She was born on April 23, 1734 in Metz as eighth of fifteen children in her family. On her 21st birthday she entered the Company in the Motherhouse in Paris. As a Daughter of Charity she profoundly dedicated her life to the service of the poor and sick organizing the first hospital in Dax. She was its first Director and Superioress of the community. Captured during the French Revolution and convicted for refusal of taking Civil Constitution oath of  loyalty. Guillotined on the square in Dax almost 105 years after St. Vincent de paul was born in nearby village of Berceau (presently Berceau St. Vincent de Paul). Her martyrdom was recognized in 2011 when Pope Benedict XVI approved it in special decree. This act opened the path to beatification.

The Arena de ville was filled with the faithful long time before the ceremony. “The enthusiasm of the crowd, comprised of many French and Spanish young people (including many among in the Vincentian Marian Youth movement, i.e., Juventud Mariana Vicenciana), along with the pride of the local community in hosting this event was evident.”, as later Fr. John Maher CM reported. The altar covered with flat roof was built on the big square podium in the center of the arena against the main entrance. A picture of Sr. Marguerite was placed behind the alter highly elevated. Through this entrance, where usually bulls are running in for the encounter with matadors, the celebrants came in long procession and later the gifts were brought during the offertory. There were some 5,000 attendants in the grandstands around the arena. In the special sectors in front of the altar a large group of handicapped and sick were present, many of the on moving chairs.

Hundreds of young people were present, too. Some groups of them came in pilgrimage from Berceau of St. Vincent de Paul, where they have special vigil service on Saturday evening. Many of youth is preparing for participation in the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain in August. At the end of the Mass the Bishop of Aire and Dax formally sent them out for the WYD. Among participants there were about 900 Daughters of Charity from France, Spain, Italy and Central Europe as well as some representatives of their communities in distant countries like Congo or Philippines.

watch video from the beatification Mass
(courtesy of French KTO Catholic TV)

watch photo gallery from the Beatification Mass
(based on KTOTV direct broadcast)

Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, a special envoy of Benedict XVI was presiding in the ceremony. He was assisted by Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, Prefect of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religion Dialog and the Archbishop Luigi Ventura, Papal Nuncio in France. Another fifteen bishops, mainly coming from South-West region of France were concelebrants, too. Also present were Rev. Gregory Gay CM, Superior General of the Congreation of the Mission and the Company of the Daughters of Charity, Rev. Patrick Griffin CM, Director General of Daughters of Charity, Rev. John Maher CM, Office of Communication Director in the General Curia and Visitors of French Vincentian Provinces, Rev. Ellie Delplace CM (Paris) and Rev. Jean Yves Leboeuf CM (Toulouse). Dozens of other clergy (ca. 150) attended, too including numerous diocesan priests of Aire-Dax Diocese led by their Bishop Msgr Philip Breton.

There were State officials taking part in the celebration, too. The government of the Republique Francaise was represented by Mr. Michel Mercier, Guardian of the Seal, Minister of Justice and Liberty. Regional administration was represented by Mr. Evence Richard, Prefect of the Prefecture des Landes and Mr. Gabriel Bellocq, Mayor of Dax was representative of municipality. At the end of the Mass Sr. Evelyne Franc DC, Superiores General of the Daughters of Charity introduced all those official in her speech when she gave thanks for their arrival and participation in the festivity.

At the beginning of the celebration people gathered in the Arena danced in the rhythm of two very popular folk pieces “Paquito Chocolatero” and “Vino Griego” which usually “bandas” perform during popular festivals in Dax. The whole Congregation applauded “ola” frequently. White scarves with Sr. Rutan’s signature printed on were seen tied around necks of many participants, mainly Daughters of Charity.

According to the Rite of Beatification, at the beginning of the liturgy a short biography of the one “loved the Church and thus decided to give her life, to to remain faithful to Her” and “who dedicated her whole life to the service of the poor and sick she shed her blood for the Christ” was read by the Bishop of Aire and Dax Dicoese, Msgr Philip Breton. The Vicar General of the Diocese, Rev. Bernard Hayer and Sr. Evelyne Franc DC were standing behind him during his intervention. Next on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI Cardinal Amato read the act of beatification. He delivered a short homily, too.

[all photo credits: Jean Pierre Muller/AFP/GettyImages]

Fr. John Maher CM, Director of the Communication Office in the Curia, who was present at the celebration reported for Famvin.org, “the liturgy managed to incorporate the Mass for Trinity Sunday with traditional hymns as well as newly composed prayers and songs honoring Sr. Marguerite. At times, the crowd and choir broke out into spontaneous local songs and chants enlivening both the liturgy and the participants. When, as part of the beatification rite, the portrait of Sr. Marguerite was unveiled, prolonged cheers and camera flashes gave the liturgy an exciting “rock star” quality.” (read his complete report)

In a message after Angelus prayer, the Holy Father, who was celebrating a Mass in San Marino on Sunday, mentioned the beatification saying, “I am happy to recall that today in Dax, France, Sister Marguerite Rutan, Daughter of Charity, has been proclaimed blessed. In the second half of the 18th century she worked with great commitment in the hospital in Dax, but in the tragic persecution following the Revolution, she was sentenced to death for her Catholic faith and fidelity to the Church.” And continued in French “I participate spiritually in the joy of the Daughters of Charity and of all the faithful who, in Dax, are taking part in the beatification of Sister Marguerite Rutan, luminous witness of the love of Christ for the poor.”

The KTO TV channel prepared a short video bringing closer the person of Sr. Marguerite Rutan DC, and talking about preparation to beatification and presenting spots of some places where she was during her stay in Dax and other spots from Berceau St. Vincent de Paul a place were the Saint was born. Those pictures are worth to watch even if the narration is in French only.

