Papal Nuncio Praises RMS

 The following article can be found here.

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Papal Nuncio Praises Redemptoris Mater Seminary For Its Work

DANBURY—Redemptoris Mater Diocesan Missionary Seminary honored Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States on Sunday, who praised them for forming men who will go out as missionary disciples in the name of Christ to a world in need of evangelization.

More than 400 people attended the 5th Annual Gala Dinner, which recognized Archbishop Pierre, along with James Larkin, retired vice chairman of American Express International.

“The Church needs missionary disciples,” Archbishop Pierre said. “Missionary activity is one of the greatest challenges facing us today. Those of you who support the Neocatechumenal Way are doing a vital mission for the future of the Church.”

The Redemptoris Mater Seminary is under the direction of rector Father Marco Pacciana, along with Father Giandomenico Flora, spiritual director. Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) seminaries are under the auspices of the Neocatechumenal Way, a 55-year-old charism in the Church dedicated to Christian formation and the New Evangelization. The seminaries form men as missionary diocesan priests to serve the local church or in any part of the world the bishop chooses.

The seminary in Stamford was established in 2015 on the Feast of Immaculate Conception through the efforts of Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. Several years ago, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of the Archdiocese of Hartford asked for a section of the seminary to prepare men for vocations in the archdiocese, Father Pacciana said.

Bishop Caggiano, in his opening prayer at the gala, which was held at The Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, praised the seminarians, and said that one day “We hope to see them ordained to be your sacred priests.”  The Church needs missionary disciples,” Archbishop Pierre said. “Missionary activity is one of the greatest challenges facing us today. Those of you who support the Neocatechumenal Way are doing a vital mission for the future of the Church.”

The Redemptoris Mater Seminary is under the direction of rector Father Marco Pacciana, along with Father Giandomenico Flora, spiritual director. Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) seminaries are under the auspices of the Neocatechumenal Way, a 55-year-old charism in the Church dedicated to Christian formation and the New Evangelization. The seminaries form men as missionary diocesan priests to serve the local church or in any part of the world the bishop chooses.

The seminary in Stamford was established in 2015 on the Feast of Immaculate Conception through the efforts of Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. Several years ago, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of the Archdiocese of Hartford asked for a section of the seminary to prepare men for vocations in the archdiocese, Father Pacciana said.

Bishop Caggiano, in his opening prayer at the gala, which was held at The Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, praised the seminarians, and said that one day “We hope to see them ordained to be your sacred priests.”

Father Pacciana expressed his gratitude and said, “I am very happy and grateful for all of you coming tonight for your support.” He said the seminary has had many milestones over the past year, including the ordination of one of the original seminarians, Ricardo Batista Comim, to the transitional diaconate.

In his comments, Archbishop Pierre praised the seminary for its work forming men to be priests who are missionary disciples, who “shine like diamonds among the people of God.”

He said true missionary priests must have the ability to see where mercy is needed and bring a “healthy zeal” to their vocation so they can share the healing power of God’s mercy with others.

He said Redemptoris Mater produces men who give themselves to the Lord and their flock by bringing the joy of the Gospel to the world…and they must be willing to go out into the world.

“It is easier to stay home surrounded by those who love us, but this is not Jesus’ way—he does not use half measures,” the archbishop said. “He gives his disciples one word: Go.” It is “a powerful word that resonates in every cranny of missionary life.”

The men, he said, “must be in a permanent state of mission” and understand the territory of their mission—and their territory is the Diocese of Bridgeport and the Archdiocese of Hartford. He said, “This territory has a rich Catholic history and tradition, and it is still a missionary territory for those who have fallen away and who are on the margins of society.”

In order to announce Christ, the men must be “free of worldly attachments, and at Redemptoris Mater, seminarians learn to renounce the things of the world and develop an understanding of the beauty of freedom that only following Christ can give.”

Father Pacciana gave him a silver plaque and thanked him for his message and support. He also thanked James Larkin, who could not attend the gala, for his commitment to the seminary and the Church.

“The Nuncio is very supportive of the work of the Neocatecumenal Way and the Redemptoris Mater Seminaries in the USA,” Father Pacciana said later. “This dinner conveyed an atmosphere of joy and communion. People came from the tristate area and also from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to support the seminarians, but we were all together as one family, the family of the children of God, to celebrate and to support these men.” He said that most of the people at the gala rediscovered their baptism through the itinerary of Christian initiation that is the Neocatecumenal Way.

