.
What do you expect from the U.S. prison system so that God can also be present in prison?
– The system is a sort of monster, an unruly institution. It’s hard to know where to begin. But I guess my hope would be that communities like Joseph House and other organizations that do the work of restorative justice, can be models of what it means when we see the potential in each person to become good and to do good.
And what I think that that means is that the justice system needs to start seeing the people that are oftentimes caught up in the system when they were kids, because they didn’t want to grow up to be criminals, something happened along the way. We have a mental health crisis also, and each person needs healing in a way. No person should be told that they are less than human or incapable of being redeemed.
This month, we recommend two completely different movies. The latest installment of the Mission: Impossible saga and the biopic about the creator of one of the most popular digital games of all time.
Mission:Impossible. Deadly Sentence. Part 1
With a title that sounds like a parody, comes yet another proposal (the seventh) of Mission Impossible, one of those movies that one can go to see to eat popcorn without getting a disappointment and being sold a pig in a poke.
Mission:Impossible. Deadly Sentence. Part 1
Diector: Christopher McQuarrie
Script: Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen
Actor: Tom Cruise
Broadcast: Cinemas
By now, we're confident that Tom knows what he's doing. Ethan Hunt and his team must find a terrifying new weapon (that threatens all of humanity!) before it falls into the wrong hands (villains with Eastern European accents, former office mates, global elitist cults...).
With a blablabla of catastrophic misfortunes threatening everything (control of the future, the fate of the world, the mass sterilization of bees that could unleash a armageddon), a fast-paced death race begins.
In this one, Ethan will have to choose between what he has always had to choose throughout the MI saga: either the mission, or the lives of his friends. Will he manage to outwit fate again this time? Will someone die at last who is not the one we expect?
Actually, we're going to have just as much fun.
Tetris
Henk Rogers is a video game developer who falls in love with a primitive and addictive version of Tetris. This passion and his desire to succeed and bring it to the masses, will lead him to mortgage everything and risk a little more to get in touch with the creator of the game, Alexey Pajitnov, travel to the USSR and get Tetris out of the Iron Curtain.
Tetris
DirectorJon S. Baird Writer
WriterNoah Pink
Actors: Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Mara Huf, Miles Barrow
Production: Apple
Communism, KGB, history of video games... we are faced with a good and refreshing combination of factors that Apple brings to the fore in a careful and pampered way.
A good proposal for all audiences.
The authorPatricio Sánchez-Jáuregui
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When the country is more topical than ever for its convulsive and violent electoral process and for making history with a referendum to stop oil exploitation in the Yasuní National Park, we interviewed Monsignor Adalberto Jiménez, Bishop Apostolic Vicar of Aguarico (Orellana, Amazonas) and president of REPAM (Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network) in Ecuador.
Marta Isabel González Álvarez-August 22, 2023-Reading time: 13minutes
His name is José Adalberto Jiménez Mendoza O.F.M. and he is celebrating his 54th birthday (23/6/1969, San Plácido, Portoviejo, Manabí) just on the days when we meet him in person in the middle of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Specifically, we met him at the headquarters of the Apostolic Vicariate of Aguarico, located in the town of Puerto Francisco de Orellana also known as "El Coca" (Orellana, Oriente Region).
Although her academic training is in Philosophy and Theology, she has also done higher studies in Spain, in Madrid, the Master in Family and Couple Therapy for Health Professionals at the Complutense University and Specialist in Humanistic Therapy, focused on the Person by the Laureano Cuesta Institute; and in Salamanca studies on Vocational Discernment and Spiritual Accompaniment and says she is very grateful for all this training because it has given her a professional depth from spirituality to her natural vocation of listening to people.
Since 2017 he has been the Vicar Apostolic Bishop of Aguarico, canton where the Cuyabeno Natural Reserve and Yasuní National Park are located. He belongs to the Franciscan family through the Congregation of Capuchin Fathers and this year 2023 he has been appointed president for Ecuador of REPAM (Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network). The Amazon has moved him and transformed him interiorly.
He defines himself as a humble successor to Monsignor Alejandro Labaka, the Spanish Capuchin bishop (Beizama, Guipúzoa) who dedicated 25 years of his life to studying the Waoranis or Huaoranis (one of the fourteen indigenous nationalities of Ecuador) and who, together with the Colombian nun Inés Arango, were martyred when they died. brutally murdered riddled by spears July 21, 1987.
What was it like to arrive in the Ecuadorian Amazon and what was the internal process of "ecological conversion"?
-Although I am now known as "the Bishop of the Amazon", I am first and foremost a Capuchin missionary. During my religious formation, when I was 18 years old, I had the opportunity to discover the Amazon for a year when I was a postulant. This period marked me enormously and awakened in me a special sensitivity for this region.
And although my studies and other missions that were entrusted to me did not allow me to resume contact with the Capuchin mission in the Amazon, this missionary spirit remained latent within me, which finally came to fruition with my appointment as Bishop of the Province of Francisco de Orellana.
I had asked the Lord to send me as a missionary to another region of the world and when I was appointed Bishop I was sent to this Church which is missionary in every sense. I believe that it was the place where the Lord was waiting for me to live my vocation as a missionary disciple, as Pastor of this Church in the Amazon.
In my long apostolic experience I cannot fail to mention the importance that the life of the Capuchin martyr Bishop Alejandro Labaka has had for me: his story and his commitment were a source of inspiration that soon awakened in me a deep concern about how to respond to the legacy of Bishop Alejandro from the Apostolic Vicariate. The doubt that assailed me was that, although I love the idea of becoming fully a missionary Bishop, I did not know deeply the whole region and its reality. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the many needs and realities so numerous and varied. But I have already set out on the road by frequently visiting the territory and the communities, which has allowed me to be closer to the people in their struggles, sorrows and joys.
Upon my arrival in the Amazon, I immediately joined the preparatory work for the Synod for the Amazon,The meeting was attended by Bishops of the Amazon, committed lay people, and various organizations such as Caritas and REPAM. This preparatory work was immense and allowed me to get to know in a concrete way the reality of this region that shares the same problems throughout the nine countries that are part of the Amazon basin.
