Showing posts with label catholics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label catholics. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2018
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Pope Francis Hits a Home Run With New Policy
Giving your life for another can lead to canonization, pope decides.
To recognize someone officially as a saint to be emulated, the Church has a rigorous, time-consuming process, briefly outlined here. There are stages leading up to canonization, including those marked by the bestowing of the titles Servant of God, Venerable, and Blessed.
Miracles attributed to the intercession of the saint are part of the process.
And today, Pope Francis has made an adjustment to this system by adding another category to the pathways that can lead to canonization.
The document Maiorem hac dilectionem (“Greater love than this”) opens a fourth path for the canonization of saints, a path titled oblatio vitae, “the offering of one’s life.”
This category provides a framework for recognizing “heroic Christian witness,” explained Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci of Bevagna, Italy, secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano today.
Up until now, there had been three paths leading to beatification and eventual canonization: martyrdom “in odium fidei” [being killed because of your Catholic faith – translator’s note], recognition of the heroic living of virtue, and a third, called “equivalent canonization,” when a pope simply confirms a devotion to a saint who is already well-established in the Church. This equivalent canonization was the case of the Jesuit Pierre Faber (1506-1546) recognized by Pope Francis in 2013, or of Hildegard of Bingen, recognized by Pope Benedict XVI.
This new path, oblatio vitae, is taken from the Lord’s assertion, “Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a friend.”
To recognize someone officially as a saint to be emulated, the Church has a rigorous, time-consuming process, briefly outlined here. There are stages leading up to canonization, including those marked by the bestowing of the titles Servant of God, Venerable, and Blessed.
Miracles attributed to the intercession of the saint are part of the process.
And today, Pope Francis has made an adjustment to this system by adding another category to the pathways that can lead to canonization.
The document Maiorem hac dilectionem (“Greater love than this”) opens a fourth path for the canonization of saints, a path titled oblatio vitae, “the offering of one’s life.”
This category provides a framework for recognizing “heroic Christian witness,” explained Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci of Bevagna, Italy, secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano today.
Up until now, there had been three paths leading to beatification and eventual canonization: martyrdom “in odium fidei” [being killed because of your Catholic faith – translator’s note], recognition of the heroic living of virtue, and a third, called “equivalent canonization,” when a pope simply confirms a devotion to a saint who is already well-established in the Church. This equivalent canonization was the case of the Jesuit Pierre Faber (1506-1546) recognized by Pope Francis in 2013, or of Hildegard of Bingen, recognized by Pope Benedict XVI.
This new path, oblatio vitae, is taken from the Lord’s assertion, “Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a friend.”
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Blessed Are the Cheesemakers...
...there are so few good ones.
Thomas Merton put them on the map. Their fruitcakes are definitely not the kind to re-gift. And their fudge is just about as heavenly as fudge can get.
But the Abbey of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, is dropping one of the products whose sale has supported the monastery for years.
Because of the dwindling number of monks, the production of cheese recently came to an end, according to a report by WDRD.
Founded in 1848, Gethsemani is one of the oldest monasteries in the United States and attracts visitors from all over the world.
They may be attracting visitors from all over the world, but they aren't attracting vocations. People view monastic retreats as a spiritual vacation, not a life that they want to live. There are many reasons for this - - secularization of the US population, the catholic priest pedophile scandal, inability to come to grips with social media and the need to advertise their existence, strict bars to entry. Where are the 21st-century Mertons to draw the vocations?
Thomas Merton put them on the map. Their fruitcakes are definitely not the kind to re-gift. And their fudge is just about as heavenly as fudge can get.
But the Abbey of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, is dropping one of the products whose sale has supported the monastery for years.
Because of the dwindling number of monks, the production of cheese recently came to an end, according to a report by WDRD.
Founded in 1848, Gethsemani is one of the oldest monasteries in the United States and attracts visitors from all over the world.
They may be attracting visitors from all over the world, but they aren't attracting vocations. People view monastic retreats as a spiritual vacation, not a life that they want to live. There are many reasons for this - - secularization of the US population, the catholic priest pedophile scandal, inability to come to grips with social media and the need to advertise their existence, strict bars to entry. Where are the 21st-century Mertons to draw the vocations?
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Meanwhile, In San Francisco...
...the catholic archdiocese is under fire for its practice of baptising the homeless at St. Mary's Cathedral...
Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?
update: The backpedaling has begun. (link goes to .pdf file from the Archdioces of San Francisco).
Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?
update: The backpedaling has begun. (link goes to .pdf file from the Archdioces of San Francisco).
Friday, March 13, 2015
Not Quite Urban II
"Vatican Calls For Use Of Force Against ISIS."
The main Vatican UN diplomat, Italian Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, has called for armed resistance to ISIS in a document presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Crux interviewed him about its aims:
Tomasi told Crux that in the first instance, he hopes the statement will galvanize nations around the world to provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other groups suffering at the hands of ISIS, “so they can survive and stand up for their own rights.”
