hermit brother

Monday, May 19, 2014

Feast of Pope St. Peter Celestine V

Blessed Feast of Pope St. Peter Celestine V, hermit founder of the Celestine Benedictines (OSB Cel.) !!!

From: http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k27/jakyl32/365%20Rosaries-%20May/519benedictcelestine.jpg

Scottish Gaelic Prayers: GLOIR DON ATHAIR Glory be to the Father; agus GNIOMH CREIDIMH (Acts of) Faith, GNIOMH DOCHAIS Hope, & GNIOMH GRAIDH Love

GLOIR DON ATHAIR
GLORY BE TO THE FATHER
Gloir don Athair,
agus don Mhac,
agus don Spiorad Naomh.
Mar a bha, 's mar a tha, 's mar a bhitheas,
fad shaoghal nan saoghal. Amen.

GNIOMH CREIDIMH
ACT OF FAITH
O mo Dhia,
tha mi creidsinn annad, agus anns a h-uile ni a tha D'eaglais a teagasg, a chionn 's gun tuirt Thu e agus gur fior D'fhacal.

GNIOMH DOCHAIS
ACT OF HOPE
O mo Dhia,
tha mo dhochas unnad air son gras is gloir, a thaobh Do gheallaidhean, Do throcair, agus Do chumhachd.

GNIOMH GRAIDH
ACT OF LOVE
O mo Dhia,
a chionn 's gu bheil Thu cho math, tha mi a 'toirt gaoil Dhuit le m'uile chridhe, agus air do sgath-sa tha mi a' toirt gaoil dham choimhearsnach mar dhomh fhin.

From: http://www.rcdai.org.uk/articles/gaelic-prayers.html

Our Lady of Arabia - Bahrain - Proposed Cathedral

From: http://www.fi2a.org/bahrain-photos/

MISSION / Mideast: A new cathedral for Northern Arabia

A new cathedral for Northern Arabia
Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Bishop Camillo Ballin, an Italian-born Comboni missionary, heads the Roman Catholic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. He is overseeing the first-ever building of a new cathedral in Bahrain, on land given to the Church by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah.

The cathedral, named Our Lady of Arabia, will serve an estimated 2.5 million Catholics, the great majority of them foreign guest workers, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The new structure will be a focal point for the territory's 10 parishes and more than 100 underground communities.
Particularly in Saudi Arabia, the public practice of Christianity on the Arab Peninsula is severely restricted, mostly limited to the grounds of foreign embassies and private homes. Priests are generally not allowed to appear in public dressed in clerical garb; conversions of Muslims to Christianity are strictly forbidden, and Christians are banned from marrying Muslim women.
The building of the new cathedral signals a breakthrough in Church-state relations and is also testimony to what the prelate describes as "the constantly increasing number of Catholics in the region." Currently only five formally designated churches serve the 880,000 square miles that make up the Vicariate.
Bishop Ballin spoke with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need March 17, 2014, the final day of his two-week trip to the US to raise awareness of the cathedral project.

