March 2009
Monthly Archive
Way of the Cross – Good Friday
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 31 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish News
Lenten Concert – April 4
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 31 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Music, Parish News
WE PRAY. HE ANSWERS.
featuring the Notre Dame Choir
Christopher Mueller, director
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
8:00 p.m.
Church of Notre Dame
405 W 114th St
New York City
Suggested donation: $10, $5 for students and seniors
Theology on Tap – April 20
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 31 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish News
Join young adults for a series of lectures at Metro 53 Bar and Restaurant, 307 East 53rd Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues. The event is from 7pm-8:30pm.
The fifth lecture of 2009 is on April 20 by Mr. Chris Lowney, former managing director of JP Morgan and Catholic author. The topic for this night is “Heroic Living: Discover Your Purpose and Change the World.” On this night, he will talk about how we can articulate a purpose worth the rest of our life.
For more details, visit www.totnyc.org.
NYC Bill Targets Pro-Life Witness
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 31 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish News
From the Catholic Advocacy Network:
A bill is pending before the New York City Council (Intro 826) that would restrict the free speech rights of peaceful pro-life witnesses outside abortion clinics in the five boroughs of New York City. The bill is scheduled to be presented for a vote on Thursday, April 2. The Catholic Advocacy Network joins with the Catholic Community Relations Council in sharing concerns about this legislation. We urge you to read an article from the March 26 edition of Catholic New York (copied below), which explains the issue in more detail and suggests contacting your local New York City Council member. You can find the name, address and email of your Council representative here: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml.
“Bill Unfairly Targets Pro-Life Witness”
by Rosemary Ginty
A bill is pending before the New York City Council, Intro. 826, that would unfairly restrict the free speech rights of peaceful pro-life witnesses outside of abortion clinics.
Proponents of Intro. 826 argue that the bill is necessary to prevent people from blocking or obstructing the entrances to abortion clinics, and to prohibit “harassment” of those seeking to enter the clinics.
We entirely support the idea that anyone who damages property, or commits a legitimate offense against a person should be prosecuted.
But Intro. 826 goes far beyond that. It unconstitutionally infringes on the First Amendment right to free speech. The proposal contains vague and uncertain terms, that are left undefined and unclear. This would chill the free speech rights of persons seeking to provide information to women entering abortion clinics, out of fear of an arrest or civil suit based on an ambiguous law. It is a established principle of constitutional law that any prohibition of speech must be very clearly defined and very strictly limited, especially when the speech occurs in a public forum like the city sidewalks. Intro. 826 fails this test.
Witness for Life – April 4
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 31 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish News
From Sr. Lucie Marie, SV, and the archdiocesan Pro-Life / Family Life Office:
Dear CoWorkers of Life,
Join with the Sisters of Life – Saturday, April 4th First Saturday Witness for Life — Great Lenten Sacrifice and Offering!
Saturday, April 4, 2009 ~ 8 am Mass at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC
263 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Come to all or part of the morning.
Using the train take the #6 and arrive at Bleecker Street Station. Walk to 263 Mulberry St
Fr. Peter Pomposello will be the main celebrant.
Last month we had a verified turnaround by some of our sidewalk counselors – thanks to the prayers of all present and the great mercy of God!
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass begins our day in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral (the Sisters of Life will provide a singing Schola), Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows, and people can either remain in the Church to adore our Lord or attend the rosary procession to the local abortion clinic.
Upon return from the clinic (approx 10:15am) we will repose the Blessed Sacrament and have a social (complete with coffee and bagels) with a short (15 mins) presentation by the Sisters of Life. You will hear of concrete ways to be of service, as Co-Workers, helping vulnerable pregnant women that are currently being served by the Sisters.
Promote this to your friends and keep the spiritual success of this effort for Life in your daily prayers.
God Bless You.
Homilies for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 29 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Homilies
Today’s 10 o’clock Mass was preached by Fr. Tim Gardner, OP, a member of the English Province and the chaplain of Maria Fidelis Convent School in London. It was a pleasure to have Fr. Gardner and a group of his students visit St. Vincent Ferrer this morning.
Mass in Honor of Blessed Margaret of Costello – April 20
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 29 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Dominican Saints, Liturgical Feasts
On Monday, April 20, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer will celebrate of a Votive Mass in honor of Blessed Margaret of Costello. Mass will begin at 5:30 PM, and a light reception will follow.
