I am wading through a couple hundred blog posts and news stories in my reader program... I'm a bit behind if you hadn't already noticed... I saw this at Commonweal and thought is was cool. Not sure if anyone else has posted this already:
After each of the four sessions of the Second Vatican Council, Joseph Ratzinger published a pamphlet with reflections on the events and achievements of that session. These were then gathered together and translated into English as Theological Highlights of Vatican II (New York: Paulist Press/Deus Books, 1966).
Given the discussion in several threads of the possible action of Pope Benedict XVI with regard to the Tridentine Rite, some may find it interesting to know how the young conciliar peritus saw the question of liturgy at the time.
Check out the rest of the post from which he quotes liberally and even responds to some further questions in the combox.
New coadjutor Archbishop of Minneapolis/ Saint Paul: New Ulm's Bishop Nienstadt.
His episcopal career from New Ulm's website:
On June 12, 1996 Bishop Nienstedt was named an Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit by Pope John Paul II. He was ordained a Bishop on July 9, 1996 by Cardinal Adam J. Maida, Archbishop of Detroit. Bishop Nienstedt served as Bishop for the Dearborn, Downriver, Monroe, Northwest Wayne, Southland, and Western Wayne Vicariates.
On June 12, 2001 Pope John Paul II named Bishop Nienstedt the Third Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota. He was installed on August 6, 2001.
On April 24, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop John C. Nienstedt as Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of New Ulm.
Letters have been exchanged by Pope Benedict and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Vatican Press Bulletin this morning includes an English translation.
From Pope Benedict (December 16, 2006):
I welcome the fact that the question of poverty, with specific reference to Africa, now appears on the agenda of the G8; indeed, it should be given the highest attention and priority, for the sake of poor and rich countries alike. The fact that the German Presidency of the G8 coincides with the Presidency of the European Union presents a unique opportunity to tackle this issue. I am confident that Germany will exercise positively the leadership role that falls to her with regard to this question of global importance that affects us all.
At our meeting on 28 August last, you assured me that Germany shares the Holy See’s concern regarding the inability of rich countries to offer the poorest countries, especially those from Africa, financial and trade conditions capable of promoting their lasting development.
The Holy See has repeatedly insisted that, while the Governments of poorer countries have a responsibility with regard to good governance and the elimination of poverty, the active involvement of international partners is indispensable. This should not be seen as an "extra" or as a concession which could be postponed in the face of pressing national concerns. It is a grave and unconditional moral responsibility, founded on the unity of the human race, and on the common dignity and shared destiny of rich and poor alike, who are being drawn ever closer by the process of globalization.
...
People from different religions and cultures throughout the world are convinced that achieving the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by the year 2015 is one of the most important tasks in today’s world. Moreover, they also hold that such an objective is indissolubly linked to world peace and security. They look to the Presidency, held by the German Government in the months ahead, to ensure that the G8 and the European Union undertake the measures necessary to overcome poverty. They are ready to play their part in such efforts and they support your commitment in a spirit of solidarity.
From Ms. Merkel (February 2, 2007):
We want to use the German G8 and EU Presidencies to push ahead with combating poverty and realizing the Millennium Development Goals. We are focussing here particularly on the development potential of and challenges facing the African continent. In the G8 Presidency, the emphasis is on the continent's economic development and governance as well as peace and security issues. For me it is crucial that G8 relations with Africa move towards a reform partnership. Alongside increased efforts on the part of African countries, we attach importance to greater commitment of the international communities.
...
The debt relief initiatives you mention are an important factor in fighting poverty. The steps agreed at the G8 summits in Cologne (1999) and Gleneagles (2005) have given the countries whose debt has been cancelled financial scope which they can use to combat poverty in their countries. To implement the multilateral debt relief for the poorest highly indebted developing countries agreed in Gleneagles, the Federal Government pledged German participation to the tune of some 3.6 billion euro. The German Government is also supporting the setting up of a Debt Sustainability Framework. This is an important instrument for limiting the risk of the poorest countries to fall into excessive debt again. These formerly indebted countries have been able to increase their spending on combating poverty from 7% in 1999 to 9% of GDP in 2005 – money which can be invested in schools and healthcare infrastructure.
Both also mention stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS by ensuring long-term sustainability of health care systems in Africa.
No doubt Rocco will have some commentary on this. I can't remember the last time the Holy Father sent a letter like this.
Remember that study that said that the government is spending money on abstinence programs that should be considered a failure? Well this is a letter to the editor I read this morning from my adopted city's newspaper that I thought was interesting:
After I read the article about the government's failed abstinence programs, I felt very confused. How can a program whose purpose is so devoted to improving the lives of young people around the country be considered a failure? I couldn't help but think that often times it's not the program itself that is at fault.
As a nurse working on a cardiac unit in Massachusetts, I have the opportunity to educate my patients about living a healthier lifestyle. I try to help them understand the importance of taking their heart medication, and the positive affects a heart-healthy diet will have on their current condition. Despite my many efforts, these patients usually return home to their old habits and practices. The fact that some patients choose not to be compliant does not mean that I am failing them as a nurse.
Abstinence programs may not ever yield great compliance, but that doesn't mean they are failing. If we stop providing accurate information, and stop showing young people a better way to live, then we will truly have failed.
The Chinese governments cruel abortion campaign continues: on April 17th last in the southern province of Guangxi, police forced 41 women to abort their children, dragging them into the local hospital to carry out the termination. The following day the same fate awaited a further 20 women.
China Aid Association (Caa), a United States based non governmental organisation which fights for religious freedom and human rights in China reported the cases.
Eyewitnesses reported to CAA that provincial police transported the women to Youjiang District People’s Hospital; they were injected forcefully with an abortive drug. The agents were led by Family Planning officials. In less than 24 hours 61 foetuses were dead.
At Bed number 37, He Caigan was 9 months pregnant. Officials injected her baby's head and after 20 minutes of pain and suffering, her baby stopped moving and died.
About 6am on April 18, Pastor James Liang's wife Wei Linrong gave birth to a boy, but he was dead because of the injection. She received three doses of injection-one is to induce the birth and the other two to kill the baby in the womb.
...
