CSVF Blog

Click below for audio of this year’s St. Thomas Day Lecture, delivered last Thursday evening by Rev. Brian Davies, OP, a Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University. The topic of Fr. Davies’ address was “The New Atheism: Its Virtues and Its Vices.”

Over the course of his remarks, Fr. Davies argued several important points.  First, he chronicled the development of the movement popularly called the “New Atheism,” distinguishing it from what he called the “Old Atheism” of previous centuries.  Then, he listed certain strengths of the New Atheism, and several points of agreement it shares with the classical Christian tradition, especially in the articulation given it by St. Thomas Aquinas.  Finally, Fr. Davies challenged the claim of the New Atheism to have scientifically disproved God’s existence.  The Dominican philosopher explained that these scientific arguments do not actually touch the question of God’s existence as understood by classical theists.  In other words, classical Christianity has never held the existence of God to be a scientific thesis, provable or unprovable through scientific experimentation.  Rather, the Christian tradition has always explained the rationality of belief in God’s existence through philosophical investigation, a reality which, according to Fr. Davies, key authors of the New Atheism—Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett—inexplicably ignore.

St. Thomas Day Lecture 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

St. Thomas Day Lecture 2010 - Q & A Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

2 Comments »

At last Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Benedict continued his reflection on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages by focusing on the life and virtues of St. Francis of Assisi.

GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
January 27, 2010

Dear brothers and sisters,

In a recent catechesis, I already illustrated the providential role that the Order of Friars Minor and the Order of Preachers, founded respectively by St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic Guzmán, had in the renewal of the Church of their time. Today I would like to present to you the figure of Francis, an authentic “giant” of holiness, who continues to fascinate very many people of every age and every religion.

“A son is born to the world.” With these words, in the Divine Comedy (Paradiso, Canto XI), the greatest Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, alludes to Francis’ birth, which occurred at the end of 1181 or the beginning of 1182, in Assisi. Belonging to a wealthy family — his father was a textile merchant — Francis enjoyed a carefree adolescence and youth, cultivating the chivalrous ideals of the time. When he was 20 he took part in a military campaign, and was taken prisoner. He became ill and was released. After his return to Assisi, a slow process of spiritual conversion began in him, which led him to abandon gradually the worldly lifestyle he had practiced until then.

Striking at this time are the famous episodes of the meeting with the leper — to whom Francis, getting off his horse, gave the kiss of peace; and the message of the Crucifix in the little church of San Damiano. Three times the crucified Christ came to life and said to him: “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins.” This simple event of the Word of the Lord heard in the church of San Damiano hides a profound symbolism. Immediately, St. Francis is called to repair this little church, but the ruinous state of this building is a symbol of the tragic and disturbing situation of the Church itself at that time, with a superficial faith that does not form and transform life, with a clergy lacking in zeal, with the cooling off of love; an interior destruction of the Church that also implied a decomposition of unity, with the birth of heretical movements.

However, at the center of this Church in ruins is the Crucified and he speaks: he calls to renewal, he calls Francis to manual labor to repair concretely the little church of San Damiano, symbol of the more profound call to renew the Church of Christ itself, with his radical faith and his enthusiastic love for Christ.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

No Comments »

Join us on Saturday, February 13, for the parish’s annual Mardi Gras Party!

Beginning at 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall, the party will include dinner and drinks, live music, door prizes and a raffle.  All this for $25 per person!

Tickets are available after all weekend Masses.  You may also purchase them in the Parish Office.  Please call 212-744-2080 for more information.

No Comments »

The winter-spring session of the parish’s Bible study will focus on the Acts of the Apostles.

The session will run for 7 weeks on Wednesdays, beginning February 17th, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.  Meetings are held in St. Vincent Ferrer High School (151 E. 65th Street).  To register, please call the Parish Office at 212-744-2080.

Call now!  Space is limited.