Devotés of Blessed Margaret will know that her feast is April 13. Because this year the 13th falls within the Easter Octave, we are forced to observe her feast a week later.
For more on the life of Blessed Margaret, click here.
Holy Week Schedule
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 28 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts, Parish Events, Parish News
CONFESSIONS
Saturday, April 4: 4:30-5:30 PM
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, April 5-7: 11:30-12:00 Noon, 4:30-5:30 PM
Saturday, April 11: 4:00-6:00 PM
PALM SUNDAY, April 5
5:30 PM Saturday Vigil Mass, with music
8:00 AM Mass
10:00 AM Mass, with music
12:00 PM Solemn Mass, with choir
5:30 PM Mass
HOLY THURSDAY, April 9
The church will open at 7:30 AM.
8:00 AM Mass for those who cannot attend the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
7:30 PM Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 11:00 PM
GOOD FRIDAY, April 10
The church will open at 7:30 AM.
9:00 AM Office of Readings and Morning Prayer
1:00 PM Music and Reflections on the Lord’s Passion
3:00 PM Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion
5:30 PM Stations of the Cross
HOLY SATURDAY, April 11
The church will open at 7:30 AM.
9:00 AM Office of Readings and Morning Prayer
4:00-6:00 PM Confessions
8:00 PM Solemn Vigil of Easter
EASTER SUNDAY, April 12
8:00 AM Mass
10:00 AM Mass, with music
12:00 Noon Solemn Mass, with choir
There will be no 5:30 PM Mass on Easter Sunday afternoon.
Word to Life – March 27, 2009
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 27 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Word to Life
Solemnity of the Annunciation
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 25 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
All you who love Jerusalem, rejoice with her forever.
Happy Feast of the Annunciation! Today we celebrate the Eternal Word’s clothing of himself in our human flesh. At the word of the angel, Mary consented to the plan announced to her, and instantaneously the Word condescended to take residence in her womb, its first tabernacle, and immediately began his earthly mission of reconciling man to God. That mission would eventually take him to Calvary, where he would assume also our dead flesh, but only to raise it up again and ascend with it back to his rightful place beside the Father’s throne. When glimpsing the whole of Christ’s mission, from conception to ascension, we see how today’s remembrance of the Annunciation can prepare us for the upcoming celebrations of Holy Week.
For today’s celebration of the Office of Readings, Dominicans are given the option of using the following text for the second lesson. It is taken from the prayers of St. Catherine of Siena.
You, O Mary, have been made a book in which our rule is written today. In you today is written the eternal Father’s wisdom; in you today our human strength and freedom are revealed.
If I consider your own great counsel, eternal Trinity, I see that in your light you saw the dignity and nobility of the human race. So, just as love compelled you to draw us out of yourself, so that same love compelled you to buy us back when we were lost. In fact, you showed that you loved us before we existed, when you chose to draw us out of yourself only for love. But you have shown us greater love still by giving us yourself, shutting yourself up today in the pouch of our humanity. And what more could you have given us than to give us your very self? So you can truly ask us, “What should I or could I have done for you that I have not done?”
I see, then, that whatever your wisdom saw, in that great eternal council of yours, as best for our salvation, is what your mercy willed, and what your power has today accomplished.
Islam and the Catholic Church – March 29
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 24 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish News
“Islam and the Catholic Church:
How Past History is Shaping Today’s Events”
a presentation by
Andrew Bieszad
Sunday, March 29
3:00 PM
The Rochester Room
of the
Church of St. Thomas More
65 East 89th Street (between Park & Madison Avenues)
212-876-7719
Sponsored by the Education Committee of the Parish Council
For over 1,000 years there have been efforts to forge dialogue between Moslems and Catholics, two of the world’s three monotheistic religions that share the Abrahamic root. However, without a basic understanding of the foundation of the other’s belief, it is almost impossible to dialogue. Are there core beliefs that the two share? If so, what are they? If not, what can be done? Andrew Bieszad, an Islamic scholar, who has lectured extensively about Islam throughout the country, will provide an overview of Islam and its relevance to 21st-century Christianity.
