Salt + Light Blog

Every day I usually take a moment to take a look at the photos on the Catholic News Service newswire.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve come across heartbreaking photo after heartbreaking photo coming out of Pakistan, where flooding has devastated the region.

At least four millions people have been left homeless — that’s nearly the combined population of Toronto and Montreal!

Aid has been slow coming to those affected, and unsanitary conditions are leading to the spread of disease.  Disease is not the only problem though, but unrest is also growing in the region and selfish acts as well.

Pope Benedict has appealed that the international community reach out to Pakistan.  Speaking a couple of weeks ago at his Wednesday General Audience:

May these brothers of ours, so harshly tested, not lack our solidarity and the concrete aid of international solidarity.

Here in Canada, Development in Peace,  the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis, is raising money for flood victims.

Vatican Radio offers this recent conversation with a Caritas Austria aid worker who has been in Pakistan for ten days.  She says though the floods are beginning to subside, the country remains in a state of emergency.  Listen to that interview HERE.

Zenit has also published an interview with a Caritas Pakistan aid worker.   In recalling the primitive living conditions as a result of the flooding, he noted: “Although food and clothing continue to be a great need, the world must think of ways to help them live with dignity.”  You can read the full interview HERE.

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Photos: CNS

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Matthew Harrison

In addition to a September 16th to 19th Papal trip to the United Kingdom which Pope Benedict has asked prayers for, September brings us the following papal intentions:

General Intention: The Word of God as Incentive for Social Development
That the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work toward authentic social progress.

Mission Intention: End of War
That by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our world.

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CNS photo/Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo

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Matthew Harrison

For those of you devoted to Cardinal John Henry Newman, you may want to circle it on your calendar.

October 9th.

That was the day of the Cardinal’s conversion to Catholicism in 1845.

And Pope Benedict XVI is set to announce it as his feast day when he officially declares the English scholar beatified on September 19th of this year.

That’s according to a special edition of Magnificat, published specifically for the liturgies and events of next month’s Papal Visit to the United Kingdom.

One million copies of the booklet will be distributed to parishes across England, Scotland and Wales.

The London-based Catholic Herald has more HERE.

The Beatification Mass of Cardinal Newman will highlight the Holy Father’s September 16th-19th visit to the United Kingdom. Salt + Light Television will bring you full coverage of the Mass, as well as all the other liturgies and events during the Apostolic Journey. Keep an eye on our blog in the coming days for a posting of broadcast details.

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Matthew Harrison

Some call it David versus Goliath.

But Father Luke Strand dismisses that description.

The priest from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been asked by Best Buy to remove a God Squad logo from his black Volkswagen Beetle.

The electronic retailer says the logo is a copyright infringement on its logo for the Geek Squad, the company’s technical customer service division.

Father Strand, pictured with seminary classmates shortly after being ordained deacons in 2008, complied with the request and, along with Best Buy’s assistance, is working on redesigning his God Squad logo.  After all, he doesn’t want to completely abandon the opportunity to bring the Gospel message to the streets.

“I just found it to be a phenomenal opportunity to really spark those conversations with people who might be questioning their life, want to talk a little about where they are in their relationship with God.” says Fr. Strand.

And logo or not, you will still be able to identify his car from his personalized license plate: GODLVYA.

Read the full CNS article on Fr. Strand HERE.

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CNS photo/courtesy St. Francis Seminary/Emerald Isle Marketing

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Matthew Harrison

It looks like there will be a touch of Tolkien when Pope Benedict XVI visits Birmingham, England next month.

No, we’re confident the Holy Father will not be quoting portions of Lord of the Rings in any homilies or addresses.

However, the legendary author’s great nephew, Tim Tolkien, will be sculpting a life-size statue of Cardinal John Henry Newman for Birmingham’s Cofton Park.

That’s where the Pontiff will celebrate an open-air Beatification Mass for the holy scholar on September 19th.

