 |
|
|
437 A.D.
Birth of Saint Remigius, Bishop of Rheims and confessor. He was the son of Saint Celina and he is considered the "Apostle of the Franks." He died at Rheims on January 13, 530.
650 A.D.
Death of Saint Bavo, monk and hermit who is known as the patron saint of Flanders.
1404 A.D.
Death of Pope Boniface IX, 203rd successor of Peter, whose papacy lasted 15 years. During this time he failed to settle the question of the schism since the second Avignon antipope refused any form of reconciliation.
1578 A.D.
Death of Don Juan of Austria at the age of 31 who had been so successful in turning the Turks back in the landmark Battle of Lepanto which marked the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary proclaimed by Pope Saint Pius V.
1897 A.D.
Death of Saint Theresa of Lisieux, better known as the "Little Flower." For more, see TODAY'S LITURGY.
1989 A.D.
Pope John Paul II beatifies Niceforo de Jesus y Maria (Vicente Diez Tejerina) and 25 Companions martyred in Spain, Lorenzo Salvia, Gertrude Caterina Comensoli, and Francisca Ana Cirer Carbonell.
A police spokesman said the device included pamphlets that made vague political statements. He said that no political organization had claimed responsibility. One employee was slightly injured by the blast which caused extensive damage to the offices. "It caused serious damage to part of the building without, thank God, hurting any of the staff -- though that could easily have happened," said Bishop Jose Vicente Eguiguren, assistant secretary-general of the bishops' conference.
Government Minister Ana Lucia Armijos told reporters that the government believed the explosion was linked to protests against recent austerity measures "because it was put in the bishops' conference, and the Church is helping carry out a census of who is going to receive the poverty subsidy." The government measures are expected to shore up the ailing economy against deficits and falling oil prices.
The bread will be simple fresh bread, baked in circular loaves surrounded by a dozen rough clusters. Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, the head of Cor Unum, explained that the form of the loaf symbolizes the twelve apostles. The entire project is symbolic as well as concrete, he added. The bread will provide a family's daily sustenance, while the income from the sales will help to subsidize five urgent projects in Rwanda, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau.
Archbishop Cordes today announced the beginning of the project, which will continue for 823 days--through the Jubilee Year. He observed that the project also has an educational aspect, since it will help to remind Italian families of the others who are living in poverty. On Sunday, at his Angelus audience, Pope John Paul denounced the "immoral spectacle" presented by a world in which so many people. live in need, while others enjoy affluence.
The idea for the "charity bread" came from an Italian baker, Archbishop Cordes revealed. The first loaves were produced by several European bakeries. Italian bakers have guaranteed that they will not indulge in speculation on the price of the bread. Pope John Paul II blessed a "prototype" loaf on April 18, at the conclusion of the annual meeting of Cor Unum.
The set, entitled "Discovering an Unknown God" and released by the Catholic foundation "Fides," collects 78 catechetical talks in Spanish delivered by the Holy Father each week at the end of his longer catechesis delivered in Italian during his Wednesday general audiences. The collection includes the speeches given between 1989 and 1991.
"Saint Paul spoke about the unknown God and the Pope invites today's world to discover that same, frequently unknown, God," says Fides in its presentation. The material, which was originally published as a catechetical aid for parishes and Catholic schools, has been bought in huge numbers by people who play the cassettes in their car or at home.
Thirty Church leaders-- patriarchs, cardinals, bishops, and consultors-- will take place in the deliberations of the Roman dicastery. The meeting will continue through Friday.
In an interview broadcast today by Vatican Radio, Cardinal Silvestrini acknowledged the importance of addressing the situation that confronts the Ukrainian Catholic Church: "her renaissance, her freedom, her pastoral zeal, and her peaceful and fraternal coexistence with the Orthodox churches." Catholics and Orthodox have engaged in numerous conflicts since the fall of the Communist regime allowed the resurgence of the Byzantine Catholic Church, which had been banned by the Soviet Union. The two communions now must resolve disputes over the ownership of parish properties, confiscated under Stalin from Ukrainian Catholics and handed over to Orthodox congregations.
The Ukrainian situation is not the only question facing the Congregation, however. Cardinal Silvestrini cited the need to "reinforce the identity" of the Eastern Catholic churches. In particular, he suggested the importance of allowing Eastern Catholics to study in the Roman universities without losing contact with their own liturgical and theological traditions. He also mentioned the need to reinvigorate the monastic traditions which spring from the Eastern churches. Finally, the cardinal said that members of the Latin rite should gain a better knowledge of Eastern Catholicism.
The Congregation for Eastern Churches was created by Pope Pius IX in 1862, originally to serve as an arm of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. It became independent in 1917, at the direction of Pope Benedict XV. The dicastery's sphere includes the 22 different Eastern churches in communion with Rome.