This was undoubtedly the deep awakening of my option for the defense of life in the Amazon. I felt that, as pastor of the Church of Aguarico, together with all the pastoral agents, evangelization would only be possible if we are able to get involved in the defense of the Common Home, our Amazon rainforest, as Pope Francis asks. I felt the call to a pastoral care as a whole that, as a transversal axis, would have concrete people as its main objective, to the point of leading them with Christ to watch over the care of creation in this sacred Amazon rainforest.
In our vicariate the three main ecological problems we face are:
Irresponsible oil exploitation that has produced more than a thousand oil spills in the last 10 years.
2.- Predatory deforestation that destroys hundreds of hectares every day, without considering reforestation.
Illegal mining without respect for the most basic ecological norms has poisoned the rivers with heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and cyanide.
The process of ecological option is for me a legacy transmitted to me by Pope Francis, who, when he received me at the Vatican during my presentation as a new Bishop, told me: "Take care of the forest and its people". In reality, I still have to take steps towards the "ecological conversion", but I am on the way together with the missionaries of my Vicariate.
For those who read us and do not remember, tell us about the martyrdom that Monsignor Alejandro Labaka and Sister Inés Arango experienced at the hands of the indigenous people and what this testimony means for their Vicariate and for the whole Church in America and the world.
-Alejandro Labaka, born in Guipuzcoa (Spain), left China expelled in 1953 by Mao Tse-Tung and asked to come as a missionary to the Vicariate of Aguarico. At that time he was a friar and priest. He came to Ecuador and once he got to know the Amazon he fell in love with the jungle and its people, especially the most vulnerable, the Waoranis. He was adopted into a family. His adoptive father named Inigua is still living. When he was later appointed Bishop, he wanted to be surrounded, not only by his pastoral agents, missionaries, whites and mestizos, but he put at his side the Waorani family, as a clear sign of what his preferences were: the most vulnerable human groups of the jungle.
Another great missionary was Sister Inés Arango, a Tertiary Sister of the Holy Family. They met in the mission. She brought a great missionary fire in her heart to be close to minorities and concretely to uncontacted peoples (without contact with the dominant society and/or who having had some contact have chosen to live in isolation).
In 1987, seeing that the oil extractive operations were going to endanger the life of the peoples still without contact, these two great missionaries, in order to save these peoples from reduction and death, offered themselves and decided to go down to the hut where the Tagaeri-Taromenani were. The brothers and sisters of the community of these two missionaries told them not to go, that it was very dangerous, but they went in, leaving them this phrase that endures in time as a spiritual legacy for the new missionaries: "If we don't go, they will kill them".
I recommend our readers these two videos to learn more about Alejandro and Inés and the context we are talking about:
By accessing VIMEO you can watch with this link the complete documentary by Carlos Andrés Vera "Taromenani, the extermination of the hidden people" from 2007 and winner of the public award at the "One World" festival, Berlin: https://vimeo.com/35717321
Today these two missionaries, Inés and Alejandro, have been declared "Servants of God". They are the guide of our journey for the Church of the Amazon in Ecuador and in these 36 years we follow their missionary impulse. We are waiting for a miracle to continue their journey to holiness. Their bodies rest in the cathedral of El Coca and there they are visited by many people who come to the tombs of these martyrs of charity in the service of the faith.
In her honor, for 17 years, the missionaries of the Vicariate, together with the Capuchin friars and the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters, have organized a walk of more than 300 km and led by the Franciscan Friars, we travel from the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Cloud (Azogues, Cañar) to El Coca. This walk invites to personal, pastoral, spiritual and ecological conversion.
Our wish is that Alejandro and Inés continue accompanying us and promoting the mission of Christ and that they raise from Heaven new vocations for the Priestly, Religious and Lay life. We ask them to help us to be the missionary and synodal Church that our elder brother, Jesus Christ, the missionary of the Father, expects from us.
What is the current situation of your Vicariate and how is it, in terms of extension, natural wealth and population?
-The Vicariate of Aguarico is located in the province of Orellana, in the Amazonian Oriente Region of Ecuador and extends for some 22,000 km (14,000 miles).2. The river that crosses the entire province is the Napo River which, together with the Aguarico River, is one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. The Yasuní National Park is located here, one of the most diverse places in the world, inhabited by peoples in voluntary isolation such as the Tagaeri and Taromenani.
The 55,95% of the population lives in the urban area while the remaining 44,05% are scattered in rural areas. There are 86,493 inhabitants. 80% are indigenous, 17% are mestizos, 3% are tribes in isolation and 3% are uncontacted. The existing indigenous groups in the area were Kichwas, Sionas, Secoyas, Cofanes, Tetetes and Waoranis.
The Vicariate of Aguarico makes the following service centers available to the community:
Sector ofl service
Description
Quantity
Location
Education
Padre Miguel Gamboa Fiscomsional Educational Unit
1
El Coca
Boarding school for indigenous female students
1
UE Gamboa - Coca
Student dining room - Students from distant communities
1
UE Gamboa - Coca
Fiscomsional Educational Unit PCEI Yachana Inti (Matriz Coca)
1
El Coca
Fiscomsional Educational Unit PCEI Yachana Inti: 23 tutorial centers located in cantons
Monsignor Luis Alberto Luna Tobar Fiscomsional Educational Unit
1
Dayuma - El Triunfo
Health and social pastoral care
Franklin Tello Fiscomsional Hospital
1
Nuevo Rocafuerte
Shelter for the sick
1
Quito
Huaorani shelter
1
El Coca
Technical Office of the Social Pastoral
1
El Coca
Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery
1
El Coca
Pastoral formation and spirituality
Alejandro and Inés Spirituality Center
1
Tiputini Community
Pastoral training centers - Course houses
4
El Coca; Joya de los Sachas; Nuevo Rocafuerte; Pompeya; El Coca; Joya de los Sachas; Nuevo Rocafuerte; Pompeya
Environment and impact
LABSU Environmental Laboratory
1
El Coca
Alejandro Labaka Foundation
1
El Coca
TOTAL
21
Considering the 4 cantons where Yachana Inti has tutorial centers
The following table will show us the number of communities (villages, pastoral centers) that the missionaries attend, and also an estimated number of Catholics and non-Catholics. This gives us the approximate number of inhabitants that belong to the communities or pastoral centers where the missionary, evangelizing, social and environmental work is developed.