Mr. Bieszad is a member of Pax Romana, an International Movement of Catholic Students and serves as their representative to the United Nations. He also serves as an Islam and Catholic-Moslem relations advisor to the National Catholic Students Coalition (the American branch of Pax Romana). His article, “The Secular Islam Summit Conference Report,” appeared in TELOS (Summer 2007), while another article entitled “Church Honor Lebanese Civil War Martyrs” appeared in Cedar News (July 13, 2008). Additionally, Mr. Bieszad has begun production on the video series “The Church and Militant Islam: A 1,000 Year Overview,” based on a five-part lecture series.
Saint Turibius de Mongrovejo (1538-1606)
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 23 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
This is a faithful and wise steward:
the Lord entrusted the care of his household to him,
so that he might give them their portion of food at the proper season.
From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
Of noble family and highly educated, he was professor of laws at the University of Salamanca, where his learning and virtue led to his appointment as Grand Inquisitor of Spain by Philip II and, though not of ecclesiastical rank, to his subsequent selection for the Archbishopric of Peru. He received Holy Orders in 1578 and two years later was consecrated bishop. He arrived at Payta, Peru, 600 miles from Lima, on 24 May, 1581. He began his mission work by travelling to Lima on foot, baptizing and teaching the natives. His favourite topic being: “Time is not our own, and we must give a strict account of it.” Three times he traversed the eighteen thousand miles of his diocese, generally on foot, defenceless and often alone; exposed to tempests, torrents, deserts, wild beasts, tropical heat, fevers, and savage tribes; baptizing and confirming nearly one half million souls, among them St. Rose of Lima, St. Francis Solano, Blessed Martin of Porres, and Blessed Masias. He built roads, school houses, and chapels innumerable, and many hospitals and convents, and founded the first American seminary at Lima in 1591. He assembled thirteen diocesan synods and three provincial councils.
Years before he died, he predicted the day and hour of his death. At Pacasmayo he contracted fever, but continued labouring to the last, arriving at Sana in a dying condition. Dragging himself to the sanctuary he received the Viaticum, expiring shortly after. He was beatified by Innocent XI in 1697 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726.
Lord,
through the apostolic work of Saint Turibius
and his unwavering love of truth,
you helped your Church to grow.
May your chosen people continue to grow in faith and holiness.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Theology in the City – March 23
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 21 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish Events, Parish News
Word to Life – March 20, 2009
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 20 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Word to Life
Click below to hear today’s discussion of the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Joining me on the show were Fr. John Farren, OP, the Director of Advancement for the Province of St. Joseph, and Fr. Joseph Johnson, rector of the Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul, MN.
“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.
Solzhenitsyn: A Life With No Lies – March 23
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 20 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish News
Pope Benedict on Saint Joseph
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 19 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Miscellaneous
At last evening’s celebration of First Vespers for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Pope Benedict exhorted the faithful gathered at Yaoundé’s Basilica of Mary, Queen of Apostles, to seek refuge in the paternity of Christ’s holy protector.
HOMILY AT FIRST VESPERS FOR SAINT JOSEPH
March 18, 2009
Dear Brother Cardinals and Bishops,
Priests and Deacons,
Consecrated Brothers and Sisters,
Friends from other Christian Confessions,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
It is a great joy to meet here to give thanks to God in this Basilica of Marie Reine des Apôtres in Mvolyé, raised on the site of the first church built by the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit who came to bring the Good News to Cameroon. Reflecting the apostolic fervour of those men whose hearts embraced the whole of your country, this place symbolically contains every portion of your land. And so, dear brothers and sisters, in deep spiritual closeness to all the Christian communities where you render service, we raise our prayer of praise this evening to the Father of lights.
In the presence of the representatives of other Christian confessions, to whom I extend my respectful and fraternal greetings, I wish to reflect on the figure of Saint Joseph, setting out from the words of Scripture offered to us in this evening’s liturgy.
Speaking to the crowd and to his disciples, Jesus declared: “You have only one Father” (Mt 23:9). There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world, “of all that is seen and unseen”. Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: “It is Christ the Lord whom you serve” (Col 3:24).
Pope Benedict in Africa
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 19 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Miscellaneous
On Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI departed Rome for a seven-day apostolic journey to Cameroon and Angola. As is now well known, controversy attached itself to the trip even before the Holy Father touched down in Yaoundé, his first stop. More on that below.
To keep up with the Pope’s speeches and homilies, bookmark the trip’s homepage on the Vatican website. For quick reference, I’ll post the links to Benedict’s texts as they become available in English.
