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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Catholic News World : Wednesday June 11, 2014 - Share!

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Pope Francis “The fear of the Lord is also an alarm,” General Audience


11/06/2014


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis warned corrupt persons in positions of power that they would do well to fear God’s justice and repent on Wednesday, during the course of the catechetical portion of his weekly General Audience, dedicated to the seventh and final of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: fear of the Lord.
Departing repeatedly from his prepared text in Italian for emphasis, the Holy Father spoke of the fear of the Lord, not as a servile or supine disposition before the Lord, but as the grateful response of people who have first been loved by the infinite love of God the Father.
“The fear of the Lord is also an alarm,” he said. “When a person lives in evil, when one blasphemes  against God, when one exploits others, when one tyrannizes, when one lives only for money, vanity, power, pride – the holy fear of God alerts us: be wary!” The Holy Father went on to say, “In this way, you will not be happy, you will end badly.” Departing from his prepared remarks, the Holy Father added, “One can take with him to the other side nor money, nor power nor vanity, nor pride: nothing! We can bring the love that God the Father gives us – the caresses of God accepted and received by us with love – and we can bring what we have done for others.”
Pope Francis spoke explicitly of people political responsibility and allow themselves to be corrupted, as well as of people who make their living from human trafficking and slave labor, and of those who manufacture weapons for fomenting wars. “That the fear of God might make them understand that one day it all ends and that they shall have to give account to God,” he prayed.
In the English-language summary read out after the main catechesis, the Holy Father said that the fear of the Lord is also a kind of alarm for all Christians: awakening us to the presence of sin in our lives and reminding us that we, too, will one day be held accountable to the just Judge. “Let us pray that the fear of God, together with the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, will renew us in faith and constantly remind us that in God alone do we find our ultimate happiness, freedom and fulfilment.”
Shared from Radio Vaticana

Latest News from the Vatican Information Service - Pope Francis Appoints

- FRANCIS GREETS THE FAITHFUL: FINANCE NEEDS ETHICS
- POPE'S APPEAL AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
- PROGRAMME OF THE POPE'S VISIT TO CASSANO ALL'JONIO
- THE “POPULORUM PROGRESSIO” FOUNDATION FOR LATIN AMERICA MEETS IN THE VATICAN
- THE POPE TELEPHONES PILGRIMS FROM MACERATA TO LORETO

- THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO
- THE CHURCH PROPOSES A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE THAT AIMS TO FULL REHABILITATE WRONGDOERS
- STUDY DAY DEDICATED TO ST. PIUS X
- THE AIF FURTHER STRENGTHENS INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
- CARDINAL FILONI SPECIAL ENVOY TO FUNCHAL
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
POPE'S APPEAL AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
Vatican City, 11 June 2014 (VIS) – Tomorrow12 June, will be World Day Against Child Labour and, at the end of today's general audience, the Pope launched an appeal for the “tens of thousands of children who are forced to work in degrading conditions, exposed to forms of slavery and exploitation, as well as abuse, mistreatment and discrimination”.
“Listen well”, he emphasised: “Tens of thousands of children!” and he expressed his hope that the international community would “extend social protection for minors in order to weaken this scourge. Let us renew our commitment, in particular in families, to guarantee to every boy and girl the protection for his or her dignity and the possibility of healthy growth. A serene childhood enables us to look trustfully upon life and to the future”.
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 11 June 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Cruz Alta, Brazil, presented by Bishop Friedrich Heimler, S.D.B., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
- appointed Fr. Gilberto Alfredo Vizcarra Mori, S.J., as apostolic vicar of Jaen (area 32,572, population 525,101, Catholics 409,000, priests 36, permanent deacons 1, religious 105), Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Lima, Peru in 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1994. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and theology in the Jesuit faculty in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and obtained a licentiate in Arabic in Cairo, Egypt and a licentiate from the Institute of Arabic Studies and Islam, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including priest in the parishes of “San Pedro y San Pablo” in Bitkine, Chad, and “San Ignacio”, Chad; superior of the community and founder and director of the “Fe y Alegria” project in Chad. He is currently vicar in the parish of “Santa Teresa del Nino Jesus” in Abeche, Chad. He succeeds Bishop Santiago Maria Garcia de la Rasilla Dominguez, S.J., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same apostolic vicariate, upon having reached the age limit, was accepted by the Holy Father.
PROGRAMME OF THE POPE'S VISIT TO CASSANO ALL'JONIO
Vatican City, 10 June 2014 (VIS) – Today the Holy See Press Office has published the programme of the pastoral visit Pope Francis will make on Saturday, 21 June, to the diocese of Cassano all'Jonio in the province of Cosenza, in the Italian region of Calabria.
The Holy Father will leave the Vatican by helicopter at 7.25 a.m., and will land in the square in front of the “Rosetta Sisca” penitentiary of Castrovillari, where he will meet with detainees, prison staff, and their families. From there he will proceed to Cassano all'Jonio, again by helicopter, where he will land in the “Pietro Toscano” sports field. Following a brief welcome ceremony he will visit the “Giuseppe Moscati” centre for palliative care for the terminally ill.
At midday he will meet with the clergy of the diocese at the cathedral, and around 1 p.m.he will lunch in the John Paul I seminary with the poor assisted by the diocesan Caritas and with the young people in the “Mauro Rostagno” residential therapeutic rehabilitation centre. At 2.30 p.m. he will visit the elderly in the “Casa Serena” residence and at 4 p.m. he will celebrate Holy Mass at Piana di Sibari.
The Holy Father will leave at 6 p.m., leaving from the heliport at Marina di Sibari and arriving in the Vatican at 7.30 p.m.
THE “POPULORUM PROGRESSIO” FOUNDATION FOR LATIN AMERICA MEETS IN THE VATICAN
Vatican City, 10 June 2014 (VIS) – The managing board of the Foundation “Populorum Progressio” for Latin America, which upon its institution in 1992 was entrusted by St. John Paul II to the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, will hold its annual meeting in the Vatican from10 to 14 July.
The members of the board are Cardinal Robert Sarah, president ex officio of the Foundation; Archbishop Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor Montero of La Paz, Bolivia, president of the managing board; Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil, Ecuador, vice-president; Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo; and Archbishop Oscar Urbina Ortega of Villavicencio, Colombia; Archbishop Murilo Sebastiao Ramos Krieger of Sao Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; Archbishop Javier Augusto de Rio Alba of Arequipa, Peru, and Msgr. Segundo Tejada Munoz, representative of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”.
During the meeting the members of the managing board discussed the financing of projects to assist indigenous, mestizo, Afro-American and peasant populations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The meeting will offer an opportunity for reflection, taking as a starting point the directions given by the Holy Father, on the most effective ways of providing the service of charity of a “poor Church for the poor”, who fulfils her mission in the human and existential peripheries, and with particular attention to those most in need.
So far approximately four thousand projects have been carried out by the Foundation, funded by a total of more than 35 million dollars. They are all characterised by a participatory approach involving local communities and are directed at various sectors, including agriculture and animal husbandry, crafts and cottage industries, infrastructure for drinking water, training and provision for schools, health care, and construction.
THE POPE TELEPHONES PILGRIMS FROM MACERATA TO LORETO
Vatican City, 8 June 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday the participants in the 36th pilgrimage on foot between the Italian towns of Macerata and Loreto received a telephone call from Pope Francis, before celebrating the Eucharist, presided at by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, in the Helvia Recina stadium of Macerata.
The Holy Father urged the pilgrims to pray for the intercession of the Madonna of Loreto for a good outcome to the prayer encounter for peace in the Holy Land and Middle East convoked in the Vatican, and added that they should not be afraid of a dreaming of a more just world; of asking, seeking and deepening. Faith, he said, “is not an inheritance that we receive from others, faith is not a product that we purchase, but rather an answer of love that we give freely and build daily with patience, through successes and failures. Do not be afraid to throw yourselves into God's arms. God will ask you nothing, if not to bless it and give it back to you a hundred times over! Do not allow yourself to be discouraged by losers or the fearful who would take your dream away, who want to imprison you in their dark mentalities instead of letting you fly in the light of hope! Please, do not fall into mediocrity, that mediocrity that diminishes and makes everything grey. Life is not grey, life is for putting at stake for great ideas and great things!”

THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO
Vatican City, 7 June 2014 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father Francis received in audience the president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, the Parties focused on various aspects of the life of the country including numerous recent reforms, in particular the constitutional amendments regarding religious freedom. Attention then turned to other matters of common interest, such as migration, the struggle against poverty and unemployment, and initiatives for combating violence and drug trafficking.
Finally, there was an exchange of opinions on themes relating to current regional and international affairs.
THE CHURCH PROPOSES A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE THAT AIMS TO FULL REHABILITATE WRONGDOERS
Vatican City, 7 June 2014 (VIS) – On 30 May Pope Francis sent a message to the participants in the 19th Congress of the International Criminal Law Association and the 3rd Congress of the Latin American Association for Penal Law and Criminology, held last week in Buenos Aires, in which he shares with them some ideas which “form part of the Scriptures and the millennial experience of the People of God” and, in which “in spite of historical changes, three elements have been constant: the satisfaction or reparation of damage caused; confession, by which a man expresses his inner conversion; and contrition, to lead to the encounter with God's merciful and healing love”.
With reference to the first, satisfaction, Francis observes that “the Lord has gradually taught his people that there is a necessary asymmetry between crime and punishment, that an eye or a broken tooth cannot be restored by taking or breaking another. It is a matter of bringing justice to the victim, not punishing the aggressor”, and “in our societies we tend to think that crimes are solved when we capture and sentence the criminal, largely avoiding the damage caused or without paying sufficient attention to the situation in which the victims find themselves. However, it would be a mistake to identify reparation solely with punishment, to confuse justice and vengeance, which can only contribute to increasing violence, even if this latter is institutionalised. Experience teaches us that the increase and hardening of penalties often neither solves social problems, nor reduces crime rates. And, furthermore, this may give rise to serious social problems, such as overcrowding of prisons or prisoners detained without trial”.
“In this regard”, he continues, “means of communication … play a very important role and hold great responsibility: we depend on them to give accurate information and not to contribute to creating alarm or social panic when they provide news of criminal activities. The life and dignity of people is at stake, and these must be turned into media events, subject to attention often of an unhealthy nature, condemning the suspects to social disparagement before being judged or forcing victims, for sensationalist purposes, to publicly relive their suffering”.
The second aspect, confession, is “the attitude of those who recognise and admit their guilt. If the criminal is not sufficiently helped, he or she is not offered the chance to be able to convert, and ends up as a victim of the system. … It is necessary to move forward and to do everything possible to correct, improve and educate the person so that he is able tomature in respects, so he is not discouraged and faces the damage caused, rethinking his life without being crushed by the weight of his miseries. ... And we must ask ourselves why some fall and others do not, in spite of being in the same condition. Not infrequently criminality is rooted in economic and social inequality, in networks of corruption and organised crime, that seek accomplices among the poorest and victims among the most vulnerable. To prevent this scourge, it is not enough to have just laws: it is necessary to construct responsible people able to put them into practice. A society that is governed solely by market laws and creates false expectations and superfluous necessities, discards those who are not at the top and prevents the slow, the weak or the less gifted from taking an open road in life”.
Finally, contrition is “the gateway to repentance, the privileged path to the heart of God, Who welcomes us and always offers us another chance if we open ourselves up to the truth of penance and allow ourselves to be transformed by His mercy. ... The attitude of God, Who goes before the sinner to offer him His forgiveness, is shown in this way to be a higher justice, both equanimous and compassionate, with no contradiction between these two aspects. Forgiveness, in effect, neither eliminates nor diminishes the need for rectification required by justice, nor does it ignore the need for personal conversion, but instead goes beyond this, seeking to restore relationships and to reintegrate people into society”.
“I think that here is the great challenge that we must all face”, concludes the Pope, “so that the measures taken against evil are not limited to suppressing, discouraging and isolating those who cause it, but instead help them to rehabilitate, to re-embark upon the path of good, to be authentic people who move on from their miseries to become merciful themselves. Therefore, the Church proposes a form of justice that is humanising, genuinely reconciliatory, a justice that leads the wrongdoer, through an educative path of encouraged penance, to rehabilitation and total reinsertion in the community. How important and good it would be to take on this challenge, so as not to let it fall into oblivion. How good it would be to take the necessary steps to ensure that forgiveness does nto remain exclusively in the private sphere, but instead attains a real political and institutional dimension to create harmonious relations of coexistence.
STUDY DAY DEDICATED TO ST. PIUS X
Vatican City, 9 June 2014 (VIS) – The Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences has organised a study day dedicated to St. Pius X (1914-2014) to be held on 12 June , the centenary of his death. The theme of the day is “St. Pius X, a reforming pope facing the challenges of the new century”, and it was presented this morning in the Holy See Press Office by Fr. Bernard Ardura O. Praem., president of the aforementioned Committee and by Professor Alejandro Mario Dieguez of the Vatican Secret Archive.
“During this day”, said Fr. Ardura, “we intend to highlight the principles and pastoral directions of St. Pius X who, throughout all his ministry, was essentially a pastor of souls. … All his efforts in the ecclesial and social fields were dictated by a pastoral realism, oriented towards the renewal of the Christian life of people and communities”.
Diguez commented that the event “will offer an overview of new historical information on this intense and crucial pontificate. … This has been possible thanks to the publication of archive sources (with four volumes edited by the Vatican Archive), of profound and systematic research (not only on modernism but also on apostolic visits, codification and the reform of the curia), and study conferences (six over the last twenty-five years). It has therefore been possible to recover the historical Pius X and not that of myth, the Pius X of ecclesiastical governance and reform, and not that of popular piety, recomposing the complex and fascinating personality of this pontiff”.
THE AIF FURTHER STRENGTHENS INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
Vatican City, 7 June 2014 (VIS) – The Autorità Informazione Finanziaria (AIF), the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Holy See and Vatican City State, has formalised its bilateral cooperation with the U.K., France and four other countries with Memoranda of Understanding signed during the plenary meeting of the Egmont Group held in Peru.
The Memoranda were signed with the Financial Intelligence Units of the U.K., France, Malta, Romania, Poland and Peru by the Director of the AIF, Rene Bruelhart.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is standard practice and formalises the cooperation and exchange of financial information to fight money laundering and combat terrorist financing across borders between the competent authorities of both countries. It is based on the model Memorandum of Understanding prepared by the Egmont Group, the global organisation of national Financial Intelligence Units, and contains clauses on reciprocity, permitted uses of information and confidentiality.
“Becoming a member of the Egmont Group last year was a major step toward strengthening the international cooperation of the Holy See and supporting the global efforts to fight Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism”, said Bruelhart. “The signing of these latest MOUs shows that we are continuously expanding our network of cooperation, and will further facilitate our joint efforts”.
AIF became a member of the Egmont Group in July of 2013, and has already signed MOUs with the Financial Intelligence Units of Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and the United States.
AIF is the competent authority of the Holy See/Vatican City State to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. It was established in 2010.
CARDINAL FILONI SPECIAL ENVOY TO FUNCHAL
Vatican City, 7 June 2014 (VIS) – Today a letter was published, written in Latin and dated 28 May, by which the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Ferdinand Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese of Funchal (Madeira, Portugal), which will take place from 13 to 16 June. The pontifical mission accompanying the cardinal will be composed of Msgr. Jose Fiel de Sousa, vicar general, and the Rev. Canon Joao Duarte Pita de Andrade, president of the cathedral chapter.
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 9 June 2014 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father received in audience:
- Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.
- Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
-Br. Enzo Bianchi, prior of the Monastery of Bose.
- Reinhard Schweppe, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, on his farewell visit.
- Alicia Castro, ambassador of the Republic of Argentina to the United Kingdom.
On Saturday, 7 June, the Holy Father received in audience:
- Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome.
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 9 June 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
- erected the new diocese of Izcalli (area 533, population 966,836, Catholics 821,351, priests 64, religious 64), Mexico, with territory taken from the diocese of Cuautitlan, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Tlalnepantla. He appointed Msgr. Francisco Gonzalez Ramos as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Pueblo Nuevo, Mexico in 1958 and was ordained a priest in 1982. He holds a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has held a number of pastoral and educative roles, including prefect of discipline in the minor seminary of Leon, and professor in the major seminary of Leon, and priest of the parish of “Espiritu Santo”.
- appointed the following members of the Congregation for the Clergy: Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, archbishop of Florence, Italy; Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, archbishop of Berlin, Germany; and Archbishop Gintaras Grusas of Vilnius, Lithuania.
- confirmed the following as members of the Congregation for the Clergy: Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Cardinal Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Cardinal Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, Cardinal Angelo Scola, Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, Cardinal John Njue, Cardinal Donald William Wuerl, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, Archbishop Tomash Bernard Peta, Bishop Fernando Antonio Figueiredo O.F.M., Bishop Klaus Kung, and Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff.
On Saturday, 7 June, the Holy Father:
- appointed Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, apostolic nuncio in Sudan, as apostolic nuncio in Eritrea.
- appointed Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as special envoy to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of the freedom of the Greek Catholic eparchy of Mukachevo, to take place at the major seminary of Uzhhorod, Ukraine on 28 June 2014.


