Towards a humble Church

Reflection

Timothy Radcliffe, OP (1945, London–) is a Dominican friar of the English Province, and former Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001. He is now highly sought after speaker, teaching and preaching in many countries.

Friendship with Jesus – intimacy –means learning to be gentle and lowly of heart. Then we shall find rest for our souls. But if one thinks of the Catholic Church, the first word that springs to mind might not be “humble”.

I have given retreats for dioceses in 15 countries since I finished my term as Master of the Dominican Order in 2001. The vast majority of priests and bishops whom I have met are simple and unpretentious people who just wish to serve the people of God. But this personal humility has to be sustained in the teeth of a clerical culture, common to all Christian denominations, which stresses rank and power.

The Stole and the Apron

Stole and apron:to put the two of them on together may sound disrespectful, almost an act of desecration.

The stole is made for the sacristy, kept neatly with the finely decorated chasubles and all the other sacred linens, amidst the perfume of incense and the mystical language of biblical symbols. There is no newly ordained deacon or priest who has not received a beautiful and precious stole as a gift from a convent of Sisters.

The apron belongs to the kitchen among the frying pans, the bags of flour and jars of oil, the vegetables and other ingredients, and the plates to be washed... or in the store with the domestic cleaning materials. No one would think of giving an apron as a gift, for a wedding or a birthday, much less for an ordination.

And yet the apron is the only liturgical dress mentioned in the Gospel... yes, the Gospel, and the most theological of the four - the holy gospel according to John!

For Christ’s first solemn Mass, the first Mass in the history of the universe, celebrated the night before he died, there is no mention of alb, stole or chasuble, but only of a rough piece of cloth, the apron that Jesus put on, the perfect priestly garment. 

Maybe it would be good for us to complete the equipment of our sacristies by including an apron among the golden decorated chasubles, dalmatics and stoles and the finely embroidered albs.    

BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE CARDINAL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Pope Benedict XVI presided at the beatification of Blessed John Henry Newman on September 19 2010, in the culminating act of a 4-day visit to the United Kingdom. 

 In an outdoor liturgy attended by 70,000 people at Crofton Park in Birmingham, the Holy Father pronounced the beatification of the 19th-century British scholar and convert. 

The Pope focused on the figure of Cardinal Newman, whose many writings helped to illuminate “the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society, and into the need for a broadly-based and wide-ranging approach to education.” In his remarks the Pope said that Cardinal Newman’s “fine Christian realism” was a reliable guide for today as well. He pointed out that Newman “would describe his life's work as a struggle against the growing tendency to view religion as a purely private and subjective matter, a question of personal opinion.” That same struggle continues today, the Pope said, “when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society.” 

Cardinal Newman’s life "also teaches us that passion for the truth, intellectual honesty and genuine conversion are costly,” the Pope said. Truth must be proclaimed, even sometimes at personal cost. Finally, the Pope observed, Cardinal Newman insisted that “there can be no separation between what we believe and the way we live our lives.” 

Cardinal John Newman

Beatification

The beatification of Cardinal John Newman is of particular significance for the Church. The following is the LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2nd CENTENARY OF HIS BIRTH WHICH WAS ADDRESSED To The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, WHO WAS Archbishop of Birmingham AT THE TIME.

Pope Benedict’s apostolic journey to the United Kingdom culminates on September 19 with the beatification of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman, described by Venerable John Paul II as “one of the most distinguished and versatile champions of English spirituality” and as a thinker who came to “a remarkable synthesis of faith and reason.”Hailed by James Joyce as “the greatest of English prose writers,” Newman was at once a seminal theologian (An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent), a poet (“The Pillar of the Cloud,” “Dream of Gerontius”), the leading defender of liberal education in his day (Idea of a University), the author of a classic spiritual autobiography (Apologia Pro Vita Sua), and a preacher with an eloquence perhaps unsurpassed in the English language, from his Anglican Parochial and Plain Sermons to his Catholic Sermons Preached on Various Occasions. 