Do you consider your Vicariate to be mission territory?
"Mission territory" implies evangelizing animists, converting them to Christianity. We are not among animists but among Muslims and Hindus. The Christians comprise some 10 percent of the population, and obviously the great majority is not Christian. But we cannot evangelize as it is understood in other countries of the world. We can only witness to the bounty and love of God through our daily life. The best place for this kind of witness is the school.
What is the composition of the Catholic community?
They come from many countries. The majority are from India and the Philippines. Others come from some of the Arab countries, from Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Pakistan, Korea, Europe, etc. Especially many workers from Asia come completely alone. Many were not able to bring their families with them.
As a result there are problems of too much solitude, of isolation, and of home sickness. On the other hand, solitude pushes them to find consolation and peace in the Lord, so we have a relatively high percentage of Mass attendance, which stands at between 30 percent and 35 percent. But we must ask ourselves why the others don't come to the church! Part of the reason is that work schedules make things difficult.
How many priests and religious work with you?
We have 50 Priests and two permanent deacons. Except for six or seven pastors, all priests are religious, mostly Capuchins, because the pastoral care of the Gulf has been entrusted to them by the Holy See.
How visible and active is your church in the local community?
Our Church is very visible, even though the new churches don't have a cross on the outside. Thousands and thousands of people coming to the church cannot be invisible. We don't have social engagements; our presence is more based on the personal witness of a good Christian life.
What is your biggest challenge as a bishop? What are the Church's biggest needs?
We have many nationalities; and there are faithful belonging to almost all of the various eastern and oriental Catholic rites. It is not easy to make of all these different communities a single Catholic Church. There is a risk of having too many churches near each other, without truly being that one Catholic Church, even as, of course, we respect all the rites. For example, churches in Kuwait typically celebrate the liturgy according to five different rites and in 13 languages. It is a logistical challenge to accommodate all the various communities within a single building.
The difficulties of being a Christian in the Middle East have been making a lot of headlines. What are the circumstances in your Vicariate?
No government in the Gulf has a policy of forced conversion from Christianity to Islam. There are, however, some zealous individuals. Of course, it is forbidden to convert from Islam to Christianity. But the situation in the Gulf is radically different from the challenges faced by Christians some countries of the Middle East. In the Gulf there are no local Christians, except very few in Kuwait and Bahrain; and all Christians have to leave when they reach age 60, except those able to open their own business, under the sponsorship of a local person.
In other countries of the Middle East, Christians are locals, like the other inhabitants. Christians in the Gulf are not citizens of the country where they are working; they are migrants. Even their children have to leave the Gulf when it's time for them to go to college.
Do you think the Church is persecuted, harassed or hindered in its work in the Gulf region?
No, absolutely not. Only in some countries we are in extreme need of more space. If something dramatic would happen during our services, we could have hundreds of dead.
Many Christians think there should be reciprocity between Christianity and Islam The reasoning goes, as tolerance is shown for Muslims in Western countries, the Catholic Church should insist on equal rights for Christians in Muslim countries. Do you agree?
We have to ask authorities to grant us more space for our believers. However, we should not forget that our purpose is only to do good for all people, regardless any compensation from them.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met in the Vatican with Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, which was considered a tremendous breakthrough. What are the prospects for eventual diplomatic relations between the Kingdom and the Holy See?
I don't have particular information about this. This concerns the nuncio and the Holy See. I know that Saudi Arabia would like to have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, but many points have to be clarified before this can happen.
Do Catholics, Christians in general, have an influence on the political, social and cultural life in the Gulf region?
Our faithful are migrants and most of them have very low-level jobs. However, they contribute very much to the good of the country through their daily work. If these migrants leave the Gulf, the Gulf countries would be the worse for it.
Does the Church provide education and social services for non-Christians?
Our schools are open to all. In fact, the majority of our students are non-Christians. Social services are provided by many doctors and the many thousands of nurses (males and female) who work in region's hospitals. Of course, they do not work directly for the Church, but their presence in the society is very important.
Your website says that the Church is "trusted by governments." What does this mean concretely?
Our Church is officially recognized by the various governments. We are not a private group or a hidden sect. We are a Church whose presence is recognized by the governments and I always tell the country's leadership that they have nothing to fear from the Catholic Church, which always will respect their countries' faith, culture and traditions.
Foreign workers are under a great deal of pressure in many Middle Eastern countries, especially Saudi Arabia, where many illegal immigrants are being expelled. Has the Church been able to ease their circumstances?
The Church cannot do anything for those who are here illegally. What happens normally is that people come here for a job, then, for any number of reasons, they lose the job and as a result of that even their residence permit. So, they become illegal. Our role is to help, even financially, people who suddenly lose their job and have a family to feed, children who have to finish their school year, etc.
How did the project of the new cathedral get started?
The great number of Catholics in Bahrain obliged me to ask the king for land. The church that we have in Manama is too small. I asked the king for a piece of land in the south of the country and he granted the request immediately. Since the bishop is in Bahrain, this new church will be the cathedral of the Vicariate of Northern Arabia and it will be dedicated to Our Lady of Arabia, patroness of the Gulf.
What moved the King of Bahrain to give you the land?
Of course, I don't know his personal reasons, but I think he wanted to prove that Bahrain is a country open to all. In fact, there are Catholics and even Jews who are members of the Council of the king! In this region, where fanaticism is strong in some countries, the example of the king of Bahrain should be considered a model of openness.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia is an enormously costly project; are you not concerned that a backlash on the part of the Bahrain government, or a radical change in regime, could shutter the initiative? Or worse, could the building not become the target of anti-Christian violence?
The problems in Bahrain are not between Christians and Muslims but among Muslims themselves, between Shiites and Sunnis. I trust in the good will of the people of Bahrain.
I have been in Bahrain for two years now, and never have I perceived any negative attitudes toward Christians. In Bahrain, as well as in Kuwait and Qatar, I move about in my cassock and with my pectoral cross. There never have been problems; on the contrary, I am very much respected. The Catholic Church is known to all as a Church that respects all and helps all.

