Mother Teresa sainthood hailed

CATHOLIC bishops yesterday welcomed the news from the Vatican that the late Mother Teresa was on her way to sainthood, saying her canonization would help teach Filipinos to be more compassionate to the poor.

“This is a great joy for us. She founded [charity] houses here and she exemplifies selfless service, which is an antidote to the corruption and greed in our country and in the world,” said Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani.

Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros said the forthcoming canonization of the late nun was “great news” not only for the Filipinos but for the people all over the world.

“Mother Teresa is a living image of God’s mercy because she dedicated her life in the service of the poor and the abandoned. Let us ask her to intercede that we may also be the bearers of God’s mercy to those who desperately need his mercy,” Oliveros said.

The prelate also noted that Mother Teresa’s canonization would come at a time when the Catholic Church was celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles noted that Mother Teresa was close to the Filipinos. “She loved the poor and she had a lot to tell us still,” Arguelles said, remembering the occasion he escorted the late nun in one of her visits to the Philippines in 1978.

Mother Teresa is expected to be officially canonized in Rome on Sept. 4 next year. The move comes after Pope Francis recognized a second medical miracle attributed to the late nun, who dedicated her life to the poor, the sick and the dying in the slums of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India.

Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said the canonization was timely since the world needed more models “who live and work not for themselves but for others to glorify God.”

“Love was best expressed in her whole life as a witness to Christ,” Ongtioco said.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work among the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa died on Sept. 5, 1997, age 87. At the time, the Missionaries of Charity based in Kolkata had nearly 4,000 nuns and ran roughly 600 orphanages, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and clinics around the world.

The nun was born to Albanian parents in Skopje in what is now known as Macedonia as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910. Nicknamed the “saint of the gutters,” she dedicated her life to the poor, the sick and the dying in the slums of Kolkata, one of India’s biggest cities, founding the Missionaries of Charity order of nuns there. She won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

She was beatified by then Pope John Paul II in a fast-tracked process in 2003, in a ceremony attended by some 300,000 pilgrims. Beatification is the first step toward sainthood.

The miracle needed for her canonization concerned the inexplicable cure in 2008 of a man in Brazil with multiple brain abscesses who, within a day of being in a coma, was cured, according to a report in Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference.

The Vatican ascertained that his wife’s prayers for Mother Teresa’s intercession were responsible, the report said.

Mother Teresa is expected to be canonized as part of the Pope’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.

“The Holy Father has authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to proclaim the decrees concerning the miracle attributed to the intercession of blessed Mother Teresa,” the Vatican said in a statement.

In the Vatican’s jubilee calendar, Sept. 4 is marked as a day dedicated to the late nun’s memory and her canonization is likely to take place then, experts say.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Feeding Pope Francis: Celebrity chef serves simple, spiritual meals

NEW YORK—Sliced heirloom tomatoes, steamed lobster and house-made burrata greeted Pope Francis on his first night in New York, where a celebrity chef cooking for her second Pontiff said her menu was inspired by Francis’ humility and simplicity.

Feeding the leader of the world’s more than 1 billion Roman Catholics is a daunting task, but Lidia Bastianich said she felt the dishes she offered Francis during his 40 hours in Manhattan pulled off the feat of being straightforward, sophisticated and even spiritual.

“In this food is everything I feel about Catholicism …. Let’s feed each other some sustenance, some love,” said Bastianich, who went into her own garden to pick carrots, beets, tomatoes and herbs for the Pontiff’s meals.

Some of the dishes on Francis’ five-meal New York menu took their cue from the Pontiff’s healthy diet in Rome. His doctor is reportedly trying to get him to lose 8 kilograms.

The tomato and lobster salad gave way Thursday night to veal with porcini mushrooms. Dessert was Concord grape sorbet and angel food cake.

Met kitchen crew

Friday’s lunch included risotto with summer truffles and aged Grana Padano cheese, as well as a surprise late addition to the menu—bagna cauda, a garlic-anchovy dip for raw vegetables that Bastianich heard Francis loves.

After lunch, Francis strolled into the kitchen, thanked Bastianich, restaurateur Angelo Vivolo and their kitchen crew, and asked if he could share an espresso with them. The Pope ended by giving each a rosary and a blessing.

“Our eyes swelled with tears,” Bastianich said.

For dinner Friday, Bastianich prepared homemade ravioli filled with shredded pears and pecorino cheese—so light and delicate they seemingly melted on the tongue. And on a day when Catholics traditionally eat fish, the main dish was roasted striped bass, freshly caught off Long Island, with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley, plus lemon on the side.

