Important victory in Europe for the pr0life movement.

On 7 October 2010 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted on a report, which had originally recommended a crack-down on medical personnel who exercise their conscientious objection to abortion and other anti-life procedures.

Ronan Mullen, the Irish senator, and Luca Volonte of Italy, led the assembly in passing amendments which totally reversed the report, from a pro-abortion attack on conscientious objection, to a defence of conscientious objection.

Anthony Ozimic, communications manager of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), commented: "This evening witnessed an incredible victory for the right of staff in medical institutions to refuse to be complicit in the killing of unborn children and other unethical practices.

"SPUC is immensely grateful to the large number of our supporters who lobbied the assembly in recent months, as well as to Senator Mullen, Mr Volonte and the assembly-members who supported them", concluded Mr Ozimic.

In the debate Senator Mullen pointed out that:
the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the rights of unborn children;
there is no human right to abortion, whereas conscientious objection is a basic principle of human rights;
the report's original text was in reality a furtherance of pro-abortion agenda

More information may be obtained at: http://www.spuc.org.uk/news/releases/2010/october07

Celebrate the Feast of The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Heralds of the Gospel.

Click on the above image to enlarge.

The Weeping Irish Madonna of Hungary...

March 17th is St Patrick’s Day, a date enthusiastically enjoyed by Irish communities throughout the world. While it may often appear to be simply a secular holiday, it is in fact the Church’s Feast Day in honour of St Patrick who brought the Catholic Faith to Ireland. Why is that feast day also celebrated with solemnity in the Hungarian diocese of Gyor?

It might be hard to think of a connection between Ireland and Hungary, but both are nations who loved their Catholic Faith and who suffered greatly for it as a result. The beautiful story of the weeping Irish Madonna of Hungary is not well known, but it is a touching reminder of Our Lady’s care and protection for those who love her Son.

During the Reformation, times of persecution in Ireland, many Irish Catholic clergy and nobility were scattered throughout the continent of Europe. So many had to flee their country during this period that there were eventually over 30 colleges for the training of Irish clergy and religious across Europe - from Portugal in the West to Poland in the East.

When Oliver Cromwell and his troops invaded Ireland in 1649, William Lynch the Catholic Bishop of the diocese of Clonfert was arrested, along with some of his priests. Eventually the bishop and some of his group managed to escape, taking with them the picture of the Irish Madonna, to which they were devoted. Once they reached Europe, the group dispersed and the bishop travelled as far as Hungary where he was warmly welcomed by the Bishop of Gyor, who appointed him as his auxiliary.

The good bishop settled permanently in Hungary and laboured tirelessly there for 10 years until his death. In his will he left an image of the Madonna which he brought from his own Cathedral to that of Gyor. The people there had great devotion to the Mother of God, and gave the portrait, which arrived at the time of a series of victories over the Turks, a joyous welcome. They knew that it had come from a Catholic country which was suffering for the faith, and they felt that God had placed this treasured relic in their custody. During the years to come many came to pray before the Madonna, and it was felt that many national disasters had been averted through her intercession.

Then On March 17, 1697, Saint Patrick's Day, as thousands were praying during early morning Mass in the Cathedral of Gyor, priests and faithful suddenly saw that the eyes of the Madonna on the picture were shedding tears and blood, which dropped down upon the image of the Child Jesus below her. This miracle lasted more than three hours. The face of the Madonna was wiped with linen (this linen is still preserved in the Cathedral of Gyor), but the blood and tears continued to flow. Although the picture was immediately taken from the wall and removed from its frame, the phenomenon continued. News of the marvel immediately spread to the far corners of the city and many people of every denomination and faith, flocked to see it. It was witnessed by thousands, and many of them gave testimony of what they saw. A document signed by more than a hundred people carries the signature of the imperial governor of the city, the mayor, all the councilmen, the Bishop, some priests, Calvinist and Lutheran ministers and a Jewish rabbi--all of whom, volunteered to give their testimony.