RIP Cardinal Bernard Agre of Abidjan in Ivory Cost Africa

Cardinal Bernard Agré
10/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Bernard Agré, Archbishop emeritus of Abidjan has died on Monday, 9th June, in a Paris hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Following the death of Cardinal Agré, the College of Cardinals is currently composed of 213 Cardinals, of whom 118  are eligible to vote in the Conclave; 95 of them not eligible to vote because they are over 80 years of age.
Please find below a brief biography of the late Cardinal Bernard Agré:
Cardinal Bernard Agré, Archbishop emeritus of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, was born on 2 March 1926 in Monga, Côte d'Ivoire. He was ordained on 20 July 1953 and held a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome.
He was a headmaster in Dabou, rector of the pre-seminary in Bingerville, parish priest of Notre Dame Parish in Treichville and Vicar General of Abidjan. On 8 June 1968 he was appointed Bishop of Man and received episcopal ordination on 3 October. On 6 March 1992 he was named Bishop of the new Diocese of Yamoussoukro and on 19 December 1994 was promoted to Archbishop of Abidjan.
From 1985 until 1991, he was President of the Episcopal Conferences of Francophone West Africa (CERAO) and, from 1972 until 1996, Chairman of the Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS).
He was also a member of the Committee of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.
President Delegate for the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 2001).
Archbishop emeritus of Abidjan, 2 May 2006.
Created and proclaimed Cardinal by John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 2001, of the Title of S. Giovanni Crisostomo a Monte Sacro Alto (St. John Chrysostom in Monte Sacro Alto).
Shared from Radio Vaticana

