A Beautiful Day for Skating on the Canal - The Primacy of Peter (Domus Galilaeae Part II)

Colin Kerr came down from Barry's Bay on Wednesday to do some research at the Ottawa university libraries (this is Reading Week at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy), so I told him to bring along his skates as I had not yet been out on the World's Largest Skating Rink this year.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the conditions were ideal. Some pix of our adventure:



 

 

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First Days in Galilee

The Galilee is a beautiful land around the Sea of Tiberias (Lake Gennesaret/Sea of Galilee), with a wide variety of mountainous terrain (Nazareth, the Upper Galilee) and fertile plains.  The many flowers brightened up the day for us escapees from the Canadian winter. 

As we were presented the history and major directions of the spirituality of the New Catechumenal Way, we mixed activities at the Domus Galilaeae, with excursions nearby. 

On the first day, our first activity was a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (common prayers, personal self-examination, individual confessions) that last just about an hour and a half, presided over by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia.

As I was one of the residents in the Domus (others we taken back and forth to hotels in Tiiberias by bus), I was one of those designated a confessor, a most moving experience as I heard the confessions of five bishops from five different countries (in a couple of languages):

Confessors preparing for their penitents

A session in the main conference hall

 

Preparing for the Eucharist

Founders/leaders of the "Way": Don Mario Pezzi, Carmen Hernandez, Kiko Arguello (backed up by musicians)

Renewing the Call to be Shepherds of Christ's Flock

On the second day, we ventured down to the shore of Gennesaret, next to Tabgha, the traditional location of the multiplication of the loave and the feeding of the 5000. This spot is held to be the place where Jesus met his disciples the third time after the resurrection (John 21), fed his "children" with a breakfast of fish and bread, then invited Simon to three times confess his love of the Lord.  On hearing each declaration of love, Jesus confided to Peter the feeding and pasturing of his sheep, his flock.

Cardinal Paolo Romeo of Palermo, Sicily (fhe Papal Nuncio to Canada between Archbishop Carlo Curis and Archbishop Luigi Ventura) presided at the Eucharist and at a touching ceremony at the close of Mass where each of us bishops was asked to say our name and our affection for the Lord and heard Our Lord, in the person of the Archbishop, charge us again to 'feed my lambs, feed my sheep'.

Toronto Auxiliary Bishop William McGrattan renews his commitment to serve God's people before Cardinal Paolo Romeo

Left to right: Bishops Brian Dunn (Antigonish), Richard Grecco (Charlottetown) on the shore of the lake 

 

 

 

The Neo-Catechumenal Way's Domus Galilaeae (Part I)

The Neo-Catechumenal Way Hosts the Bishops of the World

The Canadian Itinerant Team (centre) of Donatella, Fr. Isidoro and Francesco welcomes two other bishops and me at Ben Gurion International Airport (Tel Aviv)

From January 26-February 1, seven cardinals and some 200-plus bishops from all the continents were hosted in the Domus Galilaeae, a seminary, training and conference centre serving the Neo-Cathechumenal Way, as an opportunity to learn the Way's charism and approach and to profit from five days in the Holy Land.

Situated near the Mount of Beatitudes and overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the Domus is an architectural marvel as the following photos show:

Mgr Gilles Lemay (then auxiliary of Quebec, now bishop-elect of Amos), Bishop Brian Dunn (Antigonish)

Buildings take on life with the people interacting there, so more photos tomorrow and on subsequent days.

St. Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr -

Today, the Church observes the liturgical memorial of St. Polycarp of Smyrna.

Polycarp had known those who had known Jesus, and was a disciple of St. John the Apostle, who had converted him around the year 80 AD. He taught, says his own pupil Irenaeus of Lyons, the things that he learned from the Apostles, which the Church hands down, which are true.

Irenaeus, who as a young boy knew Polycarp, praised his gravity, holiness, and majesty of countenance. He had lived near Jerusalem and was proud of his early associations with the Apostles.


Polycarp became bishop of Smyrna and held the see for about 70 years. He was a staunch defender of orthodoxy and an energetic opponent of heresy, especially Marcionism and Valentinianism (the most influential of the Gnostic sects).

