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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: TUES. JAN. 4, 2011















CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: TUES. JAN. 4, 2011- headlines-

ASIA: PAKISTAN: GOVERNOR KILLED WHO SOUGHT BIBI PARDON

AUSTRALIA: CARDINAL PELL CAUTIONS VOTING FOR POLITICIANS WHO DISREGARD CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES

AFRICA: NIGERIA: PILGRIMS DENIED ACCESS TO HOLY LAND

AMERICA: USA: AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY HOLDS PASTOR WORKSHOP

EUROPE: POLAND: STAR SINGERS COLLECT MONEY FOR UGANDA`S

TODAY'S SAINT: JAN. 4: ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON

TODAY'S GOSPEL: JAN. 4: MARK: 6: 34-44




VATICAN: POPE APPOINTS ARCHBISHOP JOAO OF BRAZIL


VIS REPORT: POPE BENEDICT XVI

Appointed Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz of Brasilia, Brazil, as prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He succeeds Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., whose resignation from the same office the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Bombay, India, presented by Bishop Percival Joseph Fernandez, upon having reached the age limit.

IMAGE SOURCE: DAYLIFE.COM

ASIA: PAKISTAN: GOVERNOR KILLED WHO SOUGHT BIBI PARDON

ASIA NEWS REPORT: Salman Taseer was killed by a member of his security detail. Interior minister says that the murderer acted because the governor had described the blasphemy law as a “black law”.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was assassinated today by a member of his security detail at a popular market in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. His assassin, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, said he killed him because the governor had described the blasphemy law as a "black law".

Unlike other Pakistani leaders, Taseer had openly opposed the blasphemy law. He had recently called on President Zardari to grant a pardon to Asia Bibi, a Christian woman from Punjab sentenced to death after she was accused of blasphemy.

“He has confessed his crime and surrendered his gun to police after the attack,” Interior Minister Rahman Malik said about the assassin, explaining that he is a police officer from Rawalpindi and had been recently added to the governor’s staff. This was the third time he worked in the security detail.

President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and other political leaders condemned the murder. Various human rights groups expressed their gratitude to Taseer for his efforts towards the abolition of the blasphemy law and for his defence of Asia Bibi’s life.

In the meantime, police is on high alert fearing more attacks against government officials and political leaders.

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Punjab-governor-assassinated,-he-had-called-for-Asia-Bibi%E2%80%99s-pardon-20423.html

AUSTRALIA: CARDINAL PELL CAUTIONS VOTING FOR POLITICIANS WHO DISREGARD CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES

HERALD SUN REPORT:

AUSTRALIA'S senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, has denounced Catholic politicians who defy church teachings on controversial issues.

With debate over euthanasia and gay marriage looming in 2011, Cardinal Pell used an interview with the Sunday Herald Sun to rebuke MPs who "fly under the Christian or Captain Catholic flag" but "blithely disregard Christian perspectives" when they vote in parliament on moral issues.

"If a person says, 'Look, I'm not a Christian, I've a different set of perspectives', I disagree but I understand," the Archbishop of Sydney said.

"If a person says to me, 'Look, I'm nominally a Christian but it sits lightly with me', I understand that.

"But it's incongruous for somebody to be a Captain Catholic one minute, saying they're as good a Catholic as the Pope, then regularly voting against the established Christian traditions."

He said citing primacy of conscience in support of views was "OK, but if you're espousing something that's not a Christian position, don't claim Christian backing for that".

He said: "To the extent that on a significant number of issues you depart from Christian teachings you know it's incongruous to be billing yourself as a champion of Christian rights. And the Catholic Church doesn't teach the primacy of conscience. You know if somebody said apartheid was all right, nobody would say, 'Yes you can say that because of the primacy of conscience'."

Cardinal Pell also hit out at Greens leader Bob Brown, who claimed the church was out of step with mainstream Catholics on gay marriage and other issues.

He said he was confident the Greens' move to get Federal Parliament to pass a pro-euthanasia Bill would not succeed.

"I'm not telling people how to vote," he said. "I'm telling people how I think they should vote. I'm an Australian citizen and I have as much right to do that as any other citizen."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/pells-blast-for-defiant-politicians/story-fn6bfmgc-1225980210199

IMAGE REPORT:

http://www.seadoration.org/book_review.htm

AFRICA: NIGERIA: PILGRIMS DENIED ACCESS TO HOLY LAND

ALL AFRICA REPORT- IT was a bad New Year day for some over 1,000 Nigerian pilgrims performing the 2010 pilgrimage to the holy land in Israel as the Israeli authority, Saturday, shut its border against those entering the country from Egypt over a bomb scare which turned to be a false alarm.