Catholic Deacon in Belgium Charged with over 40 deaths in hospital - Please Pray

IrelandCatholic report:
Church in Belgium shocked as psychiatrists assess deacon's mental condition.
Courtesy: Catholic World News + Bioedge
A deacon serving in the Catholic Church in Belgium has been arrested and charged over the deaths of at least 40 patients in a Catholic hospital.
57-year-old Deacon Ivo Poppe reportedly kept records of patients whom he smothered or to whom he gave a lethal dose of insulin at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur Menin.
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The married father of three adult children worked at the hospital as a nurse from 1980 until 2002 when he was ordained as a deacon.

He continued to visit the hospital as a part-time pastoral assistant until he began working full-time as a deacon in 2011.
According to his lawyers, Poppe said he was acting out of compassion when he felt the patients’ suffering was excessive.
Although euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Poppe faces charges because there is no evidence that his patients gave their consent to his actions.
He is now being examined by psychiatrists to assess his mental condition.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Bruges commented, “Euthanasia and deacon: these are two words which do not belong together in the same sentence.”
Bishop Jozef De Kesel said, “We can only condemn and deplore the matters with which he has been charged. We sympathize with the families of the victims who have been left with many questions and uncertainty.”
Shared from CatholicIreland Net

Vinnies Sleepout in Australia Raises $2.3 Million for Poor by CEOs - Wow


CEOs Raise $2.3 million Ahead of Next Week's Sleepout

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
11 Jun 2014
CEO Sleepout in Sydney last year raised $2.1 million for the homeless
With just eight days to go until the Society St Vincent de Paul's annual CEO Sleepout, more than $2.3 million has already been pledged to help the homeless.
Now in its ninth year, Vinnies' CEO Sleepout looks like once again breaking records and surpassing the $5.3 million figure raised last year.
The first Sleepout took place on 21 June 2006 when 20 of Sydney's high flyers slept rough in freezing temperatures at the Telstra Stadium at Homebush, and raised $30,000 for the homeless. The following year 40 CEOs took part and raised $60,000.
Since then Vinnies CEO Sleepout has grown into a national event.
Bernard Fehon who Came Up with the Idea of CEO Sleepouts
This year at different venues across Australia, 1064 of the nation's business leaders, politicians and captains of industry CEOs will experience what it is like to be homeless as they bed down with nothing but a sleeping bag and sheet of cardboard to keep them warm, and their own nourishment  of hot soup and a bread roll.
In Sydney the CEO Sleepout will be held at the Redfern Carriageworks with more than 230 expected to take part while a further 100-plus CEOs will participate in Sleepouts planned for Newcastle and Wollongong.
Among the CEOs taking part in this year's national Vinnies CEO Sleepout are Federal Minister for Communications, Malcolm Turnbull, billionaire mining magnate Andrew Twiggy Forrest, the CEO of Best and Less, Holly Kramer, the Minister for Education Christopher Pyne, the Most Rev William Wright, Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, the CEO of Vinnies NSW, Michael Perusco and Paul Nicolau CEO of the Australian Hotels Association (NSW).
For many participants the 2014 Sleepout will be the third or fourth time they have bunked down to raise awareness and funds for the homeless. But for the man who came up with the idea of CEO Sleepouts as a fundraiser for Vinnies to help the homeless, next week will mark the ninth time he has taken part.
When Opposition Leader PM Tony Abbott took part in Vinnies annual CEO Sleepout
A long time supporter and Vinnies volunteer, Penrith-based financier and CEO of Tactical Solutions, Bernard Fehon says his inspiration for CEO Sleepouts came from two of his five children who at the time were attending St Columbus College, Springwood.
"I'd been involved with Vinnies at Parramatta for about six years and organised fundraising dinners. But the dinners were hard work and targeting business leaders wasn't easy. Then the two kids at St Columbus were in Year 11 they took part in a school Sleepout for the Homeless. That's when I thought why not try this with CEOs," he says.
Bernard took his idea to Vinnies and on  21 June 2006 the first CEO Sleepout was held at the Telstra Stadium, Homebush.
Billionaire Andrew Twiggy Forrest a regular at WA's CEO Sleepout for the Homeless
Bernard and 19 others took part and together they managed to raise $30,000. The following year 40 CEOs took part and doubled the amount raised. Since then the idea has snowballed not only across Australia but worldwide.
While not all the CEO Sleepouts overseas raise money for Vinnies, all use the idea to raise funds for charities and for the homeless.
But here in Australia, the CEO Sleepouts are indelibly linked to Vinnies and part of the national calendar in June each year.
"We chose June and a date as near as possible to 22 June which is the longest and often the coldest night of the year," says Bernard.
While he is delighted at the way the CEO Sleepouts have taken off and the more than $13 million raised so far to help the homeless, he says the amount raised each year is still  a fraction of what is needed to help the more than 110,000 men, women and children who are without shelter on any given night of the year.
Malcolm Turnbull with Deborah Hutton at last year's CEO Sleepout in Sydney
"This does not mean that the same people will all be homeless next year. People move in and out of homelessness," he says explaining that for many it may be due to economic pressures such as Sydney's high rents and high cost of living. But homelessness may also be due to a range of underlying issues such as relationship breakdowns, alcohol, drug and gambling addictions or retrenchment and unemployment.
"At Vinnies the job is to respond to those who may find themselves homeless and to help them get back onto to their feet and back into the mainstream."
For Bernard, raising awareness about homelessness and about the people who often through no fault of their own become homeless is one of the most important aspects of the CEO Sleepout.
Volunteers help Vinnies serve 250000 meals each year to Sydney's homeless
"To have 200 or more of the nation's business leaders sitting quietly and listening to a man or woman behind the microphone talking about being homeless is one of the most powerful parts of any CEO Sleepout," he says. "The whole evening leads up to this and after the talk by those who have experienced or are experiencing homelessness there is time for reflection. And it is in these moments that everything is turned upside and the people at the so-called top of society with wealth and privilege and the people some of us may think of as being at the bottom, realise we are all connected; that we are all one family."
Bernard strongly believes the exposure to the homeless and the causes of an individual's homelessness, enlightens and fosters compassion among Australia's business leaders and decision-makers.
"I also believe the compassion awakened extends to the workplace as well as to their families at home," he says.
To find out more about the CEO Sleepout 2014 and to donate log on to www.ceosleepout.org.au
Shared from Archdiocese of Sydney

