Go on over to View from the Domestic Church to read about the Year of the Priest.
Showing posts with label Pope Benedict XVI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pope Benedict XVI. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Pope Benedict calls children a "treasure and blessing to the world"
Vatican City, Jan 6, 2009 / 11:03 am (CNA).- During the Angelus on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the children of the world, especially those who live in countries suffering from conflict or who are abused in different ways.
The Pontiff recalled that in many countries Epiphany is “the feast of the children,” and therefore he addressed “a special thought to all children, who are a treasure and blessing for the world, and especially to those who are denied a peaceful childhood.”
“I desire, in particular, to call attention to the dozens of children and young people of the western province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who in these last months, including the Christmas season, have been kidnapped by armed gangs who have attacked towns and have caused numerous victims and wounded,” he added.
The Holy Father called on the "authors of such inhumane brutality" to return the children to their families and to allow them a "future of security and development, which is their right and that of all of those beloved people.” (Continued here)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Want to Know What's Going on in Sydney at the World Youth Day?
Be sure to check out the World Youth Day Central regularly for scedules and all kinds of good stuff! Just click here!
I have also been posting a lot of good information about World Youth Day 2008 at my "Daily Donna-Marie blog. Go over and take a look!
Blessings on your week end!
Donna-Marie
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Pope Benedict says he hopes to visit Holy Land
Vatican City, Jun 19, 2008 / 10:04 am (CNA).- Members of the Aid Agency for the Oriental Churches were received in an audience by Pope Benedict this morning at the Vatican. At the audience, the Holy Father stressed the vital role of the Eastern Churches in working for peace and expressed his desire to visit the Holy Land.
Speaking to the group in Italian, English, German and French, the Pope said that the "everyday life and the special mission" of the Eastern Churches, "especially at the ecumenical and the inter-religious level, must be supported by the entire Catholic Church."
The Pope first spoke of the aid agency’s concern for religious communities in Armenia and Georgia "which were among the first to receive the light of Christ." These churches, he said, are able "by living humbly and fraternally with other Christian Churches, and by generously serving the poor … express in a very practical manner the communion of love proper to the universal Catholic Church."
Nonetheless, Pope Benedict said that he still worries about the difficult situation of Christians in Iraq, recalling the figure of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul of the Chaldeans, who died in tragic circumstances after being kidnapped on February 29 this year... (Continued here)
Speaking to the group in Italian, English, German and French, the Pope said that the "everyday life and the special mission" of the Eastern Churches, "especially at the ecumenical and the inter-religious level, must be supported by the entire Catholic Church."
The Pope first spoke of the aid agency’s concern for religious communities in Armenia and Georgia "which were among the first to receive the light of Christ." These churches, he said, are able "by living humbly and fraternally with other Christian Churches, and by generously serving the poor … express in a very practical manner the communion of love proper to the universal Catholic Church."
Nonetheless, Pope Benedict said that he still worries about the difficult situation of Christians in Iraq, recalling the figure of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul of the Chaldeans, who died in tragic circumstances after being kidnapped on February 29 this year... (Continued here)
Monday, June 16, 2008
"Joan's Rome" blog about President Bush and Pope Benedict
UPDATED LINK
Joan Lewis is EWTN's Rome Bureau Chief stationed right near the Vatican. You can see St. Peter's from her dining room window! What a beautiful view she has there! I had the distinct pleasure of spending much tme with Joan while I was in Rome, participating in the International congress for women for the 20th anniversary of Mulieris Dignitatem. Joan also interviewed me on Vatican Radio (which you can listen to from my blogs by looking in the right hand column to find it and then clicking on the link).
Joan also invited my two daughters that I brought with me to Rome, as well as Teresa Tomeo, (my best girlfriend on the air at Ave Maria Radio!) who is a dear friend of Joan's to a lovely dinner at Joan's home on our first evening in Rome. Teresa and Joan have been friends for quite some time and I am just so happy that Teresa has "shared" Joan with me! We were able to be together on many more occasions together while in Rome in February. I feel so very blessed and honored to know Joan.