The Nigerians had left Jerusalem for Mount Sinai enroute Eilat, an Israeli border town through Taba, an Egyptian border town to St. Catherine, the sparsely populated community where the holy site of Mount Sinai and the Burning Bush were located.The Nigerians who are one of the many batches performing the exercise, include pilgrims from the Federal Capital Territory, Taraba, River, Yobe, Kwara, Delta and Oyo states as well as members of the Federal Government officials but had to leave for Mount Sinai, one of the holy site located in the neighbour country of Egypt.

The pilgrims had arrived the Egyptian-Israeli border post at Taba at1:10 pm for the border routine check, after a lunch at Nuweiba another Egyptian town located between St. Catherine and Taba, when the incident occurred.

Egyptian security operatives

The Nigerian Christians who were in eight different luxurious buses had been swiftly checked by the Egyptian security operatives from the Egypt's end of the border, in less than 30 minutes.

But, the unexpected happened, after about 45 Nigerian travellers had began the screening process with the Israeli authority on the country's side of the border, when the international passage was hurriedly shut down to prevent the pilgrims from gaining access.

Precisely, at exactly 1:53pm there was a very loud alarm, from the Israeli part of the border, and suddenly the country's security personnel were seen rushing to close both the vehicular and human passage; and within a minute, the entire border was cordoned-off with the Israelis deserting their duty-post and leaving for more secured rooms at the border.

And for more than 30 minutes the Nigerians including the young and old people who had queued in a very long line that stretched to the Egyptian end of the border, stood helplessly in the sun without explanation from the Israeli official, as the border remained closed.

The few Nigerians who had passed some check points after being screened by Israel were swiftly sent back to the Egypt's part of the border, perhaps for a more thorough check, but there was no official explanation, as the Israelis were heard through the loud speakers engaged in communication.

Reprieve, however, came the way of the stranded Nigerians who obviously became apprehensive when after over 30 minutes inexplicable silence, an Israeli female official alerted from the secured enclave and opened the gates.

But despite the resumption of operation by the Israelis, it took the exhausted Nigerians additional two hours to leave the border post which is sited by the bank of the Red Sea, which is surrounded by Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Investigation by Vanguard revealed that what led to the sudden closure of the border was a bomb scare alert which followed the notice of an unclaimed luggage by Nigerian pilgrims who had began the check, before the border was shut.

It was learnt that a Rev. Fr (names withheld) from River State had upon discovery that the bag he was holding was not actually his, had drop the luggage to search for his, at the Egyptian end of the border.

At all the holy sites, the pilgrims have been praying for the peace and unity of the country, while special prayers are being offered for the country's political leaders, particularly, President Goodluck Jonathan.

EDITED FROM http://allafrica.com/stories/201101040647.html


AMERICA: USA: AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY HOLDS PASTOR WORKSHOP


AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY REPORT:
PASTORS’ WORKSHOP: The Pastor as Spiritual & Moral Leader in Today’s Church

Dear Father,
You are cordially invited to register for our Pastors’ Workshop, to be held January 26, 27 & 28,
2011, at our beautiful new campus at Ave Maria University near Naples in southwest Florida. The
goal of the workshop is to assist priests in achieving excellence in their indispensable ministry for the
salvation of souls. You will come away more enthusiastic, more committed, and more knowledgeable
about your vital role in bringing souls to Christ.
This year’s theme is: The Priest as Spiritual and Moral Leader in Today’s Church. We will focus on our
great mission as priests to lead and guide our people in living the message of Christ and His Church.
Topics will include:
*Leadership in Theory * Leadership in Practice * Issues We Face as Spiritual Leaders * Being Responsible for the Flock*
*Deepening Our Personal Prayer Life * The Priest in Vocational Discernment * Youth Ministry and Leadership*
Our program will also include discussion sessions following each talk to assist you in applying this information within your own
faith community.
This promises to be a dynamic conference, so please sign up soon to be sure that you are a part of it. If you have any
questions, please contact me at robert.garrity@avemaria.edu or my assistant, Donna Rittereiser, at (239)280.2519 or
campusministry@avemaria.edu.
I look forward to hearing from you soon and seeing you in Florida in January. God Bless you!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert M. Garrity, J.C.L., S.T.D.
Director of Campus Ministry
Ave Maria University
PASTORS’ WORKSHOP: The Pastor as Spiritual & Moral Leader in Today’s Church
SESSIONS
“The Pastor as Spiritual and Moral Leader
in Today’s Church”
Bishop’s Keynote Address
“The Theology of Being a Spiritual and Moral Leader ”
Fr. Robert Garrity, J.C.L., S.T.D.
Director of Campus Ministry, Adjunct Professor of Theology, AMU
“Servant Leadership for the Flock”
Fr. Dennis Cooney, St. Raphael Church, Lehigh Acres, FL
Pastor
“Deepening Our Prayer Life”
Fr. Robert Garrity, J.C.L., S.T.D.
“The Guidance of the Priest in Vocational Discernment”
Fr. Piotr Paciorek, S.T.D.
Acting Dean of Discernment of Vocation Program, AMU
“Youth Ministry in Today’s Challenging Circumstances”
Fr. John Gallagher
Catholic Motivational Speaker, AMU