And another short video based on information from official website of the beatification (narrated in French, too):

More about Blessed Sr. Marguerite Rutan DC:

• Homily during the thanksgiving Mass for the beatifiaction, June 20, Berceau St. Vincent de Paul by Fr. Patrick Griffin CM
• A great life in nutshell – biography
• Towards the beatification – the investigation process
• Sister Marguerite Rutan today
• Official beatification website (English, French, Spanish)

The liturgical commemoration of the Blessed Marguerite Rutan DC will coincide with the memorial of Blessed Maria Magdalene Fontaine DC and Companions, Martyrs of Arras – June 26. (In 2011 it will be omitted because of Sunday)

During first 4 minutes test screen of RAI TV is displayed with audiotrack in the background. Prayers on the St. Peter’s Square prompt to the Beatification Mass take almost 70 minutes of the broadcast. The Mass starts at 1:10:40 and lasts until 3:58:50. Veneration of the corps of Blessed John Paul II is presented during final 15 minutes of the video. Streaming volume is at about 1,24GB (at 360p resolution). Narration, if occurs, is in Italian.

GIOVANNIPAULOII channel was created for the purpose of the beatification of John Paul II. You may find many other interesting video clips and short videos presenting pontificate of the newly beatified Pontiff.

Celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper

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Dear Brothers and Sisters!

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Lk 22:15). With these words Jesus began the celebration of his final meal and the institution of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus approached that hour with eager desire. In his heart he awaited the moment when he would give himself to his own under the appearance of bread and wine. He awaited that moment which would in some sense be the true messianic wedding feast: when he would transform the gifts of this world and become one with his own, so as to transform them and thus inaugurate the transformation of the world. In this eager desire of Jesus we can recognize the desire of God himself – his expectant love for mankind, for his creation. A love which awaits the moment of union, a love which wants to draw mankind to itself and thereby fulfil the desire of all creation, for creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:19). Jesus desires us, he awaits us. But what about ourselves? Do we really desire him? Are we anxious to meet him? Do we desire to encounter him, to become one with him, to receive the gifts he offers us in the Holy Eucharist? Or are we indifferent, distracted, busy about other things? From Jesus’ banquet parables we realize that he knows all about empty places at table, invitations refused, lack of interest in him and his closeness. For us, the empty places at the table of the Lord’s wedding feast, whether excusable or not, are no longer a parable but a reality, in those very countries to which he had revealed his closeness in a special way. Jesus also knew about guests who come to the banquet without being robed in the wedding garment – they come not to rejoice in his presence but merely out of habit, since their hearts are elsewhere. In one of his homilies Saint Gregory the Great asks: Who are these people who enter without the wedding garment? What is this garment and how does one acquire it? He replies that those who are invited and enter do in some way have faith. It is faith which opens the door to them. But they lack the wedding garment of love. Those who do not live their faith as love are not ready for the banquet and are cast out. Eucharistic communion requires faith, but faith requires love; otherwise, even as faith, it is dead.

From all four Gospels we know that Jesus’ final meal before his passion was also a teaching moment. Once again, Jesus urgently set forth the heart of his message. Word and sacrament, message and gift are inseparably linked. Yet at his final meal, more than anything else, Jesus prayed. Matthew, Mark and Luke use two words in describing Jesus’ prayer at the culmination of the meal: “eucharístesas” and “eulógesas” – the verbs “to give thanks” and “to bless”. The upward movement of thanking and the downward movement of blessing go together. The words of transubstantiation are part of this prayer of Jesus. They are themselves words of prayer. Jesus turns his suffering into prayer, into an offering to the Father for the sake of mankind. This transformation of his suffering into love has the power to transform the gifts in which he now gives himself. He gives those gifts to us, so that we, and our world, may be transformed. The ultimate purpose of Eucharistic transformation is our own transformation in communion with Christ. The Eucharist is directed to the new man, the new world, which can only come about from God, through the ministry of God’s Servant.

From Luke, and especially from John, we know that Jesus, during the Last Supper, also prayed to the Father – prayers which also contain a plea to his disciples of that time and of all times. Here I would simply like to take one of these which, as John tells us, Jesus repeated four times in his Priestly Prayer. How deeply it must have concerned him! It remains his constant prayer to the Father on our behalf: the prayer for unity. Jesus explicitly states that this prayer is not meant simply for the disciples then present, but for all who would believe in him (cf. Jn 17:20). He prays that all may be one “as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). Christian unity can exist only if Christians are deeply united to him, to Jesus. Faith and love for Jesus, faith in his being one with the Father and openness to becoming one with him, are essential. This unity, then, is not something purely interior or mystical. It must become visible, so visible as to prove before the world that Jesus was sent by the Father. Consequently, Jesus’ prayer has an underlying Eucharistic meaning which Paul clearly brings out in the First Letter to the Corinthians: “The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:16ff.). With the Eucharist, the Church is born. All of us eat the one bread and receive the one body of the Lord; this means that he opens each of us up to something above and beyond us. He makes all of us one. The Eucharist is the mystery of the profound closeness and communion of each individual with the Lord and, at the same time, of visible union between all. The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity. It reaches the very mystery of the Trinity and thus creates visible unity. Let me say it again: it is an extremely personal encounter with the Lord and yet never simply an act of individual piety. Of necessity, we celebrate it together. In each community the Lord is totally present. Yet in all the communities he is but one. Hence the words “una cum Papa nostro et cum episcopo nostro” are a requisite part of the Church’s Eucharistic Prayer. These words are not an addendum of sorts, but a necessary expression of what the Eucharist really is. Furthermore, we mention the Pope and the Bishop by name: unity is something utterly concrete, it has names. In this way unity becomes visible; it becomes a sign for the world and a concrete criterion for ourselves.