No Comments »

The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer has collected nearly $10,000 to support the relief efforts in Haiti.  Please continue to send in your contributions to: Archdiocese of New York / 1011 First Avenue / New York, NY  10022.  Please write “Haitian Relief” on the memo line of your check.

Thank you, and keep the people of Haiti in your prayers!

No Comments »

Click below to hear this week’s edition of “Word to Life.”

Joining me on the show today to discuss the readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time was Br. Austin Litke, O.P., a student brother at the Dominican House of Studies and one of the Provinces’s four new deacons.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday at 1:00 PM EST on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - January 29, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

Praise the holy name of the Lord;
the heart that seeks him will rejoice.

From the Catholic News Agency:

Villana de’Botti was a wife and a Third Order Dominican. She was born in Florence in 1332. She was a very pious child, and at age 13 she ran away from home to join a convent. She was refused and returned home. Soon after, her family married her to Rosso di Piero.

The rejection at the convent and the marriage seemed to change Villana. She became lazy and worldly, concerned only with pleasure. One day, as she was getting dressed, her reflection in her mirrors suddenly changed to a demon. Villana understood this to be a reflection of her sinful soul. She tore off her clothes, put on something poor and simple, and ran to the Dominican Fathers for help.

She became a Dominican tertiary, concentrated on her vocation of married life, and spent her free time praying and reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. She was given to religious ecstasies at Mass, visions of Our Lady and the saints, and had the gift of prophecy. She became the object of much ridicule and slander, but even her fiercest opponents eventually came to see her as a living saint.

She died in 1361 of natural causes at the age of 30. Her body was taken to the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, which was under the care of the Dominican Fathers. The priests were unable to bury her for a month due to the constant crowd of mourners. She was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1824.

For more on the life of Blessed Villana, click here.

O God, our merciful Father,
you called Blessed Villana back
from the emptiness of the world
and aroused in her a spirit
of humility and true penitence.
Recreate in our hearts the power of your love
and, filled by that same spirit,
may we serve you in newness of life.

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.

No Comments »

Click the image above for a special offer from Crossroads Cultural Center.

No Comments »

May Christ be praised, the King of glory,
who fills the world with the teaching of grace through Thomas,
the light of the Church.

Of the many Dominican customs I have come to cherish, one stands out for me. When we friars gather in choir before the Blessed Sacrament, we begin our prayer by kneeling and reciting the O sacrum convivium, an antiphon that honors the Eucharist and calls to mind its most prominent graces.

O sacrum convivium!
in quo Christus sumitur:
recolitur memoria passionis ejus:
mens impletur gratia:
et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.

O sacred banquet,
in which Christ becomes our food,
the memory of his Passion is recalled,
the soul is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

Memorized quickly by every Dominican novice, this antiphon was written by the saint we honor today, our brother Thomas Aquinas.  That such a beautiful and pious text came from the pen of such a powerful intellect reminds us that all prayer, all study, all writing, all preaching, and all religious service to neighbor must take root in and point us back to the mysteries of Christ’s life, and to the mysteries of his Church, which communicate Christ’s life to us.  Through this antiphon, and indeed through his entire life, St. Thomas exhibits superlatively how the Eucharist serves as both the catalyst and the goal of the Church’s life in Christ. As preachers of grace and servants of the mysteries of Christ, we Dominicans do well to place Aquinas’s words on our lips every time we gather for prayer.

The greatest of the Church’s mysteries, or sacraments, is the Blessed Sacrament—the sacrum convivium—and no other mystery occupied the priestly and poetic heart of St. Thomas like the Eucharist.  He never let a day pass without celebrating Holy Mass, and on most days he would attend a second Mass as an act of thanksgiving.  What’s more, St. Thomas demonstrated his acute skill at poetry and hymn writing by composing Eucharistic texts still in use in the Church’s Corpus Christi liturgies.  His hymns especially remain familiar to many: Tantum ergo, O salutaris hostia, Adoro te devote.  Though less familiar than these hymns, the O sacrum convivium has also been set to music.  Posted below is Thomas Tallis’s setting for the antiphon.

