Pope makes another surprise visit to St. Mary Major

Pope makes another surprise visit to St. Mary Major

CWN - July 22, 2013

Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major on July 21 to pray for the Virgin Mary's assistance during his trip to Brazil for World Youth Day.
On the eve of his first apostolic voyage, the Pope made his second unannounced visit to the Marian basilica. He had shocked Romans on the day after his election as Pontiff by traveling across the city to pray before the beloved image of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani. He prayed silently before the same icon on July 21, placing a bouquet and lighting a candle before he left.
Before leaving the basilica the Pope stopped to speak with some of the faithful there, asking them, too, to pray for the success of his trip.
The basilica remained open to the public during the Pope's surprise visit on Sunday afternoon. On the occasion of his first visit, despite his requests, officials had closed off public access to the building.

Additional sources for this story
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• Pope's Unexpected Visit to St. Mary Major To Ask Protection of the Virgin (VIS)

CHURCH: English court denies asylum to Malaysian who wants child raised Christian

English court denies asylum to Malaysian who does not want child to be raised a Muslim

CWN - July 22, 2013

The second-highest court in England has upheld the government's decision to deny asylum to a Malaysian Catholic woman who does not want her six-year-old son, also a baptized Catholic, to be raised as a Muslim.
The mother took her son to Great Britain and sought asylum amid concerns that her husband would soon convert to Islam. The husband has since become a Muslim.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal acknowledged that the government's decision to return mother and son to Malaysia would result in the boy's circumcision and being raised a Muslim.
"C [the boy] himself is only 6 years of age and although he has been baptised a Christian and admitted into the Roman Catholic church, there is no reason to think that he has as yet formed any independent religious faith," the court ruled. "He will be able to make his own decisions about religious matters when he grows up. Removing him with his mother to Malaysia where he can be brought up by both parents in the country of his nationality would not interfere with any of his own Convention rights and is clearly in his best interests."

Additional sources for this story
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• British Appeals Court Upholds Asylum Denial; Returning Boy To Be Circumcised and Rasied As Muslim Does Not Violate His Rights (Religion Clause)
• Full text of decision

CARMEL: How To Pray The Brigittine and Carmelite Rosaries

How To Pray The Brigittine and Carmelite Rosaries

ADAPTED FROM: http://patroncatholicsaints.blogspot.ca/p/how-to-pray-brigittine-and-carmelite.html

The Brigittine and Carmelite rosaries are similar to the Dominican rosary however they each have six decades instead of five. The seven Pater beads honor the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the sixty-three Ave Maria beads commemorate the sixty-three years it is believed the Blessed Mother lived on this earth before her Assumption. In addition, the Apostles' Creed is recited at the end of each decade [in place of] the Glory Be.

The eighteen mysteries [*or twenty-four, if one chooses to include the Luminous Mysteries] are as follows.

The Joyful Mysteries:

1. The Immaculate Conception

2. The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
3. The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
4. The Birth of Jesus
5. The Presentation of Jesus In The Temple
6. The Finding of Jesus In The Temple

*The Luminous Mysteries

1. Jesus' obedience to Mary and Joseph in Nazareth

2. Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan
3. The Wedding at Cana
4. Jesus' Proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom
5. Jesus' Transfiguration at Mt Tabor
6. The Institution of the Eucharist

The Sorrowful Mysteries:

1. The Agony of Jesus In The Garden
2. Jesus Is Scourged At The Pillar
3. Jesus Is Crowned With Thorns
4. Jesus Carries His Cross
5. The Crucifixion
6. The Body of the Lord was placed in the Arms of His Sorrowful Mother

The Glorious Mysteries:
1. The Resurrection of Jesus
2. The Ascension of Jesus
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
5. The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
6. The Patronage of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace (Brigittine Rosary)
Or / The Patronage of Mary, Queen and Beauty of Carmel (Carmelite Rosary)

CARMEL: ELIJAH's Assumption to God & ELISHA receives his mantle

FROM: http://www.antiochian.org/node/26054

CARMEL: Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace - July 23

Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace

Tuesday, July 23, 2013  

This feast concludes the octave of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. We honor Mary as Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace since she is the Mother of the Son of God, the Author of Grace.

'The Blessed Virgin Mary was eternally predestined, in the context of the Incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. As decreed by divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving Mother of the divine Redeemer, His associate, uniquely generous, and the Lord's humble servant. She conceived, bore, and nourished Christ; presented Him to the Father in the Temple; and was united with Him in His suffering as He died on the cross. In a completely unparalleled way she cooperated, by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity, with our Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is Mother to us all in the order of grace' (Lumen Gentium, the Constitution on the Church, 61).

