Church of the Beatitudes in Tabgha in the
Holy Land built on the place where Jesus gave His Sermon On The Mount
Accounting Practices Committee, a lay
group of certified public accountants advising the USCCB, urged U. S.
bishops to exert tighter control over the finances of the U. S.' 19,000
parishes. Recommendatons include that each parish submit an annual
report to the bishop with the names and titles of parish finance council
members, dates the council met, date the parish budget was approved, and
date the published financial statement was given to parishioners. (85% of
U.S. dioceses reported embezzlement according to a Villanover University
study.)
Vatican has asked for financial
accounting of every parish in England and Wales.
Vatican's Clergy Congregation stated
when parishes are closed, funds should follow parishioners to their new
parish, not revert to the diocese.
Going to Disney World in Florida?
Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine in Orlando, Florida, was built just for
you. An interesting selection in the gift shop is Santa kneeling before the Christ Child within
the Nativity Scene.
Chinese Our Lady of Sheshan
Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan
Virgin Most
Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the
Shrine of Sheshan under the title Help of Christians, the entire
Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you
today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with
a mother’s care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that
they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.
When you obediently said
"yes" in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God’s eternal
Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the
work of our redemption. You willingly and generously cooperated in that
work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme
hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your
Son, who died that we might live.
From that moment, you became, in a new
way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and
choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross. Mother of
hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing
trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern
at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving
presence.
Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those
in China,who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to
love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of
the world to Jesus. In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your
Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of
love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever
clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of
China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen
St. Mary's County Museum Division
The cross marks the spot of the first Massin
the English-speaking American colonies held on Saint Clement's Island
commemorating the beginning of the Archdiocese of Washington and the State
of Maryland on March 25, 1634.
Sam/AP
Our Lady of the Rosary, Doha, Qatar
Update:
15,000 faithful attended the inauguration Mass and consecration of Our
Lady of the Rosary in Doha, Qatar. Our Lady holds 5,000
parishioners, so screens and speakers were set up outside. Vatican
envoy Cardinal Ivan Dias thanked "God and Qatar for this great
gift." Filipino Catholic Shato Mawude said, "It is a day
without precedent. I am very happy." Filipino Ariel Almyede
said, "This church is a sign of a possible dialogue between the
different faiths." Said Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah
bin Hamad al-Attiyah, "The church sends a positive message to the
world. At the moment we are enjoying the construction of mosques and
Islamic centers in the West so we must be fair." Saudi Arabia
is the only Gulf Arab state which does not allow churches - Saudi Arabia
bans all non-Muslim religious activities and materials - but Archbishop
Paul-Munjed al-Hashem said, "Discussions are under way with Saudi
Arabia to allow the construction of churches in the kingdom. We
cannot forecast the outcome." There are between three and four
million Christians in Saudi Arabia.
Backstory below:
Sam/AP
Our Lady of the Rosary
Roman Catholic Church in Doha, Qatar, is the first Catholic church to be
inaugurated in Qatar in 14 centuries. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, donated the land. Our Lady of the
Rosary will seat 2,700 parishioners and will have a parish hall, a
rectory, a library, and a cafe. Since Christians are forbidden to
display crosses in Islamic countries, Our Lady of the Rosary won't have a
spire or freestanding cross, but the Qatari Constitution does guarantee
religious freedom, and Qatar has a policy of religious tolerance.
Bishop Camillo Ballin, 63, Vicar
Apostolic of Kuwait reports that the 150,000 Catholic Kuwaitis,
"enjoy freedom of worship and suffer no restriction whatsoever.
The local government is extremely generous. It offers us places of
worship and all the necessary help in bureaucratic and official
procedures. When there are major festivities, such as Christmas and
Easter, we inform the authorities, who send us security forces, without
interfering in what we are doing, to protect our community attending
services from Islamist extremists."
Although there is religious freedom in
Turkey, the Catholic Church isn't legally recognized thereby making it
difficult for the Church to purchase and/or own property to build
churches, schools, and hospitals. Pope Benedict XVI, in a meeting
with the Turkish Ambassador to the Vatican, Ambassador Muammer Dogan
Akdur, urged Turkey to give the Catholic Church legal status. "I have
no doubt that your government will do everything in its power to advance
in this direction," said the pope.
Holy water from Our Lady of Lourdes in
France
French inspectors at Tarbes-Lourdes
Airport are refusing to allow Holy Water from Lourdes through the security
gate because of the designation of carryon liquids as a security
risk. Air-Mistral's Vatican Tours to Lourdes, however, provides a
complimentary bottle of Holy Water from Our Lady of Lourdes for each
passenger after boarding.
Pilgrims climb Rome's Sanctuary of the
Scala Santa/Holy Stairs Jesus climbed on his way to trial before Pontius
Pilate and are granted a full indulgence for their sins. The 28
marble Holy Stairs are encased in wood, and pilgrims must climb on their
knees to preserve the Holy Stairs, but pilgrims can peer through the wood
while on their knees to see the marble stairs beneath. In 1589 Pope
Sixtus V commissioned 40 artists, including Flemish landscape artist Paul
Bril, who painted 18,000 square feet of frescoes to surround the
stairs. The Passionists are entrusted with the care of Saint
Sylvester Chapel housing the Sanctuary of the Scala Santa in Saint John
Lateran Basilica. Saint Helena brought the Holy Stairs from
Jerusalem to Rome.
Antonina
Wasili (Welk) Iwanowa and the Most Reverend Joseph Werth, Bishop of Siberia,
Russia (Novosibirsk) saying prayers at the former Selz cemetery in May, 1996.
Due to the easing of government restrictions, Bishop Werth was able to hear
Antonina's confession, and Antonina was able to receive Holy Communion for the
first time in 50 years.
Antonina Wasili (Welk) Iwanowa and Michael M. Miller (1994)
at the former Basilica of the Assumption, Selz,
where Antonina was baptized and confirmed.
The Basilica was built in 1901 and modeled
after the Cathedral at Salzburg in Austria but fell into
disrepair due to government restriction on religion. Memories of Antonina
Pope Benedict XVI received the bishops of the
Ukraine for their first ad limina/5-year visit in 70 years on February 1,
2008. "Now that your Churches have rediscovered their complete
freedom, you are here to represent your communities, reborn and vibrant in the
faith, which have never ceased to feel their full communion with Peter's
successor. You are welcome, dear brothers, in this house in which intense and
incessant prayers have always been said for the beloved Greek-Catholic Church of
Ukraine."
Cardinal Wu and His Pet Chicken
Cardinal
Wu with his mother in 1986. Because of government restrictions, this was
the only time they would meet in 40 years.
Photograph used with permssion of the Germans from Russia
Heritage Collection, North Dakota State University Libraries, PO Box 5599,
Fargo, ND 58105-5599 Website: www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc
Vietnam
Similar to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Saint Joseph Cathedral was inaugurated
on Christmas Day 1886 Provided by the Department of
History, United States Military Academy