Today's Mass Readings Online : Wednesday June 11, 2014

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
Lectionary: 580/361

VIDEO ADDED LATER

Reading 1ACTS 11:21B-26; 13:1-3

In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6

R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gospel MT 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Saint June 11 : Saint Barnabas : Apostle : Patron of Hailstorms - Peacemaker

St. Barnabas
APOSTLE
Feast: June 11


Information:
Feast Day:June 11
Born:Cyprus
Died:61 AD, Salamis, Cyprus
Major Shrine:Monastery of St Barnabas in Famagusta, Cyprus
Patron of:Cyprus, Antioch, against hailstorms, invoked as peacemaker
arnabas (originally Joseph), styled an Apostle in Holy Scripture, and, like St. Paul, ranked by the Church with the Twelve, though not one of them; b. of Jewish parents in the Island of Cyprus about the beginning of the Christian Era. A Levite, he naturally spent much time in Jerusalem, probably even before the Crucifixion of Our Lord, and appears also to have settled there (where his relatives, the family of Mark the Evangelist, likewise had their homes — Acts 12:12) and to have owned land in its vicinity (4:36-37). A rather late tradition recorded by Clement of Alexandria (Strom., II, 20, P.G., VIII, col. 1060) and Eusebius (H. E., II, i, P. G., XX, col. 117) says that he was one of the seventy Disciples; but Acts (4:36-37) favours the opinion that he was converted to Christianity shortly after Pentecost (about A.D. 29 or 30) and immediately sold his property and devoted the proceeds to the Church. The Apostles, probably because of his success as a preacher, for he is later placed first among the prophets and doctors of Antioch (xiii, 1), surnamed him Barnabas, a name then interpreted as meaning "son of exhortation" or "consolation". (The real etymology, however, is disputed. See Encyl. Bibli., I, col. 484.) Though nothing is recorded of Barnabas for some years, he evidently acquired during this period a high position in the Church.