Since 1978 only one child has been permitted to urban residents, two to rural couples. The average family has dropped from the 5.83 children per household of the 1970’s to 2.1 in the ‘90’s and the current 1.8. The government aims to contain the population within 1.37 billion by 2010. These policies have led to a massive campaign of forced abortions and infanticide of female babies, in order to have a male heir to maintain the family name.
Cardinal Levada's interview is in this week's America Magazine (subscribers only). Rocco has a post up about it that includes a summary with short clips that are very representative of the entire interview.
The part I found the most interesting was when Levada discussed his relationship to the pope. I thought they had been close friends and had worked together a bit more over the past 25 years:
Pope Benedict came as prefect of this office in late 1981, when I was in my last year as an official in the congregation. I was here with him for four or five months. Later Cardinal Ratzinger appointed me to be a bishop-member of the editorial committee of the catechism project, and we met frequently, two or three times a year, sometimes for a period of a week or two at a time. We reviewed all of the 25,000 or so suggestions, amendments and other items sent in by the bishops of the world. At one point it was necessary to bring extra people in to help until we got the work done. I’ve known Pope Benedict over the years in different capacities, and I feel that I know him well enough through the work we are doing and have done together.
On their weekly meetings:
We meet on Fridays at 6 p.m. in the library of his apartment on the fourth floor of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. Thirty to 45 minutes would be the typical length of a meeting, and we speak in Italian. It’s more convenient for the pope, so that he doesn’t have to jump from language to language, even though he’s quite capable in many languages. Most of his work is in Italian now, the common language used in the Roman Curia.
Is your meeting strictly business?
It’s not chit chat, but some small talk that might be of interest to the pope, yes, there’s that. There are many things that I might refer to him—articles, news reports, meetings. I would also let him know items of my schedule related to the work in the congregation.
I won't lie, I'm just a bit tired of Motu-mania. It's taken over the Catholic blogosphere in so many ways. A few thoughts/links.
John Allen has conceded that it's a done deal and takes an interesting perspective by discussing the way Jews are portrayed in the old lectionary (among other things). He gives a shout-out to the Curt Jester and Jeff mentions how cool that is (frankly, it's any Catholic blogger's dream to be mentioned by John Allen, surpassed only by a mention from Amy, an event that if it ever happened to me would be so stinking awesome since she is wonderful!). Amy wasn't thrilled that Curt Jester wasn't mentioned by name or linked to from All Things Catholic. A point very well taken!
Rorate Caeli had a post today that I didn't much care for. It said:
Allen is a fine fellow, but he is more a newsmaker than a news gatherer, in the best "tradition" of contemporary American Church reporters, such as Robert Blair Kaiser. He and his sources wish to influence events or to alter the way future decisions are perceived and interpreted, and that is how his words should be read.
We should add now: they wish "to influence events or to alter the way future decisions are perceived and interpreted" in a dishonest way. And he does that even today, as he reports, while having to admit the inevitable release of the motu proprio, that "most bishops, pastors and liturgical experts whom I've polled believe that with or without the motu proprio, the normal liturgical experience for the overwhelming majority of Catholics will continue to be the post-Vatican II Mass in the vernacular language."
Were these the same "officials" whom he interviewed last year? The ones who said a consensus was needed for the Pope to act?... The motu proprio will be a huge deal and it will have a major impact -- particularly, in a first moment, in France and, possibly even more, in the United States. Naturally, "progressive" bishops will try to ditch it, and "progressive" spin doctors will try to undermine its enormous significance, as they are already trying to do.
One last point. John Allen's piece gives us a glimpse into the two pronged strategy that the enemies of the Mass will probably employ to undermine the motu proprio:(a) downplay the importance and reach of the document; (b) try to link the Mass with anti-semitism.
That whole thing doesn't seem very fair to me. Not to say that everything John Allen writes is Gospel, but he's widely regarded by both sides of the divide as fair and consistent. I just hate it that some people are so into this that they can't see anything past it. First off, I know it's not going to solve all the liturgical problems of the Church. I worry that it will divide us even more than we already are.
Frankly I think Allen is right: if you polled all the bishops, priests, and lay Catholics on earth, more than half would be against the liberalization of the old Mass, especially in the West. I'm not just saying that because most of the people I know are against it, by the way, but I've been around a bit and most laypeople just don't understand it (in my estimation). Also, I know lots of priests and many don't have the time to learn it or even the desire... right now. I know over 200 seminarians and I don't think many of them will learn it before they are ordained or be drawn to it very quickly after ordination... many see it as a tough sell to a laity that has had enough of liturgical change.
I just hate that so many people are getting their hopes up. I just don't see this as the solution. Disclaimer: despite this post, I promise I know my limitations. I don't know everything and I can't see the future. Many people who are wiser and smarter than I am think differently.
Fr. Z had an awesome post today that really made me think. That's worth a read. I like his idea of cross-pollination and I think that will most closely resemble what will happen in the Church over the next few years if indeed the Motu Proprio is released soon.
These are just some unrefined thoughts meant to help me understand my own thinking on this subject. The benefit to others would be the links since my ideas are a bit immature.
Benedict XVI will send the monetary gifts he received for his 80th birthday and the second anniversary of his pontificate to the Holy Land, Africa and other needy regions.
The Pope turned 80 on Monday and marked the second anniversary of his election on Thursday.
Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, the Holy Father's personal secretary, reported the intended destination of the gifts on Vatican Radio.
The cardinals of the Roman Curia gave the Pontiff a gift of €100,000 ($135,000) during the lunch they had with him in the Apostolic Palace on the day of his birthday, April 16.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, presented Benedict XVI the gift, asking him that, if possible, the needs of Christians in the Holy Land could be kept in mind.
Overreaction is the nature of the beast, I suppose.
First, I am thrilled about the PBA ban. I've been waiting for this for years. I can remember working on the old postcard campaigns as a teenager. But I'm also realistic. I would love to see abortion banned tomorrow (although I know that won't really solve the problem... a bandaid on a corpse, so to speak).
While I'm thrilled about the ban, I'm not throwing a big party over the end of Roe v. Wade. That's a bit premature. That having been said, however, we deserve this! We've been the underdog right along, let's be honest. There have been few large-scale accomplishments so it's nice for something to finally go our way!