Saint Luke has preserved for us one concrete element of Jesus’ prayer for unity: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Lk 22:31). Today we are once more painfully aware that Satan has been permitted to sift the disciples before the whole world. And we know that Jesus prays for the faith of Peter and his successors. We know that Peter, who walks towards the Lord upon the stormy waters of history and is in danger of sinking, is sustained ever anew by the Lord’s hand and guided over the waves. But Jesus continues with a prediction and a mandate. “When you have turned again…”. Every human being, save Mary, has constant need of conversion. Jesus tells Peter beforehand of his coming betrayal and conversion. But what did Peter need to be converted from? When first called, terrified by the Lord’s divine power and his own weakness, Peter had said: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Lk 5:8). In the light of the Lord, he recognizes his own inadequacy. Precisely in this way, in the humility of one who knows that he is a sinner, is he called. He must discover this humility ever anew. At Caesarea Philippi Peter could not accept that Jesus would have to suffer and be crucified: it did not fit his image of God and the Messiah. In the Upper Room he did not want Jesus to wash his feet: it did not fit his image of the dignity of the Master. In the Garden of Olives he wielded his sword. He wanted to show his courage. Yet before the servant girl he declared that he did not know Jesus. At the time he considered it a little lie which would let him stay close to Jesus. All his heroism collapsed in a shabby bid to be at the centre of things. We too, all of us, need to learn again to accept God and Jesus Christ as he is, and not the way we want him to be. We too find it hard to accept that he bound himself to the limitations of his Church and her ministers. We too do not want to accept that he is powerless in this world. We too find excuses when being his disciples starts becoming too costly, too dangerous. All of us need the conversion which enables us to accept Jesus in his reality as God and man. We need the humility of the disciple who follows the will of his Master. Tonight we want to ask Jesus to look to us, as with kindly eyes he looked to Peter when the time was right, and to convert us.

After Peter was converted, he was called to strengthen his brethren. It is not irrelevant that this task was entrusted to him in the Upper Room. The ministry of unity has its visible place in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Dear friends, it is a great consolation for the Pope to know that at each Eucharistic celebration everyone prays for him, and that our prayer is joined to the Lord’s prayer for Peter. Only by the prayer of the Lord and of the Church can the Pope fulfil his task of strengthening his brethren – of feeding the flock of Christ and of becoming the guarantor of that unity which becomes a visible witness to the mission which Jesus received from the Father.

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you”. Lord, you desire us, you desire me. You eagerly desire to share yourself with us in the Holy Eucharist, to be one with us. Lord, awaken in us the desire for you. Strengthen us in unity with you and with one another. Grant unity to your Church, so that the world may believe. Amen.

© Copyright 2011 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Homilia Benedykta XVI w trakcie liturgii Wieczerzy Pąńskiej, 21 kwietnia 2011

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Dear young people!

It is a moving experience each year on Palm Sunday as we go up the mountain with Jesus, towards the Temple, accompanying him on his ascent. On this day, throughout the world and across the centuries, young people and people of every age acclaim him, crying out: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

But what are we really doing when we join this procession as part of the throng which went up with Jesus to Jerusalem and hailed him as King of Israel? Is this anything more than a ritual, a quaint custom? Does it have anything to do with the reality of our life and our world? To answer this, we must first be clear about what Jesus himself wished to do and actually did. After Peter’s confession of faith in Caesarea Philippi, in the northernmost part of the Holy Land, Jesus set out as a pilgrim towards Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. He was journeying towards the Temple in the Holy City, towards that place which for Israel ensured in a particular way God’s closeness to his people. He was making his way towards the common feast of Passover, the memorial of Israel’s liberation from Egypt and the sign of its hope of definitive liberation. He knew that what awaited him was a new Passover and that he himself would take the place of the sacrificial lambs by offering himself on the cross. He knew that in the mysterious gifts of bread and wine he would give himself for ever to his own, and that he would open to them the door to a new path of liberation, to fellowship with the living God. He was making his way to the heights of the Cross, to the moment of self-giving love. The ultimate goal of his pilgrimage was the heights of God himself; to those heights he wanted to lift every human being.

Our procession today is meant, then, to be an image of something deeper, to reflect the fact that, together with Jesus, we are setting out on pilgrimage along the high road that leads to the living God. This is the ascent that matters. This is the journey which Jesus invites us to make. But how can we keep pace with this ascent? Isn’t it beyond our ability? Certainly, it is beyond our own possibilities. From the beginning men and women have been filled – and this is as true today as ever – with a desire to “be like God”, to attain the heights of God by their own powers. All the inventions of the human spirit are ultimately an effort to gain wings so as to rise to the heights of Being and to become independent, completely free, as God is free. Mankind has managed to accomplish so many things: we can fly! We can see, hear and speak to one another from the farthest ends of the earth. And yet the force of gravity which draws us down is powerful. With the increase of our abilities there has been an increase not only of good. Our possibilities for evil have increased and appear like menacing storms above history. Our limitations have also remained: we need but think of the disasters which have caused so much suffering for humanity in recent months.

The Fathers of the Church maintained that human beings stand at the point of intersection between two gravitational fields. First, there is the force of gravity which pulls us down – towards selfishness, falsehood and evil; the gravity which diminishes us and distances us from the heights of God. On the other hand there is the gravitational force of God’s love: the fact that we are loved by God and respond in love attracts us upwards. Man finds himself betwixt this twofold gravitational force; everything depends on our escaping the gravitational field of evil and becoming free to be attracted completely by the gravitational force of God, which makes us authentic, elevates us and grants us true freedom.

Following the Liturgy of the Word, at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer where the Lord comes into our midst, the Church invites us to lift up our hearts: “Sursum corda!” In the language of the Bible and the thinking of the Fathers, the heart is the centre of man, where understanding, will and feeling, body and soul, all come together. The centre where spirit becomes body and body becomes spirit, where will, feeling and understanding become one in the knowledge and love of God. This is the “heart” which must be lifted up. But to repeat: of ourselves, we are too weak to lift up our hearts to the heights of God. We cannot do it. The very pride of thinking that we are able to do it on our own drags us down and estranges us from God. God himself must draw us up, and this is what Christ began to do on the cross. He descended to the depths of our human existence in order to draw us up to himself, to the living God. He humbled himself, as today’s second reading says. Only in this way could our pride be vanquished: God’s humility is the extreme form of his love, and this humble love draws us upwards.

