6-26-07
Greetings!
Odoardo Focherini was married man with 7 children. He worked at a newspaper during the horrors of WWII in Italy. In the course of his regular duties, he was presented an opportunity to secure safety for approximately 100 Jews fleeing persecution. Many would've just stayed away from the danger---saying "it's not my problem." Not Focherini---he risked his own life and in the process helped save more then 100 Jews. For that work, a work he attributed to his Christian faith, he was arrested, sent to a concentration camp himself, and died. As Christ tells us in the Gospels, "there is no greater love, then for one man to lay down his life for his friends." Amen, and thank God for such "heroes"!
Pope Commemorates Holocaust Hero
Journalist Saved More Than 100 Jews
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 7, 2007 (
Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of an Italian Catholic who was murdered by Nazis after saving the lives of numerous Jews.
The Pope said that Odoardo Focherini is "an unforgettable model of a virtuous Christian husband whose example continues to speak to the Church today," in a message sent to the Diocese of
Carpi through Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
Focherini died in the concentration camp of Hersbruck on Dec. 27, 1944. The papal message commemorates the anniversary of his birth, June 6, 1907.
The Holy Father "wishes that this significant occasion serve to remember the luminous message and the courageous witness to the Gospel of a generous layman who, imitating Christ, gave himself unceasingly for the salvation of his brethren," the message said.
Biography
Focherini was the manager of the newspaper L'Avvenire d'Italia. He was married and had seven children.
In 1942, the director of the newspaper asked him to help some Polish Jews that had come to
Italy on a Red Cross train, and had been sent to Bologna by Archbishop Pietro Boetto of Genoa.
Focherini thus began an intense campaign in favor of Jews. He organized a network to expatriate Jews to Switzerland and thus saved the lives of at least 105 people.
On March 11, 1944, Focherini visited Enrico Donati at Ramazzini Hospital in Carpi to plan the latter's escape to Switzerland using the network. After the visit, Focherini was arrested.
He had just one interrogation, and was accused of writing a letter in which he stated that he was helping Jews "not for money, but out of pure Christian charity."
He was sent to a concentration camp where he died nine months later at the age of 37.
Because of his network, which endured two years, the Union of Jewish Communities in Italy awarded him a golden medal in 1955. And Yad Vashem proclaimed him Righteous Among the Nations in 1969.
His cause for canonization began in 1996.
He will be remembered on Saturday at a Mass in Carpi. Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, will attend.
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Phil's Tidbits:
This Friday is the Feast of Saints Peter & Paul. Pope Benedict will use this feast day to call a "Year of St. Paul". Like others of recent memory, "the Year of the Rosary", "the Year of the Eucharist", etc., this will be a wonderful opportunity to shine a light on the contributions of the one who called himself "the least of the apostles." Expect to hear much more on this in the near future!
Something you certainly won't hear about in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in China-2008. And you have to worry about that "illegal religious activity." When exactly was the last time you heard of Christians rioting or causing disturbances? Even more so at a Marian shrine? Let us continue to pray for our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.
China to Dynamite Marian Shrine
TIANJIAJING, China, JUNE 21, 2007 (
Zenit.org ).- The sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel will be dynamited following a government decision that the pilgrimage site is a place of illegal religious activity.
The Henan Province government will prevent the annual July 16 pilgrimage, which normally draws 40,000 pilgrims for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, AsiaNews
reported.
The shrine was built in 1903 by a priest from the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, Monsignor Stefano Scarsella, then apostolic vicar to northern Henan. The shrine was meant to thank the Blessed Virgin for preserving Christians from the dangers of the Boxer Rebellion.
The sanctuary lies in Tianjiajing, in the Diocese of Anyang, in a scenic, mountainous area that some speculate will be used for a commercial or government building.
The provincial government has mobilized 700 soldiers for military exercises in the area since May 12, when the planned destruction was announced. Roads leading to the shrine are closed and pedestrians who go near the area are searched.
The faithful of the Diocese of Anyang, appealing through AsiaNews, said: "We ask all our brothers and sisters in the Lord to pray for us and spread our message to all the faithful of the world."