Welcome Ceremony at Yaoundé Airport (March 17)
Meeting with Bishops of Cameroon (March 18)
Homily at First Vespers for Saint Joseph (March 18)
Meeting with Members of Muslim Community (March 18)
Homily at Mass in Amadou Ahidjo Stadium (March 19)
Publication of Instrumentum Laboris for Next African Synod (March 19)
Meeting with the Sick (March 19)
Meeting with the Special Council for the Synod of Bishops (March 19)
Farewell Ceremony at Yaoundé Airport (March 20)
Welcome Ceremony at Luanda Airport (March 20)
Meeting with Civil Authorities at Presidential Palace (March 20)
Meeting with Bishops of Angola and São Tomé (March 20)
Homily at Mass with Clergy, Religious, and Ecclesial Movements (March 21)
Meeting with Youth (March 21)
Sunday Mass in Cimangola Square (March 22)
Sunday Angelus (March 22)
Meeting with Catholic Movements for Promotion of Women (March 22)
Farewell Ceremony at Luanda Airport (March 23)
CONTROVERSY: The press has lodged a considerable protest against comments Pope Benedict made while en route to Africa regarding the continent’s HIV/Aids crisis. Opening his remarks, Benedict repeated what many others have been saying, that “safe-sex” education alone, primarily through the widespread distribution of condoms, will not stem the tide of the disease. In fact, the Holy Father added, reliance on condom-use might increase the problem. The secular reaction to this latter comment has been swift and fierce.
Saint Joseph
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 19 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
Joseph lived in the town of Nazareth
to fulfill what the prophets had foretold of Christ:
He will be called a Nazarean.
Happy Feast of Saint Joseph!
As the husband of Mary, St. Joseph holds a special place in God’s providence for the world’s salvation. His guidance and protection of the Holy Family, especially during its sojourn in Egypt, continues even now as St. Joseph exercises his fatherly care over the Church, Christ’s bride, as she sojourns through history toward its final fulfillment. Like Christ and Our Lady, we place ourselves and our families under his gentle protection.
As members of the Province of St. Joseph, we Dominicans here in the Eastern US celebrate today the feast of our great patron. Join us in prayer as we place our priestly and religious lives again into his firm and just hands. May he build up this province dedicated to him into a bulwark of faith, hope, and charity, a strong city of fraternal love and zeal for the Word.
And remember . . . just like Tuesday, when we remembered St. Patrick, today is a day of feasting.
Click here for more on the life of St. Joseph.
Father,
you entrusted our Savior to the care of Saint Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” – March 20
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 18 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Music, Parish News
Special discount tickets are available on select seats: Front Mezzanine or Mezzanine Boxes $60 (originally $75), Front and Rear Orchestra $48 (originally $60), Mezzanine $36 (originally $45), and Balcony $28 (originally $35).
This 20% discount is a gift from one of our parishioners. Advanced Sales Only.
You can order tickets online at jalc.org, remembering enter the promo code “Brahms” at checkout. Or you can call 212-721-6500 and mention both the promo code and your membership with St. Vincent Ferrer Church.
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386)
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 18 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
Those who are learned will be as radiant as the sky in all its beauty;
those who instruct the people in goodness will shine like the stars for all eternity.
Spanning one of the most interesting centuries in Christian history, the life of St. Cyril bears witness to the Church’s struggle and growth in the years just after her legal recognition by the Roman Empire. Accordingly, as a priest and later Bishop of Jerusalem, Cyril was both an instigator and a victim of the political and theological intrigue that defined the period between the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). Despite his sufferings, Cyril carried on a fruitful catechetical apostolate, for which he is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Through the collection of Cyril’s lectures that has come down to us we enjoy a glimpse into the liturgical life of the ancient Church.
Click here and here for more on the life of St. Cyril. Excerpts of his Jerusalem Catecheses can be found here and here.
Father,
through Cyril of Jerusalem
you led your Church to a deeper understanding
of the mysteries of salvation.