From: http://www.churchinneed.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7783&news_iv_ctrl=1001

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Bartholomew I and Pope Francis to Meet in Jerusalem

Joint Constantinople-Rome trip to Jerusalem

Constantinople (The Republic) — Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians, says a meeting with Pope Francis in Jerusalem this month will help move the two churches closer to ending their nearly 1,000-year divide.

In an interview with The Associated Press in his Istanbul office, Bartholomew also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for improving rights for Christians but said pointedly, "it is not enough."

The meetings between the ecumenical patriarch and the leader of the world's Roman Catholics on May 25-26 will commemorate the historic visit of their predecessors 50 years ago that launched a dialogue aimed at ending the two churches' schism in 1054.

"We shall say through our meeting and our prayer that it is the intention of both of us to work further for Christian unity and reconciliation," Bartholomew said, sitting at his desk piled high with papers in his Patriarchate office. Around him, golden icons from Byzantium on the walls loomed over standing photos of the patriarch greeting world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Erdogan.

Although the Orthodox and Catholic churches remain estranged on key issues, including married clergy and the centralized power of the Vatican, there have been moves toward closer understanding, beginning with the 1964 meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem. It was the first encounter between a pope and Orthodox patriarch in more than 500 years.

Following the meeting, mutual excommunication edicts were dropped, and a Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965 called for greater harmony.

Echoing that declaration, Bartholomew said the road to unity remains long, but that Pope Francis's acceptance of the invitation to meet in Jerusalem demonstrates that both leaders want to end the divide.

"When it will take place, we don't know; how it will take place, we don't know. Only God knows," he said.

The two leaders will celebrate Mass together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful believe Jesus was crucified and buried, and issue another declaration. Bartholomew said it had not been finalized. I hope this is an honest mistake in terminology.

In the interview, Bartholomew expressed disappointment that Erdogan had not re-opened the Theological School of Halki, the Orthodox Church's most important seminary. Bartholomew spent seven years as a student and another four more as an assistant to the dean at the grounds on an island in the sea of Marmara. The school, whose doors were closed in 1971 under a Turkish law that required private higher education to be controlled by the state, have been meticulously maintained since, in case students are allowed to return.

Many expected that the seminary would be reopened last year as part of a package of reforms aimed at boosting minority rights in Turkey.

"These are hopes which are not fulfilled so far," Bartholomew said. "It is a matter of human rights and especially of religious freedom."

Erdogan has said Halki's reopening depends on reciprocal measures from neighboring Greece that would improve the rights of Muslims there. Asked about that demand, Bartholomew threw up his hands.

"Are we responsible for that?" he asked. "I am in favor of a mosque and even more mosques where there are Muslims, in order to give them the possibility to pray according to their own faith. But what can I do?"

Bartholomew said that the issue is not about Greek law, it is about Turkey's responsibility to protect religious freedom.

"I am a Turkish citizen and I was born here. I served in the Turkish army for two years," he said. "I want my full rights as such as a Turkish citizen and not only for myself but for my church and my community."

Later, he glanced over at a table near his desk with photos of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras. There were images of a dove and of an olive tree, symbolizing peace between the two often warring cultures. Bartholomew credited Erdogan with improvements in rights for Christians in Turkey and noted that whereas ethnic Greeks once left Turkey in droves, many are returning, especially because of Greece's financial turmoil.