The miracle of Our Lady weeping blood and tears for her persecuted children in Ireland greatly moved the Hungarian people - people who had themselves suffered greatly for their Catholic faith.

Now in these times of great difficulties for the world, let us ask St Patrick - especially on his feast day - to pray for Ireland, and for Hungary, and indeed for the whole world. May Our Lady of Ireland intercede for us!

November - Month of the Holy Souls

November, the month that the Church has dedicated to the Holy Souls is almost upon us. Let us remember our duty to pray for the suffering faithful in Purgatory.

Who are the the Holy Souls? They are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven for which satisfaction is still to be made.

They have the certain joy of entering Heaven, but first they must be purified in Purgatory. The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4).

It is our great privilege of brotherhood that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works, and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory

ETERNAL REST

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
--------

LITANY FOR THE HOLY SOULS

O Jesus, Thou suffered and died that all mankind might be saved and brought to eternal happiness. Hear our pleas for further mercy on the souls of:

My dear parents and grandparents,* (*My Jesus Mercy!)
My brothers and sisters and other near relatives,*
My godparents and sponsors of Confirmation,*
My spiritual and temporal benefactors,*
My friends and neighbours,*
All for whom love or duty bids me pray,*
Those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me,*
Those who are especially beloved by Thee,*
Those whose release is near at hand,*
Those who desire most to be united with Thee,*
Those who endure the greatest sufferings’*
Those whose release is most remote,*
Those who are least remembered,*
Those whose are most deserving on account of their services to the Church,*
The rich, who are now the most destitute,*
The mighty, who are now powerless,*
The once spiritually blind, who now see their folly,*
The frivolous, who spent their time in idleness,*
The poor, who did not seek the treasures of heaven,*
The tepid, who devoted little time to prayer,*
The insolent, who neglected to perform good works,*
Those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments,*
The habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace,*
Parents who failed to watch over their children,*
Superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them,*
Those who strove for worldly riches and pleasures,*
The worldly-minded, who failed to use their wealth and talents in the service of God,*
Those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own*
Those who did not provide for the life hereafter,*
Those whose sentence is severe because of the great things entrusted to them,*
The popes, kings and rulers,*
The bishops and their counselors,*
My teachers and spiritual advisers,*
The deceased priests of this diocese,*
The priests and religious of the Catholic Church,*
The defenders of the holy faith,*
Those who died on the battlefield,*
Those who fought for their country,*
Those who were buried in the sea,*
Those who died of apoplexy,*
Those who died of heart attacks,*
Those who suffered and died of cancer,*
Those who died suddenly in accidents,*
Those who died without the last rites of the Church,*
Those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours,*
My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgement seat.*

The most beautiful side of the Church

On Sunday 17 October Pope Benedict XVI presided at the canonization Mass of six newly recognized saints: Stanislaw Soltys, André Bessette, Cándida María de Jesús Cipitria y Barriola, Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Giulia Salzano and Battista Camilla Varano.

He pointed out that the canonizations were a "a little special. Two of the new saints in particular generated a special interest in their countries."

The two saints were the first male Canadian-born saint (André Bessette) and the first Australian saint (Mary MacKillop). "The other saints were Italians, a Spaniard, and a Pole, ... so -- although very great -- were not an absolute novelty," he said. "But Australia has never had a saint before, and Canada too has had little familiarity with canonizations."

Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican's press office, speaking on a recent episode of the weekly Vatican Television program "Octava Dies" said: "The Church solemnly proposes models of Christian life with the saints, but it does so while recognizing that the people, above all, have already understood this, that certain persons incarnate the Gospel with extraordinary exemplarity, and thus become the spiritual friends of those who encounter them, fascinating guides in the love of God, in faith, in hope.

"Canonizations are the recognition that God's Spirit breathes in ordinary people such as Mary and Brother André, and bears fruits of virtue that are a source of comfort and light for so many others..... Some saints are solemnly recognized; the great majority do not become universally famous, but equally spread faith, hope and love about themselves ... This is the most beautiful side of the Church."

