NUNS GROUP GETS REBUKE FROM THE CDF

"In the end, the point is this: The Holy See believes that the charismatic vitality of religious life can only flourish within the ecclesial life of the church," the cardinal said. Read more from CNS Story

Pope Visits Benin

VATICAN CITY, 18 NOV 2011 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI began the twenty-second apostolic trip of his pontificate which is taking him to Benin where, on Sunday, he will sign the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.

  The Pope departed from Fiumicino airport in Rome at 9 a.m., landing at the Cardinal Bernardin Gantin airport in Cotonou at 3 p.m. On arrival he was greeted by Thomas Yayi Boni, president of Benin, Archbishop Antoine Ganye of Cotonou, and other civil and religious authorities.

  In his address, the Pope enumerated three reasons for his visit to the country: the invitation he had received from the president and the members of the Episcopal Conference of Benin, which this year celebrates the 150th anniversary of evangelisation; the signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Africae Munus", and the third "more personal and more emotive" reason of praying before the tomb of Cardinal Gantin and thanking "Benin for having given the Church such a distinguished son".

  The Holy Father continued: "Benin is a country of ancient and noble traditions. Her history is significant. I am pleased to take this opportunity to greet the traditional chiefs. Their contribution is important in the construction of the country's future. I would like to encourage them to contribute, with their wisdom and understanding of local customs, in the delicate transition currently under way from tradition to modernity.

  "Modernity", he added, "need not provoke fear, but neither can it be constructed by neglecting the past. It needs to be accompanied by prudence for the good of all in order to avoid the pitfalls which exist on the African continent and elsewhere, such as unconditional surrender to the law of the market or that of finance, nationalism or exaggerated and sterile tribalism which can become destructive, a politicisation of inter-religious tensions to the detriment of the common good, or finally the erosion of human, cultural, ethical and religious values. The transition to modernity must be guided by sure criteria ... rooted in the dignity of the person, the importance of the family and respect for life. All of these values exist in view of the common good which must take first place, and which must constitute the primary concern of all in positions of responsibility".

  "The Church, for her part, offers her own specific contribution", the Pope concluded. "By her presence, her prayer and her various works of mercy, especially in education and health care, she wishes to give her best to everyone. She wants to be close to those who are in need, near to those who search for God. She wants to make it understood that God is neither absent nor irrelevant as some would have us believe but that He is the friend of man. It is in this spirit of friendship and of fraternity that I come to your country". (This news is from Vatican Information Service ).

Long Live Pope Benedict XVI

Image Source

"Dear friends! At this moment there is no need for me to present a program of governance. I was able to give an indication of what I see as my task in my Message of Wednesday April 20, and there will be other opportunities to do so. My real program of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the whole Church, to the word and the will of the Lord, to be guided by Him, so that He Himself will lead the Church at this hour of our history. Instead of putting forward a program, I should simply like to comment on the two liturgical symbols which represent the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry; both these symbols, moreover, reflect clearly what we heard proclaimed in today's readings." Source of Quotation

It was five years since His Holiness ascended to the throne of St Peter.  And I would say that this Pope is one of the greatest Pope we ever had.  Even if the Pontificate is short considering his age when he was elected to the Papacy.  A man who has in mind the good of the Church.  Wrote encyclicals that spoke of the cardinal virtues, who emphasize the importance of the Creed.  He has quietly inaugurated a program of liturgical reform, putting the liturgy in the right perspective and in continuity with Sacred Tradition.  He was very courageous, who stood up against the opposition of the secular and anti-Christian culture of the West known as militant secularism who wants to put the church out of the public square.  He issued Summurom Pontificum, stating once and for all that the Traditional Latin Mass was never abrogated and that every Priest has the right to celebrate it even without the permission of the Bishop.  He lifted the excommunication of the four Bishops of the the SSPX, entered into dialog with the Traditionalist group founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre. He endured the accusations of anti-Christian Press.  He was unjustly defamed in news papers and the media. But one thing is sure this man - Benedict XVI has all in his mind the good and welfare of the Church.