Well, surprise, surprise, not everyone is very thrilled.
Case #1 is our good friend Rosie O'Donnell. I have to say I enjoyed her talk show when it first came on. She was funny and her show always had different things going on. Not the usual. Well, since she came out, started her "political" commentary, and her anti-Catholic ravings, I really can't stand the woman. Not to say that I was a View fan before or anything...
... Rosie expressed horror that there are five Catholics on the Supreme Court and Catholics on the Court apparently violate the "separation of church and state"
O’DONNELL: You know what concerns me? How many Supreme Court judges are Catholic, Barbara?
WALTERS: Five.
O’DONNELL: Five. How about separation of church and state in America?
WALTERS: Every one of them, when they were going through their Senate confirmation hearings said the fact of my religion does not mean that I will vote a particular way because of my religion. So we cannot say that they did it because they’re Catholic. It is interesting that they’re Catholic...
Bill Donohue traces Rosie's Catholic rantings:
This is O’Donnell’s eighth attack on Catholics since September. She has said there is no difference between radical Christians and radical Muslims (9-12-06); she has ridiculed the Eucharist (9-28-06); she has falsely claimed that the pope was in charge of policing miscreant priests since the 1980s and did nothing about them (10-2-06); she repeated the lie about the pope again (10-27-06); she has mocked priestly celibacy (2-7-07); she ridiculed the Eucharist again (2-27-07); she mocked Catholic teaching on the Bible and the Virgin Birth (3-26-07); and now she is complaining about too many Catholics on the high court. [source]
To say the least, I'm awfully disappointed. But Jesus and the Apostles enjoyed many of the same types of attacks, and from sources much more articulate than this one. I just keep wondering why this is ok. Don Imus says something absolutely stupid to the wrong group and gets fired. Why can Rosie say what she wants about Catholics and get away with it when if someone said something nasty about her sexuality, it would be a hate crime! What a country!
Case #2: The Philadelphia Inquirer's latest cartoon
For more stuff, Jay Anderson is keeping a list of such things.
Catholic World News is having a spring sale. You can now sign-up for a year's subscription for only $20 (regular $30, you save $10). When you click to subscribe or renew put the promotion code: SPR2007. It's a worthwhile apostolate to support. The news coverage is pretty good and they will occasionally have stuff you can't find elsewhere. They have daily headlines posted and reasonably good analysis here and there. There are some free things so you might want to bookmark them anyway, but you won't find daily news for $20 anywhere, so seriously consider subscribing. Just stay away from the comboxes though... every lunatic and their biretta hang out there and it's often rather nasty.
At the First Things blog, Michael Uhlmann gives a wonderful analysis on the Supreme Court's narrow decision this week to uphold the constitutionality of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. He gives a legal analysis of Roe and its later counterparts that is readable and useful for the legally uninitiated (like me). While rather lengthy, it's worth a few minutes of time.
Wire report that I saw at Curt Jester on an article in Civita Cattolica regarding the numbers of married priests out there:
Advocates of abolishing the celibacy requirement for Catholic priests exaggerate the numbers of those who leave the Roman Catholic Church in order to marry, an influential Jesuit magazine said Thursday.
Groups such as the US-based Married Priests Now claim that between 80,000 and 100,000 men have done so.
But the magazine Civilta Cattolica said that while "no precise statistics" are available on the number of priests who have married after leaving their ministries, "on the basis of information from the dioceses" 69,063 priests left overall from 1964 to 2004.
Of those, more than 11,000 returned between 1970 and 2004, "which means that married priests cannot number more than 57,000 today" given that a certain number have no doubt died over the 40-year period, the magazine argued.
Also, each year some priests are allowed back into the fold after they are widowed or their children grow up, according to the magazine, which is tightly controlled by the Vatican.
Civilta Cattolica noted that rejection of the celibacy vow was not the only reason for leaving. Some priests suffer crises of faith, have conflicts with their superiors or disagree with Church teaching, for example, it said.
Severe depression can be another cause, it added.
In the past 40 years, 438 married priests have asked to return to the Church, of whom 220 have been accepted. Another 114 applications are still under consideration.
The Church can take back priests who have been widowed, who were not married in a church or whose marriages were annulled.
While the Catholic Church's Western rite requires a vow of celibacy, its Eastern rite counts several thousand married priests, Civilta Cattolica noted. In addition, hundreds of Anglican and Lutheran pastors who converted to Catholicism are married.
OK, I don't really think this is pro-life, but it's anti-abortion and funny (written by a comedian and commentator), so here it is. Be sure to check out the whole thing from the WSJ:
If I may, let me just point to the truth of an age-old cliché: Carrying is the easy part. And no one's asking you to do the hard part--raising a person. Whether you're a woman or a teenager, nine months won't "ruin your life." I'm here to tell you that if you went and got yourself pregnant, not only is carrying the critter for nine lousy months the least you can do, it's actually conducive to self-centered broads like us.
Because pregnancy is still "me time." Unlike official "parents," if you're pregnant, you don't have to do what the embryo wants; the embryo has to do what you want. That's why the company of an embryo is preferable to that of a child: The embryo and I can talk about whatever I want to talk about; there's no "why" this or "why" that to answer--or playing with blocks, much less having to read bedtime stories. (Or, for that matter, driving to soccer practice, dance lessons or the pediatrician's office.) ... Feminists heralded the proliferation of abortion as a tool by which to "empower" women and give them control over their lives and destinies. But power is being pregnant. Because it gives you control over other people's lives. Embryos and fetuses get you treated like royalty. Not only do people cede the right of way to you; not only do people in line at the ladies' room let you get in front of them; but if the man who impregnated you sticks around for just a few more months, you get to lie on the couch all day and just point to things, and they magically come to you. You just have to say, "Honey, I think I'm craving a ---," and the chocolate-banana-peanut-butter milkshake appears in your hand. What can be more powerful?
Well, it's been two years since the great day when we heard those words, saw the white smoke, and heard the bells pealing. I've noticed on other blogs that there are lots of retrospectives and "where were you?" posts, so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon.
Two years ago today, I was at the Mount in a class called Soteriology. Being a bit of a pill, I usually surfed the net during class to combat the rampant boredom. So I had Word open with my notes for class and in the corner I had the chimney cam from Fox News. Of course, most of us who first saw the smoke thought it was awfully gray, but probably black and we went on our merry way. I whispered to the guys on the sides of me that the smoke was black, no big deal.
