Medical Miracles: how does the Church decide?

There is a very interesting article which appears on the Zenit website (See ROME, MAY 30, 2010 - http://www.zenit.org/index.php?l=english) on the subject of how the Church authenticates miracles. It is by Father John Flynn, LC, and the full article may be found by following the above link.

The article gives very useful information regarding the way that the Vatican authenticates miracles. Catholics are accustomed to the idea of miracles generally, and in particular, of people being cured through the intercession of the saints. However many find it difficult to give a reasoned response to the sceptical questions of those around them. Fr. Flynn refers us to a recent book "Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints, and Healing in the Modern World" (Oxford University Press) by Jacalyn Duffin. She is a Doctor who holds the Hannah Chair for the history of medicine at Queen's University, Ontario, Canada and during her researches she examined 1,400 miracles cited in canonizations from 1588 to 1999.

Her interest in the subject arose when she was asked to examine tissue samples, and some time later, documentation, which were part of a canonization process. She began to realize that these must exist for every canonized saint.

Soon after, she researched hundreds of these records and considers that she reviewed between a third and a half of all miracles deposited in the Vatican archives since the rules governing canonizations were laid down in 1588.

Evidence

Many people today are unaware that the regulations that were part of the Counter-Reformation reforms demand a rigorous gathering of evidence and a scrupulous examination of the material by medical and scientific experts. For a healing to be deemed miraculous it should be of an incurable illness and the recovery should be complete and instantaneous.

In respect of suspected miracles the Church always acts as a ‘Devil’s Advocate,’ and relies on a scientific scepticism to test their validity. In the records of the miracles that Duffin examined she found that the religious authorities readily deferred to the opinion of scientists and withheld a judgment until they were convinced that the experts were prepared to label the events as inexplicable.

Duffin noted there is much argument over whether, just because there is no apparent explanation for a cure, it really means that the event is a miracle. For example, one of her colleagues explained that while we may not know the natural explanation, one must exist.

Duffin’s response is that to assert that a miracle simply cannot occur is no more rational and no less than an act of faith than the belief that miracles can happen.

The Catholic Church of course believes in the possibility of divine intervention, but it first uses all of medicine's and science’s resources to remove the possibility of any natural explanations of the cures. In addition, the Vatican does not recognize healing miracles in people who have refused orthodox medicine to rely solely on faith. The intervention of doctors provides objective medical evidence that avoids any possible manipulation of the case in question.

The use of doctors to rigorously sift through the available evidence has increased and indeed, the Church does not rely exclusively on Catholic doctors. The inquiries examined the faith of all witnesses, doctors included. Even where doctors were Catholic many admitted they did not regularly practice their faith. Indeed a couple had been excommunicated, but nevertheless they were not disqualified from being witnesses. Nowadays the medical and scientific expertise of doctors of other faiths, or none, has been given in testimony.

Since the second half of the 17th century, the evidence of the doctors treating the patient has been supplemented by independent medical observers, and today the number of experts consulted in every case matches or even exceeds the numbers of doctors attending.

Ultimately a miracle is only declared when the medical experts admit that they are unable to find any natural explanation as to how a person recovered when the best scientific medicine failed.

Young Men, is God calling you to become a Priest? Have you the courage to answer the call?

Video from: EWTN — 17 February 2010 — Fr. John Corapi of of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity explains his call to the priesthood.

Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood

Almighty and eternal God,
in your unfailing love your provide
ministers for your Church.

We pray for those whom you call
to serve the Church as priests
Inspire in them a generous response.
Grant them courage and vision to
serve your people

May their lives and service call your
people to respond to the presence
of your Spirit among us

so that, faithful to the Gospel

and to Jesus Christ, we may
announce glad tidings to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives,
set prisoners free and

renew the face of the earth.

What are 'Companions' of the Heralds of the Gospel?

In order to give themselves entirely to the evangelizing activity, and at the same time fulfil their ideal of perfection, based on their charism, the heralds of the Gospel, while remaining in the lay state, live in community, submitting to an Ordo of Customs, practicing the evangelical counsels of chastity, obedience and poverty while living a celibate life.