"We recognize these steps. We express our gratitude to Mr. Erdogan. But we say that it is not enough," he said.

Our Lady of the Isles: Catholic Scotland / Hebrides

Our Lady of the Isles

Written By: Fr. Michael J. MacDonald
25-11-2007

To give honour to the Blessed Virgin Mary is as natural to the people of the Gaeltachd as breathing the air. As well as being expressed in the personal and community prayer of the people, it is also expressed in their language and in their description of everyday things. The Gael sees no boundary between the world of faith and the secular world – every thing and every event may be pervaded by the grace of God which in practice is principally obtained through the intercession and protection of Mary, the Mother of God. Especially in times of trouble or threat the Gael places special reliance on her power of intercession and looks to her for safety and refuge.

In Scots Gaelic there is a special name for the Virgin Mary which is used for her alone – "Moire" (Mary). The ordinary word for Mary is "Mairi" but this word is never used to denote the Virgin Mary. Her special place in the lives and culture of the people demands a special name. On the lips of many Gaelic speakers today can be regularly heard the phrase "A Mhoire" (By Mary).

Innumerable blessings, hymns, religious songs, legends, and pious customs relating to "Moire Mhin Mhathar" (Sweet Mother Mary) form the great majority of all the collected material of Gaelic folklore in the Isles. Mary's name is to be found in connection with plants, nuts, birds, and the sea itself, called "cuilidh Moire" (Mary's Treasury). All of life was permeated by devotion to the Blessed Virgin: "safe delivery" into the world was attributed to her protection as was "safe passage" to the world to come.

The relatively modern hymns of Donald John MacDonald, mostly composed in the late 1970s, beautifully and powerfully express the depth of devotion of the island people to Our Lady:

A Mhoire mhìn-gheal, a mhéinn nan gràsan,

Do dh'aona Mhac Dhè bu tu fhèin a mhàthair:

Stiuir mo cheum-sa tro rè mo làithean

Air sligh' an dòchais gu sòlas Phàrrais.

Fair gentle Mary, rich source of grace,

You were the mother of God's only begotten Son:

Guide my footsteps throughout my days

On the journey of hope to the joy of Paradise.

(translation: John Campbell)

Fishermen marked their devotion to the Mother of God, and their unswerving belief in her power to protect them from danger, in the names that they gave to their fishing boats: Morning Star, Reul na Mara, and Ocean Star.

But on land there was little tangible evidence of the peoples' devotion other than the naming of churches. The Rosary was recited both privately and publicly but there was no need to "declare tangibly" for all to see what had been previously held in the bosom of the faith and the culture.

This all changed after the Second World War. In the late 1940s the Ministry of Defence announced its intention to establish a RocketRange on the island of South Uist. Initially, the proposal was welcomed as it would bring much need jobs to the island but this stance changed when it was realised what the scale of the establishment was intended to be. There was to be a new military town, along with facilities for the construction of missiles. The development was to extend from Sollas in North Uist to Bornish in South Uist with its centre in the parish of Ardkenneth. It was to be something similar to the army training centre at Salisbury Plain. People and their activities were to be 'removed' from the military area.

Resistance to the proposal was led by Canon John Morrison ("Father Rocket"), the energetic Parish Priest of Ardkenneth. He realised that if the development on the scale anticipated went ahead, not only would his parish be effectively destroyed, but a distinctive way of life, language, and culture would be in serious jeopardy. He mustered political support and ran a highly effective campaign in the national media opposing the intended development. At the same time, he supervised the building of the wayside shrines to the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a unique feature of Ardkenneth Parish to this day. These are not just expressions of the devotion of the people but they were deliberately placed alongside the intended military roads to remind 'strangers' that they were now in a 'different' place.

The perceived threat to the distinctive faith, language, and culture of the people which the proposal for the militarization of large tracts of South Uist would be prompted a tide of prayer of intercession for the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In conjunction with the Marian Year of 1954, the statue of Our Lady went round the houses and villages of Ardkenneth and Bornish parishes where neighbours would come together for the recitation of the rosary.