Holy Father, we support you and we are praying for you.  No matter what the ungodly press is saying we believe in your efforts and sincerity.  We reject the black propaganda against the Church and against your pontificate.  The enemies of the Church will not prevail.  Dear Holy Father we stand behind you.  You are our Shepherd we will obey your voice.  The wolves cannot harm us nor separate us from God and His Church.  Amen. 

Catholic Herald Defends Pope Benedict

Here is a link to the  THE CATHOLIC HELRAD

"Mistaking the Woods with the Trees"

Pravda, the Russian News Agency Defends Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church.  Here are some excerpts.

Much of the news coming out, in the effort to disguise ideological propaganda, contains the fundamental error of mistaking the wood with the trees ... especially when the aim is to denigrate. That is, from an isolated case, preferably rough outlines, and generalized in order to induce the reader to think that the whole is of the same nature. This generalization obviously has ideological connotations and follows a political agenda that seeks to deconstruct traditional society and all its secular institutions and to impose a New World Order after the manner of the sinister interests of the international oligarchy, the same ones that handle the financial markets and through them, largely control the global economy. We refer to cases ofpedophilia within the ranks of the Catholic Church recently publicized by international news agencies.

and here is more:

The fury of the anti-clerical secular lobby goes so far as to revive old cases like that of Father Lawrence Murphy, back in 1975, to address the current Pope insidiously and in this way, the very Roman Catholic Church. On 25 March of this year, the prestigious New York Times published an article that allegedly accused Benedict XVI of covering up for the priest from Milwaukee in 1995 when the Pope was still Cardinal and responsible for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith It must be motivated by a very strong hatred of Catholicism to raise this issue 35 years afterwards...

The complaint is all the more insidious when it ignores all that this body has had is the specific function to monitor doctrinal deviations, heresies, so nothing to do with the Law, which deals with cases of indiscipline, as are the acts that violate the chastity of the clergy are required. It is ignored that this priest was acquitted by civil law, which did not find evidence of the practice of pedophilia on deaf boys who were protected. How aware are we made that the Catholic hierarchy kept him under surveillance and did so not so much for suspicion of sexual abuse of minors, but for doctrinal deviations. It was this and only for this reason that the then Cardinal Ratzinger, in 1995, sanctioned, and then limited his pastoral functions. Four months later Murphy died. We do not believe that the New York newspaper was absolutely unaware of these facts. From here, it follows that bad faith exists and a defamatory smear campaign has been articulated against the world Catholic hierarchy.

 Indeed in the field of ecumenical relations the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church will unite to defend our Judeo-Christian patrimony against the attacks of those people with ideological leanings and with a political agenda to destroy the Christian religion.

You can read more of this report at PRAVDA

Palm Sunday 2010

Zechariah 9:9-10

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: BEHOLD THY KING will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

"And I will destroy the chariot out of Ephraim, and the horse out of Jerusalem, and the bow for war shall be broken: and he shall speak peace to the Gentiles, and his power shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the end of the earth."

My Meditation:

Every year as we live thought the life, hope and expectations of the Church though the celebrations in the Liturgical calendar, we come again to this most important and solemn occasion of our faith.  The sacred passion of our Lord.  Through out the week we shall relived in a very special way the passion of Christ.  Our Lord has promised graces for people who will meditate on His passion.

The special thing that comes to my mind this week are the secular mass media's attack on the Holy Father.  The world will never indeed love our Lord.  The Jewish Leaders of Christ's time crucified Him, and today in the same manner they are trying to crucify our Holy Father.  I admire so much the patience by which our Holy Father in dealing with these attacks.  I am saddened by the silence of the people who should have been defending our Church.

Let us remember our Church is a most special way this lenten season and may our sufferings and sacrifices be offered for this intention.

Carrying of the Cross: A Must for Priests says Cardinal Vidal

His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of the Archdiocese of Cebu has this much to say in his homily for priests and I quote from the CBCP News report.

“But the cross that we have to bear is not the opposite of these, but the exercise of restraint in the face of adulation, gifts and affirmation. The first lesson of Jesus crucified is thus to ‘deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me,’ ” Vidal said.

“The best way a priest can know the condition of God’s people is through the confessional. Like St. John Mary Vianney, a priest should spend much time in the confessional to know the real needs of the people he serves. We do not know the needs of people by virtues they exercise; we know their problems by the sins they commit,” the cardinal said.

