FEAST of SAINT PETER CHANEL * SAINT LOUIS GRIGNION De MONTFORT

April 28, 2014, Volume VIII, Number 17

FEAST OF SAINT PETER CHANEL * SAINT LOUIS GRIGNION de MONTFORT

Mondayof the Second Week of Easter, April 28, 2014- Holocaust Remembrance Day (USA)

Saint Catherine of Siena – Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Saint Pius V – Wednesday, April, 30, 2014

Saint Joseph the Worker – Thursday, May 1, 2014- National Day of Prayer (USA)

Saint Athanasius – Friday, May 2, 2014 (First Friday)

Saints Philip and James – Saturday, May 3, 2014 (First Saturday)

Question of the Week

For the Feast of the ThirdSunday of Easter, May 4, 2014

“With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him…” When have your eyes been opened to the presence of Christ in your daily activities? Where have you recognized the Risen Christ? Where have you encountered the Risen Christ? What caused your eyes to be opened?

NCCL News

Divine Mercy Sunday

The following article was written by NCCL member James Gontis, Director of the Diocese of Harrisburg Department for Religious Education,for Divine Mercy Sunday. Please go toDivine Mercy Sunday.

Papal Intentions for May, 2014

Universal Papal Intention

That the media may be instruments in the service of truth and peace.

Evangelization Intention

That Mary, Star of Evangelization, may guide the Church in proclaiming Christ to all nations.

Pope Francis: New Saints Were Unafraid of Gazing Upon Wounds of Christ

On Divine MercySunday, the Church celebrated the canonization John XXIII and John Paul II, two of the most influential figures of the 20thcentury.Two tapestries, each bearing the image of the newly-declared saints, hung from the façade of Saint Peter’s basilica, overlooking the hundreds of thousands of people who had filled Saint Peter’s Square for the occasion. One of the special guests attending the Mass was Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who himself had beatified John Paul II, his predecessor and friend.

Opening his homily, Pope Francis noted that the canonizations coincide with Divine MercySunday, a feast instituted by John Paul II. To mark this feast, the Holy Father reflected on “the glorious wounds of the risen Jesus”. “The wounds of Jesus area scandal, a stumbling block for faith, yet they are alsothe test of faith,” the Holy Father said. “That is why on the body of the risen Christ the wounds never pass away: they remain, for those wounds are the enduring sign of God’s love for us. They areessential for believing in God. Not for believing that God exists, but for believing thatGod is love, mercy and faithfulness.”

John XXIII and John Paul II, however, were men who“were not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus, to touch his torn hands and his pierced side. They were not ashamed of the flesh of Christ; they were not scandalized by him, by his cross,” seeing Jesus in all those who suffer and struggle.These courageous men, he said, were “filled with theparrhesiaof the Holy Spirit,” bearing “witness before the Church and the world to God’s goodness and mercy.”

John XXIII and John Paul II, he said, were “priests, bishops and popes of the twentieth century”: they “lived through the tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them. For them, God was more powerful; faith was more powerful – faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man and the Lord of history; the mercy of God, shown by those five wounds, was more powerful; and more powerful too was the closeness of Mary our Mother”.

In their willingness to look “upon the wounds of Christ” and bear “witness to his mercy,” there dwelt within them “a living hopeand anindescribable and glorious joy”(1 Pet1:3,8).Pope Francis also recalled how “John XXIII and John Paul II cooperated with the Holy Spirit inrenewing and updating the Church in keeping with her pristine features, those features which the saints have given her throughout the centuries”.

“In convening the Council, John XXIII showed an exquisiteopenness to the Holy Spirit. He let himself be led and he was for the Church a pastor, a servant-leader. This was his great service to the Church”.For his part, the Holy Father continued, “John Paul II wasthe pope of the family,” recalling the upcoming Synod on the family. “From his place in heaven,” he said, “he guides and sustains” in the journey toward the Synod.

You can read the full text of Pope Francis’ homily at Canonization Homily. Here is a short video on the two new saints:

Archbishop Kurtz Celebrates Canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II

Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II “modeled courage, holiness, charity, and attentiveness to the call of Jesus,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The two popes were canonized saints by Pope Francis in a Mass at the Vatican, on Sunday, April 27.