However, there are also many who feel called by grace to sanctify themselves and live in accordance with the spirituality, charism, and mission of the Heralds of the Gospel, and yet the obligations of their state of life do not permit a total dedication, thus necessitating other forms of membership in the Association. Over time, there developed different groups within this ecclesial movement known as Companions, Apostles or Tertiaries, comprising a special branch, inspired by the organization of certain religious Orders.

According to the Statutes of the Heralds of the Gospel, these Companions are those who, “while they identify themselves with the spirit of the Association, due to their priestly duties, or because they belong to an institute of consecrated life or a society of apostolic life, or due to their professional or family obligations, cannot give themselves fully to the work of the Association” (Statute 9).

Therefore, as married or single lay people living in the world, priests, deacons, religious, lay people of consecrated life or members of other associations or ecclesiastical movements, the Companions of the Heralds of the Gospel, besides observing the precepts and duties proper to their state in life, make an effort to live in conformity with the charism and spirituality of the Association, dedicating their free time to it and committing themselves to fulfill certain obligations.

They desire to apply to their daily life — in their family circles, during social activities and in the workplace — the spirit and teaching of the Heralds of the Gospel, being witnesses of Christ to their neighbor by both word and example.

The primary objective of the Association, according to its Statutes, consists in “being an instrument of sanctity in the Church, helping its members to respond generously to the calling of the fullness of the Christian life and the perfection of charity, favoring and encouraging the greatest unity between daily life and the faith”, and uniting itself to the efforts of all Catholics to participate “in the salvific mission of the Church through apostolate, to which they are destined by the Lord, in virtue of Baptism and Confirmation”, being especially active “in favor of the Christian evangelization, sanctification and animation of the temporal realities” (Statute 1).

To belong to a true ecclesial vanguard, in order to, at the dawn of the Third Millennium, contribute toward the re-Christianization of society and the establishment of the Reign of Christ, is the ardent desire of each herald of the Gospel, who has confidence in the victory of the Church of Christ.
“We do not know what the new millennium has in store for us”, stated Pope John Paul II, “but we are certain that it is safe in the hands of Christ, the ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 35).
They want to contribute towards bringing about the consecratio mundi, in other words, the Christianization of the temporal order to which John XXIII referred (Cf. Mater et Magistra, 214), a most important task of the laity in the New Evangelization.

In order to fulfill this mission, they spare no efforts, placing all their resources at the service of the Church, applying their intelligence and imagination to the most diverse activities, proclaiming the Gospel to all social classes, being active in parishes, homes and schools, in professional, cultural and sportive ambiences, on television and radio, in slums, hospitals, asylums and prisons, anywhere it is possible to bring a word of consolation, encouragement or hope.

Inasmuch as his duties and way of life permit, the Apostle or Companion also takes part in these activities, led by those whom the superiors designate.
At the same time, like any herald of the Gospel, they know that all their efforts will be useless, if their hearts are not intimately united to Jesus and Mary, for the interior life is the soul of the apostolate.

The pillars of the spirituality of the Heralds of the Gospel are represented in their emblem: the Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin and the Roman Pontiff.

In the Sacred Host they seek the necessary strength not to falter in the path leading to the perfection of charity, and to courageously give witness to the Gospel.
Towards the most Holy Virgin they cultivate a filial piety, knowing that she is the best way to reach Christ. Following the Christ-centred and Marian school of St. Louis de Montfort, they consecrate themselves as slaves of love to Jesus through the hands of Mary.

It is through fidelity to the Pope, our Sweet Christ on earth and infallible master of Faith and Morals, that their Catholic heart best expresses their love for the Church.
The life of piety and participation in the liturgy of the Church are integral parts of their spiritual life, the lifeblood of sanctity and of the apostolate.

They are zealous in cultivating contemplation, custody of the heart and mental prayer, and they offer all their actions, even the most insignificant or inadvertent, as praise and supplication.