Then, as we all remember, it got very white. I thought I would jump out of my chair. I started pointing at my screen to the people around me and we were all excited. Unfortunately, we're not supposed to surf the net during class, so I couldn't exactly say, "Hey, let's put the brakes on this and get in front of a TV!" In any case, I eventually did since the professor would just not stop!
I remember the speculation that led up to the dramatic balcony scene. I was sitting in my room with a couple of friends glued to the TV, just waiting. When we heard "Josephum" we all just looked at each other and said... NO WAY! But it was true and we were thrilled. We even had a big party that night.
Today is a great reminder to pray for our Holy Father who carries the weight of so much on his shoulders. History will judge his legacy, but I'm not too disappointed with a teacher in the Chair of Peter!
The Holy Father’s agenda is always full of activities dealing with serious and even grave issues. Nevertheless, when he meets with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope enjoys spending a few minutes discussing soccer and good humor.
According to an interview the Cardinal granted to the RAI television network, his meetings with the Pontiff often begin with a joke or with some talk of sports.
On the Pope’s birthday, Cardinal Bertone said that before speaking about “much more serious and grave matters about the Church and the world,” the Pope shared joked with him and commented about an upcoming soccer championship.
According to the Cardinal, Benedict XVI “is vivid and spontaneous like a child” and he stands out most for “his greatness and simplicity.”
“Those who meet him for only a moment during the audiences take note of his penetrating eyes, his ability to listen, to always say the right thing, as if he were a life-long friend,” the Cardinal said.
Rocco has a piece on the Baltimore Catechism today and I was reading along with no particular interest in it, until I got to this gem:
"The book is often reprinted by parents who are disturbed by the liberal bent of the catechizing of their children and are upset by the nontraditional approach that flighty religious educators have taken since the 1960s," said the Rev. Michael Roach, pastor of St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in Manchester.
One of my old professors of Church history, Papa Roach has a way with words. As I read the quote, I have no doubt that he actually said it word for word, but I can't help thinking just in case, "If it ain't true, it ought to be."
By the way, at the end, Rocco has this to say:
I was on the phone the other day with friend whose education coincided with the sea change in catechesis and, as a result, got to experience the old and the new of the religious education coin.
When the subject of the Baltimore came up, he had this memorable quote to offer: "Look, it wasn't perfect, it had its flaws, but it fulfilled its purpose.... And it was surely more useful than making dioramas."
I think lots of people are starting to feel this way.
Important to the locals: Audrey died over the weekend. From CWN:
Audrey Santo, a young Massachusetts woman who lived most of her life in a comatose state, surrounded by unexplained spiritual phenomena, died at home on Saturday, April 14.
As a toddler, Audrey Santo suffered a traumatic accident, which-- aggravated by medical errors-- left her in a condition known as akinetic mutism. She spent nearly 20 years in a bed in her family's home in Worcester, Massachusetts, before finally succumbing to cardio-pulmonary failure.
Thousands of visitors came to pray at the silent patient's bedside over the years, and many reported extraordinary events. There were reports of bleeding Hosts, statues that exuded oil, and a scent of roses in the bedroom. Officials of the local Worcester diocese investigated the reports without reaching any definite conclusion.
“We may never fully understand the causes of various paranormal events which have been reported,” said Worcester Bishop Robert McManus upon hearing of Audrey's death. He added, however, "Everyone who visited their home was touched by the unswaying commitment to life that was exhibited each and every day by the Santo family and by the extensive network of friends and volunteers. God works in mysterious ways, but most importantly, He works through each of us to make His love present for those who are most in need.” Bishop McManus will preside at a funeral Mass on April 18.
This week is vacation from school which means it's a chance to get a lot of work done. I had originally considered a pilgrimage to Sainte Anne de Beaupre this week, but it didn't work out, thank God!
I'm currently working on a huge project as an ordination gift for a friend. If I finish it, it will be quite an accomplishment. This week must see huge progress, or I'll have to abandon it for the time being.
For Providence College, I have my portfolio to work on and three papers to write.
I have a meeting with the new vocation bosses in order to discuss the website. Wish me luck there.
For school, I have to work on the website, plan out two units, write letters to the seniors for their retreat, and finish work on the saint project (more to come on that later).
I love when parents, teachers, and my family talk about how nice it must be to have a vacation!
As a consolation, I'm going to look at new walls this week by going "home" to mom and dad's for a few days. A change of scenery will do me a lot of good, I think. Hopefully I can ignore all the myriad distractions of life and really get some things done. Thankfully, my website needs little work this week, so there's one thing I don't have to spend too much time on!
Please remember me in your prayers and I'll provide more details on these projects as soon as I can!
I was at the presentation of the Pope’s book, Jesus of Nazareth in the Aula del Sinodo on Friday 13 April 2007. Others will write about or post the talks by the presenters. You can pre-order the book in English, and help WDTPRS, by using the link above or here.
Here are some of my personal notes. I do not intend to recap the book (impossible) or speakk much about the press conference (a waste of time). They are intended only to help you read Joseph Ratzinger’s work more fruitfully.
It is not new to receive a book from a Pope. In the past, they were the fruits of interviews, or they were biographical or poetry. But this is a work of theology. That’s new. Even though it is a work of theology, it is not a contribution to the Magisterium. That’s new. This point was heavily stressed in the presser. This book is a contribution of “Joseph Ratzinger” to all who are interested in Jesus. The novelty of this book is its context, coming as it does from a Pope.
The book is intended to be “pastoral”. At the same time it is to be “a rigorous work of theology”. I am not sure how the pastoral thing is going to work out: the Italian edition has 446 dense pages. And I mean conceptually dense. It is truly the work of Joseph Ratzinger. As a matter of fact, all the editions I saw (Greek, Polish, Italian, English, German, Italian, French, Spanish) print the name “Benedict XVI” much larger than the name “Joseph Ratzinger” on the dust cover, but he signs his preface: “Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI”, as if, for the sake of this book, his being Pope is incidental. I am not sure that his being Pope will be incidental for sales, however.