Born in 1801, Newman became an Anglican cleric in 1825; seven years later, he helped launch the Oxford Movement, which sought to emphasize and restore the Catholic aspects of the Church of England while conceiving of Anglicanism as a via media between Rome and Protestantism. In 1845, he was received into the Church by Blessed Dominic Barberi. Ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1847, Newman brought the Congregation of the Oratory to England the following year. 

Pope Leo XIII created Newman a cardinal in 1879. Upon his death in 1890, the Guardian hailed him as “one of the very greatest masters of English style,” “a man of singular purity and beauty of character,” and “an eminent example of personal sanctity.” Pope John Paul II declared Newman venerable in 1991, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a decree last July that cleared the way for his beatification. 

St Joseph Cafasso

This year the feast day of St Joseph Cafasso happens to be the 150th anniversary of his death. That means he died just six months after the foundation of the Salesian Congregation. It was an undertaking which Don Bosco must surely have discussed at length with him, not only on the practicalities of the project, but more importantly on discerning God’s will in the foundation of a new Congregation.


It was Joseph Cafasso who was initially instrumental in directing Don Bosco in working with youth in difficulty, who continued to direct him in his weekly confession, who advised him to take up lodgings with Don Borel at the Refuge, who worked closely with him in the foundation of the Oratory, giving him financial support and convincing others to fund his charitable foundation and, when necessary, to defend him from critics even from the clergy.

Remembering Don Rua

Fr Pascual Chavez has written a wonderful letter to all the Salesians of Don Bosco who joyfully celebrate this centenary. The figure of Don Rua is a permanent reminder of the spirit of Don Bosco. The austerity of his life has set out for the Congregation a paradigm to follow in order to be faithful followers of Don Bosco.

Centenary of the Death of Bl Michael Rua

Rome, 24 June 2009

Birth of Saint John the Baptist

My dear Confreres,

…The reason for this letter of mine is to make the official announcement to you that we shall be dedicating the year 2010 to a special commemoration of Blessed Michael Rua. It is in fact the centenary year of his death, which occurred on 6 April 1910. The year 2010, centred on the figure of the first Successor of Don Bosco … will help us to bring to fuller maturity our consecrated Salesian vocation. It seems to me important that we are conscious of the historical situation, that from the death of Don Bosco until our own days, the Congregation has had a great and significant development, taking steps forward, having second thoughts, making fresh starts, reflecting deeply. The identity of the Congregation can be understood better, in fact, through its history, knowing the forms and expressions it has assumed at different times and in different places.

Bl. Michael Rua with Bl Philip Rinaldi

“Remembering Don Rua”, we shall spend this year 2010 on a spiritual and pastoral journey. It will begin on 31 January, the solemnity of Don Bosco, the day on which each year we recall the death of the Saint: it was on that 31 January in 1888 that Don Rua took the tiller, to continue the journey on which the Founder had embarked. The year of commemoration will conclude on 31 January 2011. …

I mention now some focal points, …

First of all, following the example of Don Rua, the faithful disciple of Jesus in the footsteps of Don Bosco, each confrere is being called to re-discover the ways in which to preserve fidelity to the vocation of consecration. Our vocation is a precious gift; however, it is “like a treasure in earthenware vessels.”

Returning to Don Bosco’s initial exposure to the youth reality…

AFW Salesian Brothers on Pilgrimage

to the tomb of St Joseph Cafasso.

This year 2010 is the 150th anniversary of St Joseph’s Cafasso’s death; he died at just 49 years of age on 23 June 1860. That means he passed away just six months after the foundation of the Salesian Congregation. It was an undertaking which Don Bosco must surely have discussed at length with him, not only on the practicalities of the project, but more importantly on discerning God’s will in the foundation of a new Congregation. It was Joseph Cafasso who was initially instrumental in directing Don Bosco in working with youth in difficulty, who continued to direct him in his weekly confession, who advised him to take up lodgings with Don Borel at the Refuge, who worked closely with him in the foundation of the Oratory, giving him financial support and convincing others to fund his charitable foundation and, when necessary, to defend him from critics even from the clergy. Here we see what a wise spiritual director Fr Cafasso was, and how his guidnace in the first few years of Don Bosco as a priest  proved to be crucial.