PASTORAL AREAS
EXISTING COMMUNITIES
NUMBER OF CATHOLICS
NUMBER OF NON-CATHOLICS
TOTAL INHABITANTS
Nuevo Rocafuerte
29
5.300
160
5.460
Pompeii
23
5.431
40
5.471
Indigenous Coca
73
17.571
288
17.859
Urban Coke
16
65.843
18.000
83.843
Yucca - Foxes
24
7.000
740
7.740
v. Aucas N
26
4.400
760
5.160
v. Aucas S
69
2.445
475
2.920
Sachas
87
35.244
7.210
42.454
TOTAL
347
143.234
27.673
170.907
Below, I will tell you, by pastoral zones, the places served, the chapels, catechists and animators. This information will actually mark the pulse of pastoral work starting from catechesis, as one of the significant pastoral activities of the vicariate.
PASTORAL AREAS
LOCATIONS SERVED
CATHOLIC CHAPELS
NON-CATHOLIC CHAPELS
CATECHISTS
ANIMATORS
Nuevo Rocafuerte
2
4
6
40
4
Pompeii
23
1
1
29
Indigenous Coca
71
6
6
105
95
Urban Coke
18
15
17
182
15
Yucca - Foxes
3
20
5
68
18
v. Aucas N
3
20
5
68
18
v. Aucas S
26
18
9
40
15
Sachas
18
14
6
68
17
Rocafuerte
88
86
16
300
50
Living in the Amazon has meant for me, to open myself to the variety of cultures, so I have met and shared with the indigenous nationalities Kichwas, Shuar, Secoyas, Waoranis and Cofanes. I live with admiration how, in this creation of God, all these peoples live in harmony with their cultural identity and their own language.
In addition to their own language, most of them have also learned Spanish and in sharing with the missionaries we can see the unity, joy and beauty of this "Living Pentecost" that the Spirit grants us.
Between indigenous and mestizos we have about a thousand catechists. One of the transversal axes of our evangelization is to promote the care of the "Common House", of this marvelous creation that God has given us.
I am very happy with the missionaries, men and women giving themselves with "parresia" to the mission, thus living the fourth dream that Pope Francis rules us in the exhortation "Dear Amazonia" "I dream of ecclesial communities full of life" (QA 61-69).
And I am especially pleased that some young indigenous people of different nationalities are committing themselves to the values of the Gospel from their own language and without losing their cultural tradition.
A lot of natural and human wealth, no doubt, but we also know that the Amazon is not simple, what are the main challenges you are currently facing?
-The Ecuadorian Amazon region occupies approximately half of the national territory and is inhabited by a small number of indigenous people and peasants, which makes it a complex region with a particular situation because successive governments have seen in this apparently unpopulated territory an area for mining and vegetable exploitation, but at the same time a territory to be colonized.
In the 1950s, oil exploitation began in our country, which also encouraged the settlement of workers, who unwittingly invaded the territories of the indigenous peoples.
These peoples are victims of the oil boom that transforms their ancestral lands into a simple source of resources to be exploited.
The 2019 Synod for the Amazon highlighted the serious abuses suffered by these peoples who find in the governments of the day a total indifference to the injustice of which they are victims in the name of a supposed development in which they do not participate, because, in exchange for the exploited wealth, they have reaped poverty, lack of access to education and health, They have reaped poverty, lack of access to education and health, even more so when the extraction of the Amazon's wealth has caused the appearance of catastrophic diseases related to mining and oil exploitation, such as skin and stomach cancer, as well as congenital malformations.
It is a great contradiction that, in this national space that generates the greatest wealth of our country, there are no educational or health centers that can respond to the urgent needs of its inhabitants.
As an evangelizing church that proclaims the good news to all peoples, we have also been faced with the prophetic challenge of courageously denouncing these abuses, inviting local and national government authorities to become ecologically and socially aware.
What has the celebration of the Synod for the Amazon, the final document and the Apostolic Exhortation "Dear Amazonia" meant for you and your Apostolic Vicariate?
-In the context that I have explained before, the Synod for the Amazon has been a strength for our church, because it has traced apostolic lines of struggle for integral and ecological conversion.
The Synod for Amazonia is the practical application of the encyclical Pope Francis' Laudato si'This encyclical is an urgent invitation to all humanity to save our planet. Its concrete application in our region is what is called the Synod of the Amazon, which the Pope concretized through the apostolic exhortation "Dear Amazon". where he encourages us to continue working for people in particular, fighting for their rights. This is what he tells us in the first dream: "the Church at the side of those who suffer" (QA 9-14). (QA 9-14).For me as pastor of the church, the concrete reality of the Vicariate and the Amazon has meant a fundamental option for the defense of this territory, defense translated into constant denunciations of the contamination of large companies that work in the extraction of soil resources, also after the Synod for the Amazon we have strengthened the integration into the liturgical celebrations of the population of indigenous peoples, in order to allow them through the appreciation of their own cultural expressions, integrated into the liturgy, to be more visible to the Ecuadorian society.
In the social area, the Vicariate accompanies several complaints before international tribunals demanding the environmental remediation of contaminated rivers and territories. We also support indigenous leaders who are being persecuted and threatened for their struggle in defense of their territory.
In the cultural field, we have developed forums, festivals, intercultural conferences with the participation of different social actors, so that these spaces of exchange allow us to continue embodying the dream of Pope Francis to preserve the richness of what today is the most important lung of humanity "where human beauty shines in so many different ways" (QA, 7). (QA, 7)
As a pastor I am committed to the fulfillment of the fourth dream, the "Ecclesial Dream" of Pope Francis in "Dear Amazonia", which is a call to our whole Church to be a present reality, "I dream of Christian communities capable of giving themselves and becoming incarnate in Amazonia, to the point of giving the Church new faces with Amazonian traits". (QA 61-110)
As if all this were not enough, he is also the president of REPAM in Ecuador. What does this responsibility entail?