Psalm 24, which the Church proposes as the “song of ascent” to accompany our procession in today’s liturgy, indicates some concrete elements which are part of our ascent and without which we cannot be lifted upwards: clean hands, a pure heart, the rejection of falsehood, the quest for God’s face. The great achievements of technology are liberating and contribute to the progress of mankind only if they are joined to these attitudes – if our hands become clean and our hearts pure, if we seek truth, if we seek God and let ourselves be touched and challenged by his love. All these means of “ascent” are effective only if we humbly acknowledge that we need to be lifted up; if we abandon the pride of wanting to become God. We need God: he draws us upwards; letting ourselves be upheld by his hands – by faith, in other words – sets us aright and gives us the inner strength that raises us on high. We need the humility of a faith which seeks the face of God and trusts in the truth of his love.

The question of how man can attain the heights, becoming completely himself and completely like God, has always engaged mankind. It was passionately disputed by the Platonic philosophers of the third and fourth centuries. For them, the central issue was finding the means of purification which could free man from the heavy load weighing him down and thus enable him to ascend to the heights of his true being, to the heights of divinity. Saint Augustine, in his search for the right path, long sought guidance from those philosophies. But in the end he had to acknowledge that their answers were insufficient, their methods would not truly lead him to God. To those philosophers he said: recognize that human power and all these purifications are not enough to bring man in truth to the heights of the divine, to his own heights. And he added that he should have despaired of himself and human existence had he not found the One who accomplishes what we of ourselves cannot accomplish; the One who raises us up to the heights of God in spite of our wretchedness: Jesus Christ who from God came down to us and, in his crucified love, takes us by the hand and lifts us on high.

We are on pilgrimage with the Lord to the heights. We are striving for pure hearts and clean hands, we are seeking truth, we are seeking the face of God. Let us show the Lord that we desire to be righteous, and let us ask him: Draw us upwards! Make us pure! Grant that the words which we sang in the processional psalm may also hold true for us; grant that we may be part of the generation which seeks God, “which seeks your face, O God of Jacob” (cf. Ps 24:6). Amen.

© Copyright 2011 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Homilia Benedykta XVI w Niedzielę Palmową,
17 kwietnia 2011

We invite you warmly to watch full time video recording
of the Vespers from Vatican Television – CTV:
VESPERS, SAINT PETER’S BASILICA, FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Dear brothers and sisters!

In today’s feast we contemplate the Lord Jesus whom Mary and Joseph take to the Temple “to present him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22). Revealed in this evangelical scene is the mystery of the Son of the Virgin, the consecrated One of the Father, who came into the world to carry out his will faithfully (cf. Hebrews 10:5-7).

Simeon points to him as “light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32), and proclaims with prophetic word his supreme offer to God and his final victory (cf. Luke 2:32-35). It is the meeting of the two Testaments, the Old and the New. Jesus enters the ancient Temple, He who is the new Temple of God: He comes to visit his people, bringing to fulfillment obedience to the Law and inaugurating the end times of salvation.

It is interesting to observe close up this entrance of the Child Jesus into the solemnity of the Temple, in the great “coming and going” of so many people, seized by their endeavors: the priests and the Levites with their turns of service, the numerous devotees and pilgrims, desirous of encountering the Holy God of Israel. None of these, however, notice anything. Jesus is a child like others, first born son of two very simple parents. Even the priests are incapable of accepting the signs of the new and particular presence of the Messiah and Savior. Only two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, discover the great novelty. Led by the Holy Spirit, they see in that Child the fulfillment of their long expectation and vigilance. Both contemplate the light of God that comes to illumine the world, with their prophetic gaze open to the future, as proclamation of the Messiah: “Lumen ad revelationem gentium!” (Luke 2:32). In the prophetic attitude of two old people is the entire Ancient Covenant, which expresses the joy of the encounter with the Redeemer. On seeing the Child, Simeon and Anna intuit that it is in fact Him, the One Awaited.

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is an eloquent icon of the total donation of the life for all those men and women who are called to reproduce in the Church and in the world, through the evangelical counsels, the characteristic features of Jesus virgin, poor and obedient” (postsynodal apostolic exhortation “Vita Consecrata,” No. 1). That is why today’s feast was chosen by the Venerable John Paul II to celebrate the annual Day of Consecrated Life. In this context, I address a cordial and grateful greeting to Archbishop João Bráz de Aviz, whom I recently appointed prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, with the secretary and the collaborators. I greet affectionately the Superiors General present and all consecrated persons.

I would like to propose three brief thoughts for reflection on this feast. The first: the evangelical icon of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple contains the essential symbol of light; the light that, coming from Christ, shines on Mary and Joseph, on Simeon and Anna and, through them, on everyone. The Fathers of the Church linked this radiation to the spiritual journey. Consecrated life expresses this journey, in a special way as “philocalia,” love of divine beauty, reflection of the goodness of God (cf. ibid., No. 19). Resplendent on Christ’s face is this beauty. “The Church contemplates the transfigured face of Christ, to be confirmed in the faith and not risk dismay before his disfigured face on the Cross … she is the Bride before her Spouse, sharing his mystery, enveloped by his light, [from which] are gathered all his children … But a singular experience of the light that emanates from the Word incarnate are certainly those called to the consecrated life. In fact, the profession of the evangelical counsels places them as sign and prophecy for the community of brothers and for the world” (ibid., No. 15).