Though the dishes Bastianich served up may sound more swank than simple, this was a visit with little behind-the-scenes pomp. One of Francis’ requests was notably modest: water and bananas at his bedside table. (Bananas will be on the menu in Philadelphia, as well: The proprietors of the popular Franklin Fountain ice cream shop are providing a special caramelized banana flavor to the seminary where Francis will stay on the last stop of his US visit.)

This was the second such papal calling for Bastianich, a chef and author best known for “Lidia’s Italy” and other public broadcast shows, and her Manhattan flagship restaurant Felidia.

It’s giving back
She and Vivolo were selected to cook for Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, a visit that included a dinner party for 52 and a golden cake in the shape of the papal tiara.

Bastianich prepared Francis’ meals at the five-story Upper East Side townhouse of the Vatican’s United Nations representative, where the 78-year-old Pope took respite from his hectic schedule and the rock-star roar of admiring crowds.

“There’s an intimacy, a closeness, a warmth—he’s a guest who sleeps upstairs,” she said. “It’s like having family visiting and you’re cooking.”

Bastianich’s command performances for popes have always been about more than mere meals. Her family fled Yugoslavia after World War II and became refugees in Trieste, Italy. They were brought to the US by Catholic Charities.

“For me, it’s gratitude, it’s giving back,” she said. “I was fed by people who cared, so I understand the communication that food can have.” AP

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Pope, thousands brave rain for Easter in St. Peter’s Square

VATICAN CITY — In an Easter peace wish, Pope Francis on Sunday praised the framework nuclear agreement with Iran as an opportunity to make the world safer, while expressing deep worry about bloodshed in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.

Cautious hope ran through Francis’ “Urbi et Orbi” Easter message, a kind of papal commentary on the state of the world’s affairs, which he delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square.

He had just celebrated Mass in rain-whipped St. Peter’s Square for tens of thousands of people.

Francis made his first public comments about the recent framework for an accord, reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, and aimed at ensuring Iran doesn’t develop a nuclear weapon.

“In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.”

Decrying the plentitude of weapons in the world in general, Francis said: “And we ask for peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who earn their living with the blood of men and women.”

He denounced “absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence” in Libya, convulsed by fighting fueled by tribal and militia rivalries. He hoped “a common desire for peace” would prevail in Yemen, wracked by civil warfare.

Francis prayed that the “roar of arms may cease” in Syria and Iraq, and that peace would come in Africa for Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Congo.

He recalled the young people, many of them targeted because they were Christians, killed last week in a Kenyan university, and lamented kidnappings, by Islamic extremists, that have plagued parts of Africa, including Nigeria.

On Good Friday, Francis chastised the international community for what he called the complicit silence about the killing of Christians. On Easter he prayed that God would alleviate “the suffering of so many of our brothers persecuted because of his name.”

During Mass, Francis was shielded from pelting rain by a canopy erected outside St. Peter’s Basilica, while prelates carried umbrellas in the yellow and white colors of the Vatican.

The downpour petered out to a drizzle, and by the ceremony, the rain had stopped. Francis, wearing a white overcoat, was driven through the square in the open-sided popemobile so he could wave to the faithful.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

John Paul relics abound: Bloodied shirt, unwashed fork…

ROME—Inside a chapel on the edge of Rome, a nun uses a key to open a wooden wall panel, revealing a hidden niche. Behind glass hangs a relic of holy suffering: the bullet-pocked, bloodstained undershirt John Paul II was wearing when a gunman shot him in the stomach in St. Peter’s Square.

The short-sleeved garment bears the initials “JP,” sewn in red cotton thread on the label by nuns who did his laundry.

Jagged rips run down from the neck and sides, made when emergency room staff tore open John Paul’s shirt as they raced to save his life.

It’s one of the most remarkable of the relics of John Paul, who will be declared a saint on Sunday in the very same square where a Turkish would-be assassin shot him on May 13, 1981.

Relics of John Paul have enjoyed a boom ever since the beloved Pope was beatified in 2011.

The phenomenon has been fueled by John Paul’s longtime Polish confidant and secretary, Stanislaw Dziwisz, who doles them out to churches that request them.

The famous undergarment was discovered by the head nurse in the operating room at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic as she was cleaning the floor.

Nurse Anna Stanghellini, who lived out her last years at the church’s convent, donated the shirt to the nuns there, bequeathing a vivid testimony to John Paul’s physical suffering.