Go on over to "Joan's Rome" to read her blog about President Bush's visit with Pope Benedict. You can read her post and see many photos here. Her coverage of the event is excellent! I love her title and commentary! "POPE BENEDICT OFFERS U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH UNPRECEDENTED WELCOME...Oval Office meets Round Office – so to speak."
Joan Lewis is EWTN's Rome Bureau Chief stationed right near the Vatican. You can see St. Peter's from her dining room window! What a beautiful view she has there! I had the distinct pleasure of spending much tme with Joan while I was in Rome, participating in the International congress for women for the 20th anniversary of Mulieris Dignitatem. Joan also interviewed me on Vatican Radio (which you can listen to from my blogs by looking in the right hand column to find it and then clicking on the link).
Joan also invited my two daughters that I brought with me to Rome, as well as Teresa Tomeo, (my best girlfriend on the air at Ave Maria Radio!) who is a dear friend of Joan's to a lovely dinner at Joan's home on our first evening in Rome. Teresa and Joan have been friends for quite some time and I am just so happy that Teresa has "shared" Joan with me! We were able to be together on many more occasions together while in Rome in February. I feel so very blessed and honored to know Joan.
Go on over to "Joan's Rome" to read her blog about President Bush's visit with Pope Benedict. You can read her post and see many photos here. Her coverage of the event is excellent! I love her title and commentary! "POPE BENEDICT OFFERS U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH UNPRECEDENTED WELCOME...Oval Office meets Round Office – so to speak."
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Pope Benedict's general prayer intention and mission intention for May
Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for May is: "That Christians may use literature, art and the mass media to greater advantage in order to favor a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person".
His mission intention is: "That the Virgin Mary, Star of evangelization and Queen of the Apostles, may still guide today with maternal affection the missionaries, both men and women, throughout the world, just as she accompanied the Apostles in the early stages of the Church".
His mission intention is: "That the Virgin Mary, Star of evangelization and Queen of the Apostles, may still guide today with maternal affection the missionaries, both men and women, throughout the world, just as she accompanied the Apostles in the early stages of the Church".
Friday, April 11, 2008
Welcoming pope with open arms
Welcoming pope with open arms: Locals say NYC visit is just what the country needs now
BY TRACY SIMMONS REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
In his first visit this month to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI will find an American flock wrestling with what it means to be Roman Catholic. Lay people and priests have conflicting ideas on parish life. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)
Mary Gentile, of Waterbury, won't be traveling to New York City next weekend to attend Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Yankee Stadium. But she's thrilled that he's coming.
On April 15 Pope Benedict XVI will fly into Andrews Air Force Base on his personal aircraft, Shepherd One, where he will be greeted by President George W. Bush. His first papal visit to the United States has been named "Christ our Hope" and is meant to send a message of faith, hope and love to the Catholic community, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"I'm very, very pleased about it and I feel he's coming close to home and Heaven knows we really need something like that," Gentile said. "Our country is in such a cesspool right now and I'm sure there's going to be an awful lot of young people attending, and maybe they'll be more aware."
She said she'll be watching the Mass on television, noting that she is fond of Pope Benedict and thinks he's following well in Pope John Paul II's footsteps.
However, studies have shown that not everyone favors the pontiff. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, together with the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found that one in five Americans have an adverse perception of Benedict. However, in the Catholic community, 89 percent are partial to him.
A group of 30 from Hartford County plan to protest the pope's visit when he arrives in D.C. on April 15.
"The peaceful protest will be in front of the White House," protestor Anthony Ramos said. "The protest will be against what the Catholic church calls celibacy."
He noted that the recent sexual abuse cases by priests needs to be dealt with by the pope.
Others dislike Pope Benedict because of comments he's made regarding the Islam faith, in which he said that the Prophet Mohammed had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things. The Vatican later retracted the pontiff's statement and has since reached out to various faiths.
Local reaction, however, reveals high regard for the pope.
Oxford resident Christina Watkins said she feels some people are a bit leery about Pope Benedict because of his age. He will be 81 on April 16. "When Pope John XXIII was elected he was rather old and only lasted a few years," she said, noting "The Good Pope" who was elected in 1958 and died in 1963 at age 81.