The steel, bronze-sprayed statue will likely be placed next to the stage, and the accomplished sculptor is hopeful the Holy Father will bless it.

“It’s a great privilege,” said the 47-year old, “The Pope doesn’t come often and it’s happening in this city.”

Read the full article about the sculpture at the Birmingham Mail HERE.

Of course, this isn’t the first Tolkien-Newman connection.  The Cardinal founded the English Oratory (the Oratory of St. Philip Neri is a congregation of priests and brothers founded by St. Philip in Rome in the 16th century).  He later lived, and was buried, at the Birmingham Oratory.

When his mother died, a 12-year old Tolkien was entrusted to a priest at the Birmingham Oratory (his father had died years earlier, and the family had separated themselves from them after Tolkien’s mother converted to Catholicism).  For a period Tolkien lived and attended an Oratorian run school.  In fact, there’s an amusing legend that Tolkien took great pleasure placing the house’s cat in the refectory’s lazy Susan (or dumbwaiter) – offering a bit of a surprise for servers at meals!

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Check back regularly to the Salt + Light blog for further updates on the trip and our broadcast details.
CNS photo/courtesy Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory

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Matthew Harrison

Thirty one thousand decades of the Rosary and one hundred and thirty days of Eucharistic adoration.

That’s the amount of prayer that benefactors of the charity Aid to the Church in Need have pledged to Pope Benedict XVI.

For those of you keeping count, that prayer total works out to more than six months of continuous prayer.

And that doesn’t include the eleven thousand Masses that will be offered for the Holy Father!

ACN organized the “prayer-action” for the Pontiff in anticipation of his visit to the United Kingdom, September 16th-19th.

Those who participated will have their name added to a book that will presented to the Holy Father during his Apostolic journey.

Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity that helps suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide.  You may have even seen some of their television programs on Salt + Light. Some of their projects include training for seminarians and aid for Iraqi Christian refugees (as a side note:  though not related to ACN, Toronto’s Archbishop Thomas Collins has recently encouraged Canadians to support the latter group).

Visit Vatican Radio HERE to learn more about ACN’s “Prayer-Action” for the Pope and the Papal visit to the UK.

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CNS photo/Paul Haring

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Matthew Harrison

Castel Gandolfo was busy yesterday as Pope Benedict XVI marked the solemnity of the Assumption.

First there was the celebration of Mass at the Church of St. Thomas, located just across from the summer Papal residence.  Later in the day, the Holy Father welcomed the faithful to Castel Gandolfo for his Angelus address.

Of course, his address and homily focused on our Blessed Mother, and the significance of her assumption “body and soul into heavenly glory”. (Munificentissimus Deus 44)

In his homily the Pontiff stressed Mary’s great faith.  The Pope said faith is the root of the victory over death that we see anticipated in the Assumption.  Her faith is “obedience to the Word of God and a total abandon to divine initiative and action as announced to her by the Archangel.”

The Pope also offered a meditation on Heaven during his homily.  He says when the Church teaches that Mary was taken “body and soul into heaven,” heaven is not a reference “to some place in the universe, a star or something similar.”  He explained:

With the word “Heaven’, we affirm that God, the God who made himself close to us, will never abandon us, not even in death or beyond it, but has a place for us and grants us eternity. We are saying that in God, there is a place for us.

Read more…

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Matthew Harrison

Cardinal Marc Ouellet has asked the faithful to pray that the Lord may give him “wisdom and discernment” as he heads to Rome.

That’s where, as of August 24th, he’ll take up his new role as the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

He asked for the prayers yesterday at the St. Anne de Beaupre Basilica, where he celebrated his last official Mass as Archbishop of Quebec.

The Cardinal says he is grateful for the eight years he spent as Archbishop and says he will continue to pray for the Church in Quebec.

The prelate has also asked for forgiveness for any hurt he may have caused in his time among the people.

He says that the message of truth often causes suffering for both the giver and receiver of the message. But, added “God himself shows us that suffering can be a source of life.”