O Sacrum Convivium Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As we celebrate today the feast of the Angelic and Common Doctor, we place our Eucharistic piety under his patronage and protection.  May we grow in our love for the Sacrament of the Altar, which, as St. Thomas reminds us, is both our spiritual nourishment and the promise and foretaste of the eternal convivium that awaits us.

For more on the life and thought of St. Thomas, click here and here.

O God,
you made blessed Thomas
a herald of your wisdom
and an example of holiness of life for your Church;
by his merits and example,
grant us perpetually and truthfully to seek you,
and to love you above all things.

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.

No Comments »

Fr. Keitz's Homily - January 23, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - January 24, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Izzo's Homily - January 24, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Jones's Homily - January 24, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

Now this wise virgin has gone to Christ.
Among the choirs of virgins she is radiant as the sun in the heavens.

From the Catholic Encylopedia:

Foundress of the Ursulines, born 21 March, 1474, at Desenzano, a small town on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda in Lombardy; died 27 January, 1540, at Brescia.

She was left an orphan at the age of ten and together with her elder sister came to the home of her uncle at the neighbouring town of Salo where they led an angelic life. When her sister met with a sudden death, without being able to receive the last sacraments, young Angela was much distressed. She became a tertiary of St. Francis and greatly increased her prayers and mortifications for the repose of her sister’s soul. In her anguish and pious simplicity she prayed God to reveal to her the condition of her deceased sister. It is said that by a vision she was satisfied her sister was in the company of the saints in heaven.

When she was twenty years old, her uncle died, and she returned to her paternal home at Desenzano. Convinced that the great need of her times was a better instruction of young girls in the rudiments of the Christian religion, she converted her home into a school where at stated intervals she daily gathered all the little girls of Desenzano and taught them the elements of Christianity. It is related that one day, while in an ecstasy, she had a vision in which it was revealed to her that she was to found an association of virgins who were to devote their lives to the religious training of young girls. The school she had established at Desenzano soon bore abundant fruit, and she was invited to the neighbouring city, Brescia, to establish a similar school at that place. Angela gladly accepted the invitation.

In 1524, while making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she became suddenly blind when she was on the island of Crete, but continued her journey to the Holy Places and was cured on her return while praying before a crucifix at the same place where she was struck with blindness a few weeks before. When, in the jubilee year 1525, she had come to Rome to gain the indulgences, Pope Clement VII, who had heard of her great holiness and her extraordinary success as a religious teacher of young girls, invited her to remain in Rome; but Angela, who shunned publicity, returned to Brescia. Finally, on the 25th of November, 1535, Angela chose twelve virgins and laid the foundation of the order of the Ursulines in a small house near the Church of St. Afra in Brescia. Having been five years superior of the newly-founded order, she died.

Her body lies buried in the Church of St. Afra at Brescia. She was beatified in 1768, by Clement XIII, and canonized in 1807, by Pius VII.

For more on the life of St. Angela, click here.

Lord,
may Saint Angela commend us to your mercy;
may her charity and wisdom help us
to be faithful to your teaching
and to follow it in our lives.

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.

No Comments »

Theology on Tap NYC presents “Does God Really Forgive Sins in the Confessional?” on March 1, 2010 at Metro 53 Bar, 307 East 53rd Street at 7pm-9pm.

Ever wonder why we need to tell our sins to a priest, whom many feel is a complete stranger to us? Can’t we talk to God directly to get forgiveness? If God knows what we do and forgives no matter what, then why do we need to go to confession? Come and find out this night! The speaker is the Rector of the Cathedral of St. Patrick, Monsignor Robert Ritchie.

Please visit us at www.totnyc.org.