Fr Joseph Cafasso exposed the young priests who came to the Convitto under his care to the challenging pastoral realities of a city fast becoming industrialized. Don Bosco was no exception, and in reading the Memoirs one can see the impact that Don Bosco’s visit to the prisons left on him: “It was Fr Cafasso who first took me into the prisons, where I soon learned how great was the malice and misery of mankind.”

 

United to Christ

Benedict XVI to Priests on Holy Thursday

This week  is the feast of St Joseph Cafasso, Spiritual Director of Don Bosco. He died 150 years ago on the 23rd of June 1860 at the age of only 49. He was indeed a wise spiritual director able to discern God's action in Don Bosco's life. Let us mark his day in humble gratitude for the role he played in Don Bosco's vocation and in the founding of the Salesian Society, as we pray that we too may like Don Bosco seek to be in spiritual direction so as to discern God’s will in our lives.

As an aid to reflect on the priesthood, in this edition we are bringing a synthesis of the Pope’s homily on Holy Thursday at the Chrism Mass. Indeed it is a beautiful reflection on the priesthood.

One way of marking the feast of St Joseph Cafasso is to have a penitential service in community and  facilitating the possibility of confession and/or spiritual direction as we bring the Year of the Priest to a close in community.

Word made . . . digital

World Day of Social Communication

In his message for the Catholic Church's 2010 World Day for Social Communications, Pope Benedict XVI called on the ministry to use the latest technologies, such as Web sites and blogs, to preach the gospel and encourage a dialogue with their practitioners.

Scheduled for May 16, the theme of the World Day will be "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word." In his message for the world day of social communications, Pope Benedict told people that church communities have traditionally relied on modern media to open the lines of communication. And as the culture changes, the church needs to use the latest technologies, especially if it wants to reach younger people.

The Church itself has taken initiative to bring its message to the web; checkout these sites:

 www.youtube.com/vatican

 www.pope2you.net

 www.catholicscomehome.com

 www.rcdow.org.uk/evangelisation

Benedict entrusts world's priests to Mary

"May the Church be renewed by holy priests, transfigured by the grace of He who makes all things new."


FATIMA, Portugal — Pope Benedict XVI prayed at the site of Mary's apparitions at Fatima and as part of the “Year for Priests,” entrusted the world's priests to her, saying the church needs "holy priests, transfigured by grace."

The pope prayed that Mary keep priests from the temptations of evil and "restore calm after the tempest."

While he did not explicitly refer to the priestly sex abuse crisis, the pope's remarks in some ways echoed what he said on his flight to Portugal the previous day, when he called the scandal a "terrifying" example of sins committed by the church's own ministers and urged a process of penance and purification in the church.

Priesthood

  

Prayers for Priests

You came from among us
to be, for us, one who serves.
We thank you for ministering Christ to us
and helping us minister Christ to each other.

We are grateful for the many gifts you bring to our community:
for drawing us together in worship,
for visiting us in our homes,
for comforting us in sickness,
for showing us compassion,
for blessing our marriage,
for baptising our children,
for confirming us in our calling,
for supporting us in bereavement,
for helping us to grow in faith,
for encouraging us to take the initiative,
for helping the whole community realise God's presence among us.

For our part, we pray that we may always be attentive to your needs
and never take you for granted.
You, like us, need friendship and love,
welcome and a sense of belonging,
kind words and acts of thoughtfulness.

We pray, also, for the priests who have wounded priesthood.
May we be willing to forgive
and may they be open to healing.
Let us support one another during times of crisis.

God our Father, we ask you to bless our priests
and confirm them in their calling.
Give them the gifts they need
to respond with generosity and a joyful heart.

We offer this prayer for our priest,
Who is our brother and friend,

Amen