Former Anglicans make thanksgiving pilgrimage to Rome

From: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/former-anglicans-make-thanksgiving-pilgrimage-to-rome/

Rome, Italy, Feb 24, 2012 / 05:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Over 100 former Anglicans from the British Isles concluded a pilgrimage to Rome Feb. 24 in thanksgiving for the creation of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

“It has been quite poignant because almost all of the people who are with me were not Catholics until Easter last year,” Monsignor Keith Newton, the head of the U.K. ordinariate told CNA on Feb. 24.

The ordinariate was established last year by Pope Benedict XVI to give Anglicans the possibility of entering into communion with the Catholic Church while still preserving their “distinctive Anglican patrimony.”

“Now they have come to the center of Catholicism, they’ve come to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul to pray and to give thanks, and I think they’ve been genuinely moved by this, really,” Msgr. Newton said of his fellow pilgrims.

The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham already has 57 priests and over 1,000 members throughout England, Wales and Scotland. This Easter it will receive another 200 lay people and 20 priests into the Church.

“‘Wonderful’ is not a strong enough word to express what we all feel at being together here,” said Father Len Black, the homilist at a Feb. 24 morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Fr. Black was a Scottish Episcopalian minister for 30 years.

“I am certain that, like me, this week you have all experienced the feeling of coming home,” he told the congregation in the basilica’s Chapel of St. Joseph.

“Nowhere can we truly experience this other than being here, so close to the place where the apostle Peter gave his life for the faith and where his successors have guarded the faith for generations.”

On Wednesday the group was personally welcomed by Pope Benedict XVI during his weekly audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. In return the pilgrims stood and sang the hymn “Praise to the Holiest,” which was composed by Blessed John Henry Newman. The 19th century Anglican cleric turned Catholic cardinal is the ordinariate’s patron.

“I think our musical heritage is as strong part of our patrimony,” said 28-year-old Michael Vian Clark to CNA after today’s Mass. He became Catholic in 2007 and is now the Director of Music at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, England. His highlight of the week was attending Mass at the basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro, which was Cardinal Newman’s titular church in Rome.

“It was very, very moving for us to celebrate Mass there with some of the texts Blessed John Henry might have known, but also, importantly, to use two of his hymns as the offertory and post communion, which was really moving and touching in that particular place.”

He said that even though Bl. John Henry Newman “would not have thought that would ever be possible … here we are and it happened.”

With little money and no church buildings being given to them by the Bishops of England & Wales, it seems to have been a difficult but happy first year for the U.K. ordinariate.

“We’ve had to live by faith and, in the end, God has provided,” said Msgr. Newton.

“None of us are hungry, none of us have nowhere to live. God will provide, and I think we’ve just got to trust him.”

Our Founder: Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias [Part 11]

Cont'd. from: Our Founder: Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias [Part 1]

Inspired by a desire for greater dedication to Our Lord and his brethren, Msgr. João Clá prepared for the priestly ministry along with some of his companions. Because of the role which the Third Order of Carmel played in the founding of the Heralds of the Gospel, it was a Carmelite prelate, the Most Rev. Lucio Angelo Renna, then Bishop of Avezzano, Italy, who welcomed the first priests of this Association. They – including Msgr. João Clá – were ordained on June 15, 2005, in the same Carmelite Basilica where almost 50 years previously he had begun his activities at the service of the Church and his fellow Christians. The ceremony was honoured with the presence of Cardinal Claudio Hummes. Seven bishops concelebrated the Eucharist along with seventy priests.

These first priests of the Heralds of the Gospel constituted the Priestly Society of Apostolic Life Virgo Flos Carmeli, which was canonically erected by the Bishop of Avezzano, the Most Rev. Lucio Renna. Msgr. João Clá Dias is the founder and present Superior General of Virgo Flos Carmeli.