In the second place, the evangelical icon manifests the prophecy, gift of the Holy Spirit. Simeon and Anna, contemplating the Child Jesus, perceive his destiny of death and resurrection for the salvation of all peoples and proclaim this mystery as universal salvation. Consecrated life is called to this prophetic witness, linked to its twofold attitude, contemplative and active. Given to consecrated men and women, in fact, is to manifest the primacy of God, passion for the Gospel practiced as a way of life and proclaimed to the poor and to the last of the earth. “In the strength of such primacy nothing can be preferred to personal love for Christ and for the poor in which He lives. True prophecy is born from God, from friendship with Him, from attentive listening to his Word in the different circumstances of history” (ibid., No. 84). In this way consecrated life, in its daily living on the paths of humanity, manifests the Gospel and the Kingdom already present and operative.

In the third place, the evangelical icon of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple manifests the wisdom of Simeon and Anna, the wisdom of a life dedicated totally to the search of the face of God, of his signs, of his will; a life dedicated to listening and to proclaiming his Word.

“‘Faciem tuam, Domine, requiram’: thy face, O Lord, do I seek” (Psalm 26:8). Hence, the consecrated person witnesses the joyful and laborious commitment, the assiduous and wise search of the divine will” (cf. Congress for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, Instruction The Service of Authority and Obedience. Faciem tuam Domine requiram [2008], No. 1).

Dear brothers and sisters, be assiduous listeners of the Word, because every wisdom of life is born of the Word of the Lord! Be scrutinizers of the Word, through Lectio Divina, because consecrated life “is born from listening to the Word of God and accepting the Gospel as its norm of life. To live following the chaste, poor and obedient Christ is in this way a living “exegesis” of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, in the strength of which the Bible was written, is the same who illumines the Word of God to men and women founders with new light. From it flows every charism and every rule is an expression of it, giving origin to itineraries of Christian life marked by evangelical radicalism” (postsynodal apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini,” No. 83).

Today we live above all in the most developed societies, a condition often marked by a radical pluralism, by the progressive marginalization of religion from the public sphere, by a relativism that touches fundamental values. This calls for our Christian witness to be luminous and consistent and for our educational effort to be ever more attentive and generous. In particular your apostolic action, dear brothers and sisters, must become a life commitment, which accedes with persevering passion, to wisdom as truth and beauty “splendor of the truth.” Be able to orient your life with wisdom, and with trust in the inexhaustible possibilities of true education, and the intelligence and the heart of men and women of our time to the “good life of the Gospel.”

At this moment, my thought goes with special affection to all consecrated men and women, in every part of the earth, and I entrust them to the Blessed Virgin Mary:

O Mary, Mother of the Church,
I entrust to you consecrated life,
So that you will obtain for it the fullness of divine light:
That it may live in listening to the Word of God,
In the humility of the following of Jesus your Son and our Lord,
In the acceptance of the visit of the Holy Spirit,
In the daily joy of the Magnificat,
So that the Church is built by the holiness of life
Of these your sons and daughters,
In the commandment of love. Amen.

[cf: ZENIT, Libreria Editrice Vaticana]

The event started at Father Jerzy Popieluszko Square in McCarren Park, Greenpoint,(corner of Nassau Ave and Bedford Ave in the mouth of Guernsey Street). Look at the monument in the Square from Bedford Avenue on GoogleMaps Streetview The monument of the blessed martyr priest designed by Polish artist Mr. Stanislawa Lutostanski was installed in 1990 there. Under unclear circumstances, few days after being unveiled the monument was devastated. Head of the priest made in white granite was detached or cut off the monument and left fallen on the ground. Hundreds of people gathered at the monument on Sunday morning in commemorative ceremony lead by pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, Rev. Marek Sobczak CM (center in the picture).

Among those present at the monument were Mr. Michael Pajak (in the picture, left), President of the New York Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation and members of the organization, Mr. Frank Milewski (in the picture, right), President of the Downstate N.Y. Division of the Polish American Congress,  members of the Sea League of America, Liga Morska), dressed in traditional white marine uniforms and with Polish and American flags and emblems, provided the honor guard, members of Maria Konopnicka Polish Supplementary School in Greenpoint, on the premises of St. Stanislaus Kostka,  Polish scouts and children.

Mr. Pajak opened this commemoration gathering called on the occasion of the 26^th anniversary of death of Fr. Jerzy with brief history of life of  Fr. Popieluszko and thanked people for attending the event. In his speech, he pointed out it was widely acknowledged that Poland’s 1989 victory attaining the goal of fight for its freedom and independence, and the subsequent collapse of the Communist system should be significantly attributed to the influence of this fearless priest and the moral encouragement of Pope John Paul II. Next, Rev. Marek Sobczak CM, recited a prayer of thanksgiving for the beatification of Poland’s SOLIDARITY priest, Father Jerzy Popieluszko.

After this outdoor observance concluded, all participants marched through the streets of this well-known Polish community, to St. Stanislaus Kostka Church at the corner of Humboldt Street and Driggs Avenue, distant some 1,000 yds from the Popieluszko’s monument. Marching in many people were singing traditional Polish religious songs and hymns as it is very usual in this kind of processions in Poland.

Solemn, concelebrated High Mass at 11:30 AM followed. Bishop Wojciech Polak, Auxiliary bishop for diocese of Gniezno, Poland and the delegate of Poland’s Episcopate for Polish diaspora was the main celebrant. Other concelebrating were Rev. Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zalewski, well-recognized chaplain of worker and opposition groups, persecuted by Communist authorities and priests from St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Rev. Jan Szylar CM, Rev. Jan Urbaniak CM and the pastor, Rev. Marek Sobczak CM. Church was packed with people who came to pray and to witness the introduction of the First Class Relics of the Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko in to the parochial church.

Two choirs provided the music. One was the 40 members St. Jakobus Jugend Chorus (St. Jacob’s Youth Choir) from St. Jacob parish in Masholte, Germany, where a classmate of Fr. Sobczak works. The other one was recently established parochial choir from St. Stanislaus Kostka, Greenpoint.

