ASIA: KOREA: PEACE GROUP DONATES 100 TONS OF FOOD TO VICTIMS
AMERICA: CANADA: LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS BY ALEX DUKETOW- ENTER THE LITURGY
EUROPE: POLAND: FUNERAL MASS FOR VICTIMS IN JERSEY
AFRICA: MALAWI: 3 DAYS OF 'DEAD CITY' TO PROTEST
AUSTRALIA: CATHEDRAL CHOIR PERFORMS IN ROME
TODAY'S SAINT: SEPT. 20: ST. ANDREW TAEGON, KOREA
TODAY'S GOSPEL: SEPT. 20: LUKE 6: 43-49
BEARING JOYFUL WITNESS TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL
VATICAN CITY, 20 SEP 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a message to British Catholics to mark the first anniversary of his apostolic trip to the United Kingdom. In the text, which bears the signature of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., the Pope expresses his gratitude for the "warm welcome" he received inBritain.
A Mass of thanksgiving was held last Sunday in London's Westminster Cathedral, attended by local bishops and seminarians, as well as by representatives from the Anglican Church and the government. In his message, the Holy Father expresses the hope that the celebration "may serve as a fresh exhortation to respond to the challenge launched one year ago: ... to bear joyful witness to the truth of the Gospel, which frees our minds and illuminates our efforts to live wisely and well in society".
The Pope likewise encourages seminarians "to keep their gaze on Jesus Christ" as they dedicate themselves completely to their intellectual and spiritual formation, and "to become heralds of the new evangelisation". In closing Benedict XVI entrusts the United Kingdom to the intercession of Cardinal Newman, whom he beatified during the course of his trip last year.
MESS/
BEES FOR THE PONTIFICAL FARMS AT CASTELGANDOLFO
VATICAN CITY, 20 SEP 2011 (VIS) - As part of its initiatives to mark the Day for the Protection of Creation, the Italian agricultural organisation "Coldiretti" has given Benedict XVI eight beehives containing more than 500,000 bees. The beehives will be kept at the pontifical farm of Castelgandolfo where they will be used in pollination and the production of honey (some 280 kilos a year).
Coldiretti explained that bees play a vital role in the planet's ecosystem and their disappearance would have disastrous consequences for health and the environment: a third of human food production depends on crops pollinated by insects, eighty percent of which are bees.
The "Campagna Amica" Association will provide technical assistance to the pontifical farms to oversee the protection of the bees and the production of honey. Castelgandolfo is considered to be a model farm because it unites traditional production methods with modern technology. It has 25 dairy cows, 300 hens and 60 cockerels as well as an ancient olive grove producing three thousand litres of oil a year, an orchard of apricot and peach trees and a greenhouse of ornamental flowers.
ASIA: KOREA: PEACE GROUP DONATES 100 TONS OF FOOD TO VICTIMS
A team from Catholic aid group Corea Peace 3000 entered North Korea on Oct. 20 with trucks carrying 100 tons of flour for flood victims.
Four staff members from the organization, including two priests, accompanied the team to oversee distribution of the food in the Mt. Geumgan area, just north of theDemilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.
The food was earmarked for distribution to 2,500 families affected by August floods.
The team, led by Corea Peace 3000 director, Father John Park Chang-il, returned to South Korea after completing the delivery.
Andrew Kim Do-hyung, aid manager for the group, told ucanews.com that the program was implemented in cooperation with the (North) Korean Roman Catholic Association.
Kim told ucanews.com that infants and the elderly were the major beneficiaries of the relief project.
North Korea did not want to provide details of the flood-hit area so the team chose its distribution area based on satellite weather photos from the Korea Metereological Administration, Kim said.
However, North Korea’s eastern region also suffered “major” flood damage, the aid team learned during their visit.
Kim said he hoped that the small program would act as a catalyst for reconciliation between the two Koreas after a South Korean warship was allegedly sunken by a North Korean torpedo in May.
Corea Peace 3000, which includes Catholics, Protestant pastors, Buddhist monks and lawyers among its members, previously established a soy-milk factory near theChangchung Church in Pyongyang in 2006.
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/10/20/catholic-group-delivers-aid-to-north-korea/
AMERICA: CANADA: LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS BY ALEX DUKETOW- ENTER THE LITURGY
TREASURES OF THE CHURCH PRESS RELEASE: A 160 page hardcover, illustrated devotional designed to help families, couples, and individuals enter more deeply into the Mass and the life of our Faith
Written and arranged by Alex Duketow
Edited by Father Tom Lynch
(National Director, Priests for Life – Canada)
EUROPE: POLAND: FUNERAL MASS FOR VICTIMS IN JERSEY
Catholic Dean, Monsignor Nicholas France said: "The first funeral Mass will be held in St Thomas’ Catholic Church in St Helier at 10am on Saturday 24 September. It will be for Marta de la Haye (aged 34) and her daughter Julia (aged 5). They will be together in the same coffin. This is a practical solution to convey them by road to Poland.