Msgr. João Clá Dias has also formed approximately 50 choirs and symphonic bands in the various countries in which the Heralds of the Gospel are active. He is the conductor of the International Choir and Orchestra of the Heralds of the Gospel, which has toured several countries of Europe and the Americas.

He has written widely distributed works (some surpassing one millions copies), published in Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian, French, Polish and Albanian: “Fatima, Dawn of the Third Millennium,” “The Rosary, the Prayer of Peace,” Sacred Heart of Jesus, Treasure of Goodness and Love,” “The Miraculous Medal, its History and the Celestial Promises,” “Via Sacra,” “Jacinta and Francisco, the Chosen Ones of Mary,” “Daily Prayers,” “The Mother of Good Counsel of Genazzano,” “Dona Lucilia” and “Commentaries on the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception”.

Msgr. João Clá is a member of the International Society of Thomas Aquinas, the Marian Academy of Aparecida and the Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate Conception. He has been honoured in various countries for his cultural and academic achievements, receiving the Medal of Sciences from Mexico and the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, from the Italo-Brazilian University of São Paulo.

He is the founder of and regular contributor to the monthly magazine Heralds of the Gospel, published in English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, with a total circulation of nearly one million. Since 2002, he has written a commentary on the Gospel for each issue. He is also a regular contributor to the academic publication “Lumen Veritatis,” published by the University of the Heralds of the Gospel, which was inaugurated in October 2007, due mainly to his initiative.

In an effort to enhance benevolent apostolic works, he created the charitable “Mercy” foundation, within the Heralds of the Gospel Association in Brazil. It gathers donations through mass mailings.

Under his impetus and guidance the Heralds of the Gospel International College launched its academic mission in 2005.

The construction of Our Lady of the Rosary Church, at the Seminary of the Heralds of the Gospel, is his most recent achievement. The Monastery of Mount Carmel, of the Society Regina Virginum was recently completed, due, once again, to his untiring efforts.

On the 15 of August 2009, the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in recognition of all the work carried out by Msgr. João Clá at the service of the Church, granted him the “Pro Eclesia et Pontifice” Medal, one of the highest honours awarded by the Holy Father to those who distinguish themselves by their endeavours on behalf of the Church and the Roman Pontiff. The medal was delivered to Msgr. João Clá by Cardinal Franc Rodé, Prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.

Our Founder: Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias [Part 1]

Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on August 15, 1939. His parents, António Clá Dias and Annitta Scognamiglio Clá Dias, were immigrants from Europe (his father being a Spaniard from Cádiz and his mother, an Italian from Rome), in whom the Catholic faith, which they had received from their forefathers, was still vibrant.

This lively faith manifested itself early in João. In school, he sought to organize a movement among his classmates to help young people practice a virtuous life. He joined the Marian Congregations, and at the invitation of a teacher, entered the Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Strict Observance, on May 23, 1956 in the city of São Paulo. This event deeply marked his life.

He completed his secondary studies at Colégio Estadual Roosevelt and studied law at the prestigious Largo de São Francisco Faculty in São Paulo. During his post-secondary studies he shone as an active Catholic university leader, in the turbulent years preceding the Sorbonne revolution of May 1968.

Msgr. João S. Clá Dias is an honourary canon of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, in Rome, and Protonotary Apostolic. He has degrees in Philosophy and Theology from the Italo-Brazilian University in São Paulo and a Humanities Doctorate from the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra, in the Dominican Republic. He is also Master of Canon Law at the Superior Pontifical Institute of Canon Law in Rio de Janeiro and has a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the Catholic University of Colombia. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Canon Law from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, more commonly known as the Angelicum, in Rome.