German choir sang traditional Polish hymn Gaude Mater Polonia (Rejoice Mother Poland), Panis Angelicus, Ciagly niepokoj na swiecie(Continuing Concerns in the World), and few other pieces after the Mass. The parish choir sung parts of the Mass and two songs dedicated to Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko: “Nie daj sie zwyciezyc zlu” (Do Not Be Overcome by Evil) and “Zlo dobrej zwyciezaj…” (Overcome Evil With Good…”). Father Jaroslaw Lawrenz CM prepared altar servers for the occasion.

Bishop Wojciech Polak delivered homily dedicated to the heroic life of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, inviting people to live in love of God and to fight for the freedom from sin and evil. After the homily he blessed the stone, incensed the relics of Blessed Jerzy and venerated them. All the priests  followed him and kissed the relics. For now, the stone reliquary stands in front of the pulpit at the main altar.

The relics are placed in the 5,000 pound, 6ft high finely polished black granite stone monument, dedicated to Fr. Jerzy. Mr. Stanislaw Lutostanski was the artist who made design and did the carving of the stone reliquary and Mr. Adam Czekanski prepared the bronze, Celtic Cross shaped reliquary insert . Next to the reliquary, in the circle whole, which symbolizes evil meant as lack of good, the head of Fr. Popieluszko which was cut off from the monument in McCarren Park was installed. It is marked by scratches and wholes remained after devastation.

Inscription in Polish, on the granite face of the stone reads “Zło dobrem zwyciężaj. Błogosławiony ksiądz Jerzy Popiełuszko 1947-1984. Zginął za wiarę, prawdę i wolną Polskę” (“Overcome Evil with Good. Blessed Father Jerzy Popieluszko 1947-1984. He died for the faith, truth and the freedom of Poland”). Mr. Michael Pajak, President of the New York Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation and his wife Mrs. Regina Pajak are donors of the stone reliquary to the church. They also played essential role in preparing the project.

After the Mass people venerated the relics of Blessed Father Jerzy Popieuszko. The reliquary will stay in front of the church, so people have an easy access to pay homage the this great Blessed priest. Additionally, at 5:30 PM a Polish film titled “Popieluszko” about life and martyrdom of of Blessed Priest was shown in the Church.

Friday and Saturday evenings, before this Sunday events were dedicated to Fr. Jerzy as well in St. Stanislaus Kostka. On Friday after prayers, a youth choir from the St. Jacob (James) Parish in Mastholte gave a recital. Their first performance was in Poland at the grave of Fr. Popieluszko at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Warsaw. On Saturday, after the evening Mass there was a pantomime presented by youth fro the parich about Fr. Popieluszko, followed by overnight adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Artykuł jest dostepny po polsku w serwisie FAMVIN.ORG POLSKA

Na temat wydarzenia przeczytaj także w NOWY DZIENNIK – POLISH DAILY NEWS i BLOGU ks. ks. Tadeusza Isakowicza-Zaleskiego

To read more about other celebrations and events dedicated to Blessed Father Jerzy Popieluszko visit the website of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

Independent Trade Union SOLIDARITY in Poland is celebrating 30th Anniversary this week. On this occasion the special concelebrated Mass in Polish was given at 11:30 AM, Sunday, August 29 in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. Fr. Marek Sobczak CM, pastor, presided and Fr. Jan Urbaniak CM was concelebrant. In this way the parish commemorated the events from 1980, when after over two weeks of nation wide strike and workers’ protest communist authority was forced to sign agreement with new workers organization. The agreement guaranteed creation of trade union, first such behind Iron Curtain not controlled by the communist party and government. This victory in peaceful battle ignited the light of freedom and change which lead Poland and other East European countries to get rid of the communist regime. Thanks to to this victory, after 30 years Poland is enjoying freedom, democracy and membership in European and world organization as strong and proud nation. August 31, 1980 was one of the most significant and important events in Polish history in at least 20th century.

The liturgy was a unique character and the church was decorated for the occasion. A commemorative wrath with white and red sashes and “SOLIDARNOŚĆ” (Solidarity) inscription on it, was laid in front of the altar. Various flag bearers and Solidarity representatives were lead to the church by priests and altar servers. As usual, members of the Sea League (Liga Morska) dressed in white uniformed bearing flags were present as well as few representatives of local Polish-American organizations and veterans.

Fr. Sobczak gave the homily during the Mass. At the beginning he reminded the moments from Pope’s John Paul II first visit to Poland in 1979 with the significant words which later often were reminded as encouragement for Poles to change their situation and struggle for freedom: “June 1979. A huge crowd of Poles gathered in Victory Square in Warsaw, and millions on television with bated breath, listening to the homily of Pope John Paul II, in which these important words were heard: ‘Let Thy Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth. This land.”

“Spirit descended and filled the hearts of Poles with hope”, he continued. “Wind of renewal blew, with the strength of Chinook from the Tatra Mountains to the Baltic Sea. And in August 1980, after years of sprouting will of independence, the “Solidarity”, which led to great changes in Poland and Europe was born. For years, Polish people bent under the burden of totalitarian, communist regime, now straightened out, matured, and got strong and learned how to live again. In fact, freedom, so longed, redeemed by blood and martyrdom, in prisons and through intimidation, was not given to us only – but as John Paul II taught us, both the Pope and Countryman, – but also the set point. We started fulfill this preset lesson of freedom.”

Fr. Marek has also reminded two other great Poles, Servant of God, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko. He recalled Cardinal Wyszynski’s words on foundation of SOLIDARNOŚĆ, “the present society wakes up from sleep and no-will, because it recalls responsibility for the Nation, looks for initiatives and solutions; in front of us we must see the whole Nation, the society, the country, we must save the Nation and the family…” and next other remarkable words of blessed martyr, Fr. Jerzy, “we cannot talk about building the common motherhouse, when human rights are not respected and human dignity is demeaned… planned authorization, battle against God and what was from God is the battle against human greatness and dignity; thus great is man for bearing the dignity of God’s child”.