No Comments »

Click here for Archbishop Dolan’s account of his recent trip to Haiti.  It contains photos and links to Catholic Relief Services.

No Comments »

Proclaim the message, insist on it in season and out of season,
refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience,
but do all with patience and sound doctrine.

A day after commemorating the conversion of Saint Paul, we celebrate the feast of two of his closest companions, Saints Timothy and Titus.  Both were young converts attracted to the faith by Paul’s teaching.  They accompanied the Apostle on various missionary journeys, and Paul left each in charge of new and growing Christian communities.  Both Timothy and Titus received letters from Paul, three of which have been collected with other Pauline epistles and included in the New Testament (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus).

From Catholic Culture:

St. Timothy, born in Galatia in Asia Minor, was baptized and later ordained to the priesthood by St. Paul. The young Galatian became Paul’s missionary companion and his most beloved spiritual son. St. Paul showed his trust in this disciple by consecrating him bishop of the great city of Ephesus. St. Timothy was stoned to death thirty years after St. Paul’s martyrdom for having denounced the worship of the goddess Diana.

St. Titus, a convert from paganism, was a fellow laborer of St. Paul on many apostolic missions. St. Paul later made him bishop of Crete, a difficult charge because of the character of the inhabitants and the spread of erroneous doctrines on that island. St. Paul’s writings tell us that St. Titus rejoiced to discover what was good in others and drew the hearts of men by his wide and affectionate sympathy.

Click here for the general audience address Pope Benedict gave on Sts. Timothy and Titus in December, 2006.

God our Father,
you gave your saints Timothy and Titus
the courage and wisdom of the apostles:
may their prayers help us to live holy lives
and lead us to heaven, our true home.

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.

No Comments »

Let us celebrate the conversion of Saint Paul the apostle.
He was transformed from being a persecutor of Christ into a vessel of his grace.

Today we celebrate the awesome power of Christ’s mercy and forgiveness.  The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul reminds us that no soul is impervious to Christ’s love, that this love can penetrate even the hardest of hearts, and that once touched by divine love every believer can become its vessel in the world. The Apostle’s conversion helps us to remember that neither Christ nor his Church ever gives up on any sinner.  From the viewpoint of love, each is a potential St. Paul.

For more on the Conversion of St. Paul, click here.  For links to Pope Benedict XVI’s teachings on the life and preaching of the Apostle, click here.

God our Father,
you taught the gospel to all the world
through the preaching of Paul your apostle.
May we who celebrate his conversion to the faith
follow him in bearing witness to your truth.

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.

No Comments »

Tomorrow’s celebration of the Conversion of St. Paul ends the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  On Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his General Audience address to reflecting on Christ’s desire for visible unity among his disciples, and the progress the Catholic Church has made over the last century in promoting fraternal relations with the Churches and ecclesial communities separated from her.  Just within the past few years, the Holy Father observed, these relations have born fruit.  Lately, a number of discernible steps have been taken toward real reconciliation with our separated brothers and sisters, including the Orthodox, the Lutherans, and the Anglicans.  The Pope concluded his remarks by asking the faithful to remember the Church’s ecumenical efforts in their prayers.

GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
January 20, 2010

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are in the middle of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an ecumenical initiative, which has been in the making now for more than a century, and which every year attracts attention to a topic: that of the visible unity between Christians, which calls to consciences and stimulates to commitment for all those who believe in Christ. And it does so above all with the invitation to prayer, in imitation of Jesus himself, who prays to the Father for his disciples: “That they may all be one … so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).

The persistent call to prayer for full communion among the followers of the Lord manifests the most authentic and profound orientation of the whole ecumenical quest, because unity, before anything else, is a gift of God. In fact, as the Second Vatican Council affirms: “Human powers and capacities cannot achieve this holy objective — the reconciling of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 24). Hence, what is necessary, beyond our effort to carry out fraternal relations and to promote dialogue to clarify and resolve the differences that separate the Churches and ecclesial communities, is confident and concordant invocation of the Lord.