-This responsibility of being in front of a network is a call to fraternal struggle where we listen to each other, we strive together sharing sadness, joys, hopes and the dream of saving our jungle, where the children of God who await his saving message are sheltered.
REPAM-Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network, has meant for me to adopt the theology of care and solidarity, because every Christian in the Amazon must make an evangelical commitment to care for each of the sources of life to preserve the peoples that are nourished by these sources: water, air, fauna, vegetation, culture.
Our joint struggle in solidarity is translated into our motto "YES TO LIFE AND NO TO DEATH IN THE AMAZON". Being part of REPAM is for me a personal and pastoral option that translates into: moving from the Christ of the tabernacle to the Christ who suffers in each Amazonian indigenous person, dispossessed and impoverished. To translate the ceremonies and celebrations into a concrete application of the Gospel in the person of the suffering, the weak and the persecuted, because the word only makes sense when it becomes life and transforms us.
REPAM promotes a diverse church "with an Amazonian face" in which the variety of peoples living in unity and communion is reflected, where -as the Final Document of the Synod for Amazonia- "Everything is interlinked."
The work we carry out at REPAM has four axes that respond to the 4 dreams of Pope Francis.
These axes are:
Human rights - social dream
Training - cultural dream
Communication - ecclesial dream
Nature care - Ecological dream
A concrete project of REPAM Ecuador, which is being carried out with the participation of the 6 Amazonian vicariates, is the reforestation of the Amazon through the planting and care of one million trees in the next 3 years.
In addition, we have been strengthened by linking up with groups such as Caritas Ecuador, Laudato si` Movementor the Ecumenical Movement Churches and Miningamong others, who are in favor of life at the national level and we have joined forces to denounce the abuses and not allow the damage to the peoples and territories to remain invisible.
Bishop José Adalberto Jiménez Mendoza O.F.M. with Pope Francis
We were able to participate with you in an Amazonian liturgy. How are the sacraments being inculturated here? What differences would there be with a classic rite? What do you think of the proposal to create the Amazonian Rite promoted by CEAMA and which we talked about with Mauricio Lopez, here at OMNES?
-In the larger cities of the Amazon, traditional church rites are respected in Eucharistic and sacramental celebrations. However, in the indigenous communities it is important that certain cultural symbols that connect with their spirituality, such as music and dance, allow these populations to express their feelings and find bridges of communication with the God of Life, from whom they gradually receive his saving message, in their own culture.
In the liturgical celebrations, both of the Word and of the Eucharist, we respect and welcome the liturgy offered by the Universal Church and it is within this liturgy that we have welcomed cultural manifestations of the peoples that enrich and fill with life and meaning the indigenous celebration.
For example, in the Eucharistic celebration, after asking God for forgiveness, there is an external human forgiveness that consists in approaching the other person (parents, compadres, godparents, godparents, siblings, children) and asking for forgiveness. The one who receives the words gives him a "kamachina", that is to say, he advises him to change the bad into good.
How are the young people of your Vicariate receiving the recent creation of the PUAM-Amazon University Program?
-Every education project is a hope for the Amazonian peoples and I am optimistic about the realization of this project, which will provide opportunities for young people who until now only had access to secondary education. Having a higher education center inserted in the middle of a territory, with a concrete reality, will allow the young beneficiaries, not only to acquire academic training, but also a training that will strengthen their awareness of the resources of their territory, creating new leaders who will defend the Amazon, one of the most important eco-regions in the world.
I congratulate and thank the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador - PUCE and the Conferencia Eclesial de la Amazonía for having created the PUAM-Amazon University Program.
At the moment, about 20 young Huaorani are benefiting from this project and are being accompanied so that they can achieve their goals. The accompaniment of religious communities is vital for their formation.
We hope that in the future these professionals will be the ones to take over and in turn be teachers of future generations in their own languages, which so far has not been possible in other universities.
The authorMarta Isabel González Álvarez
D. in journalism, expert in institutional communication and Communication for Solidarity. In Brussels she coordinated the communication of the international network CIDSE and in Rome the communication of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development with whom she continues to collaborate. Today she brings her experience to the department of socio-political advocacy campaigns and networking of Manos Unidas and coordinates the communication of the Enlázate por la Justicia network. Twitter: @migasocial
Cardinal John J. O'Connor (January 15, 1920 – May 3, 2000), Archbishop of New York from 1984-2000, who founded theSisters of Lifemust have been smiling down when seven new sisters took their perpetual vows on August 5th at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
In 1991, Cardinal O'Connor published an article entitled "Help Wanted: Sisters of Life". His vision was "for a religious community of women who would give themselves fully to the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life, beginning with the most vulnerable". On June 1, 1991, eight sisters gathered in New York to form the new community of the Sisters of Life. Today, over one-hundred sisters currently serve.
The ceremony of the vows
Cardinal Timothy Dolan was the principal celebrant, and concelebrants included Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska; and New York Archdiocese auxiliary bishops, Bishop Peter J. Byrne, Bishop John J. O'Hara, and Bishop Edmund J. Whalen; New York Archdiocese vicar general Msgr. Joseph P. LaMorte and Father Enrique Salvo, rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
In attendance were about 1500 family members, friends, sisters from the Sisters of Life, religious brothers, priests, and supporters, all of whom were there to welcome the new sisters and witness them take their perceptual vows.
The seven sisters who professed their perpetual vows are Mary Pieta, Mercy Marie, Mary Grace, Fidelity Grace, Zelie Maria Louis, Ann Immaculee' and Catherine Joy Marie.
The facets of a diamond
Omnes had a chance to speak to Sister Marie Veritas, S.V., Denver's local superior and mission coordinator. She shared what she finds most special when they celebrate a religious profession of vows: "I'm always struck first just by the beauty of their hearts and their voices as they profess their vows".
Sr. Marie Veritas also appreciates "the tradition in our community…that you take a title, a religious title after your name…and if they so wish and felt the Lord leading them to that, and…I think there's just something so special each year, and then this year about sharing the titles of the sisters the first time you hear them".