A priest friend sent me this. It's stinkin' hilarious. Watch it right now. Especially if you've ever been to a LifeTeen Mass or any other "dynamic" youth Mass.
In a letter the faithful of Rome regarding the celebration of the Pope’s 80th birthday and the second anniversary of his pontificate, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar of the Diocese of Rome, said the Pope’s birthday would be “a particularly happy day in which we will thank the Lord for the gift of our bishop and Pope Benedict XVI.”
It will also be a day in which we will pray with the Pope and for the Pope, imploring an abundance of divine blessings upon him, to sustain him and comfort him in spirit and body, so that he can be our model and sure guide in the faith,” the cardinal said.
This Sunday, he continued, “dedicated to the Divine Mercy, we will also pray with the Pope for our Church in Rome, that she will bear witness with generosity to the joy of the faith and strive to educate the young generations and promote Christian love, life and the family.”
He invited the faithful of Rome to pray for the Pope, especially on April 19, when he celebrates the second anniversary of his pontificate.
Last March 2nd registration opened for World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. After a little more than a month, more than 57,000 people have signup to attend the world event which will take place in the Australian capital in July of next year.
“The registration is going well. Although group registration is still not mandatory, it is a great help to know the number of pilgrims we are going to be welcoming, thus giving us the chance to welcome them better and be more organized,” WYD officials said.
Regarding the transportation system, the organizing committee explained that the Australian government has eliminated the cost of visas and has made the system simple and fast for everyone.
"If men desire wisdom, she will give them the water of knowledge to drink. They will never waver from the truth; they will stand firm for ever, alleluia. (Sirach 15:3-4)
Catholic League president Bill Donohue has come to the defense of Cardinal Roger Mahony, after the Cardinal was criticized in the Los Angeles Times last week for criticizing a Catholic politician who supports doctor-assisted suicide.
The Cardinal-Archbishop of Los Angeles recently spoke out against proposed legislation that would allow doctor-assisted suicide in the state of California. He also criticized Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a Catholic, for supporting the bill.
Los Angeles Times writer George Skelton criticized the Cardinal in his April 5 column. In it, he referred to the Catholic Church as “looking like an ugly old political attack dog.” He also accused the Cardinal of violating the American separation of church and state and called for “a bill to reexamine the tax-exempt status of church property.”
“Cardinal Mahony is not going to be intimidated from speaking out about contemporary moral issues,” said Donohue in a statement, also released last week.
“Anti-Catholic bigots have tried before to strip the Catholic Church of its tax exempt status and failed miserably,” he continued.
He noted how an editorial in the Los Angeles Times on March 2, 2006, commended Cardinal Mahony for “reinforcing the right of religious leaders to speak out on the moral ramifications of political issues.” The issue that Cardinal Mahony addressed then was immigration.
“So how can it logically be that Cardinal Mahony is now all of a sudden violating the Constitution when he addresses doctor-assisted suicide?” Donohue wondered.
Donohue suggested that the cardinal’s comments regarding doctor-assisted suicide are in line with the Constitution’s First Amendment, which guarantees religious liberty and freedom of speech.
I never thought I'd see the day that Mahony and Donohue would be in cahoots.
On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and Mass is not celebrated. On this day, Holy Communion can only be given as viaticum (to the dying).
Holy Saturday
From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday:
Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. [source]
History: Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies (1541); Fabio Chigi becomes Pope Alexander VII (1655); Births of Saint Francis Xavier (1506) and Pope Clement XII (1652); Death of Pope Benedict III (858)
Tonight, Pope Benedict will celebrate the Easter Vigil. It can be seen live on EWTN at 4pm (eastern time). His homilies and addresses, including the Via Crucis, can found here.
Fr. Tim gives a necessary clarification of a nebulous rubric:
There is a rubric in the 1970 Missal at the beginning of the texts for Good Friday which reads:
"According to the Church's ancient tradition, the sacraments are not celebrated today or tomorrow."
(The next rubric gives an exception for Viaticum.) This has led some priests to think that confessions should not be heard on Good Friday or Holy Saturday. In fact, as everybody knows, Pope John Paul regularly did a stint in the confessional in St Peter's on Good Friday.
The 2000 Editio Typica Tertia of the missal has unambiguously clarified the matter. The rubric now reads:
Hac et sequenti die, Ecclesia, ex antiquissima traditione, sacramenta, praeter Paenitentiae et Infirmorum Unctionis penitus non celebrat. "According to the Church's ancient tradition, the sacraments are not celebrated at all today or tomorrow - except for Penance and Anointing the Sick."
This puts the Triduum in perspective for me and I plan to share it with my students tomorrow. From AsiaNews:
Holy Week began with the sound of gunfire at Mosul’s Holy Spirit Parish Church. In this place, where religious services are held in an underground hall for security reasons because the church’s windows have all been blown out by bomb blasts and never replaced, the faithful pray and hope non-stop knowing that every time they attend mass could be their last one. Here is where AsiaNews spoke to some parishioners and heard what they had to say about the dangers and growing insecurity which despite everything have not stopped them from going to church and prepare for Easter.
Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, three car bombs exploded during the afternoon Eucharistic celebration at a distance of about 1.5 kilometres but the blast was heard in a 35 kilometre radius.
“The building suffered no damage nor did any faithful get hurt. Everyone was scared but no one ran away. And the parish priest (Fr Ragheed Ganni) continued the mass in the underground,” said some of the parishioners.
Some 250 people had come for mass that day, some of whom after the car bombs went off.
At the same time a nearby police station came under attack just before the readings.
“Bullets were flying all over the place, but we remained claim. Fr Ragheed consoled us and urged us to place our trust in God and accept these difficulties as a test of our faith,” those present said.
“At this point, we felt like Jesus when he entered Jerusalem knowing that the Cross would be the consequence of His love for man,” Fr Ragheed said. “So we offered our own suffering as a token of love for Jesus.”
"At the name of Jesus every knee must bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; Christ became obedient for us even to death, dying on the cross. Therefore, to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil 2:10, 8, 11).
Wednesday of Holy Week
Today is known as "Spy Wednesday" since Judas would have had to begun making arrangements for the betrayal.