At the end of homily, again he quoted John Paul II from his homily in Gdansk, “Solidarity means one and other; if it is a burden, it is a burden carried together, in community. And so, it is never one against the other.”
Finally, the Pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka said, “may the passage from the significant work of Adam Mickiewicz, “Pan Tadeusz”, encourage us by the spirit to struggle for renewal in the nation… in book one the Chamberlain holds talk to the Judge:

Ah, I remember the times when on our fatherland
there first descended the fashion of imitating the French;
when suddenly brisk young gentlemen from foreign lands
swarmed in upon us in a horde worse than the Nogai Tatars,
abusing here, in our country, God, the faith of our fathers,
our law and customs, and even our ancient garments.
Pitiable was it to behold the yellow-faced puppies,
talking through their noses–and often without noses
–stuffed with brochures and newspapers of various sorts,
and proclaiming new faiths, laws, and toilets.
That rabble had a mighty power over minds,
for when the Lord God sends punishment on a nation
he first deprives its citizens of reason.
And so the wiser heads dared not resist the fops,
and the whole nation feared them as some pestilence,
for within itself it already felt the germs of disease.
They cried out against the dandies but took pattern by them;
they changed faith, speech, laws, and costumes.
That was a masquerade, the license of the Carnival season,
after which was soon to follow the Lent of slavery.

To read the whole homily text go to St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish website or click on the PDF link below:

Tekst homilii na Mszy św. z okazji 30 rocznicy NSZZ SOLIDARNOŚĆ

St Louis is the birthplace of the Vincentian Family in North America. Fr. Felix de Andreis CM and Fr. Joseph Rosati CM were the first priests from the Congregation of the Mission who arrived to American soil in 1816 invited by bishop Dubourg. In 1818 they settled in Perryville, Misouri. In 1826 Rev. Joseph Rosati, CM was named the first Bishop of St. Louis (1826-1843). The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph (Daughters of Charity since 1851) from Emmitsburg, Maryland arrived in 1828 to staff DePaul (Mullanphy) Hospital; a few years before the cholera outbreak in 1832. Both the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (1845) and the Ladies of Charity (1857) began their United States foundations in St. Louis. In 1859 Guardian Angel began and in 1907, St. Vincent’s School in Perryville where National Shrine of Miraculous Medal is located, too.

Today there are nearly 3,000 members of the Vincentian Family in the region. Most numerous are 2,600 members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 143 conferences in St. Louis. The Society and the Daughters of Charity minister in East St. Louis and Belleville. Vincentian priests, Ladies of Charity, Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Vincentian youth minister in Perryville, St. Vincent’s Parish in St. Louis and St. Catherine Laboure Parish in St. Louis County. Ladies of Charity national head office and residence of  CM Western Province is in Louis, so is for West Central Province of Daughters of Charity. They are engaged in ministries with children, youth, families, elders and in administration of the Province. They are sponsors of Ascension Health. In recent years, the charism of Vincent and Louise has found expression in the works of Affiliate, Vincentian Service Corps, Gateway Vincentian Volunteers, Vincentian Marian Youth and Former Daughters.

The day of service – Saturday, August 21. It will be celebrated at more than a dozen sites across the St. Louis area and East St. Louis, Illinois, including St. Vincent Children’s Home, Cosgrove Soup Kitchen, Our Lady’s Inn, Our Little Haven, St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Parish in North St. Louis, St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores, St. Patrick Center and Holy Angels Shelter, among other locations. Complete list of locations can be found at www.famvinstl.org.

The day of liturgy – Sunday, August 22. At 2:00 PM Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue in the Central West End). Concelebrants include Superior General, Father Gregory GayCM, Auxiliary Bishop of  St.Louis Most Rev. Robert Hermann; Rev. Msgr Joseph Pins, Rector of Cathedral Basilica, Father Perry Henry CM, Provincial of the Western Province of the Congregation; and other priests. The Archdiocesan Choir under the direction of John Romeri (organist of the Cathedral) will provide the music.

Watch the video from the Anniversary Mass
(including homily by Most Rev. Gregory Gay CM)

Special collection will be held dedicated to ZAFÈN (in Creole “it’s our business”) — the microfinance project in Haiti supported by international Vincentian Family. The project allows individuals to invest online to support projects that are administered by Haitians. A special collection at the liturgy will support the work of ZAFEN. Visit their website for more details and how you can join the project.

On June 4, 2010

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., was ordained to the episcopacy by Bishop John M. Smith (of Trenton) joined by co-ordaining bishops Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, left, and Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington.

CATHOLIC TV has broadcasted the ordination Mass live from the Cathedral. Now you can view it, too.

THE MONITOR, newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Trenton brings this report from the ordination Mass:
‘This is how a bishop serves’
They also issued a special commemorative edition of the newspaper presenting detailed information about Bishop David O’Connell CM: THE MONITOR, July 30 edition

Picture gallery from the ordination Mass

New installed Coadjutor Bishop gave this address at the end of the Mass: Address of Bishop O’Donnell

As his episcopal motto bishop O’Donnell choose words from the Gospel of St. Mark, chapter 10 verse 45: Ministrare non Ministrari, or “to serve and not be served.” Read more about new bishop’s Coat of Arms.

David M. O’Connell was born April 21, 1955, in Philadelphia. Bishop O’Connell, a priest of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians, grew up in Langhorne, Pa., He is one of four sons of June O’Connell, a resident of Langhorne, and the late Arthur J. O’Connell, who passed away Aug. 21, 2005. His brothers, Arthur Jr., Dennis and Daniel, all reside in the Philadelphia area. His family are long-time members of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, Pa. He attended the parish grammar school, where he was taught by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters. Knowing from an early age that he wished to pursue the priesthood, Bishop O’Connell attended the Vincentians’ St. Joseph Preparatory High School, Princeton. He continued his Vincentian education in Niagara University, New York, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1978.