Give credit where credit is due. Even though an atheist, he has the intellectual honesty to acknowledge, as most scholars do, that "without the Roman Catholic Church, there would be no Western civilization."
Atheist Gives $22.5 Million to Catholic Education
NEW YORK, MAY 25, 2007 (
Zenit.org).- The Archdiocese of New York received a record-breaking gift of $22.5 million from self-styled atheist Robert Wilson to provide educational scholarships for inner-city children.
Wilson, a philanthropist and former Wall Street investor, gave the money to the Cardinal's Scholarship Program, started in 2005, to aid disadvantaged students.
Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, has expressed his gratitude for the "historic and far-sighted support from Mr. Wilson for the education and future well-being of our neediest children in the archdiocese."
Wilson, 80, told Bloomberg News, that, although an atheist, he has no problem giving money to fund Catholic schools.
"Let's face it, without the Roman Catholic Church, there would be no Western civilization,"
Wilson said. "Shunning religious organizations would be abhorrent."
Wilson added, "It was a chance for a very modest amount of money to get kids out of a lousy school system and into a good school system."
Another anonymous donor, after learning of Wilson's gift, gave an additional $4.5 million to the program.
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Pope Benedict, in his Wednesday audiences, has been focusing on the Church Fathers of late. Recently, he discussed Tertullian. Tertullian's writings, from the 2nd Century, are rightly held in high esteem both for their theological content and their glimpse into the life of the early Church. Yet, Tertullian is not recognized as a saint. In fact, he eventually left the Catholic faith, joining a heretical group. In the end, as Benedict points out, Tertullian's own brilliance lead to pride---a pride that lead him to believe he knew more then Christ's Church. He was unable to accept the Chuch's own "human" weaknesses—and sadly then separated himself from the Body of Christ. It is a great cautionary tale for all of us, particularly those who teach the faith and/or have studied the Faith on a higher level. Humility and docility must always remain at the forefront.
Pope Says Theologians Need Humility
Reflects on Tertullian's Lack of Tolerance
VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2007 (
ZENIT.org).- Benedict XVI says Tertullian's life offers a reflection on the need for humility, which the Pope says is the "essential characteristic of a great theologian."
The Holy Father spoke about Tertullian, a second-century theologian and apologist, at today's general audience in St. Peter's Square.
With his reflection on Tertullian, Benedict XVI resumed his series of catecheses on the Apostolic Fathers. He had interrupted the series with his trip to Brazil and last week's overview of the apostolic trip's highlights.
"This great moral and intellectual personality, this man who gave such a great contribution to Christian thought, makes me think," the Pope said of Tertullian. "It is evident that at the end he lacks simplicity, the humility to belong to the Church, to accept his weaknesses, to be tolerant of others and with himself.
"When you evaluate your thought in terms of your greatness, in the end it is this greatness that is lost."
Benedict XVI noted that Tertullian gradually left communion with the Church and joined a Montanist sect.
"The essential characteristic of a great theologian is the humility to stay with the Church, to accept her and ones own faults, because only God is all holy," the Pontiff said. "We, on the other hand, are always in need of forgiveness."
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You might be a "hard-core" Catholic if….
-Your first serious conversation you have with a potential girl/boyfriend involves your conversion story
-You lie awake at night wondering why the St. Michael Prayer was removed from the end of Mass
-People tend you look in your direction in class whenever anything involving religion comes up
-You have a Rosary or Saint Christopher pin in your car
-One of your Crucifixes has five years worth of dried out palms stuck behind it.
-You would rather get your picture with the pope then with a huge celebrity
-You have more than one Rosary hanging from your bed.
-You have contemplated being in a religous order at least once.
-Your one wish is to be able to ride in the Popemobile
-you say "God bless you" anytime anyone sneezes, out of habit
-You know more about St. Francis of Assisi than "he was some guy who could talk to animals"
-you have had multiple meetings with the priest at your own will
-all your pens and post-its say "Discover the Priesthood"
-You had competitions with your friends on Ash Wednesday to see who could keep their ashes on the longest
-You still write "Your Kingdom Come!" or "JMJ" at the top of your page/letter/report/test
-You find yourself asking all the cute boys whether or not they've ever considered becoming a priest instead of asking them for their number
God bless you! Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter's, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
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