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CHRISTUS DOMINUS- Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church

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  DECREE CONCERNING THE PASTORAL OFFICE OF BISHOPS IN THE CHURCH CHRISTUS DOMINUS  PROCLAIMED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI  ON OCTOBER 28, 1965 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']P[/dropcaps]REFACE Christ the Lord, Son of the living God, came that He might save His people from their sins(1) and that all men might be...

09 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]NTRODUCTION The Decree on Ecumenism, aka Unitatitis Redintegratio, was not among the longest or most weighty documents of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, but it was certainly ranks among its greatest achievements.  Here is the text in its entirely in html...

09 February, 2016 /

  SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI  ON DECEMBER 4, 1963 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]NTRODUCTION Among the wonderful technological discoveries which men of talent, especially in the present era, have made with God's help, the Church welcomes and promotes with special interest those which have a...

09 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']P[/dropcaps]aul, Bishop Servant of the Servants of God Together with the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council for Everlasting Memory [Nostra Aetate] In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming...

09 February, 2016 /

Canticle of Mary My Soul Rejoices in the Lord [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]y soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed; the almighty has...

09 February, 2016 /

Canticle of Simeon Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']L[/dropcaps]ord, now let you servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a...

09 February, 2016 /

Canticle of Zechariah The Messiah and his Forerunner [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]lessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy...

09 February, 2016 /

Curcumin’s Immune-Boosting Powers Pin-pointed Turmeric: As found in WIN's BioLean Free®! By Stephen Daniells, 20-Apr-2009 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he health boosting activity of curcumin may be due to the molecule’s ability to stabilize cell membranes and increase the cell’s resistance to infection, suggests a new study: The...

09 February, 2016 /

Readings and Prayers for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]ollect: All-powerful Father, Christ Your Son became man for us and was presented in the temple. May he free our hearts from sin and bring us into your presence. We ask this through our Lord Jesus...

09 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]magine this scene: It's 6 a.m. on a wintry day. More than 100 young men wipe the sleep from their eyes and gather in a dark chapel, heads bowed, for an hour of silent prayer. An Irish monastery, circa 1450 A.D.?...

09 February, 2016 /

General Instruction of the Roman Missal Including Adaptations for the Dioceses of the United States of America [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]oncordat cum originali: Msgr. James Patrick Moroney Executive Director, Secretariat for the Liturgy United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The English translation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Third...

09 February, 2016 /

  [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']6[/dropcaps]7 BC          Revolt of Maccabees, Beginning of Hasmonean dynasty 63                   Pompey's Roman legions conquer Palestine, depose Hasmonean ruler 37                   Romans make Herod the Great the vassal king of Judea 27                   Octavian (Augustus) becomes Emperor, Pax Romana begins 20                   Herod the Great begins reconstruction of the Temple  4                    Jesus is born (we think), Herod the...

09 February, 2016 /

DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH LUMEN GENTIUM Excerpts on the Eucharist  Proclaimed By His Holiness, Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]HAPTER I: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH As often as the sacrifice of the cross by which "Christ our Pasch is sacrificed" (1...

09 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]hrough his labors and his native endowments man has ceaselessly striven to better his life. Today, however, especially with the help of science and technology, he has extended his mastery over nearly the whole of nature and continues to do...

09 February, 2016 /

This excerpt from Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, paragraph 25, explains the authority of the Magisterium or Apostolic teaching authority of the Church and the way in which Catholics are bound to submit to that authority....

09 February, 2016 /

The Council of Trent Canons and Decrees The Sixth Session: Decree on Justification [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]elebrated on the thirteenth day of the month of January, 1547. DECREE ON JUSTIFICATION Proem. Whereas there is, at this time, not without the shipwreck of many souls, and grievous detriment to the unity...

09 February, 2016 /

Seeing God St. Theophilus of Antioch Bishop and Early Church Father This passage from St. Theophilus of Antioch's apology to Autolycus (Lib 1,2 7: PG 6, 1026-1035) deals with the qualities of soul necessary to be able to see God. It is used in the Roman Office for...

08 February, 2016 /

On Baptism Tertullian Early Church Father [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]HAPTER 1 Introduction. Origin of the treatise. Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life! A treatise on this matter will...

08 February, 2016 /

Reformed Thinking Tim Staples [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Scenario: You’re meeting your new girlfriend’s entire Reformed Evangelical family for the first time. It’s Easter dinner at her parent’s house. You’ve met and talked to her parents and three brothers at various times, but never all at...