But age hasn't proven to be much of a plight and she said she's happy with the job Benedict has done thus far."Benedict now has granted those who wish to return to the Latin Mass the full chance to do so," she said. "For this, we are grateful."
The Tridentine Mass, or Latin Rite, was replaced in the 1960s by English Masses, as well as other predominant languages.
According to The Washington Post, The Tridentine Mass was codified in 1570 and remained the common Roman Catholic liturgy for nearly four centuries, until church leaders known as the Second Vatican Council ushered in major changes from 1962 to 1965.
The Rev. Bill Considine of Lourdes in Litchfield lived in Rome for 12 years and has met both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
He remembers when Pope Benedict was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and worked in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith whose mission is "to promote and safeguard the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world."
Considine said Ratzinger would walk every day, with briefcase in hand, from his apartment on one side of the Vatican, across the piazza to his office on the other side.
"He would always smile at people, and when people would say 'hello' he would nod," Considine recalled.
When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, it was Ratzinger who presided at several of the Masses, including the funeral Mass. "He did it with a great dignity and a great power that really touched many people," said Considine, who considers Ratzinger to be a natural leader.
"When he was elected pope, at first many people were a little nervous," he said."But almost right away from his first sermon, what he showed was more like a shepherd. He's a much more shy man than Pope John Paul II but nevertheless he has a warmth and a real care that started to come through from the beginning."
John Paul II, the "people's pope" was extraordinary with massive assemblies, Considine added.
"He just connected with vast crowds but if you met him one on one, he was sort of a little distant, almost looking over your shoulder to the next person, whereas with Pope Benedict all his attention was right on you, with his eyes, with his questions, with the way he responded to you, it was very impressive," Considine said.
[Caption: New Milford author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle was one of 260 people from 46 countries and five continents to serve as a delegate at the Pontifical Council for the laity's International Congress. She heard Pope Benedict speak twicwe while she was in Rome for the conference.]
Mary-Catherine McCarthy, 16, hasn't met Pope Benedict, but heard him speak in Rome earlier this year. She went to Rome with her mother, New Milford Author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, and sat in the front row at his weekly general audience.
"It was pretty cool," McCarthy said. "It was just really awesome to be in a room with this man who is so holy and known around the world."
She said Pope Benedict spoke, with an accent, in several languages.
O'Boyle heard Pope Benedict speak twice while she was in Rome for the conference, "Woman and Man, the Humanum in its Entirety," once with her daughter and once when he addressed the congress attendees.
"At the time I didn't know what he was saying, it was in Italian, we were waiting for a translation and were all on the edges of our seats trying to take it all in," she said. "It was a very, very beautiful experience for me to be so close to who I consider the vicar of Christ, our shepherd in the Catholic faith."
She said Benedict is a humble, regal, serving man.
"He exudes that spirit of service and love and I believe he really lives the Gospel message. It's very apparent in just watching him," she said.
O'Boyle won't be traveling to New York City for any of the upcoming papal events, but said those who are going are in for treat.
"I think that it's just going to be an unforgettable day for them, they're always going to remember it," she said.
She saw Pope John Paul II in New York City in the 1970s and again in Rome in 1988.
"It's a very memorable experience when you see the Holy Father. It stays with you," she said. "They'll definitely be blessed by it. ...
"I believe that the grace from God will help them in their own journeys by being able to have met him and hear what he had to say."
She noted that people of all faiths loved John Paul, and she feels that people are still unsure about Benedict. "He's a very loving pope but people don't know him enough yet, they want to see what he's like," she said.
Pope Benedict will celebrate his third year as pope at Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 19.
Republican-American faith reporter Tracy Simmons will be covering Pope Benedict's visit to New York City April 18 through 20. For additional insight on the pope's visit, check out her blog at www.blogs.rep-am.com/pope; also, daily updates and multimedia presentations will be available at www.rep-am.com.
BY TRACY SIMMONS REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
In his first visit this month to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI will find an American flock wrestling with what it means to be Roman Catholic. Lay people and priests have conflicting ideas on parish life. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)
Mary Gentile, of Waterbury, won't be traveling to New York City next weekend to attend Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Yankee Stadium. But she's thrilled that he's coming.