The theme of this year is taken from the Gospel of St. Luke, from the last words of the Risen One to his disciples: “You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48). The proposal of the theme was requested by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, in agreement with the Faith and Order Commission of the Ecumenical [World] Council of Churches, from an ecumenical group of Scotland. A century ago, the World Mission Conference for the consideration of problems in reference to the non-Christian world took place in fact in Edinburgh, in Scotland, June 13-24, 1910.

Among the problems discussed then was that of the objective difficulty of Christians divided among themselves credibly proposing the evangelical proclamation to the non-Christian world. If Christians present themselves disunited, moreover, often in opposition, will the proclamation of Christ as the only Savior of the world and our peace be credible to a world that does not know Christ or that has distanced itself from him, or that appears indifferent to the Gospel?

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

At 5:30 PM on Wednesday, January 27th, the parish will celebrate a special Votive Mass of St. Vincent Ferrer to welcome to New York City the President of the Regional Government of Valencia, Francisco Camps, who is bringing gifts to the parish from St. Vincent’s birthplace.  This special visit has been arranged by one of our parishioners, Fernando Villalonga, the Spanish Consul General in New York.

Since this evening celebration will serve as the Conventual Mass for the Dominican Community, the Prior of St. Vincent Ferrer, Fr. Bill Holt, OP, will offer and preach the Mass.

All are welcome to attend!

No Comments »

Click above for this week’s edition of “Word to Life.”

Joining me in the studio to discuss the readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time was Fr. Augustine Judd, O.P., the parochial vicar of the University Parish of St. Joseph in Manhattan.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday at 1:00 PM EST on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - January 22, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

What I longed for, I now see;
what I hoped for, I now possess;
in heaven I am espoused to him whom on earth I loved with all my heart.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the most beloved of the virgin-martyrs of Rome, St. Agnes.  Early accounts of her martyrdom vary in detail, but they all coalesce around one fact—her youth.  Fortified by adult courage, Agnes successfully preserved her adolescent purity against heathen barbarity, a feat that did much to curtail the brutality of the Romans persecutions and sway public favor toward Christians.  The site of Agnes’s suffering and death is memorialized by the Church of St. Agnes in Agony on Rome’s famous Piazza Navona.

For more on the life of St. Agnes, as well as her connection to the pallium worn by the pope and the world’s archbishops, click here.

From St. Ambrose’s De Virginibus:

A new kind of martyrdom!  Too young to be punished, yet old enough for a martyr’s crown; unfitted for the contest, yet effortless in victory, she shows herself a master in valor despite the handicap of youth.  As a bride she would not be hastening to join her husband with the same joy she shows as a virgin on her way to punishment, crowned not with flowers but with holiness of life, adorned not with braided hair but with Christ himself.

In the midst of tears, she sheds no tears herself.  The crowds marvel at her recklessness in throwing away her life untasted, as if she had already lived life to the full.  All are amazed that one not yet of legal age can give her testimony to God.  So she succeeds in convincing others of her testimony about God, though her testimony in human affairs could not yet be accepted.  What is beyond the power of nature, they argue, must come from its creator.

What menaces there werer from the executioner, to frighten her; what promises made, to win her over; what influential people desired her in marriage!  She answered: “To hope that any other will please me does wrong to my Spouse.  I will be his who first chose me for himself.  Executioner, why do you delay?  If eyes that I do not want can desire my body, then let it perish.”  She stood still, she prayed, she offered her neck.

Almighty, eternal God,
you choose what the world considers weak
to put the worldly power to shame.
May we who celebrate the birth of Saint Agnes into eternal joy
be loyal to the faith she professed.

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.

No Comments »

A coalition of Catholic young adult groups in New York City welcomes you to this first annual pilgrimage. Our city has been blessed throughout history with great saints, great churches, and holy Catholic men and women, and we invite you to join us in celebrating their legacy and finding inspiration in their life stories.

