Aid to the Church in Need
Primary cells of faith a newly ordained priest in China blesses his mother.
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God Speaks to His Children Blessed are those who are persecuted... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10
Communion with Christ and with One Another
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Aid to the Church in Need
Contents
Page
Introduction - Fr. Martin Maria Barta . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................ 2 A Letter of Introduction - Johannes Freiherr Heereman ................................... 3 One Vocation in Ten Depends on You - Seminarians ..................................... 4 For Nothing Less than the Future of the World - Family Apostolate .............. 6 The Seminarians of Jos
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Bishop Salas Puts His Trust in Mary - Family Apostolate ................................ 8 His Grandmother Taught Him to Pray - Russia ............................................ 10
A LOOK IN THE
A Look at the Wounded Church in Ireland - An Introduction ....................... 12 Apostolic Visitators - Highlighted Excerpts from the Summary Report on the
Healing, Reparation and Renewal of the Wounded Church in Ireland ................. 15
Archbishop Charles John Brown - ‘The Cure of Spiritual Paralysis’ ............... 17 Benjamin Mann - ‘Year of Faith is Pope’s Response to ‘Profound Crisis’............ 20 Sean Widmer - ‘Three Lessons in Mercy We can Learn from a Murderer’ ........ 21
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Dear Friends, The family and the priesthood are rooted directly in the mystery of God and ordered to each other. Their vocation and mission is to transmit the Faith, and therefore life, to the coming generations. These two primary cells of the Church are challenged and threatened more than ever today. They risk losing the life of faith and grace for which they were created. So it is now both urgent and necessary to revive and revivify this faith in both these primary cells.
constant prayer. It sometimes happened that I woke up in the night and found my father kneeling on the floor, just as I had always seen him kneel in our parish church. The vocation to the priesthood was never discussed between us, yet for me his example was in a certain sense the first priestly seminary, a kind of seminary of the home.”
It is for this reason that the Holy Father Benedict XVI has proclaimed a Year of Faith beginning in October 2012, which will, in some ways, continue the Year for A family that prays is Dear friends, you are Priests. The deepening the cradle of priestly helping thousands of of the Faith is closely vocation. impoverished seminarbound up with the ians and priests around renewal of the priesthood, because priests are called to be the world to follow Jesus faithfully – heralds of the Faith and hand it on to through your prayers and through your others. And a family that prays is the gifts. You have become their spiritual family and you are helping them to cradle of priestly vocation. believe in their priesthood. The shortIn his book Gift and Mystery Blessed John est prayer, which springs from the same Paul II described this impressive memory linguistic root as the word for faith – is of his father: “I was barely 9 years old the Hebrew word “Amen”. We say it when I lost my mother. After her death, every time we receive Holy Communion. I was left alone with my father, a deeply It means the steadfastness, reliability religious man. Day by day I could observe and faithfulness of God towards us, but his life, which was dignified and strict. By it also expresses all our trust and our profession he was a soldier, and when devotion towards God. Our “Amen” to he was widowed his life became one of the Eucharistic Lord is also an “Amen”
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to the mystery of the priesthood, to the mystery of the family and of the Church, which is His Body. Many priests, and many families, are being tested in their faith by poverty and need; they need our love to help them remain faithful to their vocation.
I wish you every Easter grace and joy and extend to you and your families my heartfelt blessing.
Fr. Martin Maria Barta Ecclesiastical Assistant
Dear Friends, I have only been in office for a few months and I have learnt so much already. The numerous meetings with cardinals and bishops from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, South America and Eastern Europe have taught me one thing: the term ‘dignitaries’ is well applied to these pastors of the faithful – not because they hold high office but because they truly embody the dignity of Christ in the way they devote their lives to the service of the poorest. In their desire to ease the spiritual and physical distress of those under their care they are willing to take immense burdens on their shoulders. What grace it is to be able to help them shoulder their load with your donations and our service! For us, what springs from this is the obligation to handle the gifts you have entrusted to us with the greatest possible economy and efficiency. This includes selecting carefully from the almost 7,000 project requests
we receive annually – of which, sadly, we can only approve about two thirds. It also means ensuring a strict and prudent administration to carefully supervise the best use of your donations. We strive continually to fulfil these obligations, so that your generosity can truly help where the need of the Church is greatest.