Today's Stational Church is that of Saint Mary Major:
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a fourth century Roman couple that was childless and had decided to leave their fortune to the Mother of God. She appeared to them in a dream and told them to build a church in her honor on the Esquiline Hill, promising a miracle to confirm her desire. The miracle came in a bizarre snowfall on August 5, 353 – the hottest month in Rome – that outlined the plan for her church on the Esquiline Hill. The Virgin has been invoked, since that time, as Our Lady of the Snow. After the Council of Ephesus in 431, which affirmed the title of Our Lady as Mother of God, Pope Sixtus III (432-440) erected the present basilica and dedicated it to the holy Mother of God. It was later called Saint Mary Major because it is the oldest church in the West dedicated to her honor. [source]
I apologize for my delayed posting on the Chrism Mass last night, but I returned home late and had a full plate of things today at school.
I got to the Cathedral early and immediately noticed that the only open seating was three rows in the back. If you wanted a seat, you needed to come with a parish group apparently. So I parked myself in the back. Everyone around me was repeatedly offered a seat further up in groups that weren't as big as they had planned. The usher skipped over me every time and I'm not sure why.
Anyway... I had two students come and that was nice. The opening was Elgar's Ecce Sacerdos Magnus which was nicely done, then they went into "O God, Beyond All Praising." I was amazed at the paucity of priests coming down the aisle. Pray for vocations!
The bishop recognized the priests at the beginning then launched right in. The Gloria (DuFay) was utterly dreadful. Not sure why it was chosen. The Psalm was even worse: lovely refrain but the strangest verses I've ever heard. Not exactly the "noble simplicity" envisioned by the Church! It sounded like bad soup: cold, mushy, and gross. Mind you, the choir and accompanying musicians were excellent, it was just poor choice of setting.
The homily was lengthy, but wonderfully theological. Acknowledging the hundreds of Confirmation candidates present, the bishop gave a wonderful explanation of each of the oils, their OT origins, and their current uses. My students were amazed since we've covered many of the theological concepts this year when we studied sacramental theology.
They did this weird thing when the oils were presented. They had people in the crowd that had some connection with the oil, stand and recite a prayer about the importance of the oil and asking the bishop to bless it. For example, the Confirmandi stood up for the Chrism and the elderly for the Oil of the Sick.
The Mass setting was the Misa Luna which I had never heard of. It must be an English and Spanish setting, though we only sang it in English. Add the trumpets to accompany and you have Mariachi city. Not very nice. Communion was an utter disaster. They sang the old Haugen favorite "Plenty of Bread." Irreverent and sad. I don't mean to be uncharitable but it was really quite poor, especially since they had a fantastic choir and a brass quintet. A little aside: I asked the kids this week what the Tabernacle was and they said it was where we keep "the bread." Is it any wonder we call it just "the bread" when that's all we ever sing about during Communion??
The closing hymn was another trainwreck I've never heard of and, frankly, it was so high everyone just stopped singing. Another opportunity wasted.
Don't get me wrong, it was a wonderful Mass and the bishop was truly at his best, even recognizing his predecessor's 30th Chrism Mass in the diocese! I was truly blessed to be present. It wasn't home by any stretch, but it was a worthy substitute.
On the topic of women, what I’ve been saying is that in the Catholicism of the 21st century, there will be no movement towards women priests, but there will be continuing pressure for the empowerment of women in all ways that don’t require sacramental ordination. This is hardly an idea original to me; in March 2006 Pope Benedict XVI himself said, “It’s proper to ask if it is possible to offer more space, more positions of responsibility to women.”
The impetus to empower women, I argue, is coming in the North from cultural expectations about gender equity, and in the South from competitive pressures from the Pentecostals, who generally do an excellent job of mobilizing their women. Many religious sociologists report that while Pentecostal communities tend to be organized around a charismatic male preacher, on the ground they are largely directed and administered by women.
As evidence that things within Catholicism are moving in this direction, I’ve pointed to developments such as the fact that, according to the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators, 26.8 percent of top-level diocesan positions in the United States are held by women, and the American bishops recently chose a lay woman to become their next spokesperson, replacing a priest. In the Vatican, women now head a pontifical academy, sit on the International Theological Commission, and serve as a superior in one of the all-important congregations.
The general reaction from my audiences has been that the argument seems plausible as far as it goes. Yet several times I’ve been approached afterwards by pastors and lay personnel in parishes, who have made the following point: Debates over the mobilization of women concern the top-level, most visible positions in the church. In the pastoral trenches, on the other hand, many see almost the opposite problem: at the grassroots, so many positions are already held by women that the real question becomes, how do we mobilize our men?
To take just one case in point, the same National Association of Church Personnel Administrators survey found that 82 percent of the 30,000+ “lay ecclesial ministers” in the United States are women. These are the lay parish administrators, directors of religious education, youth ministers, liturgists, and other church professionals working in full or part-time capacities in America’s 19,000 parishes. Pastoral experience suggests that women are also overwhelmingly more likely to play informal roles in parishes such as volunteer catechists, ministers to shut-ins, and so on.
What I’m being told, in other words, is that the church faces an oddly inverse problem with respect to gender.
At the top, the public “face” of the church is mostly male, creating impressions of a patriarchal system which complicates efforts to communicate church teachings that touch on women’s concerns. Whenever Catholicism talks about reproductive issues or sexual morality, to take the most obvious case, many people in the broader culture suspect male bias. Yet at the grassroots, Catholicism is an institution disproportionately staffed and led by women, with lay men too often inert or only nominally engaged.
Cardinal Roger Mahony called on members of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese Monday to beat back a proposal to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill in California, and accused the Legislature's most powerful Democrat of being swept into a “culture of death.”
“Assisted suicide is totally unnecessary – not only is it against God's law, God's plan, we simply don't need something like that,” Mahony said during a lightly attended noon Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
He urged parishioners to pressure Sacramento legislators “to vote down ... this attack on life.”
He leveled unusually sharp criticism at one of the bill's prominent sponsors, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, who recently met with the Cardinal to discuss the proposal. Nunez's support is viewed as crucial if the bill is to reach the governor's desk.
Mahony said he was saddened and confused by Nunez's decision to endorse a plan that would allow the terminally ill to obtain life-ending drugs from their physicians.