In the practice of Christian virtue, they place special emphasis on vigilance in avoiding occasions of sin.
They humbly strive to willingly obey their superiors, never seeking personal promotion.
They strive to practice purity of mind and body, which is reflected in their gaze, behaviour, manner of dressing and their pristine appearance.
Furthermore, they practice detachment from the goods of this earth, which they make use of solely for the greater glory of God.

The Ordo of Customs of the Heralds of the Gospel — composed of rules compiled over the years, from the habitual practices of daily life — constitutes a fundamental aid in the journey toward perfection, according to their charism, spirituality and mission. It helps them live in an ambience of fraternal charity, discipline and sacrality, seeking to wisely harmonize contemplation with action, prayer with apostolate, recollection and study with the commitment they have assumed of giving public Christian testimony.

Without prejudicing the duties of state — whether familial, professional or social —the Companion seeks to adapt his life to the spirituality of the Heralds of the Gospel.

For further information contact:

The Heralds of the Gospel
29 Lower Teddington Road
Hampton Wick
Surrey KT1 4 EU
Tel.: (44) 20 8943 4159
lumenmaria@aol.com

Sermon LXXV: On Pentecost - By Pope St. Leo I (AD 390-461)I

The Giving of the Law by Moses Prepared the Way for the Outpouring of the Holy Ghost

The hearts of all Catholics, beloved, realize that to-day's solemnity is to be honoured as one of the chief feasts, nor is there any doubt that great respect is due to this day, which the Holy Spirit has hallowed by the miracle of His most excellent gift. For from the day on which the Lord ascended up above all heavenly heights to sit down at God the Father's right hand, this is the tenth which has shone, and the fiftieth from His Resurrection, being the very day on which it began, and containing in itself great revelations of mysteries both new and old, by which it is most manifestly revealed that Grace was fore-announced through the Law and the Law fulfilled through Grace. For as of old, when the Hebrew nation were released from the Egyptians, on the fiftieth day after the sacrificing of the lamb the Law was given on Mount Sinai, so after the suffering of Christ, wherein the true Lamb of God was slain on the fiftieth day from His Resurrection, the Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles and the multitude of believers, so that the earnest Christian may easily perceive that the beginnings of the Old Testament were preparatory to the beginnings of the Gospel, and that the second covenant was rounded by the same Spirit that had instituted the first.

How Marvellous Was the Gift of "Divers Tongues"

For as the Apostles' story testifies: "while the days of Pentecost were fulfilled and all the disciples were together in the same place, there occurred suddenly from heaven a sound as of a violent wind coming, and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance." Oh! how swift are the words of wisdom. and where God is the Master, how quickly is what is taught, learnt. No interpretation is required for understanding, no practice for using, no time for studying, but the Spirit of Truth blowing where He wills, the languages peculiar to each nation become common property in the mouth of the Church. And therefore from that day the trumpet of the Gospel-preaching has sounded loud: from that day the showers of gracious gifts, the rivers of blessings, have watered every desert and all the dry land, since to renew the face of the earth the Spirit of God "moved over the waters," and to drive away the old darkness flashes of new light shone forth, when by the blaze of those busy tongues was kindled the Lord's bright Word and fervent eloquence, in which to arouse the understanding, and to consume sin there lay both a capacity of enlightenment and a power of burning.