Johannes Freiherr Heereman,
Executive President of ACN International
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One Vocation in Ten Depends on You The number of seminarians is increasing in Africa and Asia, but it is falling in Europe and in the Americas. Worldwide, the pontifical yearbook has registered a slight increase of almost 1% to a total of 118,000. “The ability to foster vocations is a hallmark of the vitality of a local Church,” said Pope Benedict on the 48th Day of Prayer for Vocations. The same is true of ACN. The Holy Father is counting on you. One seminarian in every 10 around the world has you to thank for the fact that he can pursue his vocation. However, individual needs can vary greatly: The 30
Syria: “Blessed are you when men revile you… on My account.”
seminarians of the apostolic prelature of Chuquibamba, in Peru don’t have enough for their basic needs – including food. Their monthly running costs come to 3,868 pounds and 52 pence, and there is always
Vocations – a sign of the vitality of the Church
Cameroon: “... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
a short fall. We want to help to cover the gap. In Mozambique the 134 seminarians of the Archdiocese of Nampula need books. Many shelves in their library which is their store of spiritual and intellectual sustenance, are empty. We have promised support to provide them with manuals and textbooks – basic nourishment for their minds and souls. This is particularly urgent as the diocese is located in a region culturally dominated by Islam, where solid knowledge and sound argument are the daily bread of interreligious dialogue. A similar problem faces the 85 seminarians, 16 novices and 40 aspirants of the Domin-
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Brazil: “You are a priest for ever… ” – for God “will not change His mind”.
ican Order in Vietnam. Their Province is under the protection of Our Lady and bears the distinctive name “Queen of Martyrs”. The formation for the Order of Preachers has always been very thorough – as indeed it is in Vietnam today. We have promised them a grant for every brother of the order founded by the great Doctor of the Church, Thomas Aquinas. From Sri Lanka the appeal embraces both the human and the structural dimensions. For, in the wake of the Civil War, the 83 candidates in the Saint Francis Xavier
Slovakia: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me...”
seminary in Jaffna have little left but their own goodwill. In order to make a new start they need ... well actually they need everything. With your help we can help them meet their initial needs with a contribution for each seminarian. And in Angola too, where after 30 years of war the religious orders and the dioceses are now experiencing a blossoming of vocations, the Church can at last look towards a better future. There are many new candidates looking to us for help, so that they can fulfil their joyful “yes” to the Lord. “... In remembrance of Me ”. Through the priest, Christ remains present among us.
And much the same could be said in Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, and again in Ukraine, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia in Eastern Europe. These young men all wish to serve “in the person of Christ, the Head”, as the Second Vatican Council puts it, by ministering the Sacraments and proclaiming the Word of God. It cannot be done without them. But their call to serve God is also a call for us to help them. Let us respond with an enthusiasm that stirs and inspires! • Aid to the Church in Need
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For Nothing Less than the Future of the World For Saint Augustine, love is the “first movement of the will”, the source of existence. In marriage and the family the reality of love comes to life. That is why the German poet Novalis says that “Children are love made visible”. For in them the mystery of creation is renewed. This connection between Creator, love and human nature is universally valid. But it is not immediately obvious to people today; rather it must be learnt. And so, in the diocese of Bouar in Central Africa, Father Marcello Bartolomei has established a “School of Life and Love” to help young people prepare for and live the lifetime partnership of Christian marriage. It is proving a success. Faustine had problems. “My daughter became pregnant, and my husband blamed me and sent our daughter to live with her mother-in-law. It was only as a result of the marriage
course that we got back on good terms and brought our daughter home.” Caroline had been on the pill. “While on the course, I realised what it meant; I stopped taking it and now I use natural methods. Now we live in harmony.” Tatiana rediscovered “her dignity as a housewife” while on the course, and as for Daniel, he is quite clear: “If I find a woman who can put up with me, then we’ll get married in church.” You are helping to fund these courses.
Central Africa – Christian marriage has lessons to learn, as here in Bouar.
Pakistan: “Marriage is the most intimate form of friendship.” (Pope Paul VI)
In the diocese of Natitingou in Benin, Bishop Pascal N’koue runs three-year training courses for couples, who will then pass on the teaching of the Church about sexuality, marriage and the family to others in their parishes. The courses are very popular. The couples are enthusiastic, he writes, and keen “to lay bare the lies
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India – Embarking on the pilgrimage of life, with the blessing of the Church.
with which the media are trying to divide our families”. You are helping this bishop with an annual contribution. And it is not only in Africa that you are helping to enlighten people, in the broadest sense, as to the truths of Catholic teaching on marriage and the family. In Latin America, Asia and Europe as well you are supporting programmes, courses and initiatives – faithful to the words of Blessed John Paul II, who said, “The future of the world passes by way of the family.” •
The Seminarians of Jos For the media it’s just a passing horror story: an occasional bloody attack; many dead; then silence again. But for the Christians in northern Nigeria the persecution is real and continuing – hundreds have died since Christmas and tens of thousands of refugees are flooding southwards, to relative safety. But in Jos, in central Nigeria, the seminarians are staying put. Like Saint Peter, they say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). They are staying on, like the Catholic faithful who, in spite of the terrorist Islamist Boko Haram group, continue tilling their fields and living alongside their Muslim neighbours. But the meagre collections the seminarians depend on are miniscule. “The threats by Boko Haram are a heavy cross for us to
Discerning God’s call – seminarians in Jos, Nigeria.