You can catch a presentation of the farewell Mass, in French, on Salt + Light Television Tuesday August 17th at 3:30pm ET.

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Photo: Cardinal Ouellet celebrates Mass at St. Paul’s Basilica in Toronto in 2008.  CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec

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Matthew Harrison

A little boy once came across a sparrow laying on his back with his feet sticking up to the sky.  The boy looked at him and asked “Sparrow, why are you lying on his back on your back with your feet pointing up to the sky?”  The sparrow replied, because if the sky falls, I will use my feet to prevent it from falling on us.”  The boy replied “But you’re just one little bird, and the sky is so giant!”  The sparrow responded: “I know, but I’m just doing my part.”

I’m paraphrasing this story — one that was told to Archbishop Charles Chaput, of Denver, when he was at a conference on Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.   The Archbishop shared this story today during his homily at the profession Mass of the Sisters of Life, at the beautiful Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, Connecticut. 

Salt + Light was on hand to film the first vows of 10 novices, and the perpetual vows of one sister — a native of Vancouver, Sister Antoniana Maria of the Trinity.

The point that Archbishop Chaput was making is that the Sisters making their profession are “doing their part.”  It may seem insignificant at times, it may not seem very glorious, but in each act they do, they live out their vows more fully; they bring Christ to others; they help build the culture of life. 

And this is the mission of the Sisters — to build a culture of life; to show the beauty and dignity of life.  This is part of their charism of life.  In fact, the Sisters take a fourth vow at their profession: to protect and enhance the sacredness of life. 

The founder of the Sisters, the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal John O’Connor, who passed away ten years ago, wrote:

It is my vision that the Culture of Death will be converted into a Culture of Life – not simply the life of the unborn infant, not simply the life threatened by euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, but the spiritual life of those created in the image and likeness of God. Ultimately, the salvation of the soul is infinitely more important than the salvation of the body. To bring about the conversion of souls, conversion of hearts – this is surely the charism, the apostolate of the Sisters of Life. (Vision Conference, July 31, 1998)

The work the Sisters of Life do is vitally important, and inspiring.  Salt + Light Television will be capturing their charism of life in a documentary, that you can watch for in the Spring of 2011. 

For more on the Sisters of Life, visit their website HERE.

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Matthew Harrison

As we have discussed over the last three days the theme of the Knights of Columbus’ 128th Supreme Convention has been I Am My Brother’s Keeper.

On the third and final day of the Convention, the Knights remembered their deceased brothers and family with Mass, on the memorial of the dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The principle celebrant and homilist, Supreme Chaplain Bishop William Lori shared that part of the charitable works of the Knights are to other Knights — reaching out to their brother Knights when they may have experienced a death in the family, or experienced some kind of a difficulty (this of course touches on the principle of fraternity).  But the Knights also have another kind of charity to brother Knights.  Quoting a close friend to the Knights, Cardinal John Foley, Bishop Lori explained that Knights are also called to a spiritual charity… and a key to spiritual charity includes praying for our beloved dead.  That act of spiritual charity fits with being my brother’s keeper. 

The most perfect prayer for our dead is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, said Bishop Lori, which was why it was important that the attendees had gathered together.  During the Mass, the names of Knights who passed away in the last year was read.  It was a quiet moment to remember the dead, and to pray for their souls, and to offer Mass for them and for their friends and family. 

After the Mass, closed business sessions continued and finished around noon bringing the 128th Supreme Convention in Washington, D.C., to a close.  Next year’s convention will head west next year — to rockies.  Denver, Colorado, will be the host city for the 129th Supreme Convention.

It has been a busy three days, but one that has celebrated the incredible work by an organization dedicated to charity, the Church and Gospel values.  As Catholics we should be proud of the activities and the outreach that the Knights participate in, not only because the works are good, but because it is in imitation of our Lord.  Each task that extends a helping hand, is an act of loving our neighbour.  In each act, it is more fully realized that I am in fact my brother’s keeper.

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Matthew Harrison