Prayer

God of eternal wisdom, in Your providence You willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should bring forth the Author of Grace, and take part with Him in the mystery of man's redemption. May she obtain for us grace in abundance and bring us to the haven of everlasting salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

CARMEL: Feast of Prophet ELIJAH !!!

Blessed Feast of our father
in faith Prophet Elijah !!!

Commemorated 20 July

Bento de Góis, auch Bento de Goes und Benedikt Goës

Bento de Góis

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Bento de Góis, auch Bento de Goes und Benedikt Goës , (* Juli 1562 in Vila Franca do Campo, Azoren; † 11. April 1607 in Su-tschou) war ein portugiesischer Jesuit und Missionar und Entdecker in Asien.

Bento de Góis, Bildnis in Loyola (Spanien).

Góis durchzog zwischen 1602 und 1607 von Agra aus unter dem Namen Abdallah von Indien durch Hochasien. Er besuchte dabei Kabul und Kaschgar, stieg mit der jährlich nach China abgehenden Karawane über die Steppe des Pamir und nach Yarkant. Ende 1605 erreichte er über Aksu den Ort Karashahr, wo er erfuhr, dass Matteo Ricci in Cathay lebte. Damit hatte er zu seiner Verwunderung entdeckt, dass Cathay und China ein und dasselbe Land bezeichneten. Goës war ebenso wie Ricci stark astronomisch interessiert und beschrieb im Schriftwechsel mit diesem als einer der ersten den Lichtwechsel von Algol im Sternbild Perseus (Beta Persei). Goes ging weiter nach Su-tschou.
Hier wurde er mehr als ein Jahr durch die Moslems bedrängt und wohl auch körperlich attackiert, bevor Ricci ihm Unterstützung bringen konnte. Er erlag hier im März oder April 1607 seinen Entbehrungen. Alle seine Güter, einschließlich sogar seiner Tagebücher, wurden von den Mohammedanern geplündert.
Sein Begleiter, der Armenier Isaak, erreichte glücklich China und gab einen genauen Bericht über die Reise an die Missionare in Peking. Der Reisebericht findet sich in Nic. Trigautii de expeditione Christiana apud Sinas, suscepta a soc. Jesu (Leiden 1616).

Literatur

• Father Fernao Guerreiro, S.J: Jahangir and the Jesuits: trans. C.H. Payne with an account of the Travels of Benedict Goes and the Mission of Pegu. New Delhi, India Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1997

• Nicolas Trigault: Histoire de l'expedition Chrestienne au royaume de la Chine, entreprinse par les PP. de la compagnie de Iesus, comprinse en cinq livres, esquels est traicte fort exactement et fidelement des moeurs, loix, & coustumes du pays, & des commencemens tres-difficiles de l'eglise naissante en ce royaume. Tiree des commentaires du Matthieu Riccius, et nouvellement traduicte en francois par D. F. de Riquebourg-Trigault. Lyons, for Horace Cardon, 1616

• Henry Yule: "The Journey of Benedict Goes from Agra to Cathay (1602-1607)", in: Henry Yule & Henri Cordier: Cathay and the Way Thither; Being a Collection of Medieval Notices of China. New Edition, Revised Throughout in the Light of Recent Discoveries. Second edition. Hakluyt Society. Second Series. Vols. XLI. London: The Hakluyt Society, 1916. (Kurzgesagt: Band 4 von Cathay and the Way Thither.)

Weblinks

• John W. Witek: Bento de Goes. In: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity
• Biografische Seite über Bento De Gois (Bento De Goes)

Normdaten (Person): PND: 119050137 | LCCN: n88252474 | VIAF: 88083298 | Wikipedia-Personensuche

Kategorien:

• Christlicher Missionar
• Römisch-katholische Kirche in Indien
• Entdecker (17. Jahrhundert)
• Geographie (China)
• Jesuit
• Portugiese
• Geboren 1562
• Gestorben 1607
• Mann

VIETNAM: Lay Catholics, witnesses in the footsteps of missionaries and martyrs

Lay Catholics, witnesses in the footsteps of Vietnam's missionaries and martyrs

J.B. Vu
Despite difficulties and persecution, the faithful have contributed to the evangelization of the most remote and poorest areas of the nation. The Church of Vietnam is the fifth largest church in Asia. Between the 17th and the 19th century there were hundreds of thousands of martyrs, "the seeds of our hope."