"The purpose of a Catholic funeral is to pray for the deceased that they may find peace and rest in God’s embrace; it also offers to the bereaved the consolations of faith in Christ’s resurrection."
The Mass will be celebrated in English and Polish by Monsignor Nicholas France, Catholic Dean in Jersey and Father Jan Swiatek, Polish Catholic Mission priest in Jersey. Most of the music will be sung by the Polish choir. Later that day the bodies will be taken to Poland by car.
Before the funeral Mass for Marek Gaska (aged 56), his daughter Izabela Rzeszowska (aged 30) and her children, Kinga (aged five) and Kacper (aged two), their bodies will be cremated one by one at private services at the crematorium on Thursday 29 September. In the evening. the four caskets of their ashes will rest in front of the altar during the Mass in St Thomas’ Church in St Helier celebrated by Monsignor Nicholas France and Father Jan Swiatek. The ashes will then be repatriated to Poland for burial.
Mgr France said: "Amid the sadness of these last weeks, the good news is that so many people from all parts of the community have rallied round to show their sympathy and support in practical ways. From donations from the community at large, from grants from the States and from generous financial assistance from the Constable and Parish of St Helier, sufficient funds have been raised (in the region of £15,000) to cover all expenses both in Jersey and in Poland, which will relieve the bereaved relatives of any expense at all. The Church, Condor Ferries and others have all waived their fees. The Funeral Directors, Pitcher & Le Quesne, are just covering their costs. A full account of monies raised and audited will be given in a letter of thanks from the relatives at a later date."
The relatives of the deceased have asked that donations in lieu of flowers should be given to the Island charities ‘Help a Jersey Child’ and ‘Centre Point Trust’
For more information see: http://www.catholicchurch.org.je
AFRICA: MALAWI: 3 DAYS OF 'DEAD CITY' TO PROTEST
The Catholic Church is in the regime’s sights. "This period was charaterized by the attack on the churches that the President sees as enemies of his government" refers Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba to Fides, a Monfort missionary who has been working in Malawi for over 30 years. "It is a difficult moment for the Catholic Church , but also a moment of so much freedom. Since when the President of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, Mgr. Joseph Mkasa Zuza, Bishop of the diocese of Mzuzu in northern Malawi (where 11 of the 19 people killed by police in July came from) in a public speech in front of the President, repeated several times that those who believe to be perfect and have no need of advice, are perfect fools, the total detachment with the Presidency began (see Fides 18/8/2011). While for the Bishop the speech was general, and intended to simply attack the way the Country is led, the President took it as a personal affront, and now never misses an opportunity to attack the churches, without any respect", said the missionary.
"There is a campaign of defamation against the Bishop, with very heavy accusations towards him and his ministry. While the response of the whole Church has been very clear: "Those who accuse a Bishop accuses the Church", the presidency does not intend to stop. The unity of Christian Churches, in this difficult moment, is evident both in the messages on behalf of the Public Affairs Committee in support of the Bishop of Mzuzu, and that within the Catholic Church, where priests, religious men and women and all the community share the courageous choice of their Bishops", underlines Fr. Gamba.
The missionary also reports an episode that explains the climate of intimidation in which the country lives. "The news that Ernest Mahwayo, a journalist from Monfort Media, was arrested for taking photographs of the multimillion-dollar home that the President is building on his farm called Ndata Farm has reached all corners of the country. It took two days for him to be realeased from the police cells of Limbe, among the worst ever in the country. It took a day to tell the judge that Ernest, who was visiting the villages to collect information on poverty and injustice, had photographed the house under construction, with over 50 rooms and such a big reservoir of water taken away from the water needs of the entire local population. Are these superficial stories? We wonder, considering how the the police handled the situation and how the prosecution was represented by the judge". concludes the missionary. (L.M.)
AUSTRALIA: CATHEDRAL CHOIR PERFORMS IN ROME
Sydney Archdiocese report
15 Sep 2011
St Mary's Cathedral Choir during a special performance
Sydneysiders will have the opportunity to hear a special recital by the St Mary's Cathedral Choir this weekend before they leave for a week-long series of performances in Rome.
Under the direction of Thomas Wilson, the choir will sing at the Official Opening of Domus Australia in Rome.
And for the 23 boys aged between eleven and fourteen who will be in the choir heading to the Eternal City, this Saturday night's recital will give them an opportunity to ease the nerves a little.
