By now you’ve probably seen this picture: It’s the Mater Ecclesiae—the former convent inside the walls of Vatican City where Pope Benedict will reside in quiet prayer. Four times in the last decade, it has been my privilege to lead a group tour through the Vatican Gardens, where the Mater Ecclesiae is located. I remember its story: The residence has been occupied by a community of cloistered sisters whose mission was to tend a small garden, help with some domestic... Read more
“I’m moved. When I see you, I see the Church is alive.” These were the words of Pope Benedict XVI this morning, as he spoke extemporaneously to the 150,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his final General Audience. Pope Benedict seems a shy, private person, and being so constantly in the public eye must have been difficult for him. When he was elected in 2005, he said, his heart asked, “Lord, why do you ask me this? What... Read more
You probably heard that C. Everett Koop, who served as Surgeon General under President Ronald Reagan, died on February 25 at the age of 96. Dr. Koop, who was Surgeon General from 1981 through 1989, was the most visible and the most influential person ever to hold that office. During his tenure Dr. Koop raised our national awareness regarding the health dangers of cigarette smoking, and established an aggressive government policy toward AIDS. He fought to strengthen the rights of... Read more
Philadelphia. September 22-27, 2015. Be There. You’re part of a family, right? I mean, you’re a mom or dad, or a sister, a brother, a daughter, a grandmother, a cousin…. Well, you’re invited! The Vatican has just announced that the Eighth World Meeting of Families will be held on September 22-27, 2015. For the first time, the event will be held in North America—in the City of Brotherly Love. In summer 2012, an estimated one million people attended the closing... Read more
…the Lord God loves them all. –James Herriott http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JlezOeXGt4c Read more
Have you ever seen this? Probably not—This is the coat of arms of the Holy See during the Interregnum, that period after a pope leaves office until a new pontiff is elected by the College of Cardinals. It is also known as the Sede Vacante period, that time when the Seat (the Chair of Peter, that is) is Vacant. Instead of the papal tiara over the keys, as is customary for the Holy See and the Vatican City State, the... Read more
On my last days on the job, I have my hands full: I try to catch up on my filing (Impossible! Impossible, I tell you!) I clean out the files (a little bit). I erase the voicemail messages I had saved, dust the keyboard, make notes for my successor. I chat on the phone. I pack my coffee cup and my spare pantyhose and my vitamins and get well cards and photos from home in a cardboard box and run... Read more
CARDINAL GIANFRANCO RAVASI WARNS AGAINST CHILD SACRIFICE? Cardinal Ravasi, who is leading the Lenten retreat for Pope Benedict and the Roman Curia this week, took an unexpected turn in his meditation on February 20—warning against society’s worship of the pagan god Moloch. WHAT WAS HE TALKING ABOUT? Who is Moloch? It was the Canaanites, the Phoenicians and other cultures in north Africa who worshiped the god Moloch. In the Book of Leviticus, the sons of Israel are warned that anyone... Read more
Yesterday was the birthday of Edna St. Vincent Millay, American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. Born in 1892, she was named, not for a Catholic saint (as it would seem), but for a hospital. Just before her birth, her uncle’s life was saved at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York; in appreciation of the uncle’s recovery, her family made “St. Vincent” her middle name. From her youth, Millay’s talent for writing was evident: As a student at Camden High School,... Read more
I imagine Pope Urban VIII offering the liturgy at St. Peter’s Basilica on a summer day in 1638, offering his prayer that he might do God’s will as he puts the finishing touches on a bull protecting the existence of the Jesuit missions in South America by forbidding the enslavement of natives. He hopes, too, that he might open China and Japan to greater missionary efforts. As he stands before the great altar, he reflects on the mystery of Christ’s... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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