(Vatican Radio) The devotion to 'Divine Mercy' has now spread right across the world. But it began as a very Polish one and at the end of July when Pope Francis travels to Kraków for World Youth Day no doubt many thousands of young pilgrims from the four corners of the earth will rally around him, during this Jubilee Year dedicated to Mercy, in a special way at the Shrine of “ -Lagiewniki" where the legacy of Saint Faustina Kowalska lives on. A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: It’s a Polish story which takes us to a leafy Kraków suburb by the name of Lagiewniki. At a time in history when this nation was behind a so called 'iron curtain’ and under the yoke of a communist regime. And when Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was growing up in the nearby town of Wadowice.Today in this place there stands a Shrine where pilgrims flock. It’s that of ‘Divine Mercy’. One Po...
(Vatican Radio) The devotion to 'Divine Mercy' has now spread right across the world. But it began as a very Polish one and at the end of July when Pope Francis travels to Kraków for World Youth Day no doubt many thousands of young pilgrims from the four corners of the earth will rally around him, during this Jubilee Year dedicated to Mercy, in a special way at the Shrine of “ -Lagiewniki" where the legacy of Saint Faustina Kowalska lives on.
A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
It’s a Polish story which takes us to a leafy Kraków suburb by the name of Lagiewniki. At a time in history when this nation was behind a so called 'iron curtain’ and under the yoke of a communist regime. And when Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was growing up in the nearby town of Wadowice.
Today in this place there stands a Shrine where pilgrims flock. It’s that of ‘Divine Mercy’. One Pope Francis is scheduled to visit at the end of July when he travels to Kraków to preside over ‘World Youth Day’ during this Jubilee Year dedicated to Mercy.
He’ll be doing so in continuity with two of his predecessors to the See of Peter. The last being Benedict XVI, now Pope Emeritus. And the other you’ll have guessed is the Pope from Poland, Saint John Paul II, who first launched ‘World Youth Days’.
So Francis then will be going to a place linked in a special way to the visions of a Polish sister by the name of Faustina Kowalska who lived and prayed there in the first half of the twentieth century. And was later canonised by John Paul II during the Jubilee Year 2000.
But let’s glance at how this devotion came about and at its message. The date was the 22nd of February 1931 with the first of a series of ‘Apparitions’ which Sister Faustina describes in a diary of some 600 pages, a personal witness of divine revelations and mystical experiences.
This diary written in a ‘spidery’ like calligraphy unveils a powerful message of hope in a world in the shadow of the fearful humanity of the time. But also reveals an image of that ‘Apparition’ of the Lord Jesus who appeared to her clothed in a white garment with two rays of light emanating from His breast one red and one white. The red, she writes, symbolic of blood representing the life of souls and the white symbolizing water which makes souls righteous. These are her exact words: “In the evening when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in a gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord. My soul was filled with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me: ‘Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your Chapel, and then throughout the world.”
And at the Lagiewniki Shrine of ‘Divine Mercy’, a copy of this painting of the ‘Merciful Jesus’ stands above the main altar. The original is to be found only yards away in the tiny chapel where Sister Faustina once prayed following her first vision.
At the ‘Dedication Mass’ of this large new Basilica on the 7th of August 2002, John Paul II mentioned in a moment of nostalgia how he used to come to this same chapel to pray as a young man whenever he went by on his way to work at the Solvay Chemical Plant nearby. As he rather famously remarked on that occasion: “Who would ever have imagined that the young man in his wooden clogs would one day be back here in his capacity as Roman Pontiff to dedicate a new Basilica dedicated to Divine Mercy”.
Earlier still, during the homily he had highlighted the spiritual importance of the message of mercy at a time when mankind was experiencing bewilderment in the face of many manifestations of evil. How greatly the world needs God’s mercy, he insisted: “In every continent, from the depth of human suffering, a cry for mercy seems to rise up. Where hatred and the thirst for revenge dominate, where war brings suffering and death to the innocent, there the grace of mercy is needed in order to settle human minds and hearts and to bring about peace. Wherever respect for life and human dignity are lacking, there is need of God’s merciful love, in whose light we see the inexpressible value of every human being. Mercy is needed in order to ensure that every injustice in the world will come to an end in the splendour of truth”.