Toward the end of his life he visited Pope St. Anicetus in Rome and, when they could not agree on a date for Easter, decided each would observe his own date. To testify his respect and ensure that the bonds of charity were unbroken,

Anicetus invited Polycarp to celebrate the Eucharist in the papal chapel on this occasion. Polycarp suffered martyrdom with 12 others of his flock around the year 156 (excerpted from St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr by Fr. Paul Haffner [Inside the Vatican, February 2004]).

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Among the select few from apostolic times about whom we have some historical information is Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and one of the most glorious martyrs of Christian antiquity. His life and death are attested by the authentic "Acts" of his martyrdom (no similar account is older), as well as by other contemporary writings. It moves us deeply when, for example, we find in St. Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, the passage in which he reminisces:

"The memory of that time when as a youth I was with Polycarp in Asia Minor is as fresh in my mind as the present. Even now I could point to the place where he sat and taught, and describe his coming and going, his every action, his outward appearance, and his manner of discourse to the people. It seems as though I still heard him tell of his association with the apostle John and with others who saw the Lord, and as though he were still relating to me their words and what he heard from them about the Lord and His miracles. . . ."

On the day of his death (February 23) the Martyrology recounts with deep reverence:

“At Smyrna, the death of St. Polycarp. He was a disciple of the holy apostle John, who consecrated him bishop of that city; and there he acted as the primate of all Asia Minor. Later, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, he was brought before the tribunal of the proconsul; and when all the people in the amphitheater cried out against him, he was handed over to be burned to death. But since the fire caused him no harm, he was put to death by the sword. Thus he gained the crown of martyrdom. With him, twelve other Christians, who came from Philadelphia, met death by martyrdom in the same city” (excerpted from Pius Parsch, The Church's Year of Grace).

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God of all creation, who were pleased to give the Bishop Saint Polycarp a place in the company of the Martyrs, grant, through his intercession, that sharing with him in the chalice of Christ, we may rise through the Holy Spirit to eternal life.  Through our Lord.

Pope Names New Archbishop of Quebec, Bishop of Amos - Benedict XVI Explains Today's Feast of Peter's "Chair"

Today His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has made two episcopal nominations in favour of the Church in the Province of Quebec and Canada. The Holy Father has appointed as Archbishop of Quebec City the Most Reverend Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, currently Diocesan Administrator and Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec City.

Archbishop Lacroix, by virtue of his office as head of Canada's primatial see, succeeds Cardinal Marc Ouellet and becomes Primate of the Church in Canada.

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New Bishop for Amos


Mgr Tremblay



Pope Benedict also accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Eugène Tremblay as Bishop of Amos, for reason of age [according to canon 401 § 1]; he is succeeded by the Most Reverend Gilles Lemay, currently Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec City.

Mgr Lemay

Since 1995,I have had a predilection for this feast day as it was on this day that year that I was named Titular Bishop of Slebte (near modern-day Carlow in Ireland) and Auxiliary of Toronto.

In keeping with the focus on the universal teaching authority that the Successor of Peter exercises as leader of the Church of Rome, the Holy Father five years ago gave a sustained teaching on the "cathedra", the "chair" mentioned in the title of this feast day.  Wonderful material to help reflect on the bishop's teaching office:

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On this rock I will build my Church

The Chair of Peter in the Vatican Basilica, the work of Bernini

Today, the Latin-rite liturgy celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St Peter. This is a very ancient tradition, proven to have existed in Rome since the fourth century. On it we give thanks to God for the mission he entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors.

"Cathedra" literally means the established seat of the Bishop, placed in the mother church of a diocese which for this reason is known as a "cathedral"; it is the symbol of the Bishop's authority and in particular, of his "magisterium", that is, the evangelical teaching which, as a successor of the Apostles, he is called to safeguard and to transmit to the Christian Community.

When a Bishop takes possession of the particular Church that has been entrusted to him, wearing his mitre and holding the pastoral staff, he sits on the cathedra. From this seat, as teacher and pastor, he will guide the journey of the faithful in faith, hope and charity.

So what was the "Chair" of St Peter? Chosen by Christ as the "rock" on which to build the Church (cf. Mt 16: 18), he began his ministry in Jerusalem, after the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. The Church's first "seat" was the Upper Room, and it is likely that a special place was reserved for Simon Peter in that room where Mary, Mother of Jesus, also prayed with the disciples.