His ardent desire to dedicate his life to the apostolate, in faithfulness to the magisterium of the Chair of Peter as well as his insight into the need for solid doctrinal foundation, led him to the study of Thomistic theology with the renowned university professors of Salamanca (Spain), including Fr. Arturo Alonso Lobo, OP, Fr. Marcelino Cabreros de Anta, CMF, Fr. Victorino Rodríguez y Rodriguez, OP, Fr. Esteban Gómez, OP, Fr. Antonio Royo Marin, OP, Fr. Teófilo Urdánoz, OP, and Fr. Armando Bandera, OP. Years later, in a gesture of profound gratitude, he wrote short biographies on two of his mentors with editions published in Spain and the United States: “Antonio Royo Marin, master of the spiritual life, brilliant preacher and renowned author”, and “Fr. Cabreros de Anta, CMF, A solid pillar of Canon Law in our century.”

The institutes for the intellectual and doctrinal formation of the Heralds of the Gospel were later founded as a fruit of these studies: The Aristotilean-Thomistic Philosophical Institute, and the St. Thomas Aquinas Theological Institute, as well as the St. Scholastica Philosophical-Theological Institute for the feminine branch, and the Heralds of the Gospel University, which opened with courses in Philosophy and Theology.

Seeing music as an efficacious means of evangelization, he refined his musical gifts with renowned maestro Miguel Arqueróns, conductor of the Paulista Choir of the Municipal Theatre of São Paulo.

His desire for perfection spurred him to initiate a provisory attempt at community life in a former Benedictine edifice in São Paulo, in 1970. Of those first companions, none persevered. Yet, after numerous adversities, the community took root and blossomed into an evangelization movement headed by Msgr. João Clá. From this founding house developed many others, in which members dedicated themselves to prayer and study in preparation for works of evangelization. This took the juridical form of a Private Association of the Faithful, The Heralds of the Gospel, in the diocese of Campo Limpo (Brazil). With its implantation in an additional 20 countries it was recognized by the Pontifical Council of the Laity, on February 22, 2001, as an International Association of Pontifical Right. Today it carries out activities in 78 countries on five continents. Shortly after the approval, the Vicariate of Rome entrusted the care of the Church of St. Benedetto in Piscinula to the Heralds of the Gospel.

Msgr. João Clá Dias is the founder and current Superior General of the Heralds of the Gospel.

He also established a feminine branch of the Heralds – in a similar manner but independently from the masculine branch – with the ideal of community life as a means of achieving sanctity and worthily preparing for the evangelizing mission. From the feminine branch arose the Society of Apostolic Life Regina Virginum, which was canonically erected in the Diocese of Campo Limpo, by Bishop Emilio Pignoli.

For part 2: Our Founder: Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias [Part 11]

"Carry a Faith Card", says Catholic Mission Bishop

A card to communicate that the carrier is a baptised Catholic is to be distributed nationally as an initiative of the Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

One million cards will be made available to 24 Catholic dioceses, including the Bishopric of the Forces and the Ordinariate, as a reminder that all baptised are invited to know and share their faith. The credit-card-sized resource features on one side, a space for the owner to sign, a clear statement that the carrier is a Catholic and a list of six things that Catholics are called to do.

There is also a sentence that reads: ‘In the event of an emergency, please call a Catholic priest.’ The other side of the card has a quote from the recently beatified Blessed John Henry Newman, focusing on the call to serve and affirming that everyone has a mission.

Bishop Kieran Conry, Arundel and Brighton, Chair of the Bishops’ Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, said:

"We all carry a variety of cards in our purses and wallets which reflect something of our identity and the things that are important to us. The faith card for Catholics aims to offer a daily reminder of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We can’t summarise the whole of our faith in bullet points, but we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more."

The Bishop added:

"The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith – often people need help knowing what to say. Faith is a not a private matter. This is something that Pope Benedict reminded the Catholic community in his recent letter announcing a Year of Faith, beginning in October 2012. Carrying a faith card takes courage, it signals to others, every time you use your wallet or purse, that you believe in God, that your life has a purpose, that you are trying to love and serve your neighbour. We hope that Catholics will use it to witness to their faith. If someone asks a question about Catholicism, a starting point could be to show the card and to take it from there."

The resource is free and will be distributed to diocesan offices during February and March 2012.