08 February, 2016 /

Mary Worshippers Need Not Apply Tim Staples The Scenario: Ever have one of those days when you’re feeling full of energy and vigor? I mean, you’re feeling just obnoxiously happy? Well, this is one of those days. Driving home from work, you switch on the radio to see what’s...

08 February, 2016 /

Catholic Boot Camp by: Tim Staples [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]s soon as your eyes open in the morning: Make a morning offering. Get up and put your knees on the floor. A morning offering can be in your own words or a traditional prayer like...

08 February, 2016 /

Mary, Blessed are You Among Women! St. Sophronius Early Church Father St. Sophronius was bishop of Jerusalem in the early 7th century and preached this sermon (Oratio 2, in sactissimae Deparae annuntiatione, 21-22. 26: PG 87, 3, 3242, 3250) on the Blessed Virgin Mary on the occasion of...

08 February, 2016 /

The Theology of Kneeling From Cardinal Josef Ratzinger's book The Spirit of the Liturgy [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]here are groups, of no small influence, who are trying to talk us out of kneeling. "It doesn't suit our culture", they say (which culture?) "It's not right...

08 February, 2016 /

The Theological Locus of Ecclesial Movements Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Proceedings of the World Congress of the Ecclesial Movements Rome, 27-29 May 1998 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]nly when the person is struck and opened up by Christ in his inmost depth can the other also be inwardly...

08 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]ardinal Ratzinger's Homily at John Paul II's Funeral Mass "He Roused Us From a Lethargic Faith" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger gave at John Paul II's funeral Mass today in St....

08 February, 2016 /

RELATIVISM: THE CENTRAL PROBLEM FOR FAITH TODAY Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave this address during the meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the presidents of the Doctrinal Commissions of the Bishops' Conferences of...

08 February, 2016 /

On the 100th anniversary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission Relationship between Magisterium and exegetes by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps] chose the topic of my report not only because it concerns the questions which rightly belong to a retrospective of the...

08 February, 2016 /

New Pope Risked Death by Deserting in WWII By DAVID McHUGH, Associated Press Writer [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]ERLIN - In May 1945, thousands of German prisoners of war trudged down the highway toward the Bavarian town of Bad Aibling. Among them — tired but grateful...

08 February, 2016 /

Pope Benedict XVI - Interest in Music and Poetry Pope Benedict XVI [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]tudents at St. Michael's seminary in Traunstein where the Pope studied as a teenager cheered him when he appeared on the balcony at the Vatican. In Traunstein the media-generated opinion...

08 February, 2016 /

ON THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIANITY Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - Pope Benedict XVI [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']1[/dropcaps]October-2001 -- ZENIT.org News Agency "Above All, We Should Be Missionaries" VATICAN CITY, (ZENIT.org-Avvenire).- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has a blunt message for Catholics today. "We cannot calmly accept the rest of humanity...

08 February, 2016 /

Mass for Papal Conclave [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ate: 2005-04-18 Cardinal Ratzinger Warns of "Dictatorship of Relativism" Presides Over Mass for Election of a Pontiff VATICAN CITY, APRIL 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- At a Mass prior to the conclave, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger asked God for "a new pope, like...

08 February, 2016 /

This Lenten and Holy Week meditation on Psalm 45 and the contemplation of beauty represents a message that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) sent to a meeting of the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation in August 2002. The group was meeting in...

08 February, 2016 /

INTRODUCTION OF CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER TO THE COMPENDIUM OF THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']1[/dropcaps]On 11 October 1992, Pope John Paul II presented the Catechism of the Catholic Church to the faithful of the whole world, describing it as a...

08 February, 2016 /

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH PRESENTATION OF THE APOSTOLIC LETTER IN THE FORM OF MOTU PROPRIO MISERICORDIA DEI INTERVENTION BY H. EM. CARD. JOSEPH RATZINGER Thursday, 2 May 2002 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he fact that humanity needs purification and forgiveness is something that is most evident...

08 February, 2016 /

AN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE PRE-PAPAL WRITINGS OF BENEDICT XVI [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]OOKS Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal. Behold the Pierced One. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1987. _____. Called to Communion. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1996. _____. Church, Ecumenism, Politics: New Essays in Ecclesiology. New York: Crossroad Publishing Co.,...

08 February, 2016 /

Biblical Interpretation in Crisis: On the Question of the Foundations and Approaches of Exegesis Today by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n Wladimir Solowjew's History of the Antichrist, the eschatological enemy of the Redeemer recommended himself to believers, among other things, by the fact that he...