EUROPE: POLAND: STAR SINGERS COLLECT MONEY FOR UGANDA`S POOR

Agenzia Fides REPORT - The “Star Singers” initiative, which began over 50 years ago in Germany as an initiative of solidarity by the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood, has spread to several other nations, especially in central Europe. Even children and young people of the Archdiocese of Czestochowa for Missionary Childhood, in the days from 26 December, 2010 to 6 January, 2011 are participating in missionary solidarity through their Christmas activity. In fact, during these days, like thousands of their peers in other nations, the “Star Singers” are knocking on the doors of family homes in Czestochowa, collecting donations for other children who are suffering around the world. In particular, the Christmas campaign is dedicated to materially and spiritually helping the children of Uganda. “The children of Uganda are suffering a lot. We can not disappoint their hopes,” said Father Jacek Gancarek, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Czestochowa, urging the young Polish “Star Singers”.

TODAY'S SAINT: JAN. 4: ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

FOUNDRESS AND FIRST SUPERIOR OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY

Feast: January 4



Information:

Feast Day:January 4
Born:

28 August 1774 in New York City, New York, USA

Died:4 January 1821 in Emmitsburg, Maryland

Canonized:

14 September 1975 by Pope Paul VI
Patron of:Catholic Schools; State of Maryland

This first American-born saint accomplished more in twelve years than most people do in a whole lifetime. From 1809 to 1821, the year she died, she laid the foundation for the Catholic parochial system in the United States, founded her Sisters of Charity, and ran her school and lived with her community at her headquarters in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Elizabeth Ann Bayley was the daughter of a distinguished colonial family in New York City, her father a physician and professor at what later became Columbia University. Her grandfather was rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Staten Island.


Born in 1774 she married William Magee Seton, a wealthy young businessman, in 1794. They had five children. Mr. Seton had reversals in business and lost his fortune, and a sea voyage was recommended to recover his health. The couple, along with their eldest daughter, embarked for Italy in 1803 and were given hospitality by the Filicchi family of Leghorn. William Seton died in Pisa less than three months later.


Influenced by her stay in Italy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton became a Catholic upon her return to the United States, against the opposition of her family. In August 1807, she was invited by the superior of the Baltimore Sulpicians to found a school for girls near the Sulpician seminary in Baltimore. With the help of Archbishop Carroll, she organized a group of young women to assist her in her work, received a religious rule and habit from him, and took the vows of religion.

In 1809, she moved her headquarters to Emmitsburg, adopted a modified version of the rule of St. Vincent de Paul for the French Sisters of Charity, and laid the foundation for the Catholic parochial school system in the United States. She trained her sisters for teaching, wrote textbooks for classrooms, worked among the poor, the sick, and the black people of the region, and directed the work of her congregation. In 1814, she sent her nuns to open an orphanage in Philadelphia and another in New York City in 1817.


She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, and was canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975. Her body is enshrined at the motherhouse of the American Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg.

Thought for the Day: Mother Seton seems almost like a neighbor down the street. But she is St. Elizabeth Seton, who found God through very difficult times. She was loving wife, devoted mother, foundress, and saint.


From 'The Catholic One Year Bible': . . . "Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men!" And they left their nets at once and went with him.-Matthew 4:19-20

SOURCE:http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/E/stelizabethannseton.asp

TODAY'S GOSPEL: JAN. 4: MARK: 6: 34-44

Mark 6: 34 - 44
34As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
35And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late;
36send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat."
37But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?"
38And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."
39Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass.
40So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.
41And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all.
42And they all ate and were satisfied.
43And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
44And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.