View:

Faith Card 284.02 kB [The card can be previewed on this pdf]

Contact

Home Mission Desk,
tel. 0207 901 4800
e.mail clare.ward@cbcew.org.uk

Why do we put ash on our forehead?

Why do we put ash on our forehead?

Ashes are applied to our forehead in the sign of the cross as the words, "Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return" are spoken to us. The other formula which is used, "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" emphasizes our call to continual conversion and holiness of life. This act symbolizes our mortality as well as our need for ongoing repentance. It is a reminder that this life is short and merely a foreshadowing of what we shall become through the redemption of Jesus Christ on the cross. The work of our redemption will not be complete until we are raised from the dead, in resurrected bodies like His own and called to the eternal communion of heaven.

Where do the ashes come from?

The ashes for Ash Wednesday normally are made from blessed palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. The ashes are sprinkled with Holy Water and incensed before distribution.

When do I wash the Ashes off my face?

There is no specific instruction on how long ashes are to be worn. You can, in fact, wash them off immediately after the service if you want. Many people choose to wear their ashes for the remainder of the day both as a reminder of their own mortality and as a witness before those around that they are a follower of Christ and are entering into a season of examination and abstinence.

http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/faq.php#n2

Pope Benedict's Ash Wednesday address 2012

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and penance on which we begin a new journey towards the Easter of Resurrection, the journey of Lent. I would like to reflect on the liturgical sign of the ashes, a material sign, a natural element that, in the Liturgy, becomes a sacred symbol, so important on this day that marks the start of our Lenten journey. In ancient times, in the Jewish culture, it was common to sprinkle one’s head with ashes as a sign of penance, and to dress in sack-cloth and rags. For us Christians, there is this one moment which has important symbolic and spiritual relevance.

Ashes are the material sign that brings the cosmos into the Liturgy. The most important signs are those of the Sacraments: water, oil, bread and wine, which become true sacramental elements through which we communicate the Grace of Christ who comes among us. The ashes are not a sacramental sign, but they are linked with prayer and the sanctification of the Christian people. Before the ashes are placed on our heads, they are blessed according to two possible formulae: in the first they are called “austere symbols”, in the second, we invoke a blessing directly upon them, referring to the text in the Book of Genesis which can also accompany the imposition of the ashes: “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return”.

Let us reflect for a moment on this passage of Genesis.

It concludes with a judgement made by God after original sin. God curses the serpent who caused man and woman to commit sin. Then He punishes the woman saying she will suffer the pains of giving birth. Then He punishes the man, saying he will suffer the fatigue of labour and He curses the soil saying “accursed be the soil because of you, because of your sin.” The man and woman are not cursed directly as the serpent is, but because of Adam’s sin. Let us reread the account of how God created man from the Earth. “God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then He breathed into his nostrils, a breath of life. Thus man became a live being. Then God planted a garden in Eden, which is in the East, and there He put the man He had fashioned.” Thus the sign of the ashes recalls the great story of creation which tells us that being human means unifying matter with Divine breath, using the image of dust formed by God and given life by His breath, breathed into the nostrils of the new creature.

In the Genesis account, the symbol of dust takes on a negative connotation because of sin. Before the fall the soil is totally good: through God’s work it is capable of producing “every kind of tree enticing to look at and good to eat.” After the fall and following the divine curse it produces only thorns and brambles and only in exchange for the sweat of man’s brow will it surrender its fruits. The dust of the Earth no longer recalls the creative hand of God, one that is open to life, but it becomes a sign of death: “Dust you are and unto dust you shall return.”It is clear from this Biblical text that the Earth participates in man’s destiny. In one of his homilies, St. John Chrysostom says: “See how after his disobedience, everything is imposed on man in a way that is contrary to his previous life style.” This cursing of the soil has a “medicinal” function for man who learns from the resistance of the earth to recognize his limitations and his own human nature…

…This is context in which the words of Genesis are reflected in the Ash Wednesday liturgy: as an invitation to penance, humility, and an awareness of our mortal state. We are not to despair, but to welcome in this mortal state of ours the unthinkable nearness of God who opens the way to Resurrection, to paradise regained, beyond death. There is a text by Origen that says: “That which was flesh, earth, dust, and was destroyed by death and returned to dust and ashes, is made to rise again from the earth. According to the merits of the soul that inhabits the body, the person advances towards the glory of a spiritual body.”