bear”, writes Bishop Dashe, adding modestly, “We would be most grateful if you could help us”. They are remaining in Jos, because this is where the Lord has called them to be, here in Nigeria. Here they will celebrate Easter, the Resurrection, the defeat of death. Compared to such faith it is our aid which appears modest. •
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Bishop Salas Puts His Trust in Mary “The family that prays together, stays together”. This wise counsel was again passed on to us by Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter on the Holy Rosary. And where there is prayer, there are also people who walk the path of peace. Bishop Pablo Emiro Salas Anteliz of Espinal, Colombia, treasures these wise words. In fact he has built his family apostolate upon it. The basic idea is a simple Bishop Pablo Emiro Salas Anteliz – one: in his diocese there are many chilfamilies are a priority for him. dren in great danger. Their schools are utterly neglected, the walls cracked, the military groups. The best weapon against roofs leaking; and the educational system such dangers is the solidarity, within the family and within the itself is no better. Moreover the rebels continue Vocations – a sign of the community of love, faith formation and prayer. to come and abduct the vitality of the Church This sort of integral eduyoungsters, forcing them to bear arms and using them as can- cation, in a truly Christian sense, can lead non fodder in their battles. Almost every to justice and peace. family mourns its losses to these paraThis is exactly what Pope Benedict XVI says in his message for the World Day of Peace 2012. For the young men and women of today, he says, it is “more than ever indispensable to learn the value and the way of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, dialogue and understanding”. This requires a “sound formation of conscience”, he adds, which can enable them “to fight always and only by trusting in the power of truth and goodness”. It is an education “that begins in the family and Church and family – continues in the schools”. In this way they learning the way of peace can develop into men and women who in Espinal, Colombia.
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are “genuinely peaceable and peacemakers”. This is the goal. In order to achieve it Bishop Pablo Salas is relying on ACN, in the shape of the Child’s Bible, the Rosary book for children and the little catechism I Believe. He is particularly taken with the Rosary booklet, a fact which is not surprising as this is a particularly Marian diocese. More than 50 of its 56 parishes are dedicated to Our Lady and the cathedral itself is consecrated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Bishop Pablo wants as many families as possible to have a Child’s Bible, a Rosary booklet and a little catechism. He believes that the catechism will also help young couples to prepare for marriage; many of them in fact will afterwards work in the parishes as catechists. Most of these catechists meet together once a month to pray for peace and unity within families. Father Febian Pikiti Mulenga, the rector of the seminary in Lusaka, Zambia, was “profoundly shocked” when he saw the sum in their account.“This must have been sent to us in error”, he told his colleagues and asked Sister Luzia to “sort it out”. You can imagine his joy when Sister Luzia told him, no, everything was in order; the money was from ACN. His spontaneous reaction was a prayer of thanksgiving. For the money had come at a time when the rector was at his wits’ end as to how to get to the end of the term with his 162 seminarians, as the coffers were empty. Now he says thank you “from a relieved
In his address to the Diplomatic Corps, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the primary importance of “the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman. This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society.” Bishop Pablo Salas has enshrined this truth in his family apostolate. He has put his trust in Our Lady and is now putting the Holy Father’s words into practical effect in his diocese. And you are helping him to do so. •
The bishop and his team – and the resources you have supplied to help them.
heart”– and on behalf of all the students and staff of the seminary – for this timely help. For all of them it is “a blessing, and at the same time an incentive” to study still harder. •
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His Grandmother Taught Him to Pray Nothing in his background would have suggested that David would one day be testing his vocation to the Catholic priesthood. His father was not a Christian, his mother was baptised but not believing. Yet today this 29-year-old Azerbaijani is a seminarian in Saint Petersburg.
visited a Catholic church, the first one to be built in Baku, over a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union. When he was baptised as a Catholic in 2003 his parents were horrified. “They reacted very negatively, indeed outright aggressively”, he says. His friends likewise responded coolly to his decision. To this day his path is not being made easy for him.
There are only around 400 Catholics living in Azerbaijan today, most of them foreigners. Only a fraction of the mare native to Even before he was baptised, he was interthis Muslim majority country. “And I am ested in the life of monks and priests. He one of them”, says David proudly. Even as devoured books on the subject and was a child he already knew the Our Father, always pestering the Salesian Fathers in for his grandmother taught it him when the local parish about it. But he still could he was still little. “She not really discover how At the time he loved to and why someone has a was a woman of deep faith”, he recalls. She was vocation. Today he knows read his Child’s Bible. the only one who spoke the truth: “There is no to him about God. At that time what he single cut-and-dried answer to it. One day loved most was to read his Child’s Bible. It you simply realise that God is calling you.” wasn’t until many years later that he first
“Mary, Queen of the Apostles”. The inner courtyard of the seminary in Saint Petersburg
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long time, he met an old man dressed in monastic garb. He told him everything he had just experienced. “It was in this 700-year-old monastery that I knew that God had called me to leave everything and consecrate my entire life to Him.” Today he is studying in the Catholic seminary in Saint Petersburg, preparing for ordination to the priesthood. In 1918 this seminary was seized by the communists; many priests were arrested, while others escaped abroad. It was not until 1995 that the Catholic seminary in Saint Petersburg was finally able to open again. “One day you simply realise that God is calling you”. Seminarians praying in the chapel.