John Paul was the world’s first globe-trotting Pope, and he left things associated with him scattered around the world.

Relics in Manila

The Manila area restaurant where John Paul dined during his 1995 pilgrimage to the Philippines shows off the spoon, fork, water goblet, knives and table napkin—all still unwashed after his meal of grilled fish and fried shrimp.

Elsewhere in the predominantly Catholic Asian nation, shopping malls this month are showing strands of his silvery-white hair and a piece of bedsheet from his deathbed.

Irish Julia Feniquito, a 24-year-old nurse in  Quezon City, was still wearing her blue scrubs and looking to buy a dress when she passed by a traveling exhibit of John Paul relics in one shopping mall.

She kneeled to pray for several minutes in front of a makeshift altar and wrote her reflections on a sheet of paper, which she slipped into a box

under a papal skull cap.

“His aura, when you first see him, you can tell that he is very holy,” Feniquito said.

Papal blood

“John Paul II probably has stuff all over the place,” considering he was the third-longest serving Pontiff, said the Rev. Raymond Kupke, a professor at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. “If you think of all the places he has been to, the amount of relics is enormous.”

A tiny church in Naples packed its pews for nine days earlier this year when it displayed a gold-covered reliquary containing a drop of papal blood drawn for analysis from John Paul on his last day on Earth.

For the faithful, it’s a profoundly moving testament to the Pope’s courage in the face of death and suffering.

“This was the last blood taken from the Holy Father, his last day of life,” said the Rev. Jonas Gianneo, pastor of Santa Maria Francesca delle Cinque Piaghe church.

The pastor said the drop came from a vial of blood saved by Dziwisz, now cardinal of Krakow.



Selling relics sacrilegious 


Amid the proliferation of John Paul relics, Vatican experts say, it’s important to make key distinctions: Relics are categorized by the Vatican as “first-class” (those that are part of the saint’s body, such as bones or blood), “second-class” (items owned or used by a saint) and “third-class” (mostly things that were touched by the saint).

Selling relics is sacrilegious—but nothing stops the faithful from making a “donation” to whoever provided the relic, or purchasing the often ornate container holding the relic itself. AP

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII may be canonized Dec. 8

After Pope Francis approved the canonization of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII, a buzz emerged from Rome that the canonization date might take place on Dec. 8, feast of the Immaculate Conception.  If this is true, how blessed we are that the canonization of the two popes will fall on a very important feast of the Mother of God.

Since the news came out, I have been praying to Blessed John Paul to intercede for the healing of June Keithley, whom I saw in Rome on May 1, 2011, during the beatification ceremonies. She is very devoted to Blessed John Paul II and to Mama Mary, of course, about whom she wrote about under her title, Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace, in her book on the Lipa apparitions.

Very popular

The canonization will be a historic  day for 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. The two very popular popes in contemporary times contributed hugely to Church and global history.

Pope John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history. He also beatified and canonized the most number of saints and martyrs. The ebullient, down-to-earth Pope John XXIII launched the Second Vatican Council  to introduce reforms in the Catholic Church.

Adam’s Express Travel sent large delegations to the canonizations of Josemaria Escriva on Oct. 6, 2002, and Sister Faustina in 2011, and the beatification of Mother Teresa and Blessed Pope John Paul II in 2011.  Although there is no official canonization date yet, Adams Travel encourages pilgrims to reserve ahead because millions are expected to attend the canonization. Call Adam’s at 5223876 or 5211651 or text Anna Ayo at 0917-5514468.

Legion of Mary is 73


The Legion of Mary will celebrate its 73rd anniversary in the Philippines with a Thanksgiving Mass at the Senatus of the Northern Philippines headquarters at Dangay Street, QC, on July 21, 11 a.m., with Msgr. Celso Ditan, spiritual director, as Mass presider.

In addition, the Senatus will sponsor the first Friday Mass and vigil, with Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas, on Aug. 2 at the CBCP Chapel in Intramuros, Manila. Vigil will be at 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mass at CBCP Chapel will be at 12 noon.

The Legion of Mary was founded by Servant of God Frank Duff on Sept. 7, 1921, in Dublin, Ireland. It is a lay apostolic organization serving the Church under ecclesiastical guidance.

Frank Duff passed away on Nov. 7, 1980, and the cause of his canonization was introduced by Dublin Archbishop Desmond Connell  in 1996.

An alleged miracle interceded by Frank Duff on the healing of John David Arcega has been submitted to the Dublin church. It will be one of the miracles to be submitted to Rome. John David is now back in school after he recovered from his illness.