The Three Persons in the Trinity are Perfectly Equal in All Things

But although, dearly-beloved, the actual form of the thing done was exceeding wonderful, and undoubtedly in that exultant chorus of all human languages the Majesty of the Holy Spirit was present, yet no one must think that His Divine substance appeared in what was seen with bodily eyes. For His Nature, which is invisible and shared in common with the Father and the Son, showed the character of His gift and work by the outward sign that pleased Him, but kept His essential property within His own Godhead: because human sight can no more perceive the Holy Ghost than it can the Father or the Son. For in the Divine Trinity nothing is unlike or unequal, and all that can be thought concerning Its substance admits of no diversity either in power or glory or eternity. And while in the property of each Person the Father is one, the Son is another, and the Holy Ghost is another, yet the Godhead is not distinct and different; for whilst the Son is the Only begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, not in the way that every creature is the creature of the Father and the Son, but as living and having power with Both, and eternally subsisting of That Which is the Father and the Son. And hence when the Lord before the day of His Passion promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to His disciples, He said, "I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth shall have come, He shall guide you into all the Truth. For He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He shall have heard, He shall speak and shall announce things to come unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I that He shall take of Mine, and shall announce it to you." ….
…. For from Him comes the invocation of the Father, from Him come the tears of penitents, from Him come the groans of suppliants, and "no one can call Jesus the Lord save in the Holy Ghost," Whose Omnipotence as equal and Whose Godhead as one, with the Father and the Son, the Apostle most clearly proclaims, saying, "there are divisions of graces but the same Spirit; and the divisions of ministrations but the same Lord; and there are divisions of operations but the same God, Who worketh all things in all."

The Spirit's Work is Still Continued in The Church

By these and other numberless proofs, dearly-beloved, with which the authority of the Divine utterances is ablaze, let us with one mind be incited to pay reverence to Whitsuntide, exulting in honour of the Holy Ghost, through Whom the whole catholic Church is sanctified, and every rational soul quickened; Who is the Inspirer of the Faith, the Teacher of Knowledge, the Fount of Love, the Seal of Chastity, and the Cause of all Power. Let the minds of the faithful rejoice, that throughout the world One God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is praised by the confession of all tongues, and that that sign of His Presence, which appeared in the likeness of fire, is still perpetuated in His work and gift. For the Spirit of Truth Himself makes the house of His glory shine with the brightness of His light, and will have nothing dark nor lukewarm in His temple. And it is through His aid and teaching also that the purification of fasts and alms has been established among us. For this venerable day is followed by a most wholesome practice, which all the saints have ever found most profitable to them, and to the diligent observance of which we exhort you with a shepherd's care, to the end that if any blemish has been contracted in the days just passed through heedless negligence, it may be atoned for by the discipline of fasting and corrected by pious devotion. On Wednesday and Friday, therefore, let us fast, and on Saturday for this very purpose keep vigil with accustomed devotion, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
This sermon was delivered on the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Book of Acts. It is the birthday of the Church. Translation of sermon from Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Second Series: Vol. XII.

From: http://www.ancient-future.net/leopent1.html

For Pentecost - Veni Creator Spiritus

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, known as the Golden Sequence, is the sequence for the Mass for Pentecost. It is commonly regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces of sacred Latin poetry ever written. Its beauty and depth have been praised by many. The hymn has been attributed to three different authors, King Robert II the Pious of France (970-1031), Pope Innocent III (1161-1216), and Stephen Langton (d 1228), Archbishop of Canterbury, of which the last is most likely the author.

COME, Holy Ghost,
send down those beams,
which sweetly flow in silent streams
from Thy bright throne above.

O come, Thou Father of the poor;
O come, Thou source of all our store,
come, fill our hearts with love.

O Thou, of comforters the best,
O Thou, the soul's delightful guest,
the pilgrim's sweet relief.

Rest art Thou in our toil, most sweet
refreshment in the noonday heat;
and solace in our grief.

O blessed Light of life Thou art;
fill with Thy light the inmost heart
of those who hope in Thee.

Without Thy Godhead nothing can,
have any price or worth in man,
nothing can harmless be.

Lord, wash our sinful stains away,
refresh from heaven our barren clay,
our wounds and bruises heal.

To Thy sweet yoke our stiff necks bow,
warm with Thy fire our hearts of snow,
our wandering feet recall.

Grant to Thy faithful, dearest Lord,
whose only hope is Thy sure word,
the sevenfold gifts of grace.

Grant us in life Thy grace that we,
in peace may die and ever be,
in joy before Thy face.
Amen. Alleluia.

From the Roman Missal, translation by John Austin (1613-1669).