He himself experienced the call of God during a journey to Belgium. Sitting in a bus, he suddenly caught sight of a giant statue of Our Lady with the Christ Child in her arms. It somehow moved him and, without quite knowing what he was doing, he jumped off the bus at the next stop, not even knowing where he was. He walked in the direction of the statue and arrived at the courtyard of a large, old building. He knocked on every door, but they were all locked. There was only one doorway open, so he entered it. It led to an old chapel. In front of the Tabernacle the perpetual light of the sanctuary lamp was burning. David knelt down and prayed as he had never prayed before, the tears streaming down his face. Leaving the chapel at last, after praying for a
The future resting on their shoulders – the seminarians of Saint Petersburg.
Like David, many others have experienced the call of God: like Igor, Denis, Ivan, Orentas and Daniil. Each has his own story to tell. Each of them comes from a different part of the former Soviet Union; they have been brought together by the knowledge that they have all been called to the priesthood. It is not something that anyone can explain. But it can be experienced, here in the seminary of “Mary, Queen of the Apostles” in Saint Petersburg. • Eva-Maria Kolmann
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A LOOK IN THE
A Chairde, The Apostolic Visitation called for by the Holy Father to ‘assist the local Church on her path to renewal’ has been published in time for Easter and in time for the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012) in June. The process of healing and reparation for the many wounds inflicted upon the Irish Church in recent years is now well-advanced and the process of Church renewal is well-begun. Aid to the Church in Need views IEC2012 as a golden opportunity, a milestone in the ongoing purification and spiritual renewal of the local Church and a launching pad for the re-evangelisation of Ireland. With this in mind, for some months now ACN has been working in association with other Catholic agencies to help make IEC2012 a ‘turning point’ in the life of the local Church and a point of departure for the Year of Faith which the Holy Father has called to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the second Vatican Council. As it happens there are a number of golden anniversaries which are celebrated in 2012. The just-mentioned, opening of the second Vatican Council, the International Eucharistic Congress in June will be the 50th such congress and this year the
50 millionth copy of ACN’s children’s bible, ‘God Speaks to his Children’, will be published. More about this in the next issue of the Mirror. For now it is sufficient to note that ACN is producing in time for the Congress and the Year of Faith in 2013 a beautiful pocket edition of the Four Gospels which will also be available on the internet. God Speaks to his Children of all ages and of all times through his Word, his Saints, his Sacraments, his Church and his Silence. So it is that ACN will be co-operating before, during and after the Congress with a number of religious congregations to produce a booklet on the Saints and their Eucharistic love and devotion. This booklet will be distributed gratis from our exhibition site in the RDS during Congress week. Indeed during Congress week we will be moving our office from Glasnevin to the RDS so as to be able to meet as many of our friends from Ireland and from around the world.
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Here I suppose I should clarify what I mean when I refer to ‘our’ exhibition site because ‘our’ extends to embrace not only ACN but a number of other Catholic Media and publishing organisations as well as the Alexian brothers, the Missionaries of Charity priests and sisters and the Poor Clares. Basically during Congress week everyone is welcome to visit us for a cup of tea, chat and a biscuit. It will be a case of pot luck as to who you will meet but you will be guaranteed to meet and chat with someone who will share with you the joy and hope of being Catholic and who feels deeply about Christ’s wounded, suffering and persecuted church. More about this too in the next Mirror. In this Look in the Mirror we focus upon the Irish Church in Need and the role which the Eucharist, the Sacraments and Prayer plays and will play in the healing of the wounds to Christ’s Church. No one can doubt that the Church has been wounded, equally no one should doubt that these wounds can be healed. Sins have occurred and the Lord’s forgiveness is ever needed and ever available. The Sacrament of Penance, the Lord’s infinite
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mercy and ever-readiness to forgive the most unspeakable of sins are characteristic of Christ’s church and express the bound less love which God has for everyone of his children, regardless of age, and for his Church which he purifies and renews throughout the ages. Beginning with the Holy Father’s beautiful prayer for the Church in Ireland, there follow excerpts from a version of the summary report prepared by the Apostolic Visitators. While the visitators’ proposals and recommendations for the renewal of the Church in Ireland are quite comprehensive and quite specific, the over-arching elements of their renewal programme are clear: widespread and active involvement by every Catholic and every Catholic Body in the renewal process. Dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not an authentic path towards renewal and deeper formation in the content of the faith and ongoing theological and spiritual formation is required for all baptised Catholics. Only in this way will a united Church be able to give credible witness to the Communion with Christ and with one