Jesus Carrying the Cross by Hieronymus Bosch

Pope's Message to Filipino Prelates

The message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Filipino Prelates holding their plenary meeting at the St. Pius XII hall in Manila and I am presenting here some excerpts.  The full text of this new item can be read at CBCP Online .  I found the message touching because it goes to the heart of the role of a Bishop and of a priest and it shows how important are their role for the sanctification of the Church, which is very much needed by the Filipino Church.  The active participation of the Church of the laity, which is so evident now, should not make drive away priests nor make them complacent of their role in teaching the doctrine of the faith.  How many times do we see Bishops and priests give to much emphasis on issues like politics or the environment.  Although I would opine that these issues can legitimately be the concern of the Church because pastoring the flock is also integrative.  While attention is given to the temporal well being of the flock, the Bishops and priests should give more attention to the administration of the Sacraments and the teaching of the Word of God, by preaching, homilies and catechism.  Sacraments can only be performed by the ordained clergy and is intended to sanctify the faithful.  Teaching the Word of God is also the major concern of the Ordained.  Although in some cases these functions can also be shared by the lay faithful.  Sometimes I feel sad that many secular issues have overridden this concern for the spiritual needs of the Church.  Sometimes concern for the environment or for politics is misconstrued as catechism. I feel sad that the basic teachings of the Church are not imparted on the faithful.  It is sad to note also that many homilies now are centered on how to vote, and how to fight for the integrity of the environment and seldom do I hear homilies that expounds on the words of the Scriptures, of the church fathers and other useful lessons.  We should remember that Sunday masses more often is the only time that Catholics do see their parish churches and this is a very good opportunity to impart teaching.  I  hope that our Bishops and priests will give more attention to how the liturgy is celebrated and how beautiful it should be.  These things cannot just be delegated to the lay.  But the Priests should also give attention and supervise.  I wish that our priests should give more time for the celebration of the sacred mysteries so that people will be encourage to go to church and grow fervent in their faith.  This is also one way of encouraging vocations to the priesthood.  The many times our priests engaged in secular concerns tends to discourage young men to enter to the priesthood.  This is perhaps because who would want to be ordained if one would simply be a social worker or an environmentalist.  No one needs ordination to be an environmentalist. 


"He said a bishop’s role is to sanctify, and in order to do this one must first tend to his own holiness of life.  “By preaching the Word, offering Eucharistic sacrifice, and administering the sacraments to God’s people, the clergy in your respective dioceses ...may grow in holiness,” Benedict XVI said. ....Bertone said the pope is urging Filipino prelates to continue acting their role as the chief catechists of their respective pastoral jurisdictions. This means, he said, that bishops must be willing always and everywhere to stand up and teach those in need of instruction and for them to “manifest ever more clearly the spirit of God at work in the world.” In parting, Cardinal Bertone assured the bishops of the pontiff’s “apostolic blessing” while commending their works for the Catholic Church."

Octave of the Nativity - Solemnity of the Circumcision of Our Lord

January 1 - Solemnity of the Circumcision of Our Lord.

Christ Baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.  Painting from the Baptistry of the Our Lady of Pnafrancia Church, Naga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines

O God, it was through the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary that You bestowed the gift of eternal life upon mankind. Grant that we may feel the powerful intercession of Mary, through whom we were privileged to receive the giver of life, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord; who lives and rules with You . . . (Collect)

Pope Paul VI on Peace

"A warning must be kept in mind. Peace cannot be based on a false rhetoric of words which are welcomed because they answer to the deep, genuine aspirations of humanity, but which can also serve, and unfortunately have sometimes served, to hide the lack of true spirit and of real intentions for peace, if not indeed to mask sentiments and actions of oppression and party interests. Nor can one rightly speak of peace where no recognition or respect is given to its solid foundations: namely, sincerity, justice and love in the relations between states, and, within the limits of each nation, in the relations of citizens with each other and with their rulers; freedom of individuals and of peoples, in all its expressions, civic, cultural, moral, and religious; otherwise, it is not peace which will exist - even if, perchance, oppression is able to create the external appearance of order and legality - but an unceasing and insuppressible growth of revolt and war." [Excerpt/quote]  Pope Paul VI in 1968, the Declaration can be read from the Holy See's Website

The Joys of Advent

The Belfry of the Parish Church of San Juan Bautista Bedecked with Neon Lights.

