Bishop Folda to speak at Faith through the Ages events
New Earth
— Page 4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth” — Rev. 21:1
CATHOLIC DIOCESE
OF
FARGO
July-August 2013 Vol. 34
No. 7
www.FargoDiocese.org
‘Lumen Fidei’: Pontiff’s first encyclical
Pope Francis writes of faith as the light of human life
Mary’s army of youth
Catholic News Service
P
ope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”), is a celebration of Christian faith as the guiding light of a “successful and fruitful life,” inspiring social action as well as devotion to God, and illuminating “every aspect of human existence,” including philosophy and the natural sciences. The document completes a papal trilogy on the three “theological virtues,” following Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclicals “Deus Caritas Est” (2005) on charity and “Spe Salvi” (2007) on hope. Publication of the encyclical was one of the most awaited events of the Year of Faith which began in October 2012. Pope Benedict “had almost completed a first draft of an encyclical on faith” before his retirement in February 2013, Pope Francis writes, adding that “I have taken up his fine work and added a few contributions of my own.” Commentators will likely differ in attributing specific passages, but the document clearly recalls the writings of Pope Benedict in its extensive treatment of the dialogue between faith and reason and its many citations of St. Augustine, not to mention references to Friedrich Nietzsche and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. On the other hand, warnings of the dangers of idolatry, Gnosticism and Please turn to FIRST on page 9
Submitted photo
53 campers and 12 support staff for Militia Immaculata camp took a pilgrimage to Grasshopper Chapel in Cold Spring, Minn., as part of the camp’s activities.
By Nathanial Wiegrefe
I
n 1904, a 10-year-old Raymund Kolbe received a vision of the Virgin Mary offering him two crowns: a white one for purity and a red one for martyrdom. Choosing both, he went on to become a Franciscan friar and priest, wherein he took the name Maximilian, later sacrificing himself in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz so that a fellow prisoner could live. While in seminary in Rome in the year 1917, Maximilian witnessed an anniversary celebration by the Freemasons which included pamphlets containing protests against the Pope. He organized the Militia Immaculata — or the “Army of Mary” — to combat these attacks against the Catholic Church. Please turn to MI CAMPERS on page 6