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another and convincingly re-present the Catholic proposition to a cynical, disillusioned and godless world. ‘Spiritual paralysis’ according to Ireland’s new papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown, is a problem which needs to be addressed within the Irish Church and elsewhere. It is a problem however which can be readily addressed through ‘renewed faith and love for the Lord in the Eucharist’. Indeed in his homily of Sunday the 19th February 2012, reproduced hereunder. Archbishop Brown is sanguine about the future, he senses that ‘something new is happening, something beautiful’. Lying at the very heart of all healing is forgiveness and the Lord’s infinite mercy. Sean Widmer, a catholic convert and blogger tells the story of a man who murdered his young pregnant wife and received God’s mercy; there is no sin and there is no sinner which God is not prepared to forgive period. Indeed one could argue that the over-arching mission of the Church is to reconcile Man to God and through God to each other, reconciliation is forgiveness / healing; it implies evange-
lisation and communion. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a better time to hold an International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland than the present. It is a great gift and from it great gifts will spring. Some will take many years to manifest themselves but there is no doubt that the Congress’ legacies will be great and will be beautiful. Before during and after the Congress, Aid to the Church in Need will be actively assisting with the process of healing, reparation and renewal of the Church in Ireland, in the West and in the World because it was founded with precisely that purpose: ‘to help the Church heal the world’ and especially where Christ’s Church is suffering and being persecuted the most, where Christ’s Body is being most wounded. Beannachtaí daoibh go léir
J F Declan Quinn Director Aid to the Church in Need (Ireland)
Pope Benedict XVI: ‘Nothing more beautiful’ There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.
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Apostolic Visitators Highlighted Excerpts from the Summary Report on the Healing, Reparation and Renewal of Wounded Catholic Church in Ireland. The painful events of recent years have… opened many wounds within the Irish Catholic Community. • Many lay persons have experienced a loss of trust in their Pastors. • Many good priests and Religious have felt unjustly tainted by association with the accused in the court of public opinion; • some have not felt sufficiently defended by their Bishops and Superiors. • Those same Bishops and Superiors have often felt isolated as they sought to confront the waves of indignation and at times they have found it difficult to agree on a common line of action. On the other hand, this time of trial has also brought to light the continuing vitality of the Irish people’s faith. The Visitators have noted: • the exemplary way in which many Bishops, priests and Religious live out their vocation, • the human and spiritual bonds among the faithful at a time of crisis, • the deep faith of many men and women, • a remarkable level of lay involvement in the structures of child protection, and • the heartfelt commitment shown by Bishops and Religious Superiors in their task of serving the Christian community.
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These are just some of the signs of hope that the Visitators have identified, alongside the various difficulties, in the life of the Church in Ireland. It is vitally important that, at a point in history, marked by rapid cultural and social transformation, all the components of the Church in Ireland hear in the first place a renewed call to communion: • communion among the Bishops themselves and with the Successor of Peter; • communion between diocesan Bishops and their clergy; • communion between Pastors and lay persons; and • communion between diocesan structures and communities of consecrated life. This Communion is not attained merely through human agreements or strategies, but above all by listening humbly to God’s Word and to what the Holy Spirit gives and asks of the Church in our day. Only a united Church can be an effective witness to Christ in the world. Among the pastoral priorities that have emerged most strongly is the need for: • deeper formation in the content of the faith for young people and adults; • a broad and well-planned ongoing theological and spiritual formation for clergy, Religious and lay faithful; • a new focus on the role of the laity, who 15 27/03/2012 15:21
are called to be engaged both within the Church and in bearing witness before society, in accordance with the social teachings of the Church. • There is a need to harness the contribution of the new Ecclesial Movements, in order better to reach the younger generation and to give renewed enthusiasm to Christian life. • A careful review is needed of the training given to teachers of religion, the Catholic identity of schools and their relationship with the parishes to which they belong, so as to ensure a sound and well-balanced education. Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, Religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed principally towards improved
theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal. The Visitation also placed in question the present configuration of Dioceses in Ireland and their ability to respond adequately to the challenges of the New Evangelization. The Holy See and the local episcopate have already initiated a joint reflection on this matter, in which the communities concerned are to be involved, with a view to adapting diocesan structures to make them better suited to the present-day mission of the Church in Ireland. Finally, the Visitation attested to the great need for the Irish Catholic community to make its voice heard in the media and to establish a proper relationship with those active in this field, for the sake of making known the truth of the Gospel and the Church’s life. •
Pope Benedict XVI: ‘Prayer before the Real Presence’ “Through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, the Church in Ireland can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm, at the same time imploring the grace of renewed strength and a deeper sense of mission on the part of all Bishops, priests, Religious and lay faithful.”