It was during the same Marian Year of 1954 that permission to use the title 'Our Lady of the Isles' (Moire ro Naomh nan Eilean; Ban -Tighearna nan Eilean) was obtained from Archbishop William Godfrey, Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain.

Then Canon Morrison began his final and his most ambitious project – a shrine was to be built to Our Lady of the Isles on the island of South Uist. The site for the statue was selected deliberately – the hill of Rueval. There it would overlook much of the island and, in particular, it would overlook the proposed military facility. He commissioned one of the foremost sculptors of the day, Hew Lorimer, to carry out the work. The statue was intended to be both an expression of the devotion of the people of the parishes of South Uist to the Blessed Virgin Mary but was also intended to be a public and permanent reminder to 'strangers' that they were entering a 'different' world. People of all denominations supported the project through fundraising and the giving of their labour to construct the road and the foundations for the forty ton statue. The first work of Hew Lorimer stands in the grounds of St Michael's, Ardkenneth. It was then 'scaled up' to the 25ft height that the statue on Rueval has today.

The project was completed in 1957 and the statue was dedicated on the Feast of the Assumption 1958. On the day of dedication there was an honour guard of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders through which passed the visiting clergy, an Archbishop, two Bishops, Canons and Monsignors, a choir of schoolchildren sang, and it rained almost incessantly.

Eight months later, in April 1959, the announcement was made by the Ministry of Defence that the rocket range development proposal was to be much scaled down. It was to be a missile testing and firing range with mostly visiting military personnel. There was to be no 'new' town and no removal of people.

For the past fifty years 'the Range', as it is popularly known locally, has been an undoubted blessing for the people of these islands. It has brought much needed, well-paid employment and far from 'destroying' the distinctive faith, language, and culture of the people, the process of assimilation has led to many service personnel choosing to make their home here when their time of military service was over. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Isles, has protected her people and brought them great blessings.

The portable statues of Our Lady still go round the houses and villages of Ardkenneth and Bornish Parishes and the Rosary is still recited. The wayside shrines of Ardkenneth parish are still lovingly cared for. 'Statue Rueval' stands against the backdrop of radar domes: Our Lady of the Isles, with her beloved Son's hand raised in blessing for the people of these islands. Through her intercession, she protects us, delivers us from threat, and enables the blessings of her Son to be bestowed upon us. Perhaps, too, her presence on the hill of Rueval reminds another generation of 'strangers' that they are entering a distinctive world of faith, language, and culture, where deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is still as natural to the people as breathing the air.

From: http://www.rcdai.org.uk/articles/our-lady-of-the-isles.html

Scottish Gaelic Prayers - Written by Fr. Donald MacKay

Scottish Gaelic Prayers

COMHARRADH NA CROISE

SIGN OF THE CROSS
An ainm an Athar, agus a Mhic, agus an Spioraid Naoimh. Amen

URNAIGH AN TIGHEARNA

A'PHAIDIR
THE LORD'S PRAYER
OUR FATHER
Ar n-Athair, a tha air neamh,
gum bu naomh a bhios t'ainm ;
gun tigeadh do rioghachd,
gun deanar do thoil air talamh
mar a thathas ga deanamh air neamh.
Thoir dhuinn an diugh ar n-aran lathail
math dhuinn ar fiachan,
mar a mhathas sinne do luchd ar fiach.
Agus na leig ann am buaireadh sinn.
Ach saor sinn bhon olc. Amen.

BEANNACHADH MOIRE
HAIL MARY
Failte dhut, a Mhoire,
tha thu lan de na grasan
tha an Tighearna maille riut
is beannaichte thu am measg nam mna,
agus is beannaichtc toradh do bhronn, Iosa.
A Naomh Mhoire, a Mhathair Dhe,
guidh' air ar sonne na peacaich
a nis agus aig uair ar bais. Amen.

GLOIR DON ATHAIR
GLORY BE TO THE FATHER
Gloir don Athair,
agus don Mhac,
agus don Spiorad Naomh.
Mar a bha, 's mar a tha, 's mar a bhitheas,
fad shaoghal nan saoghal. Amen.

From: http://www.rcdai.org.uk/articles/gaelic-prayers.html