Those who want estampitas can write to me c/o Phil. Daily Inquirer at Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for easier mailing.

St. Mary Magdalene fiesta


Thanks to Mila Que, I became devoted to St. Mary Magdalene, patroness of Kawit, Cavite, whose feast day falls on July 22.

I met Jovita Peregrina  who survived cancer through the intercession of  the saint.

Now, Aling Jovita is taking care of the image especially during the novena and fiesta Masses.

Imus Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista will officiate the concelebrated Mass  tomorrow, 9 a.m.  Masses in the afternoon are at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Fr. Romeo Ner is the parish priest.

In the parish of St. Mary Magdalene in Amadeo, Cavite, Fr. Oliver Genuino, parish priest, will lead the celebration of the fiesta tomorrow.

Bishop Evangelista will say Mass at 4 p.m.

I visited this church before Holy Week this year and was impressed by the beautiful image of the saint enthroned on the left side of the altar.

Father Genuino expressed the opinion that Mary Magdalene was not the adulterous woman about to be stoned for her sin, whom Jesus forgave. Neither was she the prostitute who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and rubbed them with expensive oil in the house of Simon, the Pharisee.

Feast of St. Anne

I became devoted to St. Anne, the mother of Mary, way back in 1981. I had achalasia and I remember placing her prayer near my bed in PGH where I was confined at the time.

I still pray to her, especially when I visit Sta. Ana Church during the feast of Our Lady of the Abandoned. On July 26, Masses in her honor will be said there at 5:30 and 6:30 a.m., and 6:30 p.m.

Try to seek her intercession; especially pray to her and St. Joachim every Tuesday before 9 a.m. and say “St. Anne and St. Joachim, please grant me a pleasant surprise today.”

This prayer was taught to me by the late Albert Seeland, manager of Tempura Misono in the old Hyatt Hotel. Please pray for the repose of Albert Seeland’s soul on Aug. 13, his birth anniversary.

St. Martha fiesta


We who hear Mass at Harrison Plaza Chapel are blessed to have the image of St. Martha there.  The chapel is named after her.  Every Tuesday,  devotees come to pray to her and  click the light in front of her.

The feast of St. Martha falls on July 29. It is also celebrated in Pateros, Rizal.   Her miraculous image is enshrined there in San Roque Church.  Fr. Roy Rosales is the parish priest.

St. James the Apostle feast


The feast of St. James the Apostle  (called Santiago de Compostela in Spain) falls on July 25, Thursday. Fr. Manny Domingo, SDB, will celebrate Holy Mass at 6 p.m. in Don Bosco Chapel on Pasay Road, Makati. St. James is also the patron saint of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, and Bolinao, Pangasinan.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Radwanska dropped by Catholic youth over nude spread

WARSAW — World number four Agnieszka Radwanska has been dropped by a Catholic youth movement in her native Poland for posing nude in the “Body Issue” of ESPN Magazine.

Radwanska, 24, who makes no secret of her strong Catholic faith, is photographed in profile without a stitch, sitting in a lawn chair by a pool filled with tennis balls.

While not explicit, the nude has proven too much for a Catholic group known as Krucjata Mlodych (Youth Crusade), which runs a campaign dubbed “I’m not ashamed of Jesus.”

The young Catholics, who claim more than a million followers, dropped Radwanska last week for what they said was “immoral behavior” in the ESPN spread, which can be seen at espn.go.com/espn/bodyissue.

This year’s beaten Wimbledon semi-finalist previously appeared in a television commercial sponsored by the group in which she spelled out the word “Jesus” with tennis balls and urged young Poles not to be ashamed of their faith.

Other athletes in the buff in the special issue include Puerto Rican motocross champ Tarah Gieger and nine-time major golf champion Gary Player, the oldest model at 77.

Home to the former pope, John Paul II, Poland remains one of Europe’s most devout nations.

More than 90 percent of the population declares itself Roman Catholic.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Black smoke over Vatican: No new pope yet

VATICAN CITY— Black smoke is billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning Roman Catholic cardinals have not elected a pope in their second or third rounds of balloting.

Cardinals voted twice Wednesday in Michelangelo’s famed frescoed chapel after a first vote Tuesday in a conclave to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, who stunned the Catholic world last month by becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign.

The conclave was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned last month, throwing the church into turmoil and exposing deep divisions among cardinals tasked with finding a manager to clean up a corrupt Vatican bureaucracy as well as a pastor who can revive Catholicism in a time of growing secularism.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net