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‘The Cure of Spiritual Paralysis’ Archbishop Charles John Brown Sin is a Paralysis of the Spirit. In Mark 2:1–12 Jesus encounters a paralyzed man who is brought to him in Capernaum. The friends or family of this man bring him to Jesus in order to be healed physically. Indeed, they go to great trouble in carrying their friend to Jesus, lowering him down from the open roof above. Yet the curious thing about this miracle story is that Jesus does not heal the man from his paralysis in his first exchange with him. Instead, he says to him: “My child, your sins are forgiven”. The scribes who were present take exception to these words of the Lord. They accuse him of blasphemy, because only God can forgive sins. The Lord is aware of their thoughts (as he is aware of ours), and says to his critics: “But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”, he turns to the paralytic and says: “I order you, get up, pick up your stretcher and go off home”. At that moment the paralyzed man stands up, picks up his stretcher and leaves the house, walking through the crowd. Pope Benedict commenting on this Gospel passage during his Angelus talk in February 2009, explained that: This Gospel account shows that Jesus has the power not only to heal a sick body but also to forgive sins; indeed, the physical recovery is a sign of the spiritual healing that his forgiveness A LOOK IN THE +e312ei_print.indd 25
produces. Sin is effectively a sort of paralysis of the spirit from which only the power of God’s merciful love can set us free, allowing us to rise again and continue on the path of goodness. Legalism The reality of physical paralysis is used by the Lord as a way of teaching us what sin (which we can understand as separation from God or as rejection of God’s path for us) does to the human person. It is not the case at all that Jesus is saying that the physical paralysis of the man before him was caused by that man’s sin; instead, paralysis and subsequent healing become visible signs of the invisible reality of the effects of the Lord’s grace in our lives. Sin should not be understood primarily as a breaking of a rule or as violating the regulations. Sin is not, in the first instance, something legal. Sin is better understood as separating ourselves from God, who is life itself, or rejecting God’s path for us, the path that gives us life and grace, spiritual energy. And so, paralysis becomes an appropriate visual symbol of the spiritual state produced by sin, by this separation from God. Sin, of course primarily affects individuals. It is a spiritual disease which afflicts us, which can paralyze us. It is the encounter 17 27/03/2012 15:21
with Christ which begins to heal us of this infirmity, and that encounter, for us, takes place in his Church, which is his body, through our proper and fruitful reception of the sacraments, principally the Holy Eucharist. One of the most ancient texts of the Church, written just several decades after the death and
paralysis in the individual, a radical lack of the spiritual energy which is grace, so too there can be a kind of spiritual paralysis in sections of the Church, where that energy seems to have disappeared. Enthusiasm is dissipated, liturgical life grows cold. When this happens in the Church, in a certain sense, we need to do exactly what Liturgical Reception for an individual does Archbishop Charles J Brown – come again into the presence of the Lord, of Christ himself, so that he can heal and restore us to life. The Church does not live because of offices, committees and structures (as important as these may be): She lives by the presence of Jesus Christ – our way, our truth and resurrection of the Lord, the Letter of our life. And his presence is experienced Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians, in many ways, but most powerfully in his speaks of the Holy Eucharist as medicine, word and in his sacraments – above all, in “the medicine of immortality”. the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Sin Also Paralyses Sections of the Church. But this separation from God or this rejection of the kind of life that he proposes for us is not only a reality that affects us as individuals. It also affects our relationships with others and the wider community. The Church herself is wounded by the sins of her members. And just as sin produces a kind of spiritual
Christ’s Real Presence Cures We need to deepen our understanding of this reality and this is the reason for the important gathering which will soon take place “close to home” we might say – here in the cosmopolitan city of Dublin. I refer, of course, to the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress which will be held from June 10th to the 17th of this year,
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a very significant event not only for the Catholic Church in Ireland, but for the universal Church. It has been carefully and creatively organized and prepared. What is the point of such a gathering? It is to renew our faith in the reality which is at the absolute centre of Catholic life – the real presence of Christ himself in the Eucharist. Ultimately, it is renewed faith and love for the Lord in the Eucharist that will renew our lives and renew the life of the Church. It is his true presence in the Eucharist which can heal our own spiritual paralysis, which fills us with light and joy, which gives meaning to our lives, and which prepares us for the life of the world to come.
Something New is Happening, Something Beautiful for His Church It is a great joy for me to be in Ireland, beginning my time here as Pope Benedict’s representative, especially in this year of the International Eucharistic Congress. Something new is indeed happening. I am convinced that the Lord is preparing something beautiful for his Church. May I ask your support and your prayers for my mission. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, to intercede for us and for Ireland as we strive to follow her son more closely. • * Excerpt for a homily delivered by the Apostolic Nuncio on 19th February 2012 in the Pro-Cathedral, Dublin.