"In the Church, everything is at the service of men and women of every country and condition, to enable them to meet God journeying along the paths of sanctity..." Fr Lombardi urged, "Let us learn to see the Church in this perspective and continually renew her, beginning with ourselves."

Bath Abbey - the last of England's great medieval churches.

Bath Abbey, the last of England's great medieval churches, dominates the heart of the city of Bath; during the past twelve and a half centuries, three different churches have stood on this site:

There was an Anglo-Saxon Abbey Church dating from 757,but this was pulled down by the Norman conquerors of England soon after 1066. Later a massive Norman cathedral was begun about 1090. However, it was too large for the monastery to afford to maintain and by the end of the 15th century was in ruins.

The present Abbey church was founded in 1499, by Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells. When the Bishop visited Bath in 1499 he was shocked to find this famous church in ruins. He took a year to consider what action to take, before writing to the Prior of Bath in October 1500 to explain that a large amount of the priory income would be dedicated to rebuilding the cathedral. Work probably began the following spring and the restoration of the cathedral was completed just a few years before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 by order of Henry VIII, it was finally completed in 1611.

There is a beautiful story associated with the founding of the Abbey. It is said that the bishop had a nocturnal vision of angels climbing ladders to heaven. As he stood before the ladders in amazement, he heard voices saying that an olive should establish the crown and that a king should restore the church.

The West Front of the Abbey depicts that famous dream.

Make your faith more visible, Archbishop of Westminster urges Catholics

Make your faith more visible, Archbishop of Westminster urges Catholics.

This is an excerpt from the website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster. To read the full article, go to:
http://www.rcdow.org.uk/archbishop/default.asp?library_ref=35&content_ref=3031

Archbishop Vincent Nichols urged Catholics to make their faith more visible by regularly saying ‘God bless you’ and making the Sign of the Cross in their daily lives in a Pastoral Letter read on the weekend of 25 / 26 September 2010.

In the Pastoral Letter the Archbishop of Westminster refered to the words of Pope Benedict XVI who, during his visit to the UK, expressed his hope “…that the Catholics of this land will become ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world to God through lives of faith and holiness.”

Archbishop Nichols said that the visit of Pope Benedict has brought “…joy and given a great boost to so many’” and spoke of the beauty of holiness experienced in the moments of prayer during the visit:

“The Holy Father has given us new heart for our mission. In our Cathedral he spelt out that task. He said we are to be witnesses to the beauty of holiness, to the splendour of the truth and to the joy and freedom born of a living relationship with Christ.”

“We have glimpsed the beauty of holiness especially in the moments of prayer during this visit. The holiness of God is reflected in the reverence shown in the liturgies, in the actions of the Mass, in the music and song we have offered and most vividly in the silence of prayer. The beauty of this holiness permeates us from within as ‘heart speaks unto heart’. I will never forget the richness of the silence of 80,000 people at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in Hyde Park. I hope every celebration of Mass contains times of shared silence in which we can draw close to the Lord.”

... We witness best to the splendour of the truth of our faith when we follow the example given by Pope Benedict. In speaking of our faith he was always so gentle and courteous, so sensitive to the achievements and anxieties of his listeners, so clear and reasoned in presenting difficult points, so humble and open-hearted. We must strive for these same qualities when speaking about our faith, in witnessing to its truth.

...With the blessings of the visit (of Pope Benedict to Britain), we can be more confident in our faith and more ready to speak about it and let it be seen each day. A small step we can all take is to be quicker to say to others that we will pray for them, especially to those in distress. Prayer is the first fruit of faith in the Lord and we grow so much by giving prayer its place in our homes and in our hearts. Even the simple step of more regularly using the greeting ‘God bless you’, gently and naturally, would make a difference to the tone we set in our daily lives as would the more frequent use of the Sign of the Cross. Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all.

In these ways we can begin to respond to the urging of the Holy Father ‘that the Catholics of this land will become ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world to God through lives of faith and holiness.’