On April 15 Pope Benedict XVI will fly into Andrews Air Force Base on his personal aircraft, Shepherd One, where he will be greeted by President George W. Bush. His first papal visit to the United States has been named "Christ our Hope" and is meant to send a message of faith, hope and love to the Catholic community, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"I'm very, very pleased about it and I feel he's coming close to home and Heaven knows we really need something like that," Gentile said. "Our country is in such a cesspool right now and I'm sure there's going to be an awful lot of young people attending, and maybe they'll be more aware."
She said she'll be watching the Mass on television, noting that she is fond of Pope Benedict and thinks he's following well in Pope John Paul II's footsteps.
However, studies have shown that not everyone favors the pontiff. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, together with the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found that one in five Americans have an adverse perception of Benedict. However, in the Catholic community, 89 percent are partial to him.
A group of 30 from Hartford County plan to protest the pope's visit when he arrives in D.C. on April 15.
"The peaceful protest will be in front of the White House," protestor Anthony Ramos said. "The protest will be against what the Catholic church calls celibacy."
He noted that the recent sexual abuse cases by priests needs to be dealt with by the pope.
Others dislike Pope Benedict because of comments he's made regarding the Islam faith, in which he said that the Prophet Mohammed had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things. The Vatican later retracted the pontiff's statement and has since reached out to various faiths.
Local reaction, however, reveals high regard for the pope.
Oxford resident Christina Watkins said she feels some people are a bit leery about Pope Benedict because of his age. He will be 81 on April 16. "When Pope John XXIII was elected he was rather old and only lasted a few years," she said, noting "The Good Pope" who was elected in 1958 and died in 1963 at age 81.
But age hasn't proven to be much of a plight and she said she's happy with the job Benedict has done thus far."Benedict now has granted those who wish to return to the Latin Mass the full chance to do so," she said. "For this, we are grateful."
The Tridentine Mass, or Latin Rite, was replaced in the 1960s by English Masses, as well as other predominant languages.
According to The Washington Post, The Tridentine Mass was codified in 1570 and remained the common Roman Catholic liturgy for nearly four centuries, until church leaders known as the Second Vatican Council ushered in major changes from 1962 to 1965.
The Rev. Bill Considine of Lourdes in Litchfield lived in Rome for 12 years and has met both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
He remembers when Pope Benedict was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and worked in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith whose mission is "to promote and safeguard the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world."
Considine said Ratzinger would walk every day, with briefcase in hand, from his apartment on one side of the Vatican, across the piazza to his office on the other side.
"He would always smile at people, and when people would say 'hello' he would nod," Considine recalled.
When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, it was Ratzinger who presided at several of the Masses, including the funeral Mass. "He did it with a great dignity and a great power that really touched many people," said Considine, who considers Ratzinger to be a natural leader.
"When he was elected pope, at first many people were a little nervous," he said."But almost right away from his first sermon, what he showed was more like a shepherd. He's a much more shy man than Pope John Paul II but nevertheless he has a warmth and a real care that started to come through from the beginning."
John Paul II, the "people's pope" was extraordinary with massive assemblies, Considine added.
"He just connected with vast crowds but if you met him one on one, he was sort of a little distant, almost looking over your shoulder to the next person, whereas with Pope Benedict all his attention was right on you, with his eyes, with his questions, with the way he responded to you, it was very impressive," Considine said.
[Caption: New Milford author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle was one of 260 people from 46 countries and five continents to serve as a delegate at the Pontifical Council for the laity's International Congress. She heard Pope Benedict speak twicwe while she was in Rome for the conference.]
Mary-Catherine McCarthy, 16, hasn't met Pope Benedict, but heard him speak in Rome earlier this year. She went to Rome with her mother, New Milford Author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, and sat in the front row at his weekly general audience.
"It was pretty cool," McCarthy said. "It was just really awesome to be in a room with this man who is so holy and known around the world."
She said Pope Benedict spoke, with an accent, in several languages.