Let his prayers help us to know your Son better
and to have eternal life in all its fullness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Lenten Soup Supper – March 30
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 18 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish Events, Parish News
Lenten Mass and Adoration – March 18
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 18 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Parish Events, Parish News
This evening the parish will host a program of Lenten devotion, which will include Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, the opportunity for Confession, the chanting of Compline, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The schedule is as follows:
7:45 PM – The side door at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 66th Street will be opened
8:00 – Holy Mass
8:30 – Eucharistic Adoration and Confession
9:00 – Compline (Night Prayer)
9:15 – Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
This will be the second of our evenings of Lenten prayer. The third and last will be held on April 1. These evenings are open to all. Bring a friend, and enjoy some quiet time with the Lord. Come and prepare your heart to share in the Church’s Easter joy!
Saint Patrick (387-461)
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 17 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
Go, teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!
Given the yearly occurrence of today’s feast within the Lenten Season, the question inevitably arises somewhere around the beginning of March: Father, can we break our penance and drink a pint (or two) on St. Paddy’s Day? In its hair-splitting form, the answer to this question here in the Archdiocese of New York is: practically speaking, yes; technically, no.
Because in New York St. Patrick carries the double honor of being the principal patron of the diocese and the patron of the cathedral, his feast day is observed here as a solemnity. Therefore, the Church of New York celebrates the Feast of St. Patrick with all of the joy and pomp of a Sunday, which throughout the year—even in Lent!—is celebrated as a “little Easter.” Hence, in keeping with the Church’s solemn celebrations, which seem to exclude fasting, we should in our homes mark this day with some sort of joyous feasting.
So to answer the question above, we can break our fasts without really breaking our fasts, for we shouldn’t fast today at all. Of course, it goes without saying that we celebrate with due moderation, and perhaps even within the overall spirit of Lent. We have to save something for Easter, after all.
An excellent way to fete St. Patrick is to recall his life and virtues, which after centuries still stand out for praise and imitation. Today’s Office of Readings gives us a short passage from the Confession of St. Patrick on which to meditate. In it, Patrick reflects humbly on his vocation as a priest and bishop. His holiness seen in this response to the Lord’s promptings is the real cause of our celebration today.
I give unceasing thanks to my God, who kept me faithful in the day of my testing. Today I can offer him sacrifice with confidence, giving myself as a living victim to Christ, my Lord, who kept me safe through all my trials. I can say now: Who am I, Lord, and what is my calling, that you worked through me with such divine power? You did all this so that today among the Gentiles I might constantly rejoice and glorify you name wherever I may be, both in prosperity and in adversity. You did it so that, whatever happened to me, I might accept good and evil equally, always giving thanks to God. God is never to be doubted. He answered my prayer in such a way that in the last days, ignorant though I am, I might be bold enough to take up so holy and so wonderful a task, and imitate in some degree those whom the Lord had so long ago foretold as heralds of his Gospel, bearing witness to all nations.
Simply beautiful. For more on the life of St. Patrick, Patron of Ireland, click here.
God our Father,
you sent Saint Patrick
to preach your glory to the people of Ireland.
By the help of his prayers,
may all Christians proclaim your love to all men.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Pope Benedict Announces “Year for Priests”
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 16 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Miscellaneous
Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI announced that following the current “Year of St. Paul” the Church will observe a “Year for Priests” (“Anno Sacerdotale”).
Here are the initial details published by the Vatican Information Service:
VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2009 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican the Holy Father received members of the Congregation for the Clergy, who are currently celebrating their plenary assembly on the theme: “The missionary identity of priests in the Church as an intrinsic dimension of the exercise of the ‘tre munera’”.
“The missionary dimension of a priest arises from his sacramental configuration to Christ the Head”, said the Pope. This involves “total adherence to what ecclesial tradition has identified as ‘apostolica vivendi forma’, which consists in participation … in that ‘new way of life’ which was inaugurated by the Lord Jesus and which the Apostles made their own”.
Benedict XVI highlighted the “indispensable struggle for moral perfection which must dwell in every truly priestly heart. In order to favour this tendency of priests towards spiritual perfection, upon which the effectiveness of their ministry principally depends, I have”, he said, “decided to call a special ‘Year for Priests’ which will run from 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010″. This year marks “the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly ‘Cure of Ars’, Jean Marie Vianney, a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ’s flock”.
“The ecclesial, communional, hierarchical and doctrinal dimension is absolutely indispensable for any authentic mission, and this alone guarantees its spiritual effectiveness”, he said.
“The mission is ‘ecclesial’”, said the Pope, “because no-one announces or brings themselves, … but brings Another, God Himself, to the world. God is the only wealth that, definitively, mankind wishes to find in a priest.