From: http://www.preces-latinae.org/preces.html

Annual procession in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes

Heralds of the Gospel

Annual Outdoor Procession

MONTH OF MAY – MONTH OF MARY



Dear Friend

The HERALDS OF THE GOSPEL, in collaboration with the Sons of Divine Providence, the Knights of St Columba & Parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish, cordially invite you and your family to participate in

The annual procession in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes



FOLLOWED BY CONCELEBRATED MASS

Sunday, 30th May 2010

Venue: Don Orione House on Station Rd, between Lower Teddington Rd and Seymour Rd, Hampton Wick KT14EU.

(See attached map)



Procession starts 5:00 pm

from

Don Orione House on Station Rd, between Lower Teddington Rd and Seymour Rd

Hampton Wick KT14EU.

Mass 6:00 pm at

Sacred Heart Church, 262 Kingston Road, Teddington, TW119JQ

Followed by refreshments and light meal at the parish hall.



We look forward to seeing you on this special occasion

in honour of Our Blessed Mother.

RSVP to Br Arthur or Br Michael at 02089434159

Voices from Tabor: The spiritual gift of Discipline

Thabor (in English Tabor or Thabor, the seminary of the Heralds of the Gospel in Brazil) is a place where elevation and discipline reign. Banalities and lack of seriousness are naturally discouraged.

Naturally? Yes, naturally. In the sense that without needing to always having to drag a person, heavy with earthly thoughts and desires, to elevated things, he is in a situation where it is, in a way, the only thing possible. From the way a door handle that ennobles a simple closet to the way the indirect lighting creates a penumbra enveloping a corner with mystery, turning every detail into an occasion for elevation of the mind towards God. In creatures one can see an aspect of God, a principle behind a design which even opens the mind to the possibilities of things God could have created, wonders that exist in God’s infinite mind; these wonders that we hope to contemplate in Heaven. A prayer that really shows this spirit is one that the Heralds of the Gospel, who voluntarily live in a spirit of poverty, when are in need of some material good, end the request for them with it, adapted from the litany of the saints.

Even in the most simple situations, pulchrum (beauty) involves the life of a herald, so that the union with God, Our Blessed Mother, the Choirs of the Angels and the Community of the Saints is always more intense. Everything provides an opportunity for mystical graces to touch the deepest recesses of the soul.

But then why discipline? Doesn’t the soul fly towards these wonders? Is this not the essential part of a holy person’s life? Certainly! Without elevation man is nothing. We were created to contemplate and glorify God. But this is precisely why we need discipline.

Man is both body and soul. The angels shine contemplating God and singing His praises in pure spirit, but man with his body as well. His actions, every beat of his heart should give glory to God.

Man in Paradise had a perfect nature. All he did was orderly and pleasant to God. But with original sin, the situation changed …with labour and toil shall you eat thereof all the days of your life… (Genesis 3:17) No longer are all things in man subject to God’s will. Man is burdened by disorderly passions. He must fight against inclinations towards evil, as he was cursed to a fallen nature. “For you are dust, And to dust you shall return. …”

Oh how we are subject to that just sentence! At every instant our flesh calls us despise the law written in the bronze of our souls! Even worst, not only the flesh, but the Devil and the World conspire against our salvation, against our union with God! How can we maintain our minds in Heaven when our feet are dragging?

Of course, for man that is impossible. Only with God’s grace can man stably practice the Ten Commandments. St. Thomas teaches us that while a man is capable of doing some ethical or moral good, supernatural good is only with His Grace. But graces come in many forms. To simplify, we’ll use an example to demonstrate the difference between sufficient grace (gratia mere sufficiens) and efficacious grace (gratia efficax).

Sufficient graces are those that give the person the possibility to do good. A man who wants to cross a river needs a boat, oars and the strength to do so. It is analogous to a man who wants to practice good. He needs grace. God gives it. But when the current is stronger than normal? When the task at hand is so much more difficult than the common situation? More help is needed. There God not only gives you oars, but He shall push the boat towards the goal.