08 February, 2016 /

Easter as the Spiritual Passover Pseudo Chrysostom [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Passover we celebrate brings salvation to the whole human race beginning with the first man, who together with all the others is saved and given life. In an imperfect and transitory way, the types and...

08 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps] The world of today reveals itself as at once powerful and weak, capable of achieving the best or the worst. There lies open before it the way to freedom or slavery, progress or regression, brotherhood or hatred. In addition, man...

08 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']Y[/dropcaps]our eminences, venerable brothers, representatives of governments, gentlemen of the city of Rome, authorities and citizens of the entire world! You, observers belonging to so many different Christian denominations, and you, faithful and sons here present, and you also scattered...

08 February, 2016 /

  [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]dvocate If anyone does sin we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One (1 John 2:1). The Amen These things say THE AMEN, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation (Revelations 3:14). Apostle of Our Profession Therefore holy brethren...

08 February, 2016 /

Learn more about the icon cross Father Michael Scanlan, T.O.R., Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Province, USA; [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he San Damiano Cross is the one St. Francis was praying before when he received the commission from the Lord to rebuild His Church. All...

08 February, 2016 /

MEDIATOR DEI Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Pius XII On the Sacred Liturgy November 20, 1947 To the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See. Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Benediction. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Mediator...

08 February, 2016 /

MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII's Apostolic Constitution infallibly defining "ex cathedra" (from the chair of Peter) the dogma of the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, a doctrine whose history he in part reviews in this document. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color=''...

08 February, 2016 /

HUMANI GENERIS ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII CONCERNING SOME FALSE OPINIONS THREATENING TO UNDERMINE THE FOUNDATIONS OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]O OUR VENERABLE BRETHREN, PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHIOPS, AND OTHER LOCAL ORDINARIES ENJOYING PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SEE Venerable Brethren, Greetings and Apostolic Benediction 1....

08 February, 2016 /

Divino Afflante Spiritu His Holiness Pope Pius XII Encyclical Letter on the Promotion of Biblical Studies September 30, 1943 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]o Our Venerable Brethren, Patriarchs, Archbishops and other Local Ordinaries enjoying Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See. Inspired by the Divine Spirit, the Sacred Writers...

08 February, 2016 /

The infinite mercy and goodness of God are revealed in the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, & the Good Samaritan. St. Maximus the Confessor says these prove that Jesus Christ goes to any lengths to seek us out when we have...

07 February, 2016 /

O ADMIRABILE COMMERCIUM! (O Marvelous Exchange!) Dom Columba Marmion, son of an Irish mother and a French father, taught theology at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, before becoming Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery of Maredsous, Belgium in 1909. There he lived, prayed, and wrote until his...

07 February, 2016 /

The Virtue of Charity Pope St. Leo the Great Early Church Father & Doctor of the Church This excerpt from a sermon by Saint Leo the Great (Sermo 10 in Quadragesima, 3-5: PL 54, 299-301) on the theological virtue of charity or divine love (called “agape” in the...

07 February, 2016 /

LETTERS 60-173 ST. LEO THE GREAT Early Church Father & Doctor of the Church [Translated by the Rev. Charles Lett Feltoe, M.A., late Fellow of ClareCollege, Cambridge.] (NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all discovered errors.) [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100'...

07 February, 2016 /

HOMILY 95 ON THE BEATITUDES (MATTHEW 5:1-9) Pope St. Leo the Great Early Church Father & Doctor of the Church [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]ntroduction of the subject. When our LORD Jesus Christ, beloved, was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and was healing various sicknesses through the...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]ost Catholics receive Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist while they are still    children under parental authority. Usually, of course, the process of preparing young people to receive these three sacraments of initiation (Canon 842 § 2) proceeds smoothly. At...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps] Second only perhaps to pastors, catechists are more likely than any other parish staffer to encounter questions about canon law. This is because catechists, especially those working with adults seeking to convert, are recognized as accessible sources of information about...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']N[/dropcaps]ew Haven — On June 3, 1979, a few months after Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became the first Slavic pope, he set out as the vision of his pontificate "that this Polish pope, this Slav pope, should at this precise moment...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]ith this solemn liturgy we end the celebration of the nineteenth centenary of the      martyrdom of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and thus close the Year of Faith. We dedicated it to the commemoration of the holy...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]uring the Last General Meeting of the Second Vatican Council 7 December 1965 Today we are concluding the Second Vatican Council. We bring it to a close at the fullness of its efficiency: The presence of so many of you here clearly...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he recent indignity by which the Obama administration wants to mandate everyone, including all Catholic institutions or their insurers, to pay for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, has raised the issue of Catholic teaching on these issues. Some commentators have mistakenly...