When the new sisters profess their vows and say their names and new title aloud, "it's kind of like this further revelation of their heart, of their personal unique charism or the personal graces the Lord has entrusted to them…the mysteries the Lord has asked them to live in a particular way..." said Sister Marie Veritas.
"It's almost like seeing the facets of a diamond, and each facet reflects the light in a unique way…and each of us reflects the glory of God in such a particular, unique, and unreputable way", she added.
In his homily, Cardinal Dolan asked those taking their perpetual vows to "change the culture of death into the culture of life". Their predecessors and new colleagues have committed themselves daily to that and take their call seriously.
"I think…choosing life over death, it's like a choice that we actually make every day", stated Sr. Marie Veritas. It's being aware of the truth that you are "beloved" and "precious".
The family charisma of "Sisters of Life".
The Sisters of Life work with the most vulnerable: the unborn, the unchosen, and their call is "to protect and enhance every life".
They recognize that "with that ache of the human heart…you can look for love in the wrong place… or substitute deaths for love". They encourage those with whom they encounter to choose love and to remember "our lives matter, that we are good, that we're sacred, that we're important".
Mother Mary Concepta, S.V., elected the Sisters of Life's new mother superior earlier this year, was there to pray with and for the new sisters. Her predecessor, Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., who recently retired from her 30-year tenure, was also in attendance. It was a family affair!
Diary of a priest in Lisbon. "Old dreamer and young prophets".
Fernando Mignone, a Canadian priest of Opus Dei, was one of the thousands of priests who attended World Youth Day.
Fernando Mignone-August 22, 2023-Reading time: 11minutes
"From the field", Mignone collected his impressions in a small "travel diary" that illustrates, in a privileged way, the moments, encounters and anecdotes of those intense days.
Monday 31. On this Air Transat flight 680 from Montreal, perhaps one third of the passengers are WYD pilgrims.
I arrive in Lisbon, entrusting myself to the Pope on the feast of St. Ignatius. I will sleep at the Montes Claros University Residence, together with 50 or 60 other priests of the Opus DeiThere are also lay residents from Europe and America.
Youth from Corpus Christi parish in Vancouver, Vancouver, who attended WYD
I am from the Work and I am here to celebrate Mass, preach and hear the confessions of 55 Canadian girls. I will also meet, when I can and as I can, with 25 Canadian boys, also connected to the Work. But they have another priest.
Confessions, encounters and selfies
Tuesday 1. I go to the Park of Forgiveness to hear confessions in five languages. It has 150 confessionals, built by prisoners. When I arrive, I happen to meet the six members of the Scholten family from Colorado and others from the states of Florida and Indiana from the Jesus Film Project. They have been invited by the WYD organizers to promote this initiative (see jesusfilm.org).
When I finish my confession, a Portuguese journalist from the Lusa agency interviews me in English. She wants to know what my message for young people is. "It is the Pope's message: Christ lives and we have to find him."
The author with young Noah Smith of Iowa.
I wait in line for an hour before I can board the city train, and in the hubbub I meet Noah Smith, from Des Moines, Iowa. He tells me that his father is a member of Opus Dei and that he is entering the Jesuit novitiate in September. We take a selfie.
In the afternoon I concelebrated Mass in the Parque Eduardo VII with the Patriarch of Lisbon, about eight thousand priests and hundreds of bishops, for more than half a million young people. How well the choir sings and the orchestra plays! The Marquis of Pombal seems to look at us in awe from his monument further down the hill, and in the background is the blue of the water.
Pope Francis arrives
Wednesday 2. ¡Francisco arrives! Meets with dignitaries. He quotes Camões: "Here... where the land ends and the sea begins". He speaks to them poetically of peace, dialogue, encounter, ecology, future, fraternity. Of having more children. "Where are they sailing to, Europe and the West, with the discarding of the elderly, the walls of thin wire, the tragedies at sea and the empty cradles? Where are they sailing to? Where are they going if, faced with the pain of living, they offer superficial and mistaken remedies, such as easy access to death, a solution of convenience that seems sweet, but in reality is more bitter than the waters of the sea? And I think of so many far-fetched laws on euthanasia... Lisbon, embraced by the ocean, nevertheless gives us reason for hope, it is a city of hope. An ocean of young people is flooding this welcoming city."
Pope prays Vespers with Portuguese bishops, priests, consecrated women... urging them not to lose heart, not to shrink, but to put out into the deep. He quotes the great Portuguese missionary Father António Vieira. "He said that God gave them a little land to be born on; but, making them look out over the ocean, he gave them the whole world to die on: 'To be born, a little land; to die, the whole earth; to be born, Portugal; to die, the world'. To cast our nets again and embrace the world with the hope of the Gospel: this is what we are called to do! It is not time to stop, it is not time to give up, it is not time to moor the boat on land or to look back; we do not have to evade this time because it frightens us and take refuge in forms and styles of the past".
Then Francis meets with victims of abuse, Ukrainian...
Thursday 3. The sea wind is blowing strongly: the wind of the Holy Spirit. It has been almost five years since the last in personas we say, after the pandemic, the Pope's youth. "Your old men shall have dreams, your young men shall have visions.". In a book I brought with me, God is young, Francis quotes Joel 3:1. And there he adds: "Old dreamers and young prophets are the way of salvation for our uprooted society".
In the morning, at the Catholic University, the Pope answers the testimonies of three girls and a boy, Beatriz, Mahoor, Mariana and Tomás. He tells the Portuguese university students that the two verbs of the pilgrim are to seek and to risk. "Study well what I am telling you. In the name of progress, the way has been opened to a great regression. You are the generation that can overcome this challenge, you have the most advanced scientific and technological instruments, but please do not fall into the trap of partial visions. Do not forget that we need an integral ecology; we need to listen to the suffering of the planet alongside that of the poor; we need to place the drama of desertification alongside that of refugees, the issue of migrations alongside that of the declining birth rate; we need to deal with the material dimension of life within a spiritual dimension. Not to create polarizations but visions of the whole."
Explains, in Scholas Ocurrentesa cultural organization for young people in almost 200 countries: "Sometimes in life, you have to get your hands dirty so as not to dirty your heart. A young evangelist, a Catholic, and a Muslim talk with Francisco about his project that unites art, culture and religion.