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for July 23, 2016 features a segment on why the Church is giving added recognition to St. Mary Magdalen, raising her memorial to a liturgical feast. This is followed by a special program on St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order and patron saint of spiritual retreats. The program concludes with an interview with EWTN’s Rome Bureau Chief, Joan Lewis who reveals where you might catch her if you come to Rome on pilgrimage this Jubilee Year of Mercy…Listen to this programme presented and produced by Tracey McClure:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for July 23, 2016 features a segment on why the Church is giving added recognition to St. Mary Magdalen, raising her memorial to a liturgical feast. This is followed by a special program on St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order and patron saint of spiritual retreats. The program concludes with an interview with EWTN’s Rome Bureau Chief, Joan Lewis who reveals where you might catch her if you come to Rome on pilgrimage this Jubilee Year of Mercy…
Listen to this programme presented and produced by Tracey McClure:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for July 24, 2016 features our weekly reflection on the Sunday Gospel presented by Jill Bevilacqua in the series 'There's More in the Sunday Gospel than Meets the Eye'. The programme concludes with an interview with EWTN’s Rome Bureau Chief, Joan Lewis who shares tips from her new guidebook for pilgrims coming to Rome this Jubilee Year of Mercy…Listen to this programme presented and produced by Tracey McClure:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for July 24, 2016 features our weekly reflection on the Sunday Gospel presented by Jill Bevilacqua in the series 'There's More in the Sunday Gospel than Meets the Eye'. The programme concludes with an interview with EWTN’s Rome Bureau Chief, Joan Lewis who shares tips from her new guidebook for pilgrims coming to Rome this Jubilee Year of Mercy…
Listen to this programme presented and produced by Tracey McClure:
(Vatican Radio) Blogging, taking photos and engaging with social media, these are just some of the ways young communications officers from the Archdiocese of Westminster will be communicating the events of World Youth Day in Krakow to people back home.Hannah Woolley and James Kelliher are heading off to WYD armed with enthusiasm, ideas and skills in their role as communications officers for the event.This will be Hannah’s first experience of a World Youth Day and she told Lydia O’Kane that she is very much looking forward to it, adding that it’s an opportunity to learn more about her faith and to learn more from other people.Listen: For James, Krakow will be his third time taking part in the youth meeting, having previously been to Rio and Madrid.So what are these communications officers hoping that the youth travelling to Poland will take away from this event?“One of the things I hope from this”, says James, “is that it’s picked up ...
(Vatican Radio) Blogging, taking photos and engaging with social media, these are just some of the ways young communications officers from the Archdiocese of Westminster will be communicating the events of World Youth Day in Krakow to people back home.
Hannah Woolley and James Kelliher are heading off to WYD armed with enthusiasm, ideas and skills in their role as communications officers for the event.
This will be Hannah’s first experience of a World Youth Day and she told Lydia O’Kane that she is very much looking forward to it, adding that it’s an opportunity to learn more about her faith and to learn more from other people.
Listen:
For James, Krakow will be his third time taking part in the youth meeting, having previously been to Rio and Madrid.
So what are these communications officers hoping that the youth travelling to Poland will take away from this event?
“One of the things I hope from this”, says James, “is that it’s picked up in social media around the world and news organisations around the world that they see, hear this event with millions of young people who are sharing a really positive message…”
From Hannah’s perspective and in the context of the Year of Mercy, she says, World Youth Day itself is a time to show mercy and be merciful to one another. But on a personal level, she’s hoping she will gain a lot from the catechesis sessions during WYD adding that often times people have very little time to learn more about their faith.
(USCCB) In light of recent incidents of violence and racial tension in communities across the United States, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has invited all dioceses across the country to unite in a Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities. He has also appointed a special task force to support bishops in marking that Day of Prayer, and more broadly, in promoting peace and healing during this time of great strain on civil society.On July 8, in his initial and immediate response to the racially-related shootings in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, noted the need to look at ways the Catholic Church can walk with and help these suffering communities. The initiatives announced today begin to address that need."I have stressed the need to look toward additional ways of nurturing an open, honest and civil dialogue on issues of race relations, restorative justice, mental health, economic opport...
(USCCB) In light of recent incidents of violence and racial tension in communities across the United States, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has invited all dioceses across the country to unite in a Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities. He has also appointed a special task force to support bishops in marking that Day of Prayer, and more broadly, in promoting peace and healing during this time of great strain on civil society.
On July 8, in his initial and immediate response to the racially-related shootings in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, noted the need to look at ways the Catholic Church can walk with and help these suffering communities. The initiatives announced today begin to address that need.
"I have stressed the need to look toward additional ways of nurturing an open, honest and civil dialogue on issues of race relations, restorative justice, mental health, economic opportunity, and addressing the question of pervasive gun violence," Archbishop Kurtz said. "The Day of Prayer and special Task Force will help us advance in that direction. By stepping forward to embrace the suffering, through unified, concrete action animated by the love of Christ, we hope to nurture peace and build bridges of communication and mutual aid in our own communities."
The Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities will be celebrated on the feast of St. Peter Claver, September 9, and will serve as a focal point for the work of the task force.
The purpose of the Task Force is to help bishops engage the challenging problems directly, by various means: gathering and disseminating supportive resources and "best practices"; actively listening to the concerns of members in troubled communities and law enforcement; and building strong relationships to help prevent and resolve conflicts. The Task Force will conclude its work with a report on its activities and recommendations for future work to the November General Assembly.
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, former USCCB president, will chair the task force.