“We should be troubled that Fabian Nunez – who has worshipped here in this cathedral, is a Catholic – somehow has not understood and grasped the culture of life but has allowed himself to get swept into this other direction, the culture of death,” said Mahony, whose archdiocese is estimated to have more than 4.3 million Catholics.
There have been cases of Catholic leaders specifically naming U.S. politicians whose views are in conflict with the church, such as in 2004 when St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said he would deny Communion to Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, who backs abortion rights.
And two years earlier, a priest banned then-California Gov. Gray Davis from playing Santa Claus at a Sacramento Catholic home for troubled children because he supports abortion rights.
But Mahony's criticism of Nunez was unusual in California politics, said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College.
“I've never been to Mass where anybody has named a politician from the pulpit,” Pitney said.
The bill to which Mahony objected was approved last week by an Assembly committee, the fourth attempt in recent years to get it to through the Legislature.
"False witnesses have stood up against me, and my enemies threaten violence; Lord, do not surrender me into their power!" (Psalm 26:12).
Tuesday of Holy Week
Today's Stational Church is that of Saint Prisca:
The first mention of the church is in connection with a cemetery of the fifth century where it is given as titulus Priscae. Adrian I (772-797) rebuilt its roof, and Leo III (795-816) embellished it and enlarged its title to “Most Blessed Aquila and Prisca,” which has prompted some of the confusion regarding the dedication. Around 1455, Callistus III restored it, and it had to be restored again in 1600 and 1734. The church suffered greatly during the French occupation of Rome in 1798 and for some time it was in a ruinous state until repaired by the Franciscans, who cared for it then. Today it is entrusted to the Augustinians.
Santa Prisca was the last of the series of stations in parishes organized by Gregory the Great. From tomorrow onwards, the stations take place in Major Basilicas. When at Saint Prisca, note her relics (under the altar of the confessio), as well as those of Sts. Martesia and Claudia. [source]
"Defend me, Lord, from all my foes: take up your arms and come swiftly to my aid for you have the power to save me" (Psalm 34:1-2; 139:8).
Monday of Holy Week
Today's Stational Church is that of :
According to tradition, the titulus Praxedis, one of the original twenty-five parishes of Rome, was built above the house where Saint Praxedes, daughter of the Senator Pudens and sister of Saint Pudentiana, sheltered persecuted Christians, twenty-three of whom were discovered and killed before her eyes. She collected their blood with a sponge and placed it in a well where she herself was afterwards buried.
Santa Prassede became today’s station during the tenth century after the transfer from Santi Nereo ed Achilleo. In 1198 the church was given to the Benedictine Monks of the Congregation of Vallombrosia, who still direct it. Saint Charles Borromeo (Medici, 1538-1584), who was cardinal titular of this church, celebrated Mass here daily while he was in Rome, and his chair is in the chapel of his name. St. Bridget of Sweden often came here to pray, and the Chapel of the Crucifix contains a crucifix that is said to have spoken to her. [source]
Happy Birthday: 80th of Archbishop Rembert Weakland (emeritus of Milwaukee), Cardinal Egan of New York who turns 75 today (requiring him to submit his resignation to the Holy Father), and Bishop Finn (54) of Kansas City-Saint Joseph.
Writing in Magnificat's Holy Week issue, Father Richard Veras comments in an article called "The Point of Holy Week" on how Jesus reveals that God, in his essence, is love and not power.
Most of us think of God's defining characteristic as power. At the core, in his very essence, it seems to us that God is power. Jesus, instead, came to reveal to us that at the core, in his very essence, God is Love.
In Monday's Gospel, Mary of Bethany perfumes Jesus' feet with aromatic nard just six days before the Passover. In answer to Judas' feigned indignation, Jesus explains, «Leave her alone. Let her keep it against the day they prepare me for burial. The poor you always have with you, but me you will not always have;' Six days before his arrest he knew what was coming! This might be an impressive display of his human intellectual power or of his divine foreknowledge, but what is much more significant is that he continued toward Jerusalem knowing exactly what would happen. He could have turned back, he could have escaped. He didn't.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we will see that Jesus even knew which disciple would betray him. That he knew it was Judas is impressive. That he made no attempt to stop him is much more revelatory of who God is. He could have stopped Judas, he could have foiled his traitorous plan. He didn't.
On Thursday we will see Jesus washing his disciples' feet, as Mary of Bethany had washed his. Peter will be scandalized by the position the Teacher and Lord assumes vis a vis his disciples. Poor Peter has no idea what kind of unimaginable scandal lay before him. Peter, who was always the first to speak, as at the Transfiguration when he wanted to stay at the mountaintop for ever, as at that Last Supper before his Lord when he refused to have his feet washed, and where he promised to stay with Jesus until the very end. Knowing that Peter, the big talker, would betray his own words and his own Lord, Jesus could have ended his friendship with Peter right then and there. He didn't.
On Good Friday, as we did on Passion Sunday, we will see Jesus give himself up to death, with no resistance. Why? What could this mean? What good could come of this? Why leave his disciples with a claim that sounds so scandalously blasphemous and so unreachably beyond reason: "God died."
When Jesus suffered humiliation and scourging and crucifixion like a lamb led to the slaughter, where were his authoritative words, where were his miracles, where was his wisdom that would shame his foes to silence? Where was his power? It wasn't there.
His entire article is very good and my chosen excerpt doesn't do it justice, but his ending really got me to thinking...
Isn't it interesting that none of the weekdays of Holy Week are holy days of obligation? Jesus could have used his power to force Peter and his other frail disciples to stay with him and follow him on the road to Calvary. He didn't. He doesn't.
At our school there's no big Holy Week tradition: no schoolwide celebration to mark this holiest of weeks. And why should there be? Of course, it would be nice to get together for prayer and we'll certainly be doing that in all of my classes, but other than that, every single time my students pray or attend one of the Triduum services, they will be there of their own free will. Why use power to coerce them and have them end up hating it? Instead, taking my lead from Jesus, I'll give them examples of love to follow.
Very few stuck with Jesus, just like few of my students will have a serious Holy Week. The few that stuck with Jesus fell asleep on him when he needed them most. When they weren't asleep they were denying him and running away. I plan to stick with Our Lord this week. Hopefully my example will be enough to inspire. But even if it isn't, I refuse to be downcast because I have no right to be insulted.