“The mission is ‘communional’ because it takes place in a unity and communion which only at a secondary level possess important aspects of social visibility. … The ‘hierarchical’ and ‘doctrinal’ dimensions emphasise the importance of ecclesiastical discipline (a term related to that of ‘disciple’) and of doctrinal (not just theological, initial and permanent) formation”.
Benedict XVI stressed the need to “have care for the formation of candidates to the priesthood”, a formation that must maintain “communion with unbroken ecclesial Tradition, without pausing or being tempted by discontinuity. In this context, it is important to encourage priests, especially the young generations, to a correct reading of the texts of Vatican Council II, interpreted in the light of all the Church’s doctrinal inheritance”.
Priests must be “present, identifiable and recognisable – for their judgement of faith, personal virtues and attire – in the fields of culture and of charity which have always been at the heart of the Church’s mission”.
“The centrality of Christ leads to a correct valuation of priestly ministry, without which there would be no Eucharist, no mission, not even the Church. It is necessary then, to ensure that ‘new structures’ or pastoral organisations are not planned for a time in which it will be possible to ‘do without’ ordained ministry, on the basis of an erroneous interpretation of the promotion of the laity, because this would lay the foundations for a further dilution in priestly ministry, and any supposed ‘solutions’ would, in fact, dramatically coincide with the real causes of the problems currently affecting the ministry”.
Lenten Concert – March 22
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 16 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Music, Parish Events
Anonymous 4 at Corpus Christi Church – March 19
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 15 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Music, Parish News
Click here for ticket prices and other information.
As anyone familiar with Anonymous 4 will tell you, these ladies can sing. Click the Youtube video below for a sampling of their talent.
US Bishops Respond to Presidential Action on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 14 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Miscellaneous
Speaking for the nations bishops, Justin Cardinal Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia and chairman of the US Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, responded to President Obama’s March 9th executive order rescinding President Bush’s ban on using taxpayer monies for stem cell research that includes the creation and destruction of human embryos. Here is the text of his statement:
President Obama’s new executive order on embryonic stem cell research is a sad victory of politics over science and ethics. This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested. It also disregards the values of millions of American taxpayers who oppose research that requires taking human life. Finally, it ignores the fact that ethically sound means for advancing stem cell science and medical treatments are readily available and in need of increased support.
In his January 16th letter to President-elect Obama, Cardinal George, writing as President of the USCCB, cited three reasons why such destructive research is ‘especially pointless at this time’:
- First, basic research in the capabilities of embryonic stem cells can be and is being pursued using the currently eligible cell lines as well as the hundreds of lines produced with nonfederal funds since 2001.
- Second, recent startling advances in reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells – hailed by the journal Science as the scientific breakthrough of the year – are said by many scientists to be making embryonic stem cells irrelevant to medical progress.
- Third, adult and cord blood stem cells are now known to have great versatility, and are increasingly being used to reverse serious illnesses and even help rebuild damaged organs. To divert scarce funds away from these promising avenues for research and treatment toward the avenue that is most morally controversial as well as most medically speculative would be a sad victory of politics over science.
If the government wants to invest in hope for cures and promote ethically sound science, it should use our tax monies for research that everyone, at every stage of human development, can live with.
Further Catholic commentary can be found here and here.
As it turns out, two days later President Obama outlawed what he had just allowed when he signed the federal omnibus spending bill, which again this year included the Dickey-Wicker Amendment. But in the Byzantine world of American politics, things are not always what they appear to be. Scratching below the surface, this article suggests that the recension of the executive ban will only increase pressure to abolish Dickey-Wicker from future spending bills.
Something else to remember . . . these executive and congressional actions affect only the use of federal dollars for research that involves the creation and destruction of human embryos. There are no limits placed on private monies being used for such research. Until embryonic human life is protected by law, it will remain an “ethical” scientific commodity, susceptible to buying and selling, and thus subject to callous creation and destruction.
Word to Life – March 13, 2009
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 13 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Word to Life
Click below for today’s broadcast of “Word to Life.” Joining me to discuss the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent were Fr. James Cuddy, OP, from the Church of St. Louis Bertrand in Louisville, KY, and Fr. Gabriel Gillen, OP, from the Church of St. Catherine of Siena here in Manhattan.
“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.