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Apostolic Letter ‘Totum Amoris Est’ — On the Fourth Centenary of the Death of St. Francis de Sales…
APOSTOLIC LETTER TOTUM AMORIS EST OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON THE FOURTH CENTENARY OF THE DEATH OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES “EVERYTHING PERTAINS TO LOVE”.[1] These words summarize the spiritual legacy left to us by Saint Francis de Sales, who died four centuries ago, on 28 December 1622, in Lyon. Slightly more than fifty years of age, he had been the “exiled” Bishop and Prince of Geneva for some two decades, and had come to Lyon on what was to be his last diplomatic mission. The Duke of Savoy had asked him to accompany Cardinal Maurice of Savoy to Avignon, where they were to pay homage to the young King Louis XIII, then returning to Paris through the Rhône valley following a victorious military campaign in the south of France. Exhausted and in poor health, Francis had undertaken the j...
The Magi and the Christmas Star…
By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY As Advent draws to a close, we approach the feast of Christmas having passed through four weeks of preparation, a traditional symbol of the four thousand years between the fall of man and the coming of the Redeemer.Christmas is a time of joy, but it is also a time of mystery, and probably the most intriguing aspect of Christmas is the story of the Wise Men or Magi. In St. Matthew’s Gospel we read of their journey to visit the Christ Child during the reign of Herod, when they followed a mysterious Star in order to meet Christ, the Light of the World, in the form of a small baby.On the 6th of January we celebrate this event as a feast, that is, the Epiphany, or Manifestation, of Christ to the world in the persons of the Magi. The Jewish shepherds had worshiped Him on C...
Vatican Provides Update on Benedict: ‘Pope Francis Renews His Invitation to Pray for Him and Accompany Him in These Difficult Hours’…
‘Pope Francis renews his invitation to pray for him and accompany him in these difficult hours.’ VATICAN CITY — At 2.30pm Rome time on Thursday, Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni issued the following statement in response to reporters’ questions about Benedict XVI’s health: “The Pope Emeritus was able to rest well last night. He is absolutely lucid and alert, and today, although his condition remains serious, the situation at the moment is stable. Pope Francis renews his invitation to pray for him and accompany him in these difficult hours.” Sources close to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery where Benedict lives told the Register on Thursday the Pope Emeritus’ condition was very grave yesterday evening and the consensus was that he might not survive more than a few days, but his heal...
Home is like heaven. What more is there to say?
“I have come to bring you home, dear Brother! … Home, for good and all. Home, for ever and ever. Father is so much kinder than he used to be, that home’s like Heaven!”A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens Home is like heaven. What more is there to say? Dickens’s immortal short story of Christmas goes to the deepest longings of the human heart. This stands to reason, as the great drama of human life is always a drama of home, and home-coming. And this tends to come to light at Christmas. Stave Two of A Christmas Carol holds the key. Among a few unforgettable images from Christmas past, that of Scrooge’s dear little sister Fan stands out. One Christmas she comes to the boarding school of Scrooge’s painful isolation and gleefully announces (in the words quoted above) she is sent to bring him hom...
Holy Innocents, Young Martyrs, Pray For Us!…
For the first time in our world’s history, with the feast of the Holy Innocents, the lives of babies were celebrated simply for their existence. “When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.’” (Matthew 2:16-18) The Feast of the Holy Innocents feels jarring in the midst of the joys of the Christmas Octave, beginning with the Birth of Christ and ending with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God....
You are not alone, Supreme Knight tells Ukrainians…
Supreme Knight Kelly gives an early St. Nicholas Day present to a Ukrainian refugee child at the Church of St. Clement Hofbauer in Warsaw on Dec. 2. Redemptorist Father Andrzej Kukła (left) and local Knights operate a Knights of Columbus Mercy Center at the parish, hosting refugee women and children in need. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek) “The reason I went to Ukraine, the reason I wanted to go during Advent, was because Christmas is approaching, and I knew that for many Ukrainians it was going to be a very difficult Christmas,” said Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly of the Knights of Columbus. Kelly recently returned from a visit to Ukraine and Poland. During the course of the trip, he met with Polish government leaders, including Polish President Andrzej Duda, local members of the Knights of...