07 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]         e should understand, beloved, that the paschal mystery is at once old and new, transitory           and eternal, corruptible and incorruptible, mortal and immortal. In terms of the Law it is old,...

06 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps] COMMONITORY(1) FOR THE ANTIQUITY AND UNIVERSALITY OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH AGAINST THE PROFANE NOVELTIES OF ALL HERESIES. [Translated by the Rev. C. A. Heurtley, D.D., The Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford, and Canon of Christ Church.] CHAPTER I: The Object...

06 February, 2016 /

Christ Lives in His Church St. Leo the Great Early Church Father & Doctor of the Church This excerpt from a sermon by Saint Leo the Great (Sermo 12 de Passione, 3, 6-7: PL 54, 355-357) is used in the Roman Catholic Office of Readings for Wednesday of...

05 February, 2016 /

Human Personhood Begins at Conception Peter Kreeft [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']N[/dropcaps]on-Christians and even Christians can take opposite positions on abortion even when they think rationally, honestly, and with good will. The continuing controversy over abortion shows that it is a truly controversial issue. It is...

05 February, 2016 /

Can You Prove God Exists? Peter Kreeft [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]efore we answer this question, we must distinguish five questions that are often confused. • First, there is the question of whether something exists or not. A thing can exist whether we know it or not. •...

05 February, 2016 /

Argument from Design - Can You Prove God Exists? Peter Kreeft [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he argument starts with the major premise that where there is design, there must be a designer. The minor premise is the existence of design throughout the universe. The conclusion is that...

05 February, 2016 /

REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS (Guardian Of The Redeemer) Pope John Paul II Apostolic Exhortation of the Supreme Pontiff On 15 August 1989. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]o Bishops, To Priests and Deacons, To Men and Women Religious, and to all the Lay Faithful 1. "Joseph did as the angel of the...

05 February, 2016 /

Sr. Faustina Kowalska and Devotion to Divine Mercy A sermon by Pope John Paul II Sr. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun who propagated devotion to the Divine Mercy in the form of a devotion known as the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This sermon was given by Pope John...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER SPIRITUS ET SPONSA OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY "SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM' [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Spirit and the Bride say "Come'. And let him who hears say, "Come'. And let him who is thirsty come, let...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL ON THE MOST HOLY ROSARY INTRODUCTION [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Rosary of the Virgin Mary, which gradually took form in the second millennium under the guidance of the Spirit of God, is a...

05 February, 2016 /

Quotes From Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]an always travels along precipices. His truest obligation is to keep his balance. The Holy Land needs bridges, not walls. Anything done for another is done for oneself. Stupidity is also a gift from God,...

05 February, 2016 /

Prayers of Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps] Prayer Offered at the Beginning of His Pontificate The new successor of Peter in the see of Rome, today makes a fervent, humble, and trusting prayer: Christ, make me become and remain the...

05 February, 2016 /

Last Will and Testament of Pope John Paul II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]otus Tuus ego sum (Latin for "I am completely in Your hands") In the Name of the Holiest Trinity. Amen. "Keep watch, because you do not know which day when the Lord will come" (Matthew...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS Letter of Pope JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON RESERVING PRIESTLY ORDINATION TO MEN ALONE Pope John Paul II's Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, "On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone," is the definitive judgment by Pope John Paul II that, based on the...

05 February, 2016 /

Mission of the Redeemer REDEMPTORIS MISSIO (On the Permanent Validity of the Church's Missionary Mandate) John Paul II Encyclical promulgated on 7 December 1990. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']V[/dropcaps]enerable Brothers, Beloved Sons and Daughters, Health and the Apostolic Blessing! 1. The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL FOR THE YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST OCTOBER 2004–OCTOBER 2005 INTRODUCTION [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]tay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening” (cf. Lk 24:29). This was the insistent invitation that the two disciples...

05 February, 2016 /

  Lord and Giver of Life Encyclical Letter Dominum et Vivifivcantum (1986) On the Holy Spirit Pope John Paul II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']V[/dropcaps]ENERABLE BROTHERS, BELOVED SONS AND DAUGHTERS, HEALTH AND THE APOSTOLIC BLESSING! 1. The Church professes her faith in the Holy Spirit as "the Lord, the giver...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER ORIENTALE LUMEN OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL TO MARK THE CENTENARY OF ORIENTALIUM DIGNITAS OF POPE LEO XIII JOHN PAUL II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']V[/dropcaps]enerable Brothers, Dear Sons and Daughters of the Church 1. The light of the East has illumined the universal Church, from the...