The merits of the soul about which Origen speaks are important, but more important are the merits of Christ, the efficacy of his Pascal Mystery. St. Paul gives us a good summary in the second reading: “For our sake God made the sinless one into sin so that in Him we might become the goodness of God.” For us to enjoy divine forgiveness depends essentially on the fact that God Himself, in the person of His Son, wanted to share in our human condition, but not in the corruption of sin.

The Father resurrected Him through the power of His Holy Spirit and Jesus, the new Adam, became the spirit who gives us life, the first fruits of the new creation.

The same spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead can transform our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. We said as much in the psalm: “A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me, do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.” That the same God that exiled our first parents from Eden, sent His own Son to this Earth devastated by sin, without sparing Him, so that we, prodigal children, can return, penitent and redeemed through His mercy, to our true homeland. So it be for all of us, and for all believers, and for all those who humbly recognize their need to be saved. Amen.

Full version of the Holy Father's homily may be found at: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-homily-at-santa-sabina

http://www.zenit.org/article-34274?l=english

ZE12021001 - 2012-02-09
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-34274?l=english

LATIN IS NOT DEAD

Professor Speaks of a Conference to Celebrate Papal Documents Backing Church's Official Language

By Salvatore Cernuzio

ROME, FEB. 9, 2012 (Zenit.org).- On Feb. 22, 1962, Pope John XXIII signed the apostolic constitution "Veterum Sapientia," on the study and use of Latin, as a result of which he hoped, among other things, that an Academicum Latinitatis Institutum would be created.

The institute was founded later by Pope Paul VI with the apostolic letter "Studia Latinitatis" of Feb. 22, 1964, entrusting the Salesians with the task of "promoting its prosperity."

Half a century later the Pontificium Institutum Altioris Latinitatis is organizing a conference to be held Feb. 23, titled "Veterum Sapientia: History, Culture and Timeliness." The congress will examine some important episodes in the history of the institute and will also consider the challenges today regarding the study of classical languages.

ZENIT spoke with Father Roberto Spataro, a teacher in the Faculty of Christian and Classical Literature of the Pontifical Salesian University, about the forthcoming congress.

ZENIT: Professor Spataro, how did the idea for this conference come about and what are its objectives?

Father Spataro: The congress is being held on the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of a solemn document, the Veterum Sapientia, unfortunately quickly, unjustly forgotten.

We intend to re-visit that document and to show how it is still very timely in proposing the need that in the Church, especially among priests, that the great ethical, spiritual and religious values be known that the ancient world developed and that Christianity perfected, thus constructing the foundations of contemporary civilization.

ZENIT: Many believe that Latin is a "dead language." What is your opinion?

Father Spataro: This is truly an unfortunate expression. I wonder how a language can be defined as dead in which Seneca, St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and generations of scientists, from Galvani, inventor of electricity, to Gauss, the "prince of mathematicians," wrote.

How can one hold as "dead" a language that is studied today by so many persons, and nourishes lofty and noble thoughts? Not forgetting that it is the language of the Holy See and that the liturgy in Latin attracts in ever increasing numbers the faithful, many of them young people.

ZENIT: In recent times, instead, it seemed that Latin was dying out: Seminarians did not study it any longer and it was not used in the liturgy. What is your Institute doing about this situation?