Pope Benedict XVI: ‘Only where God is seen’ Only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is.
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Benjamin Mann - ‘Year of Faith is Pope’s Response to ‘Profound Crisis’’ For the Holy Father the upcoming 20122013 “Year of Faith” seeks to awaken humanity at a critical moment, Pope Benedict XVI. “In vast areas of the earth the faith risks being extinguished, like a flame without fuel,” The Pope told assembled members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who met in a plenary session in January. Continuing he remarked that; “We are facing a profound crisis of faith, a loss of a religious sense which represents one of the greatest challenges for the Church today.” Pope Benedict hopes the Year of Faith, which will run from 11th October 2012 to 24th November 2013, will contribute; “to restoring God’s presence in this world, and to giving man access to the faith, enabling him to entrust himself to the God who, in Jesus Christ, loved us to the end.” “The renewal of faith must, then, be a priority for the entire Church in our time.” His remarks to the doctrinal congregation shortly after the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the final day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In which regard the Pope spoke about the quest to reunite all Christians, as he acknowledged that
ecumenical efforts had not always served to strengthen believers’ faith. Along with the “many good fruits that have emerged from ecumenical dialogue,” there are also “risks of indifference and of false irenicism” – which give the appearance of unity, without regard for truth. In today’s world, the Pope observed, there is an; “increasingly widespread (perception) that truth is not accessible to man, and that, therefore, we must limit ourselves to finding rules to improve this world… In this scenario faith comes to be replaced by a shallow-rooted moralism,” … which can cause the dialogue between Christian groups to become superficial. “By contrast, the core of true ecumenism is faith, in which man encounters the truth revealed in the Word of God.” Pope Benedict told officials of the Doctrine Congregation, of the office he led before his election to the papacy,
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that held controversial issues cannot be downplayed or ignored in talks between the Catholic Church and other Christian churches and communities. Matters of faith and morals, he said, “must be faced courageously, while always maintaining a spirit of fraternity and mutual respect … In our
Sean Widmer1 -
‘Three Lessons in Mercy We Can Learn from a Murderer’ In 1947, twenty-year old Jim Townsend shot and killed his nineteen-year old wife Alice, who was six months pregnant with his twin children. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. After several years in prison and having established a wellearned reputation as an extremely violent criminal, Jim heard of an opportunity to be transferred to a lesser security prison. To increase his chances of being selected, Jim decided to fake a religious conversion with the hopes of reducing his sentence for good behavior, and to pass himself off as a reformed inmate. He was transferred, and eventually his efforts led to him becoming the sacristan for the prison chaplain, Fr. Walsh. However, Jim got More than he Bargained for. Somewhere along the line, his fake conversion became real. He was released in 1967 after spending twenty years A LOOK IN THE +e312ei_print.indd 29
dialogues we cannot overlook the great moral questions about human life, the family, sexuality, bioethics, freedom, justice and peace.” He observed that by defending the Church’s authentic tradition, “we defend man and we defend the creation.” • in prison. In 1970, he approached the Capuchin order, an offshoot of St. Francis’ Franciscans, and was greeted initially with skepticism. However, six years later in 1976, Jim made his final profession of vows, and became a religious brother. He died in June of 2011, at age 84, after having spent more than 40 years as a Capuchin brother, having inspired thousands with his reallife prodigal son conversion.2 Jim’s life can teach us three key lessons. No One is Beyond God’s Mercy. This true account should serve as a reminder that no one is beyond God’s mercy. Jim Townsend committed a horrific, indefensible crime. Yet, there is no sin that any of us has committed that cannot be washed away by the mercy of Jesus Christ, if we truly repent. Do you believe this? Or, like many, do you believe it true for other people, but not for yourself? While it is unlikely that anyone reading this has ever murdered anyone, we are all fallen creatures struggling with weakness and sin. Many times, our sins become 21 27/03/2012 15:22
like anchors around our necks, gradually weighing us down, and crushing the life out of us. When you find this happening remember the words of Fr Larry Richards: The Devil calls us to focus on ourselves and our past. Jesus Christ calls us to focus on Himself and our future. Have you ever noticed that before you commit a sin, the temptation in your head is: “Go ahead, it’s not that big of a deal – it won’t hurt anyone.” Then, immediately after the sin, the message changes to: “How could you do such a terrible thing, you piece of scum?” In other words, Satan gets us both coming and going. Before the sin, Satan minimizes the seriousness of it, but afterwards, he plays it for all it’s worth. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Do you find you are unable to forgive yourself for your sins? Do you constantly look back and beat yourself up for your past behavior? These thoughts are not from God. When we do this, we are focusing on ourselves and the past. While it is healthy to be sorry and to have contrition for our wrongs, discouragement and despair are tools of the Devil designed to further separate us from God. God’s Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation Heals the Most Hardened Heart. As part of Jim Townsend’s strategy for rebuilding his reputation, he began to