"I am honored to lead this Task Force which will assist my brother bishops, individually and as a group, to accompany suffering communities on the path toward peace and reconciliation," said Archbishop Gregory. "We are one body in Christ, so we must walk with our brothers and sisters and renew our commitment to promote healing. The suffering is not somewhere else, or someone else's; it is our own, in our very dioceses."
Other members are: Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Social Development; Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee for African American Affairs; Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, Bishop Emeritus of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, former chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Africa, member of the USCCB Subcommittee for African American Affairs, and member of the board of the National Black Catholic Congress; and Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
The Task Force will also have numerous bishop consultants, including USCCB vice president Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, as well as bishops whose jurisdictions have experienced extreme gun violence, or who otherwise bring special insight or experience on related questions. An equal or smaller number of lay consultants with relevant expertise will be appointed soon thereafter.
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Friday published a new Apostolic Constitution, Vultum Dei quaerere (Seeking the Face of God), On Women’s Contemplative Life.The promotion of an adequate formation; the centrality of prayer and of the word of God, especially in lectio divina; specific criteria for the autonomy of contemplative communities; and membership of monasteries within federations are some of the main points addressed by Pope Francis in the new Apostolic Constitution.In the introduction to Vultum Dei quaerere, Pope Francis explains the motivation behind the document, noting the journey the Church has undergone, and “the rapid progress of human history,” in the fifty years since the Second Vatican Council. From that starting point, the Pope points out the need “to weave a dialogue” with contemporary society, while preserving the “fundational values” of contemplative life – silence, attentive listening, the call to an interior life,...
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Friday published a new Apostolic Constitution, Vultum Dei quaerere (Seeking the Face of God), On Women’s Contemplative Life.
The promotion of an adequate formation; the centrality of prayer and of the word of God, especially in lectio divina; specific criteria for the autonomy of contemplative communities; and membership of monasteries within federations are some of the main points addressed by Pope Francis in the new Apostolic Constitution.
In the introduction to Vultum Dei quaerere, Pope Francis explains the motivation behind the document, noting the journey the Church has undergone, and “the rapid progress of human history,” in the fifty years since the Second Vatican Council. From that starting point, the Pope points out the need “to weave a dialogue” with contemporary society, while preserving the “fundational values” of contemplative life – silence, attentive listening, the call to an interior life, stability. Through these values, the Pope says, contemplative life “can and must challenge the contemporary mindset.”
The document is introduced by a broad discussion of the importance of nuns and the contemplative life for the Church and the world. Addressing contemplative sisters, the Pope asks, “Without you what would the Church be like, or those living on the fringes of humanity and ministering in the outposts of evangelization?” The Church, he says, “greatly esteems your life of complete self-giving. The Church counts on your prayers and on your self-sacrifice to bring today’s men and women to the good news of the Gospel. The Church needs you!”
The bulk of the document is taken up with a reflection on twelve themes calling for discernment and renewed norms. Among these, Pope Francis calls special attention to the need for adequate formation, to prayer, and to the centrality of the Word of God.
The new document concludes with a series of fourteen articles that set the Pope’s reflections in juridical terms, notably with regard to formation and vocational discernment; the exercise of authority within communities; the autonomy of the various communities; and their relationships to one another – especially in federations. The final article establishes that the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life will be responsible for issuing new regulations with regard to the indications of the Apostolic Constitution.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The origin of "Pokemon Go" is as peculiar as any of the Voltorbs or Snorlaxes that players track and capture in the surprise hit game....
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The origin of "Pokemon Go" is as peculiar as any of the Voltorbs or Snorlaxes that players track and capture in the surprise hit game....
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Clues to what became of North Carolina's fabled Lost Colony could lie in a waterfront tract where developers once wanted to build thousands of condos - and now, one of those would-be developers is seeking millions of dollars to preserve the property....
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Clues to what became of North Carolina's fabled Lost Colony could lie in a waterfront tract where developers once wanted to build thousands of condos - and now, one of those would-be developers is seeking millions of dollars to preserve the property....
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Patrol car video shows a white Austin, Texas, police officer violently throwing a black woman to the ground during a traffic stop, followed by another white officer telling her black people have "violent tendencies" and whites are justifiably afraid....
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Patrol car video shows a white Austin, Texas, police officer violently throwing a black woman to the ground during a traffic stop, followed by another white officer telling her black people have "violent tendencies" and whites are justifiably afraid....
PARIS (AP) -- French President Francois Hollande announced new help Friday for Iraq's military in fighting Islamic State extremists, trying to show his government is taking action amid criticism that there weren't enough police protecting Nice's Bastille Day celebration when a truck attack last week killed 84 people....
PARIS (AP) -- French President Francois Hollande announced new help Friday for Iraq's military in fighting Islamic State extremists, trying to show his government is taking action amid criticism that there weren't enough police protecting Nice's Bastille Day celebration when a truck attack last week killed 84 people....