Father Spataro: In recent years, tentative beginnings have taken place within the Catholic Church in terms of renewed interest in the study of Latin. Among these are the birth of new religious communities and lay movements that have understood well how a most precious patrimony belongs to the Tradition, to the life itself of the Church, of liturgical, canonical, magisterial, theological expressions whose content is comprehensible only in its linguistic form, namely, Latin. Hence, our Institute wishes to teach a greater number of clerics and lay people to be able to appreciate this patrimony, so that every Church is able to have access to people who love the way in which truth, beauty and harmony are united in this language.

ZENIT: It seems that in many parts of the world there is a renewal of interest in Latin. Is this true?

Father Spataro: It is true! Some time ago, a distinguished German university professor told me that in Germany there are more than 800,000 students in high schools and university institutes who study Latin. In our Institute, for example, we receive students from China, sent by their Universities, because they feel the need to know European civilization and its cultural origins expressed in Latin.

ZENIT: What are the reasons for this renewed interest?

Father Spataro: Talking with professors and students from all over the world, I have come to believe that there is a desire to study Latin so as to access a world, a res publica litterarum, of a very high spiritual level. The present economic and financial crisis is no more serious than the ethical and the anthropological. Young people in so many parts of the world study works written in Latin, from Cicero to Cyprian to Erasmus of Rotterdam, and are tired and disappointed by "bad teachers" of the contemporary age, and want to acquire for themselves pure, true thought. The study of Latin makes it possible to reacquire this "spiritual innocence."

ZENIT: Even in Italian Middle Schools there is a return to the study of Latin.

Father Spataro: Latin is a very pleasing language to learn, with one condition: that the method is abandoned that morbidly reigns in schools, imposed by a German philology beginning in the 19th century. If taught, instead, with methods of the great humanists -- for example, that which was practiced for centuries in the Jesuits' schools, or the "nature-method" taught in 150 hours -- a student, without excessive toil and especially without boredom, is already able to read the classics. There is need of a new generation of teachers that know this method and adopt it enthusiastically because it works miracles!

ZENIT: Are there examples of the success of this method?

Father Spataro: Certainly! An example is the Vivarum Novum Academy, an institution with which our Faculty has collaborated for some time and that operates in Rome. Young people from all over the world go there, for one or two years, to study Latin and Greek. They arrive without knowing a single word of the language of Caesar or Plato and after a few months they are able to speak fluently in Latin, acquiring at the end of the course a true knowledge of the humanistic civilization, that is, of the genuine values of man that come from the Veterum Sapientia.

[Translation by ZENIT]

What is Prayer? Why should we pray?

Prayer, the lifting of the mind and heart to God, plays an essential role in the life of a devout Catholic. Without a life of prayer, we risk losing the life of grace in our souls, grace that comes to us first in baptism and later chiefly through the other sacraments and through prayer itself (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2565). Through prayer we enter into the presence of the Godhead dwelling in us. It is prayer which allows us to adore God, by acknowledging his almighty power; it is prayer that allows us to bring our thanks, our petitions, and our sorrow for sin before our Lord and God.

While prayer is not a practice unique to Catholics, those prayers that are called "Catholic" are generally formulaic in nature. That is, the teaching Church sets before us how we ought to pray. Drawing from the words of Christ, the writings of Scripture and the saints, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, she supplies us with prayers grounded in Christian tradition. Further, our informal, spontaneous prayers, both vocal and meditative, are informed by and shaped by those prayers taught by the Church, prayers that are the wellspring for the prayer life of all Catholics. Without the Holy Spirit speaking through the Church and through her saints, we would not know how to pray as we ought (CCC, 2650).

As the prayers themselves witness, the Church teaches us that we should pray not only directly to God, but also to those who are close to God, those who have the power to intercede upon our behalf. Indeed, we pray to the angels to help and watch over us; we pray to the saints in heaven to ask their intercession and assistance; we pray to the Blessed Mother to enlist her aid, to ask her to beg her Son to hear our prayers. Further, we pray not only on our own behalf, but also on the behalf of those souls in purgatory and of those brothers on earth who are in need. Prayer unites us to God; in doing so, we are united to the other members of the Mystical Body.