O'Boyle heard Pope Benedict speak twice while she was in Rome for the conference, "Woman and Man, the Humanum in its Entirety," once with her daughter and once when he addressed the congress attendees.
"At the time I didn't know what he was saying, it was in Italian, we were waiting for a translation and were all on the edges of our seats trying to take it all in," she said. "It was a very, very beautiful experience for me to be so close to who I consider the vicar of Christ, our shepherd in the Catholic faith."
She said Benedict is a humble, regal, serving man.
"He exudes that spirit of service and love and I believe he really lives the Gospel message. It's very apparent in just watching him," she said.
O'Boyle won't be traveling to New York City for any of the upcoming papal events, but said those who are going are in for treat.
"I think that it's just going to be an unforgettable day for them, they're always going to remember it," she said.
She saw Pope John Paul II in New York City in the 1970s and again in Rome in 1988.
"It's a very memorable experience when you see the Holy Father. It stays with you," she said. "They'll definitely be blessed by it. ...
"I believe that the grace from God will help them in their own journeys by being able to have met him and hear what he had to say."
She noted that people of all faiths loved John Paul, and she feels that people are still unsure about Benedict. "He's a very loving pope but people don't know him enough yet, they want to see what he's like," she said.
Pope Benedict will celebrate his third year as pope at Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 19.
Republican-American faith reporter Tracy Simmons will be covering Pope Benedict's visit to New York City April 18 through 20. For additional insight on the pope's visit, check out her blog at www.blogs.rep-am.com/pope; also, daily updates and multimedia presentations will be available at www.rep-am.com.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
"For All of Humanity," my article in Lay Witness magazine
For All of Humanity
A Report from the International Congress on Mulieris Dignitatem
held in Rome, February 7–9, 2008
by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
Pilgrimaging to the Eternal City were 260 delegates comprising mostly women and a few men from all corners of the world. They represented 46 countries and five continents called together by the Pontifical Council for the Laity to partake in the International Congress marking the twentieth anniversary of the apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem.
Mulieris Dignitatem (“On the Dignity and Vocation of Women”), presented by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 1988, is the first apostolic letter totally dedicated to women. The Pontifical Council for the Laity saw a need to... (Continued here.)
A Report from the International Congress on Mulieris Dignitatem
held in Rome, February 7–9, 2008
by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
Pilgrimaging to the Eternal City were 260 delegates comprising mostly women and a few men from all corners of the world. They represented 46 countries and five continents called together by the Pontifical Council for the Laity to partake in the International Congress marking the twentieth anniversary of the apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem.
Mulieris Dignitatem (“On the Dignity and Vocation of Women”), presented by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 1988, is the first apostolic letter totally dedicated to women. The Pontifical Council for the Laity saw a need to... (Continued here.)
Monday, December 17, 2007
JOY enters our hearts...
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI told us that JOY enters hearts of those who seek to minister to the poor. This Advent season, are we focusing on the BIRTH OF CHRIST? Are we getting caught up in the busyness of running around and trying to have everything (superficially) perfect? Are we giving our hearts to the poor?
I'll be back a little later on to post about the radio show this morning with Teresa Tomeo on "Catholic Connection," as well as speak about some family Advent and Christmas ideas.
God bless you!
I'll be back a little later on to post about the radio show this morning with Teresa Tomeo on "Catholic Connection," as well as speak about some family Advent and Christmas ideas.
God bless you!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Feast of Christ the King!
as food for everlasting life.
Help us to live by his Gospel
and bring us to the joy of his kingdom,
where he lives and reigns for ever and ever."
(Prayer after Communion from today's Mass)
"Jesus of Nazareth...is so intrinsically king that the title 'King' has actually become his name. By calling ourselves Christians, we label ourselves as followers of the king...The feast of Christ the King is therefore not a feast of those subjugated, but a feast of those who know that they are in the hands of the one who writes straight on crooked lines."--Pope Benedict XVI
Monday, July 16, 2007
What a privilege!
Just kidding! It's a photo of me at the Book Expo in NYC in early June standing near a cardboard cut out of Pope Benedict at the Crossroad Publishing booth! Got ya for a second there, didn't I?!
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