“Many of these were brothers and sisters from the communities where these seminarians too are rediscovering their baptism, and it is from this itinerary that their vocations come, and through this itinerary they are nourished and strengthened,” he said.

Father thanked Archbishop Pierre for attending and “showing with his presence the love and support of the Holy Father for the work of the Neocatecumenal Way and the Redemptoris Mater Seminaries.”

He said the archbishop presided over a vocational meeting in Gettysburg last July attended by more than 10,000 brothers and sisters from the Neocatecumenal Way, and “he saw firsthand the work of the Lord in their life, when young men, young women and entire families answered the call to become priests, nuns or to leave as a family for the mission to evangelize everywhere in the world.”

Father Pacciana also thanked Bishop Caggiano.

“He has honored us with his presence and is the man without whom none of this would have been possible in our diocese,” Father said. “Because of his great prophetic vision, we saw the opening of this seminary, which is an answer to the crisis of vocations and the larger crisis of faith our Church is going through.”

He thanked Archbishop Blair, “who had the same vision when a few years ago decided to open a section of our seminary for the formation of vocations for the Archdiocese of Hartford.” He thanked Bishop Juan M. Betancourt of the Archdiocese for his support and “the great work he is doing in fostering vocations in the Archdiocese of Hartford,” and Bishop James Massa, “who has always accompanied and supported us, both as auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn and as rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, where these men study theology.”

He praised everyone involved in making this year’s gala a success and say next year’s dinner will be held on June 4.

In his final comments, Bishop Caggiano thanked Archbishop Pierre for his great witness to the United States, and he praised the seminarians: “These men, each in their own unique way, are very much committed. They are surrendering themselves to the hands of the Lord and will one day be our shepherds and missionary disciples. The Church will be in very good hands with these young men. I know them and I live with them.”

In offering the final blessing, Archbishop Blair said, “Lord, we are privileged to be together and celebrate as one on this feast of Corpus Christi, the great Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.” He said the Blessed Virgin, who is the Mother of the Eucharist, is the patron of the Redemptoris Mater Seminaries (Mother of the Redeemer) and that the seminarians have all the help they need through the prayers of the Mother of God.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre was ordained on April 5, 1970, in Saint-Malo, France and incardinated in the Archdiocese of Rennes. He was parochial vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul Parish in Colombes, Diocese of Nanterre, France.

He has a master’s degree in Sacred Theology and a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome. He completed his studies at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome and started his service in the Diplomatic Corps of the Holy See on March 5, 1977. He was appointed first to the Pontifical Representation in New Zealand and the Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Subsequently, he served in Mozambique, in Zimbabwe, in Cuba, in Brazil, and at the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

He was elected Titular Archbishop of Gunela on July 12, 1995 and received the Episcopal Consecration on September 24, 1995, in Saint-Malo, France.

Archbishop Pierre was appointed apostolic nuncio to Haiti in 1995, where he served until 1999. He has been the Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda and then to Mexico. He was appointed apostolic nuncio of the United States by Pope Francis on April 12, 2016.

Honoree James Larkin is a 50-year parishioner of St. Mary Church in Greenwich,  a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Wharton Graduate School.  He and his wife Dr. Susan Larkin, who is an art historian, have two children and seven grandchildren.

A Korean War veteran, he served two tours of duty as a Marine Corps infantry officer in Korea, Japan and the U.S. and was discharged as a captain.

He spent 40 years in the international communications and financial services fields. His 12 years with American Broadcasting Company were comprised of cooperative liaison with the government’s counter-Castro undertakings in Central and South America. He retired as vice chairman of American Express International after previously serving as president, Europe, Middle East and Africa for the company.

Since 1992, he has been a supporter, contributor and collaborator in the international Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. In 1994, he was an Ecumenical Patriarchate delegate to the peace conference on Bosnia-Herzegovina in Istanbul.  In 2000, he was the first American Catholic to be awarded the Cross of St. Andrew by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul and is Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.  He also received a citation from the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut for building unity between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches.

Advent Announcement #2

First of all, I will say this once again as a reminder that this is MY blog, which reflects only my opinions, viewpoints, and experiences. Although I walk in the Way, I am not a spokesperson for the Way. The Neocatechumenal Way has its own official website. 