On March 20, 2010, we will walk from the shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, near Manhattan’s northern tip, to the shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton , close to Battery Park.  Along the way, we will visit other churches connected to New York’s Catholic history. The event is free but you must register for the pilgrimage at www.pofnyc.org. Browse our website to learn more about the famous churches you can visit, the saints you will honor, and the routes you can follow.  If you wish you can make donations to worthy charities such as Pilgrimage of Our Children’s Future and St. Joseph’s Seminary on the web site.

No Comments »

Below is the text of Archbishop Dolan’s recent blog post on the humanitarian crisis threatening the people of Haiti.

THE TRAGEDY IN HAITI

I have been in Rome for the past week for ceremonies and meetings related to the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Pontifical North American College, where I was both a student and Rector. The news of the horrific earthquake in Haiti has shocked and saddened everyone. The Holy Father today offered the following words this morning during his weekly audience.

“My thoughts go in particular to the population hit just a few hours ago by a devastating earthquake which has caused serious loss of human life, large numbers of homeless and missing people, and vast material damage.

“I invite everyone to join my prayers to the Lord for the victims of this catastrophe and for those who mourn their loss. I give assurances of my spiritual closeness to people who have lost their homes and to everyone who, in various ways, has been affected by this terrible calamity, imploring God to bring them consolation and relief in their suffering.

“I appeal to the generosity of all people so that these, our brothers and sisters who are experiencing a moment of need and suffering, may not lack our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community. The Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population”.

I have asked Bishop Dennis Sullivan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, to send a letter to all priests of the Archdiocese asking that they lead their people in prayer this weekend in a special way for the people of Haiti, and for the Haitian community in New York who may have lost loved ones during the earthquake. There will also be a special collection at all Masses this weekend, and the money raised will be sent to Catholic Relief Services for the relief of the suffering in Haiti. Catholic Relief Services has been first on the scene, and has already been providing assistance wherever it can.

As followers of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, we are called to respond whenever there are people in need. However, I believe many of us feel a special urgency today, given the tremendous devastation that has occurred, as well as the large Catholic population in Haiti and the large Haitian community here in New York as well.

I met today with Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes, President of Cor Unum, the Holy Father’s charitable outreach agency, and with the Haitian Ambassador to the Holy See. I assured them both of the prayers of the people of the Archdiocese and told them that the Archdiocese would make every effort to be of financial assistance as well.

We are very blessed here in New York to sponsor the cause for canonization of Venerable Pierre Toussaint. Pierre Toussaint who was born in Haiti in 1766 before being brought to New York as a slave. He eventually became a free man, and would have been a rich man had he not given most of his money away. Toussaint was known for his tremendous acts of charity and his deep faith. I hope that many people will join me in saying a special prayer to Venerable Pierre Toussaint asking for his intercession with Our Heavenly Father for the safety, support, and comfort of the people of Haiti at this time.

Click here for the Catholic Relief Services website.  Donate today.  And pray.

No Comments »

At yesterday’s General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI continued his study of Christian history by focusing on the contributions of the Mendicant Orders—the Dominicans and Franciscans—to the renewal of the Church and Christian society in the Middle Ages.  In his address, the Holy Father explained how the espousal of mendicant poverty and itineracy enabled the Friars Minor and the Preaching Friars to become the spiritual leaders par excellence of the medieval city.  No mere relic of the past, however, the mendicant quality of religious life continues to benefit the Church’s life, especially, as Pope Benedict notes, through the Dominican and Franciscan “third orders.”

GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
January 13, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At the beginning of the new year, we look at the history of Christianity, to see how a history develops and how it can be renewed. In it we can see that it is the saints, guided by the light of God, who are the genuine reformers of the life of the Church and of society. Teachers by their word and witnesses with their example, they know how to promote a stable and profound ecclesial renewal, because they themselves are profoundly renewed, they are in contact with the true novelty: the presence of God in the world.