05 February, 2016 /

LETTER TO WOMEN POPE JOHN PAUL II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps] greet you all most cordially, women throughout the world! 1. I am writing this letter to each one of you as a sign of solidarity and gratitude on the eve of the Fourth World Conference on Women,...

05 February, 2016 /

1994 - YEAR OF THE FAMILY LETTER TO FAMILIES FROM POPE JOHN PAUL II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ear Families! 1. The celebration of the Year of the Family gives me a welcome opportunity to knock at the door of your home, eager to greet you with deep...

05 February, 2016 /

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II TO ARTISTS 1999 To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world. God saw all that he had made, and it was very...

05 February, 2016 /

John Paul II’s Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps] Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the...

05 February, 2016 /

Jesus Christ, The Redeemer of Man REDEMPTOR HOMINIS On Redemption and the Dignity of the Human Race Pope John Paul II For his very first encylical, Redemptor Hominis, Pope John Paul II chose to focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the Human Race....

05 February, 2016 /

I Am the Vine, You are the Branches The reality of the Church as Communion is … the central content of the ‘mystery’, or rather, the divine plan for the salvation of humanity. By Pope John Paul II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Mystery of the Vine The...

05 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]HAPTER I -- INTRODUCTION. Romans, the things which have recently happened in your city under Urbicus, and the things which are likewise being everywhere unreasonably done by the governors, have compelled me to frame this composition for your sakes, who are...

05 February, 2016 /

SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD FOR PERPETUAL REMEMBRANCE JOHN PAUL, BISHOP [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Shepherd of the Lord's whole flock is the Bishop of the Church of Rome, where the Blessed Apostle Peter, by sovereign disposition of divine Providence, offered to Christ the...

05 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]HAPTER I -- ADDRESS. To the Emperor Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar, and to his son Verissimus the Philosopher, and to Lucius the Philosopher, the natural son of Caesar, and the adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and...

05 February, 2016 /

 This reflection on baptism as illumination or enlightenment was written by St. Justin Martyr around 155AD in Rome and reflects the liturgical practices of not only the Church in that city, but most probably the practice of the Church in Ephesus and Palestine as well,...

05 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ctober 11, 1962 Mother Church rejoices that, by the singular gift of Divine Providence, the longed-for day has finally dawned when–under the auspices of the virgin Mother of God, whose maternal dignity is commemorated on this feast–the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO OF POPE JOHN PAUL II ON THE ROLE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY IN THE MODERN WORLD INTRODUCTION [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Church at the Service of the Family 1. The family in the modern world, as much as and perhaps more than any other institution, has...

05 February, 2016 /

ENCYCLICAL LETTER FIDES ET RATIO OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND REASON JOHN PAUL II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]y Venerable Brother Bishops, Health and the Apostolic Blessing! Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the...

05 February, 2016 /

JOHN PAUL II SUPREME PONTIFF APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION UNIVERSI DOMINICI GREGIS ON THE VACANCY OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE AND THE ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF JOHN PAUL, BISHOP SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD FOR PERPETUAL REMEMBRANCE [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Shepherd of the Lord's whole flock is the Bishop of the Church of Rome,...

05 February, 2016 /

ENCYCLICAL LETTER ECCLESIA DE EUCHARISTIA OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CONSECRATED LIFE AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON THE EUCHARIST IN ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH INTRODUCTION [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not...

05 February, 2016 /

LETTER DOMINICAE CENAE OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II TO ALL THE BISHOPS OF THE CHURCH ON THE MYSTERY AND WORSHIP OF THE EUCHARIST [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]y venerable and dear brothers, 1. Again this year, for Holy Thursday, I am writing a letter to all of you. This letter...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER MULIERIS DIGNITATEM OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF ON THE DIGNITY AND VOCATION OF WOMEN ON THE OCCASION OF THE MARIAN YEAR JOHN PAUL II Venerable Brothers and dear Sons and Daughters, Health and the Apostolic Blessing. I INTRODUCTION [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps] sign of the times 1. THE DIGNITY AND THE VOCATION OF WOMEN - a...