Of course, man always has free will, but isn’t it hard to row against a hurricane of graces? When God sends His winds, at most you need to open the sails to reach the goal. Sometimes not even that. How many wonderful stories about mystics could we tell? They saw the most sublime things, as if ascended into Heaven. But not only they, but every person, at one point in their lives, was subject such a grace, in a greater or lesser degree.

But the journeys of a Catholic are not always full of winds that push towards the Heavens. How many times have we found ourselves in a dark night, and the boat slipping from our control? Does God abandon us? No, absolutely not! Does the mother abandon the child when she puts the child down from her arms and gives it her hand as it may walk on its own feet? No, God helps us in the same way, as we may be strengthened. He shall always be there. Even St. Paul begged God to take Him in His arms as the mother takes child the child and carries it where she wishes and protect it. But the Lord told him, as we read in 2 Corinthians 12: My grace is sufficient for you: for power is made perfect in infirmity.

This is where discipline comes in. Our small contribution to the action of grace. A man must put order into his life in so that he may triumph over his worst enemy: himself. To defeat all his evil inclinations he needs both grace and a bit of effort (Or sometimes a lot!) . “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” – St. Augustine.

He needs to make efforts to strengthen his will. Waking up early and having schedules to follow make a Herald use his time wisely and efficiently. Practicing ceremonials, be it for Mass or the muster of the Credo before classes or even the cortege from dinner to Compline, helps the body discipline its movements to make them dignified movements yet leaving the mind open to reach the highest contemplations that grace proportions when we are properly disposed for them. If angels had bodies… imagine it…we want to imitate them!

Discipline is not only work! Everything helps a young herald be always with enthusiasm to love, know and serve Our Blessed Mother and Her Divine Son!

Washing dishes, cleaning, exercise, silence, early wake-up, lights out, drills, music practice, Marian missions (will be the subject of future posts), parish duties, community admonishments, chapters of faults, studies, strong reading habits and being expected to always do everything with a love for perfection creates habits that end up forming ideas, that then forms mentalities and finally forms saints. All this next to an intense spiritual life make a seminarian ready for anything and willing to go and do anything that Holy Church needs of him. At a young age, obedience already becomes way of life, making him capable of things others aren’t. Living in community, having to follow an Ordo of Customs (again, we hope to write on it later) and constantly having to dominate their will and put it the hands of another make a seminarian be ready for those times that God hands us “just an oar” to give us merits.

These habits end up being natural to the person, allowing him to fly when life weights down. Without discipline, when aridness begins to ail a soul, it succumbs and is incapable of elevating the minds to God. When God sends His winds to push us towards great things and great horizons to “Put out into deep water” (Luke 5:4 ) it is easy to elevate your mind towards Him. But when He wants us to suffer the apparent abandonment He Himself suffered to make us grow, we need to be ready for it.

An athlete who wants to win a race can’t rely on having a “good day” . He has to train for it. The path towards sanctity is not always full of bright skies and soothing winds. Sometimes it goes through dark knights and heavy storms. With discipline, overcoming those trials, always with God’s grace, becomes possible, being able to always keep the celestial objective in sight and on the path towards it.
Let us all discipline ourselves, above all in our prayer life, so we can one day with great joy say: I have fought a good fight: I have finished my course: I have kept the faith!

Always seeking Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, be it with the greatest consolations or the most challenging aridity

Hail Holy Queen, pray for our nation.

In these troubled times for our country, may Our Blessed Mother intercede for us, for our Church, our families and our land.

JOHN HENRY NEWMAN TO BE BEATIFIED BY POPE BENEDICT XVI DURING HIS UK VISIT

Pope Benedict XVI will beatify John Henry Newman on 19th September 2010, during his visit to the U.K., in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
"May Cardinal Newman, whose love of truth was so deep and pure, remain a bridge between the various denominations and continue to inspire us to serve unity in a spirit of charity."