In my previous post on Advent Announcement, I wrote that we had a couple of good news.  The first one pertained to Carmen Hernandez.  The second one is in regards to the Nuncio calling a meeting for all the bishops in the United States.  This meeting will take place soon.

The purpose of the meeting is to clear up any misconceptions about the Neocatechumenal Way.  As many people are aware, there are some bishops who oppose the Way because they listened and believed social media more than the Church and the Pope.  The Nuncio will explain to all the bishops that the Way is approved by the Church, is part of the Church, and endorsed by five popes.  There should no moratorium to stop the Way from evangelizing or building more communities.  In fact, every baptized Catholic is called to evangelize.  Evangelization is part of building up the Church.

Correcting the misconceptions of the bishops is the first way to go.  Then the priest and deacon can follow their bishop.  Unfortunately, obedience to the bishop is a problem we had in Guam under then Archbishop Anthony Apuron.  Some of the priests whom he ordained went against him and even encouraged the laity to go against the Archbishop.  The laity should never entice a priest to go against their bishop's decree, and a priest should never band together the laity to go against a bishop. A priest should never go against their bishop's decree.  Canon law 273 states, "Clerics are bound by a special obligation to show reverence and obedience to the Supreme Pontiff and their own ordinary."  The ordinary in this case would be their bishop or Archbishop. 

Padre Pio was a perfect example of obedience despite the unjust things done to him by the Church. He was banned from celebrating Mass publicly. The superior of the monastery read to Padre Pio the decree, and he responded, "God's will be done.....The will of the superiors is the will of God."  When people came out in defense of Padre Pio, the Saint responded, "I must repeat that I am very disgusted by the unworthy behavior of certain false prophet who speak in my behalf..... they should stop this false and unworthy propaganda, but meanwhile they have followed in their morbid fanaticism,  not caring about the Supreme authority of the Church. I turn, therefore,  as a son most humble and completely obedient to the Catholic Church....." 

The accusations against Padre Pio later proved to be false, and he would eventually be allowed to minister without restrictions.  The point is that Padre Pio submitted to the decree and remained silent, trusting in God’s provident plan. A priest has promised obedience to his bishop.

According to the Arlington Catholic Herald:

This experience gave me a foretaste of what priestly obedience implies. In the rite of ordination, both deacons and priests promise their respect and obedience to the bishop. As the ordinand kneels, he places his folded hands into the hands of his bishop, signifying his fidelity to the bishop and his successors. Through this symbolic action, the priest or deacon is ultimately placing his own will in the hands of God through the hands of the successor to the Apostles.

This promise of obedience implies — and requires — the exercise of two virtues: trust and love. I express my trust and love for God by surrendering my will to his through the mediation of my bishop. By trusting my bishop, I recognize that his decisions are made for my own good and the good of the church. In the same vein, I strive to embrace his decisions out of love for Christ and the church, putting their good above my own.

My Rome experience led me to reflect on the role of obedience in the life of a priest. While it may appear that obedience hinders a priest’s free will, it actually offers an occasion for him to conform his life more closely to Jesus Christ. When a priest offers himself obediently to his bishop, he imitates Jesus’ own obedience that he offered the Father in all his actions here on earth. He freely chose this out of love for his Father and us, and trust in his will. When I meditate on what he went through on behalf of all of us, suddenly my challenges do not seem as difficult.

So, all the bishops of the United States will soon be called into a meeting to clear up all and any misconceptions of the Neocatechumenal Way, so that whatever restrictions, moratorium, or unjust decrees against the Way will be rescinded. First, the bishop must be in communion with the Pope.  When the Bishops of the Church are in communion with the Pope, then it will soon follow that priests, deacons, and the laity will also be in communion.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Advent Announcement

 We received a couple of good news in last night's Advent Announcement.  The first good news is that Carmen Hernandez will be declared the title "Servant of God" by the Vatican on December 4, 2022.  She is getting closer to the canonization of sainthood.  You can find the information here. 

On July 19, 2021, after the five years established by the current legislation, the petition for the opening of the Cause of Canonization of Carmen Hernández, initiator together with Kiko Argüello, of the Neocatechumenal Way, was presented to the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal D. Carlos Osoro.

After a preliminary investigation to verify the presence of a solid, spontaneous and well extended reputation of sanctity and of signs, by the diocesan tribunal; after also having made the pertinent canonical consultations with the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints of the Holy See, with the bishops of the ecclesiastical Province and with the faithful of this Diocese, the Archbishop of Madrid, D. Carlos Osoro, has accepted this request and will preside over the “Official Opening of the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Carmen Hernández Barrera”.