An initiative of the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Pell, Domus Australia is a place where pilgrims to Rome can stay, a religious and cultural centre for travelling Australians.
Following two years of extensive renovation and restoration, Domus Australia is now open for business however the official opening will be mid-October when guests from Australia and overseas will attend a series of special events.
Cardinal Pell was always keen to have the St Mary's Cathedral Choir sing at the official opening in the beautifully restored Chapel of St Peter Chanel.
Cardinal Pell (back row left) with the choir
However music lovers will have the opportunity to hear the choir this Saturday night at the Cathedral when they perform a treasury of sacred music.
Called "Ave Maria" the performance will feature favourite motets by Bach, Handel, Franck, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Vivaldi and many more.
Money raised from the sale of tickets will go towards the choir's travelling expenses to Rome.
Cardinal Pell, who has always encouraged and supported the St Mary's Cathedral Choir, will be attending Saturday's recital.
Thirty boys and thirteen men will make up the choir this Saturday night, accompanied by Oliver Brett, the new Assistant Director of Music at the Cathedral. The choir will be under the Director of Music, Thomas Wilson.
Thomas said the choir is very much looking forward to Saturday night's performance but admits the Rome visit really has them excited.
"For many, they have little concept of what Rome is life, " Thomas said. "It is all a bit unimaginable to them, but they know it will be hugely exciting.
Music Director Thomas Wilson and boys
from the choir
"They are awed by the history of the place and especially the idea of singing the music they know so well by composers like Palestrina, and Victoria in the churches that these composers worked in.
"It will be a spiritual and musical pilgrimage for them," he said.
Thomas said he feels extremely privileged to have the opportunity to take the choir to Rome.
"I have been there several times and conducted and performed there with various choirs but I am particularly excited about bringing this special group from Sydney to experience the rare joy of singing in the heart of the Catholic world.
"I am extremely proud of the boys and the men of the choir and I know that this trip will do an enormous amount to help them grow as church musicians. It will add a new dimension to the choir's musical expression and will cement the professionalism that we are striving always to attain.
The choir will also sing at other events during their week at Domus including a recital for the bishops of Australia who will be on their ad limina visit to Rome.
Plans are also underway for them to sing at a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Pell in St Peter's Basilica.
The boys regular morning rehearsals before school are continuing however the Rome performances mean extra rehearsals have to be scheduled around their already busy timetables.
"However they are wonderfully supported by their parents and staff of the Cathedral College," Thomas said.
Many of the boys' parents will accompany them to Rome where the official opening of Domus will be webcast live around the world via the Archdiocese of Sydney social network xt3.com
http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/news/latest_news/2011/2011915_36.shtml
TODAY'S SAINT: SEPT. 20: ST. ANDREW TAEGON, KOREA
MARTYR
Feast: September 20
Information:
Feast Day:
September 20
Born:
August 21, 1821
Died:
September 16, 1846
Canonized:
6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II
Major Shrine:
Chŏltusan (Martyr's Mound), Seoul, South Korea
Patron of:
Korean Clergy
Andrew Kim Tae-gon was born on 21 August 1821, in Chungchong Province, Korea. His parents, being converts to Catholicism, were subject to persecution, to avoid which they moved to Kyonggi Province. At 15 years old, Kim Tae-gon was chosen by a visiting priest to be a seminarian, and was sent with two other seminarians to Macao. He arrived in 1873 and began his studies with the missionaries of the Far Eastern Procure of the Parish Foreign Mission Society. In 1842 Kim Tae-gon left Macao as an interpreter for a French admiral aboard a warship. When the admiral returned to France, Kim Tae-gon tried to return to his homeland through the strictly guarded norther frontier, but he failed. He was ordained a deacon in China in 1844 and managed to return to Korea the next year, arriving in Seoul early in 1845. He then led the French missionaries by sea to Shanghai, where Bishop Ferreol ordained him the first Korean priest in the Church’s 60-year history in Korea. He returned to Korea with Bishop Ferreol, reaching Chungchong Province in October of the same year. In his home town and vicinity, he catechized the faithful, until Bishop Ferreol summoned him to Seoul. At the Bishop's command, he tried to introduce French missionaries from China into Korea, enlisting the aid of Chinese fishermen. For this, Father Kim Tae-gon was arrested and sent to the central prison in Seoul, where was charged as the ringleader of a heretical sect and traitor to his country. He was sentenced to death and was beheaded on 16 September 1846. He was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1925, and canonized by Pope John-Paul II on 6 May 1984.
TODAY'S GOSPEL: SEPT. 20: LUKE 6: 43-49
| Luke 8: 19 - 21 | |
| 19 | Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. |
| 20 | And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." |
| 21 | But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." |
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