Beyond that, Tomasi said, the crisis requires “more coordinated protection, including the use of force to stop the hands of an aggressor.”
“It will be up the United Nations and its member states, especially the Security Council, to determine the exact form of intervention necessary,” he said, “but some responsibility [to act] is clear.”
Deus Vult.
The main Vatican UN diplomat, Italian Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, has called for armed resistance to ISIS in a document presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Crux interviewed him about its aims:
Tomasi told Crux that in the first instance, he hopes the statement will galvanize nations around the world to provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other groups suffering at the hands of ISIS, “so they can survive and stand up for their own rights.”
Beyond that, Tomasi said, the crisis requires “more coordinated protection, including the use of force to stop the hands of an aggressor.”
“It will be up the United Nations and its member states, especially the Security Council, to determine the exact form of intervention necessary,” he said, “but some responsibility [to act] is clear.”
Deus Vult.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
They're Breeding Like Rabbits!
"Another nun gives birth in Italy."
No note in the article if it was a virgin birth.
Pope Francis will be disappointed, he said recently that Catholics didn't need to breed like rabbits.
No note in the article if it was a virgin birth.
Pope Francis will be disappointed, he said recently that Catholics didn't need to breed like rabbits.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
If You're Alone...
...this Christmas Eve - - maybe having to work - - and you have the time, and you're of a religious bent, you might consider saying the Liturgy of the Hours sometime after midnight tonight. In Roman Catholic monasteries and convents, it is said/sung by the monks and nuns as part of their daily routine. Since I'm generally at work most Christmases, I've made a practice of saying it the last few years. I don't claim any great faith or profess to be any sort of saint, but it comforts me to do this once a year, sort of a clutching at the hem of grace.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Monday, November 03, 2014
If You're a Fan of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael Novels...
...you should know that today is the feast day of St. Winifred, an important character in the novels, although she never actually appears in the flesh.
Pic:
St. Winifred is one of the Catholic Church's Cephalophores, or beheaded saints.
Pic:
St. Winifred is one of the Catholic Church's Cephalophores, or beheaded saints.
Monday, October 06, 2014
It's the Feast Day...
...of St. Bruno of Cologne, the founder of the Carthusians.
The Carthusians are the Catholic order of hermit/monks who are known for the liquer that they manufacture, called Chartreuse. The Carthusians are hermits who live in community; each monk spends around 20 hours per day in an apartment-like cell, and the other few hours are taken up with a daily Mass and a few other functions. The Carthusian spends most of his time in prayer, but also working, either at a craft, gardening (each cell has an enclosed, private garden) or, if he has no skill at a craft, at processing firewood. They have almost no contact with the world outside the Charterhouse (the name for a monastery of Carthusians), and their devotion to their way of life is so unswerving that the order has never had to be reformed since it was first begun by Bruno in 1084 - - over 900 years.
Anyone wanting to see how Carthusians live should watch the documentary Into Great Silence. The filmmaker had to wait over a decade for the Carthusians to decide whether to allow him to film them going about their daily life. Filmed without extra lighting or special effects, what you see is basically what life is like inside a Charterhouse. Warning: 9 out of 10 people will be bored to tears by this movie.
St. Bruno of Cologne.
The Carthusians are the Catholic order of hermit/monks who are known for the liquer that they manufacture, called Chartreuse. The Carthusians are hermits who live in community; each monk spends around 20 hours per day in an apartment-like cell, and the other few hours are taken up with a daily Mass and a few other functions. The Carthusian spends most of his time in prayer, but also working, either at a craft, gardening (each cell has an enclosed, private garden) or, if he has no skill at a craft, at processing firewood. They have almost no contact with the world outside the Charterhouse (the name for a monastery of Carthusians), and their devotion to their way of life is so unswerving that the order has never had to be reformed since it was first begun by Bruno in 1084 - - over 900 years.
Anyone wanting to see how Carthusians live should watch the documentary Into Great Silence. The filmmaker had to wait over a decade for the Carthusians to decide whether to allow him to film them going about their daily life. Filmed without extra lighting or special effects, what you see is basically what life is like inside a Charterhouse. Warning: 9 out of 10 people will be bored to tears by this movie.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Today's Vocabulary Word
Cephalophore.
A cephalophore is a Catholic saint, a beheaded martyr, one who is noted for miracles surrounding the circumstances of the beheading. St. Paul is supposed to have been one of the earliest cephalophores, if not the very first. Cephalophores are portrayed in paintings, sculpture and other media as standing upright, with the head cradled in the arms:
update: It occurs to me that beheading is topical, these days.