Bishop O’Connell prepared for the priesthood in Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, Pa., where he received a master of divinity degree in 1981 and a master’s degree in moral theology in 1983. On May 29, 1982, he was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Mission in Mary Immaculate Seminary by Bishop Joseph McShea of the Diocese of Allentown.

Following ordination, Bishop O’Connell’s first assignment was as director of student activities and faculty in Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Pa., where he served from 1982 to 1985. He then pursued studies in canon law at The Catholic University of America, Washington, obtaining a licentiate in 1987 and then a doctorate in canon law in 1990. He has since received numerous honorary academic degrees from various colleges and universities.

While working toward his canon law degrees, Bishop O’Connell also served as registrar and assistant professor of canon law, theology and philosophy in Mary Immaculate Seminary. In 1990 he joined St. John’s University, New York, where he served as academic dean for the following eight years.

During his time at St. John’s, he held a variety of positions, including professor of theology and religious studies, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, academic dean and dean of faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and assistant to legal counsel. He also spent one year simultaneously serving as interim academic vice president of Niagara University.

In 1998, then-Father O’Connell was named the 14th president of The Catholic University of America. Among the many highlights of his presidency was the opportunity to serve as a member of the planning committee for Pope Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to the United States in April 2008 and to host the pope at CUA, where he delivered an address to
Catholic educators. In the fall of 2009, then-Father O’Connell announced his plan to resign from CUA in the summer of 2010.

On June 4, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed then-Father O’Connell as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Trenton.
In addition to serving on several committees in the Eastern Province of the Vincentians, Bishop O’Connell has been a member of the order’s provincial council since 2008. He is currently a consultor to the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education and spent five years as a member of the Bishops’ and Presidents’ Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also has served as an ecclesiastical judge and canonical consultant in the Dioceses of Scranton, Harrisburg and Birmingham.

Bishop O’Connell has also earned a national reputation for his writing and media appearances. He has written extensively on Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic higher education, “Ex Corde Ecclesiae.” He is a frequent guest on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” and has appeared on many other national news programs as an expert on Catholic issues.

Read the complete biography of Very Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M., J.C.D

Another photo gallery reporting life and ministry of Fr. O’Donnell

[Photos courtesy of THE MONITOR and Diocese of Trenton]

“To do or not to do”

Homily closing the General Assembly
by Superior General, Most Rev. Gregory Gay CM
July 16, 2010

Missal Readings: Is. 52:7-10, Ps 95, 1Cor 1:26-31, 2:1, Mt 25:31-46

«download the homily in PDF»
«watch the closing Mass (with recorded homily)»

“To be or not to be, that is the question?” so wrote Shakespeare. And what is our question? From the perspective of this General Assembly, from the motivation of its theme Creative Fidelity to the Mission, I would dare to say that our question is to do or not to do? Yes, that is our question, my brothers, to do or not to do the mission that the Lord Jesus Christ has entrusted to us as missionaries, priests and brothers, in the Congregation of the Mission.

“He went about doing good” (“Pertransiit benefaciendo.”) Our historians claim that this is the first motto that Saint Vincent de Paul chose for the Congregation of the Mission. In imitation of Jesus Christ, focused on the Word of God, Vincent de Paul was struck by this phrase from the Act of the Apostles. It was Peter who proclaimed how God had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power and “he went about doing good.”

My brothers, “doing good” is what we have focused on in this General Assembly: how we have done good, how we can be better at doing good, and in what ways we might be able to accomplish that good, being faithful to our heritage and yet ever creative in its expressions. In my report to the General Assembly on the state of the Congregation of the Mission in these past six years, I said simply but clearly that one of the most important developments, not only for the Congregation but also for the Vincentian Family that we had worked on with much intensity, was and is the question of systemic change. Systemic change, as I said, is a contemporary way that we live out that which motivates us to do good, the charity of Jesus Christ crucified.

Fears have been expressed, saying that such a focus on systemic change we might become like another NGO. Such is not the case when we have clear what it is, Who it is that motivates us to do what we do. The need is for us to make that connection, that integral relationship between contemplating the goodness of the Lord, deepening our knowledge of His love for us, and transforming that to loving action for the poor both by word and by deed, through evangelization and service of the poor.

Gentlemen, let me recall for you what Saint Vincent has said to the Congregation about the Common Rules Chapter 1, Art. 1. “If there are any among us who think they are in the Mission to evangelize poor people but not to alleviate their suffering, to take care of their spiritual needs but not their temporal ones, I reply that we have to help them and have them assisted in every way, by us and by others, if we want to hear those pleasing words of our sovereign judge of the living and the dead: ‘Come, beloved of my Father; possess the kingdom that has been prepared for you, because I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was naked and you clothed me; sick and you assisted me. ‘ To do that is to preach the gospel by words and by works. That is the most perfect way. It is also what our Lord did, and what those should do who represent Him on earth.”

The basis of our renewal, that is of our Creative Fidelity to the Mission is tied into: our love of God, being men of prayer: our love of the Congregation, being men who work at community life, that is participative and unifying: and men who draw close to the poor in order to listen to them, to be moved by their requests of us, being their servants: with a desire to be obedient to them as our lords and masters and therefore to open our hearts to that transforming experience of God’s love that takes place in our interaction with those who are poor. And we do so as a community. We do so motivated by God’s love.

As we are nourished by God’s word let us be nourished by God’s Body and Blood and go forth bearing the Good News. Let us do so as bearers of peace with a humble confidence that it is God who works in us, He who gives us the courage to break with our fears, being made afresh and moving forward, being only concerned to do what Jesus Christ did, “going about doing good” for these the least of our brothers and sisters. So be it for the Congregation of the Mission as it embarks upon a new era, a new period of six years of following Jesus Christ, evangelizer of the Poor.