Today is the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI will impose the pallium, symbolic of metropolitan authority, on 34 archbishops who were appointed during the course of the past year. The pallium, a thin strip of white wool, is a liturgical vestment worn by metropolitan archbishops. It is conferred on newly appointed archbishops each year on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, which is a holiday at the Vatican. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the newly installed leader of England's Catholic hierarchy, will also receive the pallium.
Today’s feast of the great apostles, Peter and Paul, brings to a close the Year of Saint Paul, during which the Church reflected in depth on the teaching and life of the ‘Apostle of the Gentiles’, and the continuing relevance of Paul for believers today.
On Wednesday 24th June the news was announced that the Head Boy, Head Girl and the Deputies of Cardinal Allen High School had been announced. There were 4 Boys and 10 Girls stood for the roles, who all made their speeches on Friday 19th June which followed by the Students and Teachers votes. The outcome was as followed
A Post from the Catholic News Agency website that stood out:Pope Benedict has signed a record deal for an album of religious music and prayers for Christmas to be released under the Geffen label, which also distributes music for Lady GaGa and U2.
Benedict XVI, 82, and Vatican priests will record music and prayers for new label Geffen UK, expected to be a hit with millions of Catholics worldwide, according to the UK Daily Mirror.
Geffen is part of the US entertainment giant Universal Music Group. Other stars in the group's stables include Lady GaGa, Marilyn Manson, Eminem, U2 and Black Eyed Peas.
"Everyone thought it was a wind up when we got a call from the Vatican," a source at the London based label was quoted as saying. "But it was the Pope's representative inviting us to Rome."
"Two senior managers flew out. The Pope wasn't there in person, sadly. But we didn't hesitate to offer His Holiness a deal."
(CWN)
Most Rev Patrick O’Donoghue, Emeritus Bishop of Lancaster has been appointed by the Bishop of Cork & Ross, Most Rev John Buckley as Assistant Priest to the Parish of Bantry, West Cork.
The relationship between the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary in God’s plan of salvation and the mystery of the Church as the sacrament of salvation is so close that one cannot be understood without the other. In the teaching of the Church and in the Liturgy the same biblical symbols are applied to the Church and to the Blessed Virgin. Both are symbolised by the tree of Paradise whose fruit is Christ, both are the Ark of the Covenant, the gate of Heaven, the Bride arrayed for her husband and the woman in the book of revelation, clothed with the Sun and victorious over the Dragon. In the mind of the Fathers of the Church Mary is the ideal figure of the Church, she mirrors and reflects the Church. Looking to Mary the Church finds her model and example. The obedience of Mary and the obedience of the Church are the same, she accepted to become the mother of our salvation, from her womb was born the Redeemer, from the womb of the Church, the baptismal font are born the Redeemed, those who are configured to Christ. In the Sacraments the Church brings forth daily Him whom the Virgin Mary brought forth in Bethlehem.
O Jesus, our great High Priest,
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A favourite description of the Church is “the barque of Peter”, as she makes her
St. Mark tells us that Christ, fast asleep on a pillow in the stern, appeared indifferent to the disciples’ plight. In panic they awoke him only to be met with the rebuke that their faith had failed them in this moment of danger. In a memorable scene, Christ spoke to the turbulent elements and calm immediately followed. The disciples were confused, but went on to ask the pointed question, “Who can this be that even the wind and sea obey him?” As we listen to this gospel passage the same question is addressed to us. We are dealing with someone more than a human being here. The eye of faith sees in Jesus Christ stilling the storm the Son of God himself. The gospel passage is a summons to faith, to the Church as a whole and to each individual. In all the dangers and difficulties, trials and tribulations to which the Church has been subject from the beginning down to the present day, we must never doubt the abiding presence of the saviour, Jesus Christ. Christ will remain faithful to us, provided we remain faithful to him.
The words of Paul the apostle in our second reading can be of great help here. The coming of Christ has changed everything, the way we look at people and view the world. We no longer see things from a purely human perspective, but wonderfully since the death and resurrection of the Lord a new creation has begun and the old order has passed away. In his Son Jesus Christ almighty God has accomplished his greatest wonder. Have we sufficient faith to make God’s marvellous deed our own?
+Michael Campbell OSA
Bishop of Lancaster
(from the Diocesan website)
Pope Benedict XVI has called the whole Church to celebrate a Year for Priests beginning on 19th June 2009, the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
The words of the Lord " in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words”. are echoed by Saint Benedict when he tells us: “If we wish to prefer a petition to men of high station, we do not presume to do it without humility and respect; how much more ought we to supplicate the Lord God of all things with all humility and pure devotion. And let us be sure that we shall not be heard for our much speaking, but for purity of heart and tears of compunction”.
Bishop Michael Campbell OSA, Sixth Bishop of Lancaster announced on Friday 12 June 2009 that he has appointed two Vicars General who will assist him in the running of the Diocese (donec aliter provideatur) - that is until he decides otherwise.
The Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ holds a very special place in the devotion and practice of our Catholic faith. It is the sacrament we receive most frequently in the course of our lives, and it contains the pledge of future glory, a place with Christ at his eternal banquet in the kingdom of heaven. Human words or concepts are insufficient to grasp the full mystery of this most precious of sacraments. What is essential is to keep in mind that the sacred food of the Eucharist is both meal and sacrifice. We feed on the Lord’s body and blood which he offered for us on the cross. The scripture readings chosen for the feast are intended to highlight the sacrificial nature of the holy Eucharist.
As Pope Benedict closes the Year of St Paul, he is preparing to open the Year of the Priest. So as we near the end of our series on saints and the Eucharist it is good to reflect on the life and thought of St John Vianney, the patron of parish priests. In his early years he seemed an unlikely candidate for this honour. He was born at Dardilly near Lyons in 1786 and early in life expressed his desire to be a priest. His primary education was sketchy and his greatest difficulty was in understanding Latin. His problems increased when he was drawn into conscription into Napoleon’s troops. This was solved when his brother volunteered to take his place and he thankfully returned to the seminary. There, despite his serious limitations, his teachers never doubted his vocation and he continued to struggle until his ordination in 1815.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the newly installed head of the Westminster archdiocese, has argued that schools should develop the "innate spirituality" of young students, teaching sound moral principles. The archbishop went on to say that all schools do provide moral guidance. He said:
With good reason we speak of the truths of our faith as ‘mysteries of faith’. By this we mean that these are truths which the human mind can never fully grasp. We accept in faith what God has revealed to us through the Church while realising that that we stand in the face of mystery. Nowhere, perhaps, is this lack of understanding more evident than when we come face to face with the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, whose feast the Church celebrates today. The human race has made vast advances in every field of knowledge and there appears to be no limit to the discoveries and inventions of which we are capable. Yet, we remain finite, limited human beings, and where the inner life of God is concerned the power of our intellects falters. Of ourselves we could never have arrived at the existence of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe it because Christ has told us so.
At his regular weekly public audience on June 3, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the work of Rabanus Maurus, a Benedictine abbot and archbishop whose scholarly influence is evident across a broad range of fields including poetry, music, theology, and Scripture study. At a time when Christian scholarship was in eclipse, the Pope noted, he helped to preserve and to build "that theological, exegetical and spiritual culture from which succeeding centuries would draw."