Young female Heralds of the Gospel - could this be you?

This video shows the choir of young Herald students from the city of Nova Friburgo (Rio de Janeiro) singing "Der Schnee Leise Rieselt", of German origin.

These young people have chosen the great adventure of following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They generously choose the narrow path of virtue, discipline and love. They come from ordinary homes and backgrounds, just like our own.

Our world today assures us that such a life is harsh, unnatural, odd. But look at the faces of these young Heralds. They shine with joy, and humour, and happiness. This is a joyful life, full of purpose - following Our Lord wherever He leads.

If you are young, courageous, and love your Faith, if you feel the the Holy Spirit is calling you to serve Him more fully, perhaps you are being invited to consider a religious vocation.

Could you be a Herald of the Gospel?

Pope Benedict: The Eucharist Is Nucleus of the Mission

Pope: The Eucharist Is Nucleus of the Mission

The Pope stated this Monday in an audience with Brazilian bishops in Rome for their five-yearly visit.

"The disappearance of the missionary spirit perhaps is not due so much to limitations and deficiencies in the external forms of the traditional missionary action but to forgetting that the mission must be nourished by a more profound nucleus," the Pontiff said. "This nucleus is the Eucharist."

"For the Continental Mission to be really effective, it must begin from the Eucharist and lead to the Eucharist," he added, referring to the mission called for by Latin American and Caribbean bishops who gathered with Benedict XVI in 2007 in Aparecida, Brazil.

The Holy Father noted that Jesus came "to show us, with his words and his life, the ordinary ways of salvation, and he ordered us to transmit this revelation to others with his own authority."

He continued, "This being so, we cannot elude this thought: Men might be saved by other ways, thanks to God's mercy, if the Gospel is not proclaimed to them, but can I be saved if through negligence, fear, shame or because of following false ideas, I fail to proclaim it?"

Benedict XVI pointed out that "the call to the mission is not something destined exclusively to a restricted group of members of the Church, but an imperative addressed to every baptized person, an essential element of his vocation."

"In fact," he said, "the mission is the overflowing of the flame of love that inflames in the heart of the human being, which, on opening to the truth of the Gospel and allowing himself to be transformed by it, begins to live his life."

The Pope noted that "the challenges of the present context could lead to a reductionist view of the concept of mission." This concept "cannot be limited to a simple search for new techniques and ways that make the Church more attractive and capable of overcoming the competition with other religious groups or relativist ideologies."

The Pontiff continued: "The Church does not work for itself: It is at the service of Jesus Christ; it exists to make the Good News accessible to all people. .. The Church is catholic precisely because it invites every human being to experience the new existence in Christ.
"Hence, the mission is no more than the natural consequence of the very essence of the Church, a service of the ministry of the union that Christ willed to carry out in his crucified body."
...
To read the complete article, go to Zenit- 2010-10-05
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-30551?l=english

Souvenir of the Holy Father's visit (3)

As a souvenir of the Holy Father's visit to Britain,the Heralds of the Gospel are pleased to post some photographs of these historical days taken by one of their Heralds photographers who came to the UK for this event.

Let us pray to Jesus and His Holy Mother that the words of the Holy Father, and the graces of this visit, fall on fertile soil.

Souvenir of the Holy Father's visit (2)

As a souvenir of the Holy Father's visit to Britain,the Heralds of the Gospel are pleased to post some photographs of these historical days taken by one of their Heralds photographers who came to the UK for this event.

Let us pray to Jesus and His Holy Mother that the words of the Holy Father, and the graces of this visit, fall on fertile soil.

Souvenir of the Holy Father's visit (i)

As a souvenir of the Holy Father's visit to Britain,the Heralds of the Gospel are pleased to post some photographs of these historical days taken by one of their Heralds photographers who came to the UK for this event.

Let us pray to Jesus and His Holy Mother that the words of the Holy Father, and the graces of this visit, fall on fertile soil.