The Public Plaza of Tabaco City a washed in neon lights to celebrate Christmas.
The Manger scene and other decorations courtesy of the City Government

The season of advent commences again. In a few weeks time it will be Christmas. Though advent is relatively a short season in the liturgical calendar, it is the most joyful. Many traditions and practices evolved out of this season. Peope now a days tend to speculate on the meaning of Christmas. Forgetting that Christmas is all about Christ. God's love expressed is expressed to us by sending us His own begotted Son as a gift of grace. As the Bible said, the Law came through Moses but grace and truth came thorugh Jesus Christ. The real message of Christmas is that we need to prepare our selves to be in a state of Grace so that we can assimilate the spirit of Christmas and give ourselves in the service of others.

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI

Let us pray that the Mother of God will intercede for the success of this undertaking. I remember during the start of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate where he said that ecumenism will be one of his priorities. These ecumenism will not be solely based on emotional expressions but concrete agreements and result. Indeed this pope is not only a pope of peace but also a pope of Christian Unity. The Visible Church is the Church of Christ as such she posses all the means given to men to be saved through Christ. hence it is but logical that those who seek the truth will drawn to it.

"This single Church of Christ, which we profess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic "subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him. Nevertheless, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside her visible confines. Since these are gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, they are forces impelling towards Catholic unity."11 In the light of these ecclesiological principles, this Apostolic Constitution provides the general normative structure for regulating the institution and life of Personal Ordinariates for those Anglican faithful who desire to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church in a corporate manner. This Constitution is completed by Complementary Norms issued by the Apostolic See."

The Holy See has finally published the constitution governing the union of Traditional Anglicans with the Catholic Church. The text can be read from HERE

Joel Baylon, D.D. as the New Bishop of Legazpi

The Vatican announced at 6:00 PM Thursday (Manila Time) the appointment of Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon as new bishop of the Diocese of Legazpi in Albay province.

Bishop Williamson Apologizes for His Comments

Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the Bishops ordained by Archbishop Lefevbre in 1988 published an apology for the comments he made in reference to the Holocaust. The unfortunate comments of Bishop Williamson has jeopardize the smooth process of the ongoing reconciliation between the Lefevbrites and the Holy See. The apology was noted by zenit the excert of the zenit report - "In a statement published on his return to London on Wednesday after being expelled by the government of Argentina, the prelate explained that "the Holy Father and my superior, Bishop Bernard Fellay, have requested that I reconsider the remarks I made on Swedish television four months ago, because their consequences have been so heavy."

Update:

The Vatican Press office said that the Statement of Bishop Williamson is not enough here is an excert from ZENIT. "Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said in a verbal statement today that the apology is lacking. He told journalists that the statement "does not seem to respect the conditions established in the Feb. 4 note from the [Vatican] Secretariat of State, which stated that [Bishop Williamson] must distance himself in an absolute, unequivocal and public way from his positions regarding the Shoah." (Follow the link to read more on this story)

More Updates:

Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the FSSPX said the if Bishop Williamson will reiterate his views on the Shoa that he will be excluded from the Fraternity this can be read from La Croix there is also a report from Ulster Taig here is an excerpt: "The Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has declared that Bishop Richard Williamson would be excluded if he reiterates his holocaust-denial in an interview with the German weekly journal Der Spiegel to be published on Monday . 'If it's hushed, if it remains in a corner, well then that's most probably best for everyone. I hope that it disappears from public life for some time," Bishop Fellay said in this interview, considering that he'll exclude Bishop Williamson of the Fraternity "if he were to again deny the Holocaust."

"The Dignity of Women is divinely Ordained"

Read the document by following link:

The dignity of women is divinely ordained
Statement on the proposed Magna Carta of Women by the
Episcopal Commission on Family and Life and the Office on Women
of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Issued on 25 January 2009

Let us pray that the anti-Catholic ideals and values will not prevail in our Country. O Lord preserve the Kingdom of the Holy Rosary - the Philippine Islands!