05 February, 2016 /

ENCYCLICAL EPISTLE SLAVORUM APOSTOLI OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF TO THE BISHOPS, PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS FAMILIES AND TO ALL THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ELEVENTH CENTENARY OF THE EVANGELIZING WORK OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS JOHN PAUL II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps] INTRODUCTION 1. THE APOSTLES OF THE SLAVS, Saints Cyril and Methodius, are remembered...

05 February, 2016 /

Christian Wisdom-Pope John Paul II Sapientia Christiana APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION SAPIENTIA CHRISTIANA OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF POPE JOHN PAUL II ON ECCLESIASTICAL UNIVERSITIES AND FACULTIES JOHN PAUL, BISHOP SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD FOR PERPETUAL REMEMBRANCE FOREWORD I [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]hristian wisdom, which the Church teaches by divine authority, continuously inspires the...

05 February, 2016 /

Ioannes Paulus PP. II Centesimus annus To His Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate the Priests and Deacons Families of Men and Women religious all the Christian Faithful and to all men and women of good will on the hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum 1991.05.01 Pope John Paul II ________________________________________ Blessing Venerable Brothers, Beloved Sons and Daughters, Health and the Apostolic Blessing! [dropcaps type='normal'...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF ON CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES JOHN PAUL II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]NTRODUCTION BORN FROM THE HEART of the Church, a Catholic University is located in that course of tradition which may be traced back to the very origin of the University as an institution....

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION CATECHESI TRADENDAE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II ON CATECHESIS IN OUR TIME [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]NTRODUCTION Christ's Final Command 1. The Church has always considered catechesis one of her primary tasks, for, before Christ ascended to His Father after His resurrection, He gave the apostles a final command...

05 February, 2016 /

APOSTOLIC VISIT TO TORONTO, TO CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA AND TO CIUDAD DE MÉXICO CANONIZATION OF JUAN DIEGO CUAUHTLATOATZIN HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II Mexico City, Wednesday July 31, 2002 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps] thank you, Father ...

05 February, 2016 /

  ENCYCLICAL OF Pope JOHN XXIII ON TRUTH, UNITY AND PEACE, IN A SPIRIT OF CHARITY JUNE 29, 1959   [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]o the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See, and to all the Priests and Faithful...

05 February, 2016 /

Paul's Loving Correction St. John Chrysostom Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church This excerpt from a homily by John Chrysostom on Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians is used in the Roman Office of Readings for Sunday of the 17th week in ordinary time. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100'...

05 February, 2016 /

Paul's Love for His Flock from a homily of St. John Chrysostom on 2nd Corinthians This excerpt from a homily by St. John Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople, on Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, is used in the Roman Office of Readings for Saturday of the 16th...

05 February, 2016 /

Firstborn of Many Brothers Blessed Isaac of Stella [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']J[/dropcaps]ust as the head and body of a man form one single man, so the Son of the Virgin and those he has chosen to be his members form a single man and the...

04 February, 2016 /

Will St. Peter’s Basilica Become a Mosque? Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']P[/dropcaps]reposterous! Sensationalism! I wish. Around the year 600 AD, north Africa was a Christian heartland, with Alexandria Egypt one of the most prominent seats of Christianity. By 711 AD, it had become a Moslem empire. For...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]ake, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]ork is a four letter word, true.  But is it not a curse word.  As the jobless know all too well, gainful employment is a blessing.  Work is an important means to an even more important end . . . life. But unending work becomes a...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]gnatius, who is also called Theophorus, to Polycarp, Bishop of the Church of the Smyrnæans, or rather, who has, as his own bishop, God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ: [wishes] abundance of happiness. CHAPTER I.-- COMMENDATION AND EXHORTATION. Having obtained good proof that...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]gnatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the holy Church which is at Tralles, in Asia, beloved of God, the Father of Jesus Christ, elect, and worthy of God, possessing peace through the flesh, and blood, and passion of Jesus...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]gnatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Most High Father, and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son; the Church which is beloved and enlightened by the will of Him that...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]gnatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, which is at Philadelphia, in Asia, which has obtained mercy, and is established in the harmony of God, and rejoiceth unceasingly in...

04 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ur faith is not founded upon empty words; nor are we carried away by mere caprice or beguiled by specious arguments. On the contrary, we put our faith in words spoken by the power of God, spoken by the Word...

04 February, 2016 /

Scripture is Sacramental [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he phrase “the word of the Lord” appears hundreds of times in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is the authority that Moses invokes for his law, and the prophets for their oracles. It is, according to the historical books,...