The truly devout life of St. Francis de Sales, who died 400 years ago today…
Exactly 400 years ago today, St. Francis de Sales ended his days in the same way he had lived most of them — having labored to his very last breath for the salvation of souls and the call for everyone to be saints. The future doctor of the Church and long-time bishop of Geneva had been on the road to Lyons in his capacity as an adviser to Duke Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy and his family during the duke’s Christmas tour of the massive Duchy of Savoy, stretching across whole parts of southeastern France, western Italy and southwestern Switzerland. Exhausted and increasingly ill from the travels and ceaseless toil, de Sales stopped at the convent of the Visitation Sisters at Lyons and there he saw for the last time his beloved spiritual friend, St. Jane de Chantal, whom he ha...
Protect your soul from Herod…
Today is the feast of the Holy Innocents. It is a somber reminder for us that the wood of the Cradle is never separated from the wood of the Cross. The modern day poet, Malcolm Guite, writes in his poem, “Refugee” Whilst Herod rages still from his dark towerChrist clings to Mary, fingers tightly curled,The lambs are slaughtered by the men of power,And death squads spread their curse across the world.But every Herod dies, and comes aloneTo stand before the Lamb upon the throne. Every Herod. Too often we become the Herod of our own soul. As we rage from our dark tower, we behold the Christ-Child, the life of Grace within our souls—and will not abide Him. If the wounds of Christ are born for us, and because of us, so too is His exile with the Holy Family. Too often, we, like petty Herods, ech...
Pope Francis Says Benedict XVI Is ‘Very Ill’ After Sudden Decline, Asks Catholics Worldwide to Pray For Him; Sources Say ‘Kidney Failure Has Worsened in Last Few Hours’…
The Vatican said that after the audience, Francis visited Benedict at his Mater Ecclesiae Monastery residence in the Vatican. VATICAN CITY —Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is suffering from aggravated kidney failure and had a recent modification to his pacemaker, an informed Vatican source has told the Register. The source said Benedict XVI has been experiencing “kidney failure which has worsened in the last few hours.” The source added that the 95-year-old Pope Emeritus had a modification to his “pacemaker about a month and a half ago to regularize his heartbeats” but stressed that it was unrelated to his kidney failure. The Vatican has yet to confirm his exact condition but confirmed on Wednesday that Benedict had experienced a sudden decline in his health, is currently stable and...
Priest for life? A Frank Pavone explainer from The Pillar…..
News broke on Saturday that Frank Pavone, the head of a pro-life campaigning organization and controversial political activist, had been dismissed from the clerical state. A prominent media figure for years, Pavone’s laicization has captured media attention in the U.S., and left many wondering if the Vatican decided to dismiss him from the clerical state because of his stridently pro-life activism and his well-known political beliefs. Some have claimed that Pavone’s dismissal came in response to his political activities and prominent pro-life work — one bishop even called it “blasphemy.” So, what’s going on? The Pillar explains. Frank who? Fr. Frank Pavone. Public domain. Frank Pavone is the national director of Priests for Life, a national pro-life apostolate, which in turn supports Rache...
‘Descent Into Hell’: As Jesuits and Vatican Do Damage Control, Former Loyola Community Sister Speaks Out on Rupnik Allegations…
An alleged victim of Slovenian Jesuit artist Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik detailed on Sunday the sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse she said she suffered as a religious sister, in a new interview with Italian media. Allegations against the Jesuit priest have become a point of scandal in the Church, after Rupnik was accused of serially abusing Slovenian consecrated women in the 1980s and 1990s. The allegations were sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2021, but have not resulted in canonical prosecution — with Society of Jesus officials saying they were informed that Rupnik would not be canonically prosecuted for the alleged abuse, owing to the canonical statute of limitations. That claim has sparked controversy in the Church, with journalists and victims’ advocates askin...
Your Nativity Set is a miniature replica of the Catholic Church…
It is a nearly universal practice among Catholics to have a nativity set in our homes and surely in our parishes. Not only does the nativity set remind us of the birth of Christ, it is also a miniature replica of the Church. In the scene we see God (Jesus) and man, saints (Jesus Mary and Joseph) and sinners (all the rest), the rich (the Magi) and the poor, (Mary Joseph, Jesus and the shepherds). We see the learned (the Magi) and the simple (the shepherds). There are Jews and Gentiles since the Magi are Gentiles and the rest are Jews. In this midst of this diverse scene, Jesus is found! While it may seem “institutional” to ponder the Church on Christmas Day, please realize that it is not. The Church is not an institution, the Church is the Body of Christ; He the Head of the Body, the ...