Full text of Archbishop Kurtz’s statement follows:

I join many millions of people around the world in joyfully celebrating the heroic virtue and fidelity to God exemplified by the lives of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. The Church’s formal proclamation makes official what so many of us already believed– that by God’s grace these two beloved leaders of our Church modeled courage, holiness, charity, and attentiveness to the call of Jesus. Both of them, in their own unique way, have shown us what Pope Francis has rightly called “the joy of the Gospel,” the joy of knowing and following Jesus Christ. In celebrating and imitating their lives, may we all hear anew the call of Jesus and, with enthusiasm, follow in the footsteps of these two great saints to be “full of fervor, joy, generosity, courage, boundless love and attraction!” (EvangeliiGaudium, 261)

The Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II

The canonizations of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II marks a historic moment for the Catholic Church. To explore the meaning of the lives of these modern-day spiritual heroes, the U.S. Bishops Office for Media Relations asked several persons to reflect on their contributions. Writers include scholars and theologians – Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish – and media personnel involved in coverage of the much travelled John Paul II. Each could have written a book, but were limited to the brief reflections presented here.

• Looking Back to Seminary Days and Election of a Pope by Bishop Kicanas
• Pope John Paul II and the Orthodox Church by Thomas FitzGerald
• Remembering the man who told the modern world: ‘Do not be Afraid’ by Bishop Soto
• A Saint’s Autobiography: Journal of a Soul by Father John Crossin
• The Surprising Humor of St. John XXIII by Father James Martin
• Vatican II: The Call to Religious to Change by Sister Doris Gottemoeller, RSM
• Pope John XXIII and the Quest for Ecumenism by John Borelli
• Pope John Paul II at Judaism’s holiest site by Rabbi Eric Greenberg
• John Paul II: The Move Toward Christian Unity by Father Ronald Roberson
• Two Popes and the Code of Canon Law by Sister Sharon Euart, RSM
• John Paul II Captures New York by Phillip Alongi
• Travels with the Polish Pope by Phillip Pullella
• John XXIII Transformed Catholics’ Understanding and Relations with Jews by Rabbi A. James Rudin
• Pope John XXIII and a Christian's Unfinished Business by Don Clemmer
• Pope John XXIII’s Gift to the Church: Laity at the Center by Dolores Leckey

Discipleship For Confirmation And Beyond

The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership is branching out into electronic resources for evangelization and catechesis through a supplemental resource for Confirmation preparation.The organization is partnering with noted religious educator, Dr. Michael Carotta, in offering Discipleship For Confirmation And Beyond as an online downloadable program that provides Confirmation candidates and their parents formational exercises to be completed on their own in conjunction with their existing parish programs.

Leland D. Nagel, NCCL’s Executive Director explains that “We want to help our diocesan members and their parishes become more comfortable integrating electronic sources of formation into their existing programs. This supplemental resource is a vehicle to help people take a step in that direction. And it is a good example of quality adolescent religious education, providing solid content and methodology, and four sessions for parents.”

Discipleship For Confirmation And Beyond requires candidates to complete four core sessions and one of four elective sessions. Each core session builds on the previous one(s) using video segments followed by the completion of PDF exercises in a process that forms a single vision for life after Confirmation:

Discipleship …

within a community of disciples (the Church)…

for the good of the world…

and the will of God.

The first core session requires all candidates to read the entire Gospel of Matthew and complete the accompanying study guide.Dr. Carotta says this is intentional “We are trying to shape their imagination regarding Christ’s expectation of the spiritual life after Confirmation by focusing on his call to discipleship. This call is meant to be lived out and nourished within the Church with a mission to build the kingdom and live as God intended.”

The program will be introduced at the 78th Annual Conference and Exposition in St. Louis May 19 -22. In-services will be offered this summer to dioceses wishing to have parishes incorporate the resource into Confirmation programs this Fall. Watch for more details.

Special Needsat the 78th Annual NCCL Conference and Exposition*Session 208

Parents and CLs often wonder about the best way to catechize children with various developmental disabilities so that they are prepared to receive the sacraments. Michele E. Chronister, the author of Handbook for Adaptive Catechesis: Servin: Serving Those with Special Needs, as well as a co-author of Faith Beginnings: Family Nurturing From Birth Through Preschoolwill provide a learning session that will begin with the question, “How are we to prepare those who are dealing with various developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome, autism, and ADHD, to receive the Sacraments?” MsChronister will guide participants to answer the question on how we can ensure a place for all in our parish communities and faith formation programs. Come explore ways to provide access to the sacraments for all the baptized.