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - The development of the Vietnamese Church would be impossible without the testimony of the laity. This is the firm belief of Fr. Vincent Pham Trung Thanh, provincial superior of the Redemptorists in Vietnam. He told AsiaNews: "After 1975 [when South Vietnam was taken over by the Viet Cong - ed] we had many difficulties in our mission, but the number of Catholics has grown from year to year."
State control of priests and bishops did not allow them free movement in the country, and dampened the work of evangelization, but thanks to the laity the mission spread among the different ethnic groups (Montagnards). "They recognized - says Fr. Vincent - the importance and necessity of the commitment of the laity. Ethnic groups live in the forests, in remote and very poor areas. But we were able to carry out our mission. Even today there are mountains and vast forests, but the mission towards ethnic groups does not stop. "

According to official data, there are about 5.6 million Vietnamese Catholics, or 6.87% of the population, but unofficial estimates speak of a percentage around 10%. It is the fifth largest church in Asia, after the Philippines, India, China and Indonesia.
The first great missionary movement took place in the early seventeenth century by the Jesuit Alexandre De Rhodes, who gathered up to 6 thousand Catholics.
"Our local churches - continues Fr. Vincent - are indebted to the martyrs and the old missionaries, such as St. Andrea Phú Yên, a young man who worked with Fr. De Rhodes and built with him the first Christian communities in Vietnam. During that early period, the missionaries at the service of the population lived in great poverty. They studied the local culture, language, psychology of the Vietnamese people for their mission.  They did not discuss theological theories or sociology, but participated in the activities of the poor people with their daily lives, expressing love for one another".
The style of the past missionaries is also that of the present. At the end of 2012, the Vietnamese bishops, presenting their Church to the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences), said: "The lay faithful are very active in missionary work. They have cooperated with the pastors and religious in building up the Church, bringing the Good News to everyone with their way of life, their behavior and their work with others. "
From the 17th to the 19th century hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese were killed because of their faith. But martyrs are also an inspiration for the mission. As the Cardinal of Ho Chi Minh City said on the feast of the martyrs, "today they are the seeds of our hope."
 

VIETNAM: Lay Catholics, witnesses in the footsteps of missionaries and martyrs

Lay Catholics, witnesses in the footsteps of Vietnam's missionaries and martyrs
J.B. Vu
Despite difficulties and persecution, the faithful have contributed to the evangelization of the most remote and poorest areas of the nation. The Church of Vietnam is the fifth largest church in Asia. Between the 17th and the 19th century there were hundreds of thousands of martyrs, "the seeds of our hope."

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - The development of the Vietnamese Church would be impossible without the testimony of the laity. This is the firm belief of Fr. Vincent Pham Trung Thanh, provincial superior of the Redemptorists in Vietnam. He told AsiaNews: "After 1975 [when South Vietnam was taken over by the Viet Cong - ed] we had many difficulties in our mission, but the number of Catholics has grown from year to year."
State control of priests and bishops did not allow them free movement in the country, and dampened the work of evangelization, but thanks to the laity the mission spread among the different ethnic groups (Montagnards). "They recognized - says Fr. Vincent - the importance and necessity of the commitment of the laity. Ethnic groups live in the forests, in remote and very poor areas. But we were able to carry out our mission. Even today there are mountains and vast forests, but the mission towards ethnic groups does not stop. "

According to official data, there are about 5.6 million Vietnamese Catholics, or 6.87% of the population, but unofficial estimates speak of a percentage around 10%. It is the fifth largest church in Asia, after the Philippines, India, China and Indonesia.
The first great missionary movement took place in the early seventeenth century by the Jesuit Alexandre De Rhodes, who gathered up to 6 thousand Catholics.
"Our local churches - continues Fr. Vincent - are indebted to the martyrs and the old missionaries, such as St. Andrea Phú Yên, a young man who worked with Fr. De Rhodes and built with him the first Christian communities in Vietnam. During that early period, the missionaries at the service of the population lived in great poverty. They studied the local culture, language, psychology of the Vietnamese people for their mission.  They did not discuss theological theories or sociology, but participated in the activities of the poor people with their daily lives, expressing love for one another".
The style of the past missionaries is also that of the present. At the end of 2012, the Vietnamese bishops, presenting their Church to the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences), said: "The lay faithful are very active in missionary work. They have cooperated with the pastors and religious in building up the Church, bringing the Good News to everyone with their way of life, their behavior and their work with others. "
From the 17th to the 19th century hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese were killed because of their faith. But martyrs are also an inspiration for the mission. As the Cardinal of Ho Chi Minh City said on the feast of the martyrs, "today they are the seeds of our hope."
 

CHURCH: 8 Christians sentenced to prison in Iran

8 Christians sentenced to prison in Iran

CWN - July 19, 2013

Eight members of an Iranian Protestant church have received jail sentences of one to six years for "action against the national security" and "propaganda against the order of the system."
"In accordance with the Gospel, the church is apolitical," the Church of Iran stated in response to the sentences. "While individual Christians are entitled to hold political opinions, the church does not. These charges are entirely without foundation. However, as loyal citizens we will continue to pray for our leaders and for peace and reconciliation in our nation."

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• Iran: Eight members of the Church of Iran sentenced to jail on political charges (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)