03 February, 2016 /

Catholic Biblical Study A Bibliography I. Magisterial Teachings Primary Sources: Louis, C. (ed.), Rome & the Study of Scripture: A Collection of Papal Enactments on the Study of Holy Scripture Together with the Decisions of the Biblical Commission (7th ed.). St. Meinrad, IN: Abbey Press, 1964. Pontifical Biblical Commission, The...

03 February, 2016 /

Technology and Education by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']J[/dropcaps]esus once quipped that the spiritual leaders of his day were very good at forecasting the weather, but very bad at reading the signs of the times (Mat 16:3). As we approach the 50th anniversary of...

03 February, 2016 /

SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY: SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio This annotated bibliography was offered to Masters level students in a spiritual theology course taught in the University of Dallas’s Institute for Religious and Pastoral Studies from 1994-2001. It is offered as a list of resources that may be...

03 February, 2016 /

SELECTED CHRONOLOGY OF THE CHURCH 1: FROM CHRIST TO CONSTANTINE [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']K[/dropcaps]now basic facts, centuries, and sequence of all items. Know exact dates of bolded items. (c. = approximate) 30 c. AD Death and Resurrection of Jesus followed by Pentecost, the “birthday” of the Church 50...

03 February, 2016 /

Scripture Texts Interpreted by the Church Definitively [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]here are many interpretations of certain biblical passages that have been officially and definitively disallowed by the Universal Magisterium of the Catholic Church. However, a definitive, positive interpretation has been provided for only seven...

03 February, 2016 /

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION: ITS MEANING AND BIBLICAL BASIS Compiled by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D. The most important scripture for the understanding of the sacrament of confirmation is the narrative about Jesus own baptism and anointing by the Spirit, as well as the Church’s anointing with the Spirit at Pentecost...

03 February, 2016 /

Ressourcement Theology and its Intellectual Background A Select Bibliography Ressourcement Theology was a theological movement from the early 20th century through the Second Vatican Council that saw the key to the revitalization of both theology and pastoral life in the church as lying in a reappropriation of...

02 February, 2016 /

The Kingdom of God is Within [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]odily health is a good thing, but what is truly blessed is not only to know how to keep one’s health but actually to be healthy. If someone praises health but then goes and eats...

02 February, 2016 /

Fight the Good Fight of Faith [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]hoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed away. Now by the “new creation” Paul means the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a heart that is pure and blameless, free...

02 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps] Official Roman Liturgical Texts , Instructions and Commentaries Thereupon Book of Blessings.  ICEL trans of De Benedictionibus.  Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1989. Paperback  edition of all the liturgical blessings of the Church for people, places, and objects (sacramentals).  Contains official texts, commentary, and suggestions for celebration.  832pp.   Available also...

02 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ver the past few years, vast changes have occurred in the concept of marriage, at least in the Western world.  There is tremendous disagreement over the goals, purposes, and the very definition of marriage these days.   Surprisingly, however, there is one thing that everyone on...

02 February, 2016 /

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Indulgences   [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]NDULGENCES 1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.  What is an indulgence? "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment...

01 February, 2016 /

Here St. Fulgentius of Ruspe shows how all the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were merely signs foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice, the only sacrifice that could take away all sin and reconcile the human race with God, the self-offering of the Lord Jesus Christ...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he full text of Cardinal Bergoglio's October 2012 letter marking the start of the Year of Faith CWR Staff LETTER ON THE YEAR OF FAITH: TO THE PRIESTS, CONSECRATED RELIGIOUS AND LAY FAITHFUL OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BUENOS AIRES By Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J....

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ear Beatitudes, Eminences, Excellencies, brothers and sisters, The Church today takes up once again the dialogue begun with the announcement of the extraordinary Synod on the family, and certainly even long before that, to evaluate and reflect on the text of...

01 February, 2016 /

  (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated the Missa pro Ecclesiae in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon. Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the full text of his homily. ************************************ [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n these three readings I see that there is something in common:...

01 February, 2016 /

  AUDIENCE TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS Paul VI Audience Hall Saturday, 16 March 2013 [Video] [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ear Friends, At the beginning of my ministry in the See of Peter, I am pleased to meet all of you who have...

01 February, 2016 /

A. Primary Sources: Writings by Henri de Lubac A. Selected Booksby Henri de Lubac [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]ffrontements mystiques. Paris: Témoignage Chrétien, 1950. Athéisme et Sens de l'homme: Une double requête de Gaudium et spes. Paris: Cerf, 1968. Catholicisme: Les aspects sociaux du dogme chrétien. Unam Sanctam, no. 3....