go to Confession on a weekly basis with Fr. Walsh. However, Jim made a mockery of the sacrament by deliberately making up outrageous sins as part of his weekly confession. He did not realize that Fr. Walsh saw right through the charade. One day, Jim was anxious to see what Fr. Walsh had been reporting about his behavior. He picked the lock to Father Walsh’s filing cabinet and read through his reports. What he read stunned him and he prayed. O, Lord God, I am so sorry. But then, are all these great things he is saying about me really true? I have to sit down. My legs are shaking – they are nothing under me. Nobody ever said stuff like this about me – ever. Father is really my brother and father. Oh, why did I do this? How can I look Father in the eye? Despite Jim’s many problems, Fr. Walsh was still able to see some good in him. Mother Teresa never stopped telling us that we should see Jesus Christ in everyone. This is a difficult task, especially with people who have committed evil acts. But, God never gives up on any of us, no matter how far down the wrong path we have gone. If we end up in Hell, it will be because we chose to go there, and ignored God’s call to come back to Him. Sometimes we are afraid or ashamed to confess our sins. This is another weapon of the Devil – he sows doubts in our hearts
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about the kindness and mercy of Christ. Sometimes we make excuses and question why we should have to confess our sins to a man. The answer is found in the gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 21-23: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Jesus gives the apostles (and their successors, today’s bishops and priests) the power to forgive sins. The priest is to act In Persona Christi, in the person of Christ. Note carefully the last verse. How can a priest forgive sins, unless he hears them? Jesus Christ knew that we would need this sacrament – there is something very healing about being able to go and tell another your deepest secrets, without fear of judgement, to know absolutely that you have been forgiven. Verse 23 guarantees it. Even though it can be a little scary, it is also very consoling to humbly recognize your faults and take them to the Divine Physician in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Certainly I was nervous when I made my very first confession. I had 30 years worth of sins to confess!! But, I have found this sacrament to be a beautiful experience, and I have benefited from it greatly.
How Long has it been Since Your Last Confession? As Catholics, we are required to confess our mortal sins at least once a year, but if you study the lives of the saints, you will see they had a devotion to this sacrament, and many spiritual directors suggest receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a month, regardless of whether we have committed serious sin or not. If you have sin weighing on your heart, and you have not been to Confession, I encourage you to go and receive the Mercy of Jesus. Take your sickness to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and let Him heal you. He waits for you. Jim Townsend’s life was changed when he realized that Someone really loved him, Someone would not give up on him, God did not give up on Jim. God does not give up on any of us. •
1 Sean Widmer is a Catholic Convert, catechist and blogger. 2 His complete story is recounted in Paul F. Everett, ‘The Prisoner: An Invitation to Hope’ Paulist Press, New Jersey, 2005, 193 pp.
Saint Francis receiving the Stigmata
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Editor: JĂźrgen Liminski Publisher: Kirche in Not / Ostpriesterhilfe, Postfach 1209, 61452 KĂśnigstein, Germany. De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535 www.acn-intl.org
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Matthew 5:8
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Gospels The Four
ACN’s ‘The Four Gospels’ will be available at the International Eucharistic Congress 10th - 17th June 2012.
Communion with Christ and with One Another
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Thank you from Aid to the Church in Need Each year thanks to the • Donations • Legacies and • Mass offerings of its benefactors in Ireland and around the world ACN is able to • Provide sustenance and the means of survival for approx. 20,000 priests • Support approx. 18,000 seminarians and religious and • Distribute approx. 1.5 million catechetical books for children in 160 languages. Heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support provided to Christ’s Suffering and Persecuted Church. May the Good Lord continue to bless you and your family, past and present, now and always.
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Need, Love and Thanks – Your Letters Thanksgiving for a lucky escape Driving on the motorway, my trailer overturned. I was scared to death. Thank God nothing happened! In gratitude I am sending 1,000 Swiss Francs to ACN in the hope that it will help ease the plight of those who cannot live their faith freely. A businessman from Switzerland Sisterly solidarity My sister always used to support ACN. She died in 2008, and I felt that I should continue to support you in her place. Since then I have been sending you donations – small ones, but from my heart. I am sending you 1,000 Brazilian Reals, and I would also like to buy some books. The information in the Mirror has made me very much more aware, and I pray to God that he may send this charity more and more benefactors. A pensioner in Austria Expanding horizons Your work on behalf of the Church in Need makes the Light of Christ constantly shine out anew. Directing our gaze towards the persecuted and oppressed Christians is an important way of expanding the horizons of every individual believer. A benefactress in Austria
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