When Saul the persecutor, later Paul the Apostle, made his first visit (dated variously from A.D. 33 to 38) to Jerusalem after his conversion, the Church there, remembering his former fierce spirit, was slow to believe in the reality of his conversion. Barnabas stood sponsor for him and had him received by the Apostles, as the Acts relate (9:27), though he saw only Peter and James, the brother of the Lord, according to Paul himself (Galatians 1:18-19). Saul went to his house at Tarsus to live in obscurity for some years, while Barnabas appears to have remained at Jerusalem. The event that brought them together again and opened to both the door to their lifework was an indirect result of Saul's own persecution. In the dispersion that followed Stephen's death, some Disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene, obscure men, inaugurated the real mission of the Christian Church by preaching to the Gentiles. They met with great success among the Greeks at Antioch in Syria, reports of which coming o the ears of the Apostles, Barnabas was sent thither by them to investigate the work of his countrymen. He saw in the conversions effected the fruit of God's grace and, though a Jew, heartily welcomed these first Gentile converts. His mind was opened at once to the possibility of this immense field. It is a proof how deeply impressed Barnabas had been by Paul that he thought of him immediately for this work, set out without delay for distant Tarsus, and persuaded Paul to go to Antioch and begin the work of preaching. This incident, shedding light on the character of each, shows it was no mere accident that led them to the Gentile field. Together they laboured at Antioch for a whole year and "taught a great multitude". Then, on the coming of famine, by which Jerusalem was much afflicted, the offerings of the Disciples at Antioch were carried (about A.D. 45) to the mother-church by Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11). Their mission ended, they returned to Antioch, bringing with them the cousin, or nephew of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), John Mark, the future Evangelist (Acts 12:25).

The time was now ripe, it was believed, for more systematic labours, and the Church of Antioch felt inspired by the Holy Ghost to send out missionaries to the Gentile world and to designate for the work Barnabas and Paul. They accordingly departed, after the imposition of hands, with John Mark as helper. Cyprus, the native land of Barnabas, was first evangelized, and then they crossed over to Asia Minor. Here, at Perge in Pamphylia, the first stopping place, John Mark left them, for what reason his friend St. Luke does not state, though Paul looked on the act as desertion. The two Apostles, however, pushing into the interior of a rather wild country, preached at Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, at Derbe, and other cities. At every step they met with opposition and even violent persecution from the Jews, who also incited the Gentiles against them. The most striking incident of the journey was at Lystra, where the superstitious populace took Paul, who had just cured a lame man, for Hermes (Mercury) "because he was the chief speaker", and Barnabas for Jupiter, and were about to sacrifice a bull to them when prevented by the Apostles. Mob-like, they were soon persuaded by the Jews to turn and attack the Apostles and wounded St. Paul almost fatally. Despite opposition and persecution, Paul and Barnabas made many converts on this journey and returned by the same route to Perge, organizing churches, ordaining presbyters and placing them over the faithful, so that they felt, on again reaching Antioch in Syria, that God had "opened a door of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:13-14:27).

Barnabas and Paul had been "for no small time" at Antioch, when they were threatened with the undoing of their work and the stopping of its further progress. Preachers came from Jerusalem with the gospel that circumcision was necessary for salvation, even for the Gentiles. The Apostles of the Gentiles, perceiving at once that this doctrine would be fatal to their work, went up to Jerusalem to combat it; the older Apostles received them kindly and at what is called the Council of Jerusalem (dated variously from A.D. 47 to 51) granted a decision in their favour as well as a hearty commendation of their work (Acts 14:27-15:30). On their return to Antioch, they resumed their preaching for a short time. St. Peter came down and associated freely there with the Gentiles, eating with them. This displeased some disciples of James; in their opinion, Peter's act was unlawful, as against the Mosaic law. Upon their remonstrances, Peter yielded apparently through fear of displeasing them, and refused to eat any longer with the Gentiles. Barnabas followed his example. Paul considered that they "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel" and upbraided them before the whole church (Galatians 2:11-15). Paul seems to have carried his point. Shortly afterwards, he and Barnabas decided to revisit their missions. Barnabas wished to take John Mark along once more, but on account of the previous defection Paul objected. A sharp contention ensuing, the Apostles agreed to separate. Paul was probably somewhat influenced by the attitude recently taken by Barnabas, which might prove a prejudice to their work. Barnabas sailed with John Mark to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas an revisited the churches of Asia Minor. It is believed by some that the church of Antioch, by its God-speed to Paul, showed its approval of his attitude; this inference, however, is not certain (Acts 15:35-41).

Little is known of the subsequent career of Barnabas. He was still living and labouring as an Apostle in 56 or 57, when Paul wrote I Cor. (ix, 5, 6). from which we learn that he, too, like Paul, earned his own living, though on an equality with other Apostles. The reference indicates also that the friendship between the two was unimpaired. When Paul was a prisoner in Rome (61-63), John Mark was attached to him as a disciple, which is regarded as an indication that Barnabas was no longer living (Colossians 4:10). This seems probable.
Various traditions represent him as the first Bishop of Milan, as preaching at Alexandria and at Rome, whose fourth (?) bishop, St. Clement, he is said to have converted, and as having suffered martyrdom in Cyprus. The traditions are all late and untrustworthy.