Such a consoling reality — that in every generation saints are born and bear the creativity of renewal — constantly accompanies the history of the Church in the midst of the sorrows and the negative aspects of her journey. We also see come forth, century by century, the forces of reform and of renewal, because the novelty of God is inexorable and always gives new strength to go forward.

This was what happened in the 13th century, with the birth and the extraordinary development of the Mendicant Orders: a model of great renewal in a new historic period. They were called thus because of their characteristic of “begging,” namely, of going to the people humbly for economic support to live the vow of poverty and to carry out their evangelizing mission. Of the Mendicant Orders that arose in that period, the most notable and most important are the Friars Minor and the Preaching Friars, known as Franciscans and Dominicans. They have these names because of their founders, Francis of Assisi and Dominic de Guzmán, respectively. These two great saints had the capacity to wisely read “the signs of the times,” intuiting the challenges that the Church of their time had to face.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Click below to hear this week’s edition of “Word to Life.”

Joining me in the studio to discuss the readings for the Baptism of the Lord were Fr. Brian Mulcahy, O.P., Provincial Socius and Vicar of the Prior Provincial, and Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P., parochial vicar of the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday at 1:00 PM EST on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - January 8, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

From Patrick Langrell, the archdiocesan Director of Young Adult Outreach:

On Friday evening, a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 PM at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to commemorate the 1st Anniversary of the death of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus .

Fr. Neuhaus, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, was the President of the Institute on Religion and Public Life and Editor-in-Chief of the Institute’s monthly publication, First Things. Fr. Raymond J. de Souza gave a deeply moving homily at his funeral last year which can be read here: http://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/03/the-great-convivium-18

The Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. The homilist will be Fr. George Rutler, pastor of the Church of Our Saviour and Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., will be giving the post-communion reflection.

No Comments »

Fr. Holt's Homily - January 3, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Keitz's Homily - January 3, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - January 3, 2010 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

No Comments »

In celebration of the Feast of Saint Agatha
The Dominican Friars
of the
Church of Saint Catherine of Siena
and the
Health Care Ministry of New York
Invite you to Vespers and Benediction of Blessed Sacrament
with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
for women and men living with Breast Cancer

Friday, February 5, 2010 at 7 PM

The Church of Catherine of Siena
411 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
212.988.8300
www.stkatesnyc.org

No Comments »

From Patrick Langrell, the archdiocesan Director of Young Adult Outreach:

Dear friends,

Next Tuesday evening, there will be a Benefit Concert in honor of Heart’s Home’s 20th Anniversary with one of the world’s top talented young artists: Tiffany Poon, a 12 year old pianist born in Hong Kong and presently attending her 3rd year at Juilliard, who has won innumerable awards for her talent and performance.

The Benefit Concert will be held on January 12, at 7 pm at the American Bible Society, which is located at 1865 Broadway at 61st Street (one block north of Columbus Circle).

For more information about the wonderful work that Heart’s Home does, and to purchase tickets online for this Benefit Concert, click here.

Your friend in Christ,

Patrick Langrell
Director of Young Adult Outreach
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10022
catholicnyc.com

No Comments »

From the archdiocesan Family Life / Respect Life Office:

Dear Friends,

Just a reminder that this month the typical first Saturday Witness for Life has been moved to Jan. 9th.

Witness for Life ~ Saturday, January 9th
8am Mass at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC
Rev. James Miara, main celebrant

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (8am) begins our day in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows, then people can either remain in the church to adore Our Lord or attend the rosary procession to the local abortion clinic (2 blocks away – Planned Parenthood).

Upon return from the clinic (approx 10:15am) we will have a social (complete with coffee and donuts) with a short (10 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.

Sr. Lucy Marie
Respect Life Coordinator
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Ave., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10022

No Comments »