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']F[/dropcaps]or an integral interpretation to occur, both Christian tradition and Christian practice must be brought into the interpetation process. I. Allegorical versus critical exegesis? In Pius XlI's encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943), a rigorously scientific and critical approach to the study of the Bible...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]n April 6, 2006, The National Geographic Society (www.nationalgeographic.com) unveiled a document that is not exactly true to its name.  The term "Gospel" comes from the Greek term for "Good News" and has historically referred to an eyewitness account of the...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']"I[/dropcaps]f we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1 Jn 4:12). This Sunday’s Scripture readings seem to have been chosen precisely for this moment of grace which the Church is experiencing: the Ordinary...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]elow please find Vatican Radio's translation of the full text of the Holy Father's address to the Cardinals: Brother Cardinals, This period of the Conclave has been filled with meaning not just for the College of Cardinals but also for all the...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ear Beatitudes, Eminences and Excellencies, Dear Brothers and Sisters, I would like first of all to thank the Lord, who has guided our synodal process in these years by his Holy Spirit, whose support is never lacking to the Church. My heartfelt...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']J[/dropcaps]ust before Christmas 1936, Regina Bergoglio gave birth to her first child, who she named Jorge, which is Spanish for George. As she held her baby boy in the intense sunshine of an Argentinean summer, little did she know that...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your...

01 February, 2016 /

Holy Mass for the Closing of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (official translation) 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 25 October 2015 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he three Readings for this Sunday show us God’s compassion, his fatherhood, definitively revealed in Jesus. In the midst of...

01 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]onfirmation/Chrismation Biblical and Historical Basis Biblical Christ’s anointing with Holy Spirit coming up after baptism in fulfillment of Is 61:1, anointing for battle & mission Acts 10:38 “I take it you know what has been reported all over Judea about...

31 January, 2016 /

End Times Prophecy of St. Malachy Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]ccording to the prophecies of St. Malachy (d. 1148), the successor of Pope Benedict will be the last man to sit on the throne of Peter before the end of the world. But...

31 January, 2016 /

ECUMENISM & EVANGELIZATION: SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio This very limited bibliography was used in a Master’s level course taught in the University of Dallas’s Institute of Religious and Pastoral Studies(IRPS) from 1994 to 2001. Call numbers are those of the Univ. of Dallas library. The abbreviation...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]early beloved, I know now that you are safe, as I was hoping, and I felt that I had paid you a visit, by being suddenly transported over the face of the earth like Habakkuk, when the angel brought him...

31 January, 2016 /

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON MARRIAGE & FAMILY by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D.  Www.dritaly.com This bibliography is by no means complete or up-to-date.  It is provided only as a starting point for further reading and research on marriage and family.  It should not be implied that inclusion of a book in this bibliography connotes...

31 January, 2016 /

CATECHETICAL LECTURES XIII-XXIII Including the 5 MYSTAGOGICAL CATECHESES St. Cyril of Jerusalem Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]LECTURE XIII. ON THE WORDS, CRUCIFIED AND BURIED ISAIAH liii. 1, 7. Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord...

31 January, 2016 /

CATECHETICAL LECTURES I-XII With PROTOCATECHESIS St. Cyril of Jerusalem Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church PROCATECHESIS PROLOGUE TO THE CATECHETICAL LECTURES OF CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']1[/dropcaps]. ALREADY there is an odour of blessedness upon you, O ye who are soon to be enlightened1:...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]hough many, we are one body, and members one of another, united by Christ in the bonds of love. Christ has made Jews and Gentiles one by breaking down the barrier that divided us and abolishing the law with its precepts...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']P[/dropcaps]atience is a precept for salvation given us by our Lord our teacher: Whoever endures to the end will be saved. And again: If you persevere in my word, you will truly be my disciples; you will know the truth,...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Lord's prayer continues: Thy kingdom come. We ask that the kingdom of God may appear to us, just as we ask that his name may be sanctified in us. For when does God not reign, or when does his kingdom...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he sufferings of this present time are not to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us. Who would not strive wholeheartedly to attain to such glory, to become a friend of God and straightway rejoice with...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]ear brother, the reason why I could not write to you immediately was that all the clergy were embroiled in the heat of the conflict. They could not possibly leave, all of them having prepared themselves for divine and heavenly...

31 January, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ur obligation is to do God’s will, and not our own. We must remember this if the prayer that our Lord commanded us to say daily is to have any meaning on our lips. How unreasonable it is to pray...

31 January, 2016 /
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