100 days till Christmas

Our Lady of Sorrows.... the Seven sorrows of Mary

Today, Sunday 15th September is the feast of our lady of Sorrows. There is a devotion that is linked to our lady of Sorrows. It is the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

In this devotion the faithful say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each of her sorrows which are listed below:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34-35) or the Circumcision of Christ
2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45)
4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.
5. Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25)
6. The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary's receiving the body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57-59)
7. The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. (John 19:40-42)

These Seven Sorrows should not be confused with the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

Congratuletions Your Lordship - Bishop Robert LLanos

As of Saturday, September 14, Archbishop Joseph Harris would have ordained two bishops – but is yet to preside at a priestly ordination.
 
Archbishop Harris was due to be the principal consecrator at Saturday’s Episcopal ordination of Msgr Robert Llanos as Auxiliary Bishop of Port of Spain. It would have been his second time in that role in the two years he has been a bishop – the first coming just one week after his own Episcopal ordination, when he had to step in for Archbishop Edward Gilbert at the ordination of Msgr Jason Gordon as Bishop of Bridgetown and Kingstown.

The date – September 14 – also marked the second anniversary of the Episcopal ordination of Fr Joseph Harris as Coadjutor Archbishop of Port of Spain, and so he and Auxiliary Bishop Robert Llanos will now share an anniversary.

However, the new Auxiliary Bishop is to be addressed as “Your Lordship”, as distinct from “Your Grace”, which is used for the Archbishop. And, since “Monsignor” is an honorary title, he retains it as Bishop.
Also, the words “Auxiliary Bishop Robert” were to be added to the Eucharistic Prayer from this weekend’s Masses.

24 hour Catholic cable station in Trinidad

Taken from the Catholic News dated September 15th 2013.

It’s early days yet but Archbishop Joseph Harris wants ‘Trinity TV 24/7’, Trinidad and Tobago’s first Catholic television station, to do as its name suggests and gradually build unity in the nation.

Speaking at last Sunday’s official launch and blessing at the Living Water Community (LWC) chapel in Port of Spain, the archbishop said the word ‘Trinity’ meant unity in diversity, so any network called Trinity had the task of building unity. He continued that he would like to see, through the station’s local programming, communities “coming together, helping each other”, thereby building a more united Church.

Sharing what he dubbed his “wish-list”, Archbishop Harris said he hoped the station’s programming would also help viewers “apply God’s word to the burning issues of today” and “help people to understand what God’s word is calling us to do”. He wished too that Trinity TV 24/7 would become “the channel of choice of most people of Trinidad and Tobago”. He had started his address by thanking Trinity TV for the tremendous work it was doing in the Archdiocese in the field of communications. And earlier, he blessed the station’s offices and studios above the chapel.

LWC co-foundress and station director Rhonda Maingot recalled the beginnings of the Community’s Trinity Communications Network (TCN) 20 years ago. She said TCN began with one camera and a team of untrained volunteers. At one time they operated out of a refurbished trailer before re-locating to the top floor of the Community’s Frederick Street centre. Maingot said it has been “one step at a time” and thanked those organisations, communities and individuals “that have walked with us on this journey…So we ready now”. She described the launch of Trinity TV 24/7 as “an extremely bold step of faith” but an “amazing opportunity
to bring the word of God” not only to the wider T&T community but the Caribbean.

TCN marketing/branding consultant David Gomez, whose voice is heard on the promotional video, introduced Trinity TV’s overseas partners: Centro Televisivo Vaticano or CTV, the Vatican Television Centre; Rome Reports TV News Agency, Italy; Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication; Catholic Radio and Television Network (Europe); Daybreak Television Productions, Diocese of Buffalo, New York; Salt and Light Television, Toronto, Canada; Family Theater Productions, Hollywood, Los Angeles; and Telecare TV, New York.

Bishop Jason Gordon of Bridgetown and Kingstown, Signis vice president Gustavo Andujar from Cuba, and Sr Angela Ann Zukowski of the University of Dayton, Ohio, were among those sending congratulatory greetings.