This communal.aspect of prayer is reflected not only in the nature of Catholic prayers, but also in the very words of the prayers themselves. In reading many of the basic formulaic prayers, it will become apparent that, for the Catholic, prayer is often meant to be prayed in the company of others. Christ himself encouraged us to pray together: "For wherever two or more are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20).

From: Catholic Answers:- http://www.catholic.com/tracts/common-catholic-prayers

Pope Benedict XVI: grave threats to the Church's public moral witness

On 19 Jan 2012 Benedict XVI addressed the bishops of Washington, D.C., and surrounding regions, who are at the Vatican for their "ad limina" visit. His comments are specially relevant today, not only to America, but to Catholics in every country.

The full text of the address may be found at:
http://www.zenit.org/article-34148?l=english

"... For her part, the Church ... is called, in season and out of season, to proclaim a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering. ... With her long tradition of respect for the right relationship between faith and reason, the Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents which, on the basis of an extreme individualism, seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth. ... The Church's defence of a moral reasoning based on the natural law is grounded on her conviction that this law is not a threat to our freedom, but rather a 'language' which enables us to understand ourselves and the truth of our being, and so to shape a more just and humane world".

"The Church's witness, then, is of its nature public: she seeks to convince by proposing rational arguments in the public square. The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues, nor that the State may choose not to engage, or be engaged by, the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation...."

What is Ordinary Time in the Catholic Liturgical Year?

While the word “ordinary” in popular usage is used to describe things that are nondescript or dull, ordinary rather means customary, regular, and orderly. Ordinary Time may also be called Ordinal Time, which means numbered time. Ordinal comes from the Latin “ordinalis,” which is a word meaning “showing order, denoting an order of succession.” Hence, Ordinary Time is the standard, orderly, counted time outside of the other liturgical seasons. There is nothing “dull” about Ordinary Time!

What is Ordinary Time?

Ordinary time is the longest liturgical season in the Catholic Church, encompassing either 33 or 34 weeks each year. Because other liturgical seasons begin or end with movable feasts, the length of Ordinary time can vary slightly; however, 33 weeks is the more common length. The weeks are numbered, e.g., the first Sunday of Ordinary Time, the second Sunday of Ordinary Time, and so on.
Ordinary time is technically one liturgical season, though it is divided into two periods. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, when the term “Ordinary Time” was formally established, the two time periods were merely referred to as “the Season after Epiphany” and “the Season after Pentecost.”
The liturgical color of Ordinary Time is green; however, other appropriate colors are worn on particular feast days.

From:http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/what-is-ordinary-time/article/233

Bishop Peter Elliott's report on the Ordinariate in England

THE ORDINARIATE - ALIVE AND GROWING IN ENGLAND
A Report from London
Most Rev Peter J. Elliott

The first birthday of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham was celebrated fittingly on Sunday January 15th 2012 at St James, Spanish Place, with Solemn Evensong, Sermon, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Te Deum and Benediction. Together with other clergy, I assisted in choir at this act of thanksgiving on the last night of a fascinating two week visit to London.

The Ordinary, Mgr Keith Newton presided and preached. What I found most encouraging was not only his “upbeat” message, full of his own warmth and pastoral confidence, but the sense of achievement and joy among the large congregation who had gathered for the celebration.

The choir of St James brought forth the best of the Anglican Patrimony, wedded to the English Catholic heritage, We entered to Parry “I was glad when they said unto me” (vivid memories of the coronation in 1953). Stanford provided the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!” accompanied the Eucharistic procession, while the canopy over the Sacrament was borne by four robed Knights of Malta. Stanford again gave us his Te Deum, while Elgar provided a limpid O Salutaris, not forgetting the traditional translation of Benediction used across three centuries by the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament.

To read the full version of Bishop Peter Elliott's report see:
http://www.ordinariate.org.uk/news12-02-03.htm