Welcoming ceremony in the afternoon. "Everyone, everyone, everyone fits in the Church!" the Pope cried out to almost a million young people. It was a beautiful event, the first multitudinous one with him. And he warns us not to fall into make-up, to look for "likes". And he speaks to them about vocation.
"You are not here by chance. The Lord called you, not only in these days, but from the beginning of your lives. He called all of us from the beginning of life. He called you by name. We hear the Word of God calling us by name. Try to imagine these words written in large letters; and then think that they are written inside each of you, in your hearts, as if forming the title of your life, the meaning of who you are: you have been called by nameYou, you, you, you, you, you, here, all of us, me, we were all called by name. We were not called automatically, we were called by name. Let us think about this: Jesus called me by name. They are words written in the heart, and then let us think that they are written inside each one of us, in our hearts, and they form a kind of the title of your life, the meaning of what we are, the meaning of what you are".
"You have been called by name. None of us is a Christian by chance, we were all called by name. At the beginning of the fabric of life, before the talents we have, before the shadows of the wounds we carry within us, we have been called. We have been called, why? Because we are loved. We have been called because we are loved. It is beautiful. In the eyes of God we are precious children, whom He calls every day to embrace, to encourage, to make of each one of us a unique, original masterpiece. Each of us is unique and is original, and the beauty of it all we cannot glimpse."
I have dinner with a new friend, Venezuelan pastor Rolando Rojas, whom I just bumped into. He attends the formation courses of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross (Opus Dei) in his diocese.
"Am I disgusted by poverty, by the poverty of others? Am I always looking for the distilled life, that which exists in my fantasy, but does not exist in reality? How many distilled lives, useless, that pass through life without leaving a trace, because their life has no weight!"
In a restaurant, I am talking to a stranger for the umpteenth time. This time it is the Austrian parish priest Martin Truttenberger, who has just crossed the Alps on a motorcycle in nine days! He hands out dozens of little medals of Our Lady in the cafeteria of the Catholic University, and then we ride the motorcycle to the Oratory of St. Josemaria.
The stage where the Way of the Cross in the afternoon has been built over the box where the Pope is, and it was there that the papal welcome took place yesterday and the Mass with the Patriarch on Tuesday. Blue towers, boldly climbed by the young actors, tied to ropes, transferring a wooden cross from one tower to another. A magnificent Stations of the Cross, exquisitely choreographed, among others by the well-known theater director Matilde Trocado, and magnificently acted by 50 young people from many countries, supported by hundreds of other musicians, singers or young workers behind the scenes. In all, the boys and girls come from some twenty countries.
This Stations of the Cross was prepared by Jesuit priests and Portuguese youth for two years, and the text highlights vulnerability and faith. In these years of synods on synodality, thousands of young people, with the help of the Dicastery for the Laitywere canvassed all over the world. Their concerns, weaknesses and wounds were incorporated into the text of the Way of the Cross: mental health (there is a testimony, recorded and shown on a large screen, of a young Portuguese man), loneliness, violence, fear, unemployment, the false illusions of social media, addictions, and two other recorded testimonies, that of a young Spanish woman who had an abortion and then converted, and that of a young American man who overcame addictions - both are on the podium very close to the Pope with their respective spouses.
This is what the Pope told us at the beginning of the Way of the Cross:
"(Moment of silence) Jesus, with his tenderness, wipes away our hidden tears, Jesus is waiting to fill our loneliness with his closeness. Jesus hopes to fill, with his closeness, our loneliness, how sad are the moments of loneliness! He is there, He wants to fill that loneliness. Jesus wants to fill our fear, your fear, my fear, those dark fears He wants to fill with His consolation, and He waits to push us, to embrace the risk of loving. Because you know it, you know it better than I do: to love is risky. You have to take the risk of loving. It is a risk, but it is worth taking, and He accompanies us in this. He always accompanies us. He always walks with us.
"He is always with us throughout our lives. I don't want to say much more. Today we are going to walk the path with him, the path of his suffering, the path of our anxieties, ... of our loneliness. Now, a second of silence and each one of us think of our own suffering, think of our own anxiety, think of our own miseries. Do not be afraid, think of them, and think of the desire for the soul to smile again. (Minute of silence) And Jesus walks to the Cross, dies on the Cross so that our soul may smile. Amen."
Saturday 5.Pope travels to Fatima, the capital of peace. Pray for peace. She prays the rosary with sick young people, in the Capelinha, in the place where Mary appeared to Sister Lucia Santos, Saint Jacinta and Saint Francisco Marto, on May 13, April, June, July, September and October of 1917, in the middle of the Great War. They pray to the "rushed - hurried" Virgin of the Visitation.
The author with Peter (Irish) and Mayara (Brazilian) O'Brien, whom he met in Lisbon.
At about one o'clock, I finish my pastoral work, and I meet an Irishman who married a Brazilian woman a year ago. catholicmatch.com and now live in Dublin. They dream of starting a Christian family.
All the pilgrims run, fly, walk towards the Parque de la Gracia. Let's see who gets there first! On the way, we meet, among many others, two Cuban seminarians, Lazaro and Dionne, who came with more than 200 pilgrims from their island.
Arriving at our sector around three o'clock in the afternoon, it is not easy to get a little piece of land to lay your head there tonight, to be able to see the Vigil ceremony, to see the Pope as he passes by. This sector must have been full before noon, and we had tickets.
Thank God for the audiovisual technology, for the giant screens, for the work of the 25,000 volunteers from more than twenty countries... Like Charlotte from Victoriaville, Quebec. "I came with the idea that I was content to see the Pope's little finger. But because I was in charge of security, I was able to see him four times from a few meters away."
From the podium-oratory, where the Pope and the altar are, the testimony of a Portuguese priest can be heard on the large screens, and the music that accompanies the dance, the Pope's speech, and above all, the transfigured Lord is adored. How solemnly the hymn sounds. Panis Angelicum! There are many other musical compositions.