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Nicola Girasoli read a message endorsing Trinity TV sent by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications and CTV director.
The Living Water Music Ministry, Spoken Word artiste Racine Grant and singer Stecia Marie Fletcher provided light interludes during the evening’s programme, which was emceed by Wendell Constantine.
Station Manager Lisa Bhajan gave the vote of thanks before the rite of blessing, which comprised a scripture reading done by Catholic News Editor Kathleen Maharaj, a LWC consecrated member; a short homily by Msgr Michael de Verteuil; and prayers of intercession by representatives of various Archdiocesan groups which produce programmes for Trinity TV.

The audience included Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith, present in a private capacity; Communications Minister Gerald Hadeed; then Auxiliary Bishop-elect Msgr Robert Llanos; Vicar for Communications Msgr Cuthbert Alexander; other members of the clergy; Rose Jackman – who co-founded LWC with Maingot; other LWC members; and Trinity TV staff, presenters and contributors.

The launch was aired live on television and simultaneously streamed over the internet via www.tcntt.com
Maingot disclosed that a Trinity TV mobile app was being developed, while its Facebook page was already accepting ‘Likes’.

Trinity TV can be viewed on Flow Ch 10, Blink Ch 111 and ICNTT Ch 73, and via www.tcntt.com

text to rebuild the Cathedral

Taken from the Archdiocese weekly newspaper for Saturday, 14 September 2013
It’s even easier now to make a donation towards the Cathedral restoration project: just grab your cell phone! As of this weekend, pre- and post-paid bmobile customers can donate via text. The text code to donate $500 is 2SAVE (27283); for $100, it’s 2GIVE (24483); and for $50, it’s 2HOPE (24673). The Archbishop’s Appeal “Text to Rebuild Campaign” was launched last Wednesday at Archbishop’s House. In attendance were Archbishop Joseph Harris; Chair of the Archbishop’s Appeal Committee, Joanne Miller; acting Vice President of bmobile, Nicole Kerry Lum Kin; and Anthony Joseph of Titan Support Solutions Ltd, which is assisting the Archbishop’s Appeal in this campaign. Also present was Jenny Lee, project coordinator, Cathedral Restoration Project. Archbishop Harris said the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a minor basilica, was “part of the patrimony of the nation” and called on citizens to lend a hand in its restoration. Miller said “brick by brick, dollar by dollar”, the cathedral was built “by the people of Trinidad and Tobago for the people of Trinidad and Tobago”. In providing some historical information to the media, she said the stones used to build the cathedral came from the Laventille Quarry and the workers came from that area as well. “It is the people’s cathedral,” she commented, noting that it has served the city and country for more than 150 years. Of the $70M needed to fully restore the cathedral, $20M has been raised through donations from Government, corporate bodies, and individuals both here and abroad – of various cultures and religions, and also through fundraising activities. Lum Kin said corporate social responsibility was important and bmobile was pleased to partner with the Church. She anticipated “great success” for the campaign and encouraged bmobile customers to text “as many times as they wish”. Joseph pointed out that this was the first time a text-to-give campaign was being launched to raise funds for a national heritage site. Donors will receive an automated ‘thank you’ text message after making their contribution; there is no charge for texting a donation. A letter has already been sent out to parishes about the campaign, which is expected to culminate on the Feast of Christ the King (Nov 24), the annual date for the Archbishop’s Appeal collection.

Hi There Your Holiness Wazzup?

An article published in the National Catholic Reporter on 23rd August 2013. written by John L. Allen Jr. tells about the Pope Francis calling the faithful in Italy. Praise God for this man Oui! He is truly a good man.

Francis has already garnered a slew of informal titles, such as "the pope of surprises," "the pope of the poor," and "the people's pope." Given his growing penchant for phoning total strangers out of the blue, however, he may earn yet another one: "the cold-call pope."

Two such calls during August make the point.

On Aug. 18, Francis phoned Stefano Cabizza, a 19-year-old engineering student who lives in the Italian town of Padova whose family attended the pope's Mass for the Aug. 15 feast of the Assumption in Castel Gandolfo. Cabizza had brought a personal letter for the pope to the Mass and approached a cardinal during the service to hand it to him, thinking that was the end of things.

Three days later, however, the phone rang at mid-morning at the Cabizza home, and was answered by Cabizza's sister. The voice on the other end asked for Stefano, and when told he wasn't home, asked when he might return. Without knowing who was on the line, the sister replied, "Around 5 p.m.," and hung up.