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Pope: Do Not Be Afraid of Christian Joy

Without Christian joy, there can be no foundation to the Church which needs an “apostolic joy” to irradiate and expand, Pope Francis said Thursday evening. Referring in his homily to the Gospel story of the disciples of Emmaus, “The disciples cannot believe their joy,” the Pope said. “They cannot believe because of their joy” on meeting the risen Jesus after his death, he explained.

“It is a moment of wonder, of encounter with Jesus Christ, in which there seems to be too much joy to be true. Indeed, to assume the joy and wonder of that moment seems risky to us and we are tempted to take refuge in scepticism, in 'not exaggerating'.It is easier to believe in a spirit than in the living Christ!,” the Pope added. “It is easier to go to a necromancer who predicts the future, who reads cards, than to trust in the hope of a triumphant Christ, a Christ who vanquishes death!”

“An idea or imagination is easier to believe than the docility of this Lord who rises again from death, and what he invites us to!,” the Pope continued. “This process of relativising faith ends up distancing us from the encounter, distancing us from God's caress. It is as if we 'distilled' the reality of the encounter with Jesus Christ in the still of fear, in the still of excessive security, of wanting to control the encounter ourselves. The disciples were afraid of joy … and so are we”. You can read his whole reflection at St. Jose de Anchieta.

Earth Week: A Witness to God's Glory

Jim Wallis writes “There’s an old hymn that many Christians have sung for nearly a century. How Great Thou Art celebrates the glory of God while considering, ‘all the works thy hands have made.’ It reminds me of the psalm that reads, ‘The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.’” Here are a few excerpts. You can read his full column at Earth Week Witness.

Creation, therefore, is a witness to the wonder and awe of God. Although humanity has been given the honor of bearing God’s image, the earth shows God’s creativity and ingenuity. Over the years I’ve heard so many stories of people finding faith in God, not because of brilliant arguments, but because they are in awe of the complexity and glory of the created world.

But creation is not just a unique witness to God’s glory — it is, as the apostle Paul wrote, “groaning” waiting also for its redemption. This past Easter Sunday, Christians all over the world sang joyful songs of resurrection and renewal. Many of these songs proclaim freedom for all of creation — not just for humanity. One church I know of even sang “Joy to the World,” in celebration that the power of Christ’s resurrection extends “far as the curse is found.”

It’s hard to face, but humanity — image bearers of God — is largely responsible for destroying much of this great witness to God’s glory. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is happening, humans are primarily responsible, and it will keep getting worse if nothing is done. The impact of carbon pollution mars not only the beauty of God’s earth, but affects the flourishing of God’s people. Many of the poorest among us are suffering from food scarcity, droughts, flooding and increased diseases caused by climate change. And — to use an image from creation itself — our politics on this issue are stuck in the mire of cynicism and inaction, wasting time that we simply don’t have.

Which is why for Christians, caring for God’s creation should be a priority. It is not just a matter of science or politics, but an indication of our worship and praise of the Creator. As the whole of creation acts as a witness to God’s glory and prays for its redemption, so must we. And with Earth Week following on the heels of Holy Week, it’s an opportunity to both reflect on and act in ways that will help renew creation.

New Documentary Takes Viewers Around Globe To Examine 'What Is Family?'

For decades, Focus on the Family, a global ministry based in Colorado Springs, has been an ally of the Catholic Church with its many outreaches to build stronger Christian families. The organization's latest effort, "The Family Project," is its most ambitious yet and will include a dozen feature-length documentaries with study guides. The opening documentary of this project, "Irreplaceable," will be screened at theaters across the country for one night only May 6. A list of theaters is available at along with a movie trailer.

The host, Tim Sisarich, travels the globe to answer the question: "What is Family?" The film explores the desire to belong that each person has and how that longing is fulfilled in the family. Sisarich interviews a variety of experts and cultural commentators, including Eric Metaxas, author of several best-selling biographies, including ones on abolitionist William Wilberforce and anti-Nazi activist and minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer; and law professor Helen Alvare, former spokeswoman on pro-life issues for the U.S. bishops and founder of "Women Speak for Themselves." Each commentator offers their own insights into the factors that have contributed to the breakdown of the family.

David Haas Receives Emmaus Award from NPCD

Well-known composer David Haas has received the Emmaus Award for Excellence in Catechesis from the National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors (NPCD). He was recognized with this honor during the NPCD Convocation Awards Banquet in Pittsburgh. My favorite line of the evening was “How many people go out whistling the homily? Much of our Bible study in the Catholic Church is the music we sing at Mass on Sunday.”