Bishop Bernard Fellay Attributes Grace to the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In a A Letter of the Superior General of the priestly Society of St. Pius X Bishop Fellay attributed the grace of the lifting of the excommunication to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and as a fruit of the pilgrimage in Lourdes on the Feast of Christ the King in 2008. you can read the letter by following the link. In the conclusion of the Letter, Bishop Fellay wrote: "Dear faithful, the church is in the hands of His Mother, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. In her we place our confidence. We have asked from her the Freedom of the Mass of All Time everywhere and for all. We have asked from her the withdrawal of the decree of excommunications. in our prayers, we now ask from her the necessary doctrinal clarifications which confused souls so much need." [Emphasis supplied]

Vatican Lifts Excommunications of Four SSPX Bishops

On January 21, 2009, it was reported by Vatican Radio that the Holy See has lifted the excommunications of the four Bishops ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre in 1988, namely Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta. The Pope expressed his paternal solicitude and recognized the pain and sufferings of the four Bishops as a result of the excommunication. The hope was expressed that this step will lead to more fruitful action on the part of the concerned individuals to accomplished unity and full communion with the Church. Let us pray that the Lord will ultimately heal the rift caused by the schism. The text of this can be read from the Vatican Website. The NLM run a translation of this decree in English. The decree was received with gratitude by the Four Bishops as Bishop Fellay expressed in the press release: "We express our filial gratitude to the Holy Father for this gesture which, beyond the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, will benefit the whole Church. Our Society wishes to be always more able to help the pope to remedy the unprecedented crisis which presently shakes the Catholic world, and which Pope John Paul II had designated as a state of “silent apostasy.” Besides our gratitude towards the Holy Father and towards all those who helped him to make this courageous act, we are pleased that the decree of January 21 considers as necessary “talks” with the Holy See, talks which will enable the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X to explain the fundamental doctrinal reasons which it believes to be at the origin of the present difficulties of the Church." [emphasis supplied]. The press release by the SSPX was reported by DICI.

Tabaco Honors Its Patron Saint with Fireworks

Video Recording by Dr. Herbert as recorded on a mobile phone.

Fireworks display on the eve of the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the City of Tabaco. St. John the Baptist, your intercession and prayers had helped the Franciscan Missionaries evangelize this province four hundred years ago, continue to shower us with the fruits of your intercession and prayers. Amen. Viva El Senor!

Aemilianum College Inc. (ACI): Home to Bicol's Only TLM Apostolate

The Newly Renovated Facade of Aemilianum College Home of the Traditional Latin Mass Apostolate in Bicol. Missa Cantata is every Sunday 10:00 a.m. at the St. Jerome Emiliani Chapel of Aemilianum College. The first TLM Low Mass was first celebrated in February of 2008. The Somascan Superiors of this House has allowed for the Celebration of this Mas. The former Superior, Fr. Richard Germanetto has granted permission for the TLM. In fact he was instrumental in providing a prime time Sunday schedule for the TLM. We still have many things to prepare such as priests vestments, vessels and candlesticks. And above all Order of the Mass Booklets for the faithful assisting in this mass.

Aemilianum College, Sorsogon City, In the Province of Sorsogon approximately 600 Kilometers from Manila

The Roof Top of the College Building Commands a Majestic View of the Bulusan Mountains

The Transmission Towers of ACI-TV5 and the Radio Station. Aemilianum TV Serves the People of God in Sorsogon in the Teaching and Pastoral Ministry of the Somascans in the Province.

THE ROAD TO EMMAUS (AGAIN?)

The Holy Father commented on the biblical narrative of the Road to Emmaus where Jesus met the two disciples whose animated discussion Jesus joined. "The Holy Father said that although the location of this event has never been identified with certainty, 'in reality Emmaus represents every place: The road that leads there is the journey of every Christian, indeed, of every man. Along our roads the risen Jesus is our companion on the journey, to reignite in our hearts the warmth of faith and hope and the breaking of the bread of eternal life.' " [Zenith.org] The Holy Father said that we as Christians suffer from pain and affliction and sometimes are led to think that we are abandoned. But we should learn from the lessons given to us in the Emmaus narrative. For more of this read at ZENITH.Org.