Churchy people tend to take these things too personally. This Holy Week, it's not about me, it's about Jesus.
I heard a brief clip of news regarding this on Vatican Radio earlier today so I looked it up and AsiaNews had a story:
Work has begun on the first Catholic Church in Qatar, which after a 14 centuries has finally received permission to open a place of worship in the country. The building which lies south of the capital – will not be open to the public, instead it will draw together in prayer Qatar’s mainly foreign Catholic community.
Future Parish priest Fr. Tom Veneration, tells AsiaNews: “After over 20 years of making formal requests to the authorities, the government has finally granted the Christian confessions land to build their own places of worship. The Catholic community were given the largest piece of land, because our presence here goes back down the centuries and also because our community is the largest, now numbering over 100 thousand faithful”.
He adds, the Church land “was given to us by Emir Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who in recent years has promoted a politics of inter religious dialogue while at the same time maintaining the laws which forbid any attempts to convert the local population, for the most part Muslim, to any other religion. This really is the only great limit to our pastoral work, but we must comply”. The Church will be dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.
Roman Catholics from all over the Arabian Peninsula - many of them migrant workers - are helping to pay for the $15m building, which is scheduled to open at the end of the year.
...
Qatar has a population of about 750 thousand, mainly of Islamic faith. The government re established its relations with the Vatican only in 2002, and for almost 15 centuries has opposed the construction of Christian Churches under pressure from the wahabi who hold a majority in the country and see them as a profanation of the “holy land”.
Well, here it is again: "The Great Week," or so it was called in ancient times.
Since this is the first Holy Week since I was 13 that I can go wherever I want, I've decided to go to the Cathedral here in Springfield.
So off I went this morning to Mass with Bishop McDonnell at 10am. I arrived early so I would have a few minutes of quiet and I picked a really nice seat. Of course, Mass was starting in the hall (which is attached to the building) so I went there to begin, thus losing my good seat (I did find a comparable seat when I returned though). The processional was a spiritual, which I was skeptical about at first... that is, until I heard it. It had a mesmerizing quality and I sort of liked it.
The Mass itself was very stark, with very little organ and lots of chanting. They sang a Tallis anthem at the preparation and another beautiful piece I didn't catch the title of during communion, ending off with an a capella "Were You There" on the way out. The choir was awesome and it makes me hope and pray that the rest of the week will be just as beautiful.
Bishop McDonnell gave a wonderful homily. He talked about how ordinary the centurion was. How he was probably wondering if he'd get off work early "that day" and what was for supper, just how we tend to let our minds wander to ordinary things while we're listening to the long passion narrative. He (the centurion) let the events of that day change him, will we? What a great insight. This week could be ordinary or else it could be transformative.
Tomorrow night is the Chrism Mass and I'm really looking forward to that. I'll be sure to update after the Mass to tell what Springfield's finest night looks like.
The Malayalam version of the Catholic Church's official organ, L'Osservatore Romano, will be launched at a function here tomorrow, becoming the first edition of the Vatican journal in a non-European language.
Started in 1861, L'Osservatore covers the activities of the Pope, reviews encyclicals issued by the pontiff and carries general news concerning the Catholic Church the world over, according to its local publishers, Carmel International Publishing House.
Its Italian edition is a daily and the English version a weekly. The Malayalam edition will be a weekly one.
French, German, Spanish and Portuguese are the other languages in which the journal is published.
The Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil, will launch the Malayalam version by presenting a copy to former Union minister and Congress leader Margaret Alwa tomorrow.
Holy Week in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (138):
"In Holy Week, the Church celebrates the mysteries of salvation accomplished by Christ in the last days of the earthly life, beginning with his messianic entry into Jerusalem".
The people are notably involved in the rites of Holy Week. Many of them still bear the traces of their origins in popular piety. It has come about, however, that in the course of the centuries, a form of celebrative parallelism has arisen in the Rites of Holy Week, resulting in two cycles each with its own specific character: one is strictly liturgical, the other is marked by particular pious exercise, especially processions.
This divergence should be oriented towards a correct harmonization of the liturgical celebrations and pious exercises. Indeed, the attention and interest in manifestations of popular piety, traditionally observed among the people, should lead to a correct appreciation of the liturgical actions, which are supported by popular piety.
Palm Sunday in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (139):
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, or "Passion Sunday", which unites the royal splendor of Christ with the proclamation of his Passion".
The procession, commemorating Christ's messianic entry into Jerusalem, is joyous and popular in character. The faithful usually keep palm or olive branches, or other greenery which have been blessed on Palm Sunday in their homes or in their work places.
The faithful, however, should be instructed as to the meaning of this celebration so that they might grasp its significance. They should be opportunely reminded that the important thing is participation at the procession and not only the obtaining of palm or olive branches. Palms or olive branches should not be kept as amulets, or for therapeutic or magical reasons to dispel evil spirits or to prevent the damage these cause in the fields or in the homes, all of which can assume a certain superstitious guise.
Palms and olive branches are kept in the home as a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory.
Six days before the solemn passover the Lord came to Jerusalem, and children waving palm branches ran out to welcome him. They loudly praised the Lord: Blessed are you who have come to us so rich in love and mercy.
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Today's Stational Church is that of Saint John Lateran:
Just as Saint John Lateran was the station of the First Sunday of Lent, so it is fitting that the Cathedral Archbasilica is the station church which initiates Holy Week. It has been today’s station since the latter part of the fourth century. The blessing of the palms and the procession have always been distinct from the stational Mass. In years past, however, the two rites were held in the cathedral of Rome with all the magnificence of the pontifical court.
Historically speaking, after Vespers today the Apostolic Major Penitentiary would sit on the cathedral throne. Then, as the penitents presented themselves before him, he would gently strike their heads with the virga (reed) as a sign of repentance. Through this act of the Church’s tribunal of mercy, those who were well-disposed (i.e. in a state of grace) were granted an indulgence. [source]
Today is the beginning of Holy Week and also World Youth Day. You can read the message of the Holy Father here. Once his homily is available, it will be posted here.
Happy 59th Birthday to Bishop Tobin of Providence.