A cephalophore is a Catholic saint, a beheaded martyr, one who is noted for miracles surrounding the circumstances of the beheading. St. Paul is supposed to have been one of the earliest cephalophores, if not the very first. Cephalophores are portrayed in paintings, sculpture and other media as standing upright, with the head cradled in the arms:
update: It occurs to me that beheading is topical, these days.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
My New Patron Saint
St. Germaine Cousin:
Saint Germaine Cousin is the patron of unattractive people, peasant girls, abuse victims, handicapped people, and abandoned people. She was abused as a child and forced to be a shepherdess at age 9. Saint Germaine Cousin abandoned her flock for Mass but professed that her guardian angel was watching them and no sheep was ever harmed during her absence. Once in winter she opened her apron and summer flowers came out which was an obvious miracle. Saint Germaine Cousin's body was found incorruptible over 100 years after her death and her feast day is June 15th.
Saint Germaine Cousin is the patron of unattractive people, peasant girls, abuse victims, handicapped people, and abandoned people. She was abused as a child and forced to be a shepherdess at age 9. Saint Germaine Cousin abandoned her flock for Mass but professed that her guardian angel was watching them and no sheep was ever harmed during her absence. Once in winter she opened her apron and summer flowers came out which was an obvious miracle. Saint Germaine Cousin's body was found incorruptible over 100 years after her death and her feast day is June 15th.
Wednesday, May 07, 2014
Oh, Yer Gonna Burn In Hell For That
The civilian accountant in charge of the funds of the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky absconded with over $1M of the abbey's money.
Gethsemani, of course, is where writer/monk Thomas Merton lived and wrote his many books, including The Seven Storey Mountain.
Gethsemani, of course, is where writer/monk Thomas Merton lived and wrote his many books, including The Seven Storey Mountain.
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Who You Pointing That Remark At?
I get a "daily meditation" from the Franciscans, this morning it read:
You'll notice that all three times when the angel comes to St. Joseph, he is sleeping. Possibly the news was more than he could handle awake. Or maybe God is encouraging us to rest more. (Note: this does not empower sleeping during the homily.)
(For non-Catholics, the homily is the equivalent of the sermon.)
You'll notice that all three times when the angel comes to St. Joseph, he is sleeping. Possibly the news was more than he could handle awake. Or maybe God is encouraging us to rest more. (Note: this does not empower sleeping during the homily.)
(For non-Catholics, the homily is the equivalent of the sermon.)
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Headline of the Day
"Pope's peace doves attacked by crow and seagull."
Click the link to see distressing photos. Or entertaining, depending on your viewpoint.
Click the link to see distressing photos. Or entertaining, depending on your viewpoint.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
If the Perpetrators Are Caught...
...I wonder if the MSM would be honest enough to report the motivation - - if the perps turned out to be, say, Muslims? Or Atheists? (They'd definitely report on the motivations if the perps were, for example, former altar boys who had been diddled by a priest).
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Apologies For Light Posting
My apologies for the lack of posts, haven't seen anything that interests me all that much in the news. I've been pretty active on Facebook among my friends there.
Here's a photo of the interior of the church of the Trappist Monastery of the Holy Spirit, in Conyers, GA; from their website:
If any of you have read the travel classic Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon, you'll perhaps recognize the name of the place, since Heat Moon stopped there on his perambulations around the US. One of the monks he met there, Brother Patrick, seems to be the monastery's baker now, unless another monk has the name Patrick. If it is the same Brother Patrick, he would be an old man now; no difficult feat for a monk, of course.
Here's a photo of the interior of the church of the Trappist Monastery of the Holy Spirit, in Conyers, GA; from their website:
If any of you have read the travel classic Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon, you'll perhaps recognize the name of the place, since Heat Moon stopped there on his perambulations around the US. One of the monks he met there, Brother Patrick, seems to be the monastery's baker now, unless another monk has the name Patrick. If it is the same Brother Patrick, he would be an old man now; no difficult feat for a monk, of course.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
That's a Lot of Entering For a Virgin
The "Minute Meditations" I get from the Franciscans every morning in my email box:
What a wonder is Mary! The Lord entered her, and became a Servant; the Word entered her, and became silent within her; Thunder entered her, and His voice was still; the Shepherd of all entered her, and He became a Lamb in her, and came forth bleating. – - St. Ephrem of Syria
What a wonder is Mary! The Lord entered her, and became a Servant; the Word entered her, and became silent within her; Thunder entered her, and His voice was still; the Shepherd of all entered her, and He became a Lamb in her, and came forth bleating. – - St. Ephrem of Syria
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Yer Ancient Christian Lesson of the Day
In a UK Daily Mail article, the possibility of female priests in the Catholic Church is raised because of frescoes that have been unveiled in some of the Roman catacombs:
The central female with hands raised is theorized in the article to be a female priest. Sorry, but no. That is simply a form of early Christian prayer called orans, which is a prayer posture that replicates symbolically the posture of Christ on the cross. It was later supplanted by the folded hands posture that we are all familiar with.
The central female with hands raised is theorized in the article to be a female priest. Sorry, but no. That is simply a form of early Christian prayer called orans, which is a prayer posture that replicates symbolically the posture of Christ on the cross. It was later supplanted by the folded hands posture that we are all familiar with.
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