Pope John Paul II on Cardinal Newman:

Although he was born at a particular time, “the particular mission entrusted to him by God ensures that John Henry Newman belongs to every time and place and people”, the Holy Father said in a Letter to Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham, Great Britain, on the occasion of the second centenary of the birth of the great English Cardinal, born in London on 21 February 1801. The Pope said that the famous convert came to a remarkable synthesis of faith and reason, but it was a search shot through with pain: “In the end, therefore, what shines forth in Newman is the mystery of the Lord’s Cross: this was the heart of his mission, the absolute truth which he contemplated, the ‘kindly light’ which led him on”. Here is the text of the Holy Father’s Letter, which was written in English and dated 22 January.

To The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Birmingham

On the occasion of the second centenary of the birth of the Venerable Servant of God John Henry Newman, I gladly join you, your Brother Bishops of England and Wales, the priests of the Birmingham Oratory and a host of voices throughout the world in praising God for the gift of the great English Cardinal and for his enduring witness.

As Newman pondered the mysterious divine plan unfolding in his own life, he came to a deep and abiding sense that “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission” (Meditations and Devotions). How true that thought now appears as we consider his long life and the influence which he has had beyond death. He was born at a particular time — 21 February 1801; in a particular place — London; and to a particular family — the first-born of John Newman and Jemima Fourdrinier. But the particular mission entrusted to him by God ensures that John Henry Newman belongs to every time and place and people.

Newman was born in troubled times which knew not only political and military upheaval but also turbulence of soul. Old certitudes were shaken, and believers were faced with the threat of rationalism on the one hand and fideism on the other. Rationalism brought with it a rejection of both authority and transcendence, while fideism turned from the challenges of history and the tasks of this world to a distorted dependence upon authority and the supernatural. In such a world, Newman came eventually to a remarkable synthesis of faith and reason which were for him “like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (Fides et ratio, Introduction; cf. ibid., n. 74). It was the passionate contemplation of truth which also led him to a liberating acceptance of the authority which has its roots in Christ, and to the sense of the supernatural which opens the human mind and heart to the full range of possibilities revealed in Christ. “Lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on”, Newman wrote in The Pillar of the Cloud; and for him Christ was the light at the heart of every kind of darkness. For his tomb he chose the inscription: Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem; and it was clear at the end of his life’s journey that Christ was the truth he had found.

But Newman’s search was shot through with pain. Once he had come to that unshakeable sense of the mission entrusted to him by God, he declared: “Therefore, I will trust Him … If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him … He does nothing in vain … He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me. Still, He knows what He is about” (Meditations and Devotions). All these trials he knew in his life; but rather than diminish or destroy him they paradoxically strengthened his faith in the God who had called him, and confirmed him in the conviction that God “does nothing in vain”. In the end, therefore, what shines forth in Newman is the mystery of the Lord’s Cross: this was the heart of his mission, the absolute truth which he contemplated, the “kindly light” which led him on.

As we thank God for the gift of the Venerable John Henry Newman on the 200th anniversary of his birth, we pray that this sure and eloquent guide in our perplexity will also become for us in all our needs a powerful intercessor before the throne of grace. Let us pray that the time will soon come when the Church can officially and publicly proclaim the exemplary holiness of Cardinal John Henry Newman, one of the most distinguished and versatile champions of English spirituality. With my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 22 January 2001.

JOANNES PAULUS PP. II

(Reference: L’Osservatore Romano English Edition, 7 March 2001, p. 2)

Archbishop Nichols looks forward to Pope Benedict's visit to the UK

Archbishop Nichols looks forward to Pope Benedict's visit to the UK from Catholic Church (England/Wales) on Vimeo.

Pope Benedict in Portugal: "I come before you as a son visiting his Mother...."