With the exception of St. Paul and certain of the Twelve, Barnabas appears to have been the most esteemed man of the first Christian generation. St. Luke, breaking his habit of reserve, speaks of him with affection, "for he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith". His title to glory comes not only from his kindliness of heart, his personal sanctity, and his missionary labours, but also from his readiness to lay aside his Jewish prejudices, in this anticipating certain of the Twelve; from his large-hearted welcome of the Gentiles, and from his early perception of Paul's worth, to which the Christian Church is indebted, in large part at least, for its great Apostle. His tenderness towards John Mark seems to have had its reward in the valuable services later rendered by him to the Church.

The feast of St. Barnabas is celebrated on 11 June. He is credited by Tertullian (probably falsely) with the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and the so-called Epistle of Barnabas is ascribed to him by many Fathers.

(Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)


SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/stbarnabas.asp#ixzz1xUBP4PYn

 2014

20 Women Kidnapped in Nigeria in Borno State by Terrorists in Africa


Photo: Wochit/Screenshot
Islamists hold girls kidnapped from schools.

AllAfrica/Vanguard report: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have reportedly kidnapped 20 women from a nomadic settlement in Borno State near the town of Chibok, where the Islamic militants abducted more than 300 schoolgirls and young women on April 15.
Alhaji Tar, a member of the vigilante groups set up to resist Boko Haram's attacks, said the men arrived at noon Thursday in the Garkin Fulani settlement and forced the women to enter their vehicles at gunpoint. He says they drove away to an unknown location in the remote stretch of Borno state.
Tar said the group also took three young men who tried to stop the kidnapping.
"We tried to go after them when the news got to us about three hours later, but the vehicles we have could not go far, and the report came to us a little bit late," he said.
In another incident, the Defense Headquarters said Monday that troops prevented raids by Boko Haram this weekend on villages in Borno and neighboring Adamawa state. Soldiers killed more than 50 militants on Saturday night as they were on their way to attack communities, defense spokesman Chris Oluklade said in an emailed statement.
The Nigerian military has come under rising criticism from Nigerians who say they're not protected by the security forces, left to fend off attacks by Boko Haram on their own.
Boko Haram, which wants to establish Islamic state in Nigeria, has been taking over villages in the northeast, killing and terrorizing civilians and political leaders. Thousands of people have been killed in the five-year-old insurgency, more than 2,000 people have been killed so far this year, and an estimated 750,000 Nigerians have been driven from their homes.
In recent weeks, the extremists have used a two-pronged strategy and widened their theater of operation beyond the remote northeast of the country. The group has bombed bus stations and marketplaces in three cities, killing about 250 people, and they are staging daily attacks on northeast villages, killing 20 people one day, and 50 another.
In one incident last week, the militants reportedly killed hundreds of civilians in three villages in the Gwoza local government. Residents said they had requested the military sends troops to protect the area.
Shared from AllAfrica.com and VanGuard

New President of Israel wins Election Reuven Rivlin succeeds Shimon Peres

ASIA NEWS REPORT: Former parliamentary speaker, Rivlin was born in Jerusalem, is married and has four children. From Likud, he supports settlements and claims "the country cannot be divided."
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - Reuven Rivlin is the tenth president of Israel. He was elected today by the Knesset (Parliament) by 63 votes against 53, beating Meir Sheetrit.

Rivlin, 75, born in Jerusalem, married and father of four children, is a member of the Likud Party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was, among other things, parliamentary speaker.

Considered a nationalist, in the past he has spoken in favor of settlements and against the idea of ​​a Palestinian state alongside Israel. "The country cannot be divided," he said, assuming "a system in one state," in which "the Jews would vote for a Jewish parliament and the Palestinians for an Arab parliament." A position that puts him at odds with Netanyahu's statements in support of the two-state solution.

Although the Israeli president occupies a largely ceremonial position and has no formal role, Rivlin's political opinions could still pose a problem for the international community.

SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT 

Viral Coca-Cola Ad brings the Power of a Smile to the World - Share!

This Viral Coca-cola add helps brings happiness. Take a hint start smiling more and maybe you will change the world too. SHARE this to remind your friends of the power of a smile....
Youtube : Do you believe in the power of smiles to transform the world? We do. Coca-Cola sent our people all over the world, from Jamaica to the United Kingdom to Pakistan and more, to simply smile at strangers -- to see who would smile back. As we passed others on the street, on the bus or in the park, we gave a smile, held up smiley face posters or did a silly dance with a grin on our faces, all to prompt a little friendliness in the mundane.

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For More Breaking News, Novena Prayers,  and Free Catholic Movies LIKE http://fb.com/catholicnewsworld 

When someone smiled back, they received a free Coke or some other fun prize: everything from sunglasses to hats to bicycles. Because when you give a smile, lives are changed. And so is the world, one smile at a time.