The following day, Cardinal Manuel Clemente of Lisbon told Vatican News, "the conviction of these people. It is not easy, in a crowd, a crowd of this size. It was seen in all the celebrations ... It was not necessary for someone to ask for silence, immediately everyone fell silent ... in Eucharistic adoration, there were a million and a half young people, who lost sight of each other. But when the Blessed Sacrament was placed on the altar, what was it? Conviction, devotion...a very strong moment...no one said a word. The Blessed Sacrament was placed and? tck tckThey were silent. What is this? It's something from Heaven, it's not our doing."
Afterwards, party, fellowship, and try to sleep...
The final Holy Mass
Sunday 6. Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It is logical to say, in the singular, "World Youth Day", because everything culminates in the celebration of this Sunday Eucharist, in this case, given the calendar, liturgically the Transfiguration.
I see the Church transfigured, as I concelebrate with more than ten thousand priests and some 800 bishops, led by the Bishop of Rome: we consecrate the bread and wine that will nourish one and a half million young Christians from all countries, from the five continents, there are their banners. Transfigured Church of the 21st century.
In my thanksgiving after Communion, immune to the dehydrating sweat, I think that the world has turned the corner. How providential this pontiff is! He asks young people in his homily not to be afraid!! He prays a litany of "obrigados" at the end of the Mass, explaining to us that be bound means to commit, to act. He concludes: "Thank you to You, Lord Jesus. Thank you to you, Mary, our Mother; and now let us pray" the Angelus.
In the afternoon Francis invites volunteers to ride the wave of God's Love. "North of Lisbon there is a locality, Nazaréwhere you can admire waves that reach up to thirty meters high and are a worldwide attraction, especially for surfers who challenge them. ...You have faced a real wave; not of water, but of young people, young people who have flooded this city. But, with God's help, with a lot of generosity and supporting each other, you have challenged this great wave. Look at how brave you are. Thank you, obrigado! I want to tell you to continue in this way, to continue to stay on the waves of love, on the waves of charity, ¡be surfers of love!"
Monday 7. I visit Fatima, an hour and a half to the north, by bus. As I travel, I evaluate the WYD. Was this the best WYD? For this chronicler on foot, who has been to four, this was the most perfect, within the usual chaos. For the Pope, of his four WYDs (Rio de Janeiro, Krakow, Panama, Lisbon), this was the best organized.
Oh, what good people are the Portuguese, the Portuguese! They are simple, discreet, hardworking, welcoming, respectful of Christians. A tour guide says that there are Portuguese who are not Catholics but who go to Our Lady of Fatima in their needs. In Fatima one sees Portuguese penitents, advancing on their knees towards the Chapel of the Apparitions. On the Way of the Cross, a bunch of Italians from Comunione e Liberazione pray and sing under a mind-blowing sun.
Tuesday 8. I return to Montreal. On the plane, I meet my friend Father Richard Conlin, from Corpus Christi parish in Vancouver. He is traveling with 25 parishioners, young people from 16 to 24 years of age and adults accompanying them. The boys want to go to Seoul in 2027.
Wednesday 9. Francis arrived at the Vatican on Sunday night. There he sums up WYD. I transcribe in closing quotes from today's Papal Audience. "So many young people from all parts of the world, so many! To go to meet and encounter Jesus." Mary "guides the pilgrimage of young people in the footsteps of Jesus... As she did precisely a century ago in Portugal, in Fatima, when she addressed three children entrusting to them a message of faith and hope for the Church and for the world."
In Fatima, "I prayed for peace, because there are so many wars in all parts of the world, all of them".
"The young people of the world came to Lisbon in great numbers and with great enthusiasm... It was not a vacation, a tourist trip, nor was it a spiritual event, an end in itself; WYD is an encounter with the living Christ through the Church, young people go to meet Christ... I thank God for" the festive atmosphere. "Where there are young people there is trouble, they know how to do it well".
And while in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world there is fighting, and while in certain hidden rooms war is being planned, WYD has shown everyone that another world is possible. "A world of brothers and sisters, where the flags of all peoples fly together, side by side, without hatred, without fear, without closures, without weapons!". Will the "great ones of the earth" listen to this youthful enthusiasm that wants peace?
"It is a parable for our time, and even today Jesus says: 'He who has ears, let him hear; he who has eyes, let him see. We hope that the whole world will listen to this Youth Day and see this beauty of young people go forward."
The authorFernando Mignone
Montreal / Toronto
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The healing of Jimena during WYD, a young sixteen-year-old girl from Madrid who is practically blind, has moved the whole world. It happened on August 5, the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, on the last day of a novena that she and all her friends were making to ask for her healing. And it took place in the middle of the World Youth DayThe event was held in Lisbon, where Jimena attended to join an uncountable crowd of young people from all over the world.
I have been surprised (perhaps not too surprised) by the reaction of some journalists who, even with the evidence placed before their own eyes that this girl was blind and now sees, refuse to acknowledge this inexplicable fact, this possible miracle. They are simply seeing it with their own eyes, but they do not believe in miracles.
They are more blind than Jimena was. They have it right in front of their eyes and they don't see it.
In reality, this blindness is nothing more than the blindness suffered by our society as a whole. Our world does not believe in miracles. And even those of us who call ourselves believers find it difficult to believe in these extraordinary manifestations of the supernatural in our lives. The main reason is that we have a materialistic preconception of reality in which, even if we believe in the existence of God, we do not believe that God can act in material reality. We conceive of God and everything supernatural as a reality distinct and distant from material reality, without any connection whatsoever. The deistic vision of a watchmaker who sets in motion a machine that then works by itself has crept in.
But that is not the Christian view of God and his relationship with the world. God did not simply create the world millions of years ago. God continues to create it and sustain it in its existence. And as a loving Father, he is present in our lives and cares for us in his providence.
One day Jesus shouted for joy because the Father in heaven was hiding the mysteries of the Kingdom from the wise and intelligent and showing them to the simple (cf. Mt 11:25). Something like this is still happening today. For the millions of young people who, like Jimena, attended WYD, it seemed extraordinarily normal to them that God would work this possible miracle and they rejoiced with Jimena at her healing. Perhaps because during those days they themselves had lived in an atmosphere of spirituality and transcendence in which God was closely present.