This joyful ecclesial event will take place on December 4, 2022, the second Sunday of Advent, at 6:00 p.m., at the Francisco de Vitoria University in Madrid.

Those invited include the communities lead by Kiko, Fr. Mario and Ascensión in Italy, Spain and France, all the itinerant catechists of the first teams of the nations, all the rectors and vice-rectors of the Redemptoris Mater seminaries of the world and the ordained priests of the seminaries of Rome and Madrid.

The Root of the Problem

 An anonymous poster brought up an interesting remark.  He/She stated: 

AnonymousNovember 19, 2022 at 8:13 AM  

Jane Doe, you got that right! We see that in the US where conservative speech are being censored while hate speech from liberals are being tolerated. All this nonsense comes from somewhere, and my guess are the colleges taken over by liberals

 I agree.  People in our society did not simply wake up one day and decide that Donald Trump is the epitome of systematic racism and should not run for President of the United States.  Members of BLM, ANTIFA, and some members of the Democratic Party were brainwashed into thinking this way.  They did not simply wake up one day and say, "Okay!  Enough is enough!  Donald Trump is a racist and is the very epitome of systematic racism in America because he is against immigration."  Trump has always stated that he is against ILLEGLAL immigration.  He is not opposed to immigrants who enter the United States legally.

Hatred is taught.  It is not something a child is born with.  And unfortunately, in many of America's universities, Socialism and Marxism are promoted while traditional conservative values are being suppressed.  Universities and probably even high schools are where these ideologies are being taught.  There is always a root cause of where all this hatred is coming from. Is this not the reason why the LGBTQ+ community are promoting the teachings (or should I say "indoctrination") of Critical Race Theory into the elementary schools, where children are most impressionable. The video below points out the problem that America is facing in some of its universities.  When a person or an institution demonizes and persecutes another person (in this case Trump) or a group of people (in this case the MAGA crowd who voted for Trump), they are simply causing division and hatred. Disagreeing with a person is not hate speech nor violence.  Apparently, some of the educational system in America needs to be revamped to foster civil dialogue and learn the difference between speech and violence.  

 

My Opinion of Donald Trump

 Donald Trump is one of the greatest Presidents of the United States.  He has indeed accomplished a lot during his one-term as President.  However, not everyone likes his personality or his character.  He is arrogant and has a lot of pride.  Recently, he made negative remarks of the Governor of Florida and the Governor of Virginia, both of whom are Republicans.  Both Governors recognize Trump’s achievements and understood that his policies worked for the country.  Trump has also announced that he will be running again as President of the U.S. in 2024. One of my friends supports Trump and would vote for him again in 2024.  That friend asked my opinion of him.  This is my opinion:

While he was President, his policies were a benefit to the country, and he did put America first. Unfortunately, his arrogance has earned him a lot of enemies including among those of his own party. Saying negative remarks about Ron De Santis and Glenn Youngkin is not going to get him re-elected by the people of Florida and Virginia. Nevertheless, Trump seems to have a lot of affect on his enemies that they cannot forget him and continue to persecute him to this day.  If Trump were elected in 2024, he can continue to do great things for America, but I do not think he can unify the American people.  There are people whose hatred of him runs so deep that they have become so obsessed with seeking his downfall regardless of the good things he has done. 

With that said, I am sure that there are many Donald Trumps out there. In fact, I know one person in my community who have the same personality.  Yet, is this not the reason why we walk in a community and attend Mass....to put out the old man and allow the new man to emerge in us?  I can say for certain that my brother in my community have changed a great deal that I do not see much arrogance in the brother. Then again, could it be that I changed and have learned to accept the brother’s character? Perhaps, we both changed in our walk, but one thing is for certain, we are still struggling with pride.  Is this not true with many people regardless of whether they are in the NCW or not?  Pride is the worst of the deadliest sins.  No one can change Trump’s attitude and personality.  That is up to him to change, and he can change with God’s grace. In the same way, Trump cannot change his enemies’ hatred of him.  

WYD Lisbon, Portugal

The 2023 World Youth Day will be in Lisbon, Portugal. The NCW in Guam is preparing our Guam youth to participate in the World Youth Day next year. 😀