Promptly at 5 p.m., the home phone rang again, this time answered directly by Stefano. To his astonishment, it was Francis calling. The pope thanked him for the letter and chatted for roughly eight minutes. (For the record, Francis made the call himself. No one came on beforehand to say, "Please hold for the pope.")

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..That exchange followed another impromptu phone call made by Francis 10 days earlier to Michele Ferri, the 14-year-old brother of a gas station operator in Pesaro, Italy, who had been killed during a robbery.

Ferri had also written to Francis, and the pope called the teenager to tell him the letter had made him cry and to promise prayers for his brother and his family.

In both cases, Francis reportedly insisted on using the informal Italian tu rather than the formal Lei in speaking to the youngsters. Reportedly, he jokingly asked Cabizza, "Do you think the apostles called Jesus Lei, or 'Your Excellency'?"

The idea of a pope calling up random people for informal chats has become a minor cultural sensation in Italy, so much so that famed columnist Beppe Severgnini published a set of tips for how to handle an unexpected call from the Supreme Pontiff in the country's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, on Friday. Herewith, Severgnini's nine bits of advice concerning phone etiquette with His Holiness:

1."Papa Bergoglio is maybe the last guy on earth who actually calls land lines. If you hear your home phone ringing, therefore, get ready."
2."Even if the pope tells you to use tu, thank him but stick with the classic Lei or the Spanish-ized Voi. Try not to go overboard, in one direction or the other. Calling him 'Frankie,' for instance, would be inappropriate. Exclaiming 'Your Holiness!' is predictable, but getting carried away with appellations such as 'Your Magnificence' or 'Your Megagalacticness' would be a little grotesque."
3."Listen before speaking, and don't bring topics up yourself. If the conversation turns to his native Argentina, ask the pope how his countrymen behaved when he received the national soccer team. (Chaotically, the delegation was three times larger than anticipated.) While you're at it, ask what he thought about Ezequiel Lavezzi sitting on the papal throne." [Note: Lavezzi is an Argentine soccer star.]
4."Don't be afraid to be normal, because a light touch is a gift. If Pope Francis wanted to be bored, he would have called a government minister."
5. "Don't talk about recent problems in the Vatican, which aren't his fault, and anyway are already very much on his mind. If the conversation turns to animals, it's prohibited to use the word 'crows'." [Note: 'Crows,' in Italian i corvi, is a popular euphemism in the Italian press for the presumed architects of the Vatican leaks affair.]
6."Pope Francis has a good sense of humor. Tell him that's a beautiful thing, because irony is the sister of mercy; allowing yourself to smile and to forgive the imperfections of the world."
7."Ask about Benedict's health, which will make him happy."
8."Don't ask for anything practical – the pope is an important man, but he's not a bureaucrat. If you start requesting recommendations, permission slips, concessions and favors from him, the pontiff will be sorry he ever called anybody in Italy and will disable the '+39' country code on his phone."
9."Don't end the conversation yourself, but let the pontiff decide when to say goodbye. If your mom, your wife or your husband starts yelling from the kitchen, 'Come on, move it, the food's ready, get off the phone!', ignore them. Then, while you're pouring the wine, say: 'The Successor of Peter says hello. So, what's for dinner?'"

Governor Brown Uber Alles

On September 6, the California Senate passed SB 131, the bill that makes it easier for alleged victims of sexual abuse to sue if the molestation happened when they were a minor. But it does not apply to the public sector, just to institutions such as the Catholic Church.

Now Governor Brown has to rule on if the law should be passed. This guy has a very interesting political career. He even helped mother Teresa with the poor when he was in India. It is so interesting that  the defunct punk rock group "The Dead Kennedy's" wrote a song about him in 1979 when he was also governor of California.

 Just a note about the Video. I got it off of Youtube. The song lyrics are on the video. The person who put the swastikas got them wrong... or did they. The swastikas shown are not Nazi design, but Hindu design. The swastika represents the sun rotating across the sky east to west in a clockwise rotation. The Nazi swastika was whirling anticlockwise and was like an X with tails not a + with tails.

Jerry Brown is not a Nazi.