13 May 2010 — "I come before you as a son visiting his Mother, and I do so in company with a multitude of brothers and sisters... I wish to present to your Immaculate Heart the joys and hopes as well as the problems and sufferings of each one of these sons and daughters of yours." This is part of the prayer of entrustment that Benedict XVI elevated to Mary in the Chapel of Apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima on May 12th. Benedict XVI knelt before the image of Our Lady and offered a Golden Rose to the Virgin Mary.In the evening and before a crowd of faithful, the Pope blessed the candles for the procession and recited the rosary. Earlier, during the homily of Vespers with the priests, religious and laity ...

http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/News-and-Media/Video/Pope-Benedict-XVI-in-Portugal

Catholic education: parents are the primary educators of their children

Excerpts from an article by Kathryn Hennessy, an Oxford graduate and a home educating mother of seven, which appeared in Dowry (N°5, Winter 2010)
http://www.fssp.org/en/liens.htm

It is all too easy to forget in this age in which the care and education of children has been largely taken away from the hands of the parents (often, it has to be said, with their full consent) that parents remain the primary educators of their children even if they choose to delegate part of that responsibility to a school or other institution or person. Even a cursory glance at Church teaching on this subject should be enough to remind us of this reality.

Sapientiæ Christianæ, Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical of 1890, states:

“Let everyone be firmly convinced, first of all, that the minds of children are best trained above all by the teaching they receive at home [...]. By nature, parents have a right to the training of their children, but with the added duty that the education and instruction of the child be in accord with the end for which by God's blessing it was begotten. Therefore, it is the duty of parents to make every effort to prevent any invasion of their rights in this matter, and to make absolutely sure that the education of their children remains under their own control in keeping with their Christian duty [...]. The obligation of the family to bring up children includes not only religious and moral education but physical and civic education as well [...]”.

Note that these words are addressed equally to parents who send their children to Catholic schools: sending one's children to school does not obviate parental responsibilities regarding education.

In Casti Connubii Pope Pius XI commented:

“[God] has given to those to whom He entrusted the power and right to beget (children), the power and also the right to educate them. Now it is certain that both by the law of nature and of God, this right and duty of educating their offspring belongs in the first place to those who began the work of nature by giving them birth, and they are indeed forbidden to leave unfinished this work […]. In matrimony, provision has been made in the best possible way for this education of children”.

In Pope Pius XI's great encyclical on education 'Christian Education of Youth' published in 1929, adds

“We wish to call attention to the present day lamentable decline in family education […] for the fundamental duty and obligation of educating their children, many parents have little or no preparation, immersed as they are in temporal cares. ”

Regarding the rights of parents versus the rights of the State, this Encyclical states: “In the first place comes the family, instituted directly by God for its particular purpose, the procreation and the formation of offspring; for this reason it has priority of nature, and therefore of rights, over civil society.” Furthermore: “The family holds directly from the Creator the mission, and hence the right, to educate the young, a right inalienable because inseparably joined to a strict obligation, a right anterior to any right whatever of civil society and the State, and therefore inviolable on the part of any power on earth.” …….
Even common sense would oppose the notion that children belong to the State before they belong to the family and that the State has no absolute right over their education. Finally, and of great significance in the present debate: “In the matter of education it is the duty of the State to protect by means of its legislation, the prior rights of the family as regards the Christian education of its offspring […]”.

The Declaration on Christian Education of the Second Vatican Council more recently restated all this in even stronger terms: “Since parents have given life to their children, they are bound by a grave obligation to educate their offspring, and so must be regarded as their primary and principal educators. Their role in education is of such importance that where it is missing, its place can scarcely be supplied.”

The apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio (1981) of Pope John Paul II proclaims that: “The right and duty of parents to give education is essential, since it is connected with the transmission of human life; it is original and primary with regard to the educational role of others. […] it is irreplaceable and inalienable and therefore incapable of being entirely delegated to others or usurped by others.”

Again, in his Charter of the Rights of the family (1983), written mainly to support parents in their right to oppose sex education in the schools, John Paul II states that:
“Parents have the original, primary right to educate their children and must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children....Parents have the right to educate their children in conformity with their moral and religious convictions.”

John Paul II's Encyclical Catechesæ Trandendæ re-iterates perennial Church teaching on these matters.

As can be seen from all these quotations, the mind of the Church remains consistent regarding both parental obligations and the powers of the state regarding the education of youth.