Miracles are signs that God performs to show us the nearness of a Kingdom that is already among us. Jesus healed the blind, not only as an act of charity and mercy, but to teach us to see more deeply, with the eyes of faith.
The big question that springs up in my heart is, what did God want to tell us with this possible miracle? Undoubtedly the Lord has responded to the faith of Jimena and her friends who made that novena for her healing. How many young people would dare to tell their friends to join them in prayer to ask for something? It takes courage to do so, as D. Ignacio Munilla pointed out in a meeting with young people at WYD when commenting on this event.
But I also believe that God is telling us much more with this healing. He is confirming to the young people of the whole world on the road they have traveled hand in hand with Francis in these days that, like Mary, they must rise up and go out to meet their brothers and sisters, carrying Jesus in their hearts. That universal fraternity is possible. And that God, Emmanuel, walks with us as the close and real God.
And, as I said ChestertonThe most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen.
And now young people all over the world know it. They have seen it with their own eyes.
Teaching Delegate in the Diocese of Getafe since the 2010-2011 academic year, he has previously exercised this service in the Archbishopric of Pamplona and Tudela, for seven years (2003-2009). He currently combines this work with his dedication to youth ministry directing the Public Association of the Faithful 'Milicia de Santa Maria' and the educational association 'VEN Y VERÁS. EDUCATION', of which he is President.
Nearly 2,000 young people were able to study thanks to the CARF Foundation in 2022
1,915 seminarians, diocesan priests and religious from 79 different countries on five continents have been able to study in various church faculties thanks to the generosity of thousands of people through the CARF Foundation.
The CARF Foundation has presented its Notes to the consolidated financial statements for the year 2022. A year that saw a record number of donations that made it possible for 1,915 students from all over the world to study theology and philosophy in Rome and Pamplona.
– Supernatural CARF Foundation supported 1,915 seminarians, diocesan priests and religious from 79 different countries on five continents during the 2022 academic year. To finance their studies, the Foundation allocated €5,810,000 (including aid from the Board of Trustees for Social Action), which represents 67.6 % of the total resources applied during the 2022 academic year.
Likewise, the endowment The CARF Foundation's endowment fund has contributed 450,000 € for scholarships, which have represented 8 % of the total grants awarded.
More donations but negative fiscal year
According to the Annual Report, in 2022 recurrent and one-time donations reached €5,264,000. Of this total, €1,415,000 came from recurring donations and subscriptions, while €3,849,000 came from one-time donations. In fact, the CARF Foundation does not receive public subsidies and the approximately 5,300 annual donors guarantee the independence and continuity of the institution.
In this section, however, there has been a significant decrease in the resources from legacies and wills, which have reached 872,000 € in 2022, well below the 4,206,000 € received in 2021, and the total obtained from income and income derived from the management of the estate has also decreased to 533,000 € in 2022.
The decrease in these last two items has led to a negative year-end and the Foundation closed with a loss of €1,906,000 in 2022.
The work of the CARF Foundation
Despite this decline, the CARF Foundation continues to fulfill its objectives: to pray for vocations and priests, to spread its good name throughout the world and to help in the formation of priests so that no vocation as a seminarian, diocesan priest or religious is lost for lack of financial means.
Countries of origin of students supported by the CARF Foundation
CARF Foundation Campaigns
During 2022, the CARF Foundation promoted four donation campaigns with different missions: Donate cases of sacred vesselsThe seminarians, once they return to their dioceses to be ordained to the priesthood, can celebrate the Holy Mass in inaccessible places and with scarce resources.
Solidarity bequests and wills: your whole life to give it awayThe aim is to raise awareness about the importance of transcending your life in a perpetual way, and to continue to support priests and seminarians around the world;
the initiative Help us to sow the world with priests: may no vocation be lost. which aims to convey the urgency of promoting vocations, indispensable for the administration of the sacraments.
Finally, Priests, God's smile on earth: put a face to your donation, focuses on donors whose contribution exceeds 500 € per year to assign them a scholarship recipient, with name and surname, to whom their support will be destined.
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Currently, the community of Carmelitas Descalzas de Santiago de Compostela is composed of five nuns. At the beginning of the year 2022 they began a process to discern what to do with the community and have finally decided to close it.
Miguel Márquez, the community indicated that "in April 2022 our community began a period of discernment about its future, since we have been decreasing numerically to the point that it is really difficult to maintain a serene and contemplative rhythm of life, harmonizing our community with its own needs.
life of prayer and work," according to a communiqué from the order.
The same communiqué points out that all this process and the final decision have been contrasted at all times with the archbishops of Santiago and with the superiors of the Discalced Carmel, "both at the provincial and general level". The letter continues indicating that "from the Order of the Discalced Carmel we want to make clear that the Discalced Carmelites of Santiago de Compostela have looked for alternatives before deciding the cessation of the foundation. Specifically, they have requested to other monasteries of diverse countries that some Carmelite sister could reinforce this community. The current lack of vocations has made this possibility unfeasible".
However, since that option was discarded, the Carmelites have sought a means for the monastery to continue to have a religious life, an objective that has been achieved thanks to the Contemplative Carmelite Friars.
"When the community decided that we had to take the painful decision to leave our Carmel all the sisters had only one desire: that the church of Carmel would remain open, that the Virgin would continue to receive worship, that the monastery could continue to host a life of prayer and intercession and that the tomb and the Cause of Our Venerable Mother M.ª Antonia de Jesús would be taken care of", the Discalced Carmelites of Santiago de Compostela indicate in the letter to Father Miguel Márquez. Mother M.ª Antonia de Jesús, declared Venerable, is currently in the process of beatification.
In the order's communiqué, the Carmelites thank the archbishopric of Santiago for "its closeness and accompaniment during this difficult stage" and "the respect and affection that the city has always had for them".
The final dates for the closure of the community are still unknown, although it is expected to be during 2024.
The Vatican Astronomical Observatory is an educational and astronomical research institution funded by the Holy See.
It is currently based in Castel Gandandolfo, Italy, and operates a telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the United States.
AhNow you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
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Pope's Audience: "Mass is not simply listened to; it is celebrated and lived".