Bronze statue of St. Peter by Arnolfo di Cambio

Subsequently, the See of Peter was Antioch, a city located on the Orontes River in Syria, today Turkey, which at the time was the third metropolis of the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria in Egypt. Peter was the first Bishop of that city, which was evangelized by Barnabas and Paul, where "the disciples were for the first time called Christians" (Acts 11: 26), and consequently where our name "Christians" came into being. In fact, the Roman Martyrology, prior to the reform of the calendar, also established a specific celebration of the Chair of Peter in Antioch.

From there, Providence led Peter to Rome. Therefore, we have the journey from Jerusalem, the newly born Church, to Antioch, the first centre of the Church formed from pagans and also still united with the Church that came from the Jews. Then Peter went to Rome, the centre of the Empire, the symbol of the "Orbis" - the "Urbs", which expresses "Orbis", the earth, where he ended his race at the service of the Gospel with martyrdom.

So it is that the See of Rome, which had received the greatest of honours, also has the honour that Christ entrusted to Peter of being at the service of all the particular Churches for the edification and unity of the entire People of God.

On this day and the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29), the statue is "vested" in red

The See of Rome, after St Peter's travels, thus came to be recognized as the See of the Successor of Peter, and its Bishop's "cathedra" represented the mission entrusted to him by Christ to tend his entire flock.

This is testified by the most ancient Fathers of the Church, such as, for example, St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, but who came from Asia Minor, who in his treatise Adversus Haereses, describes the Church of Rome as the "greatest and most ancient, known by all... founded and established in Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul"; and he added: "The universal Church, that is, the faithful everywhere, must be in agreement with this Church because of her outstanding superiority" (III, 3, 2-3).

Tertullian, a little later, said for his part: "How blessed is the Church of Rome, on which the Apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood!" (De Praescriptione Hereticorum, 36).

Consequently, the Chair of the Bishop of Rome represents not only his service to the Roman community but also his mission as guide of the entire People of God.

Celebrating the "Chair" of Peter, therefore, as we are doing today, means attributing a strong spiritual significance to it and recognizing it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the eternal Good Shepherd, who wanted to gather his whole Church and lead her on the path of salvation.

Among the numerous testimonies of the Fathers, I would like to quote St Jerome's. It is an extract from one of his letters, addressed to the Bishop of Rome. It is especially interesting precisely because it makes an explicit reference to the "Chair" of Peter, presenting it as a safe harbour of truth and peace.

This is what Jerome wrote: "I decided to consult the Chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once I received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with your beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built" (cf. Le lettere I, 15, 1-2).

Dear brothers and sisters, in the apse of St Peter's Basilica, as you know, is the monument to the Chair of the Apostle, a mature work of Bernini (illustrated above). It is in the form of a great bronze throne supported by the statues of four Doctors of the Church: two from the West, St Augustine and St Ambrose, and two from the East: St John Chrysostom and St Athanasius.

I invite you to pause before this evocative work which today can be admired, decorated with myriads of

candles, and to say a special prayer for the ministry that God has entrusted to me. Raise your eyes to the alabaster glass window located directly above the Chair and call upon the Holy Spirit, so that with his enlightenment and power, he will always sustain my daily service to the entire Church. For this, as for your devoted attention, I thank you from my heart (--Pope Benedict XVI, Wednesday Audience, February 22, 2006).

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St. Peter Damian, Bishop, Doctor of the Church - A Weekend in the Sun

The Church today permits an optional memorial of St. Peter Damian

St. Peter Damian was born in 1007, and was left an orphan as a little child. He was taken in by an older brother who abused and starved him. Another brother named Damian became aware of the boy's real situation. He brought him to his own home. It was then that Peter's life took on a whole new direction. He was treated with love, affection and care. So grateful was he that when he became a religious he took the name Damian after his loving brother. Damian educated Peter and encouraged his studies.

Peter eventually taught at the university while he was in his twenties. He was thought of as a great teacher. But the Lord was directing him in ways he could never have thought of.

Peter lived in times when many in the Church were too influenced by secular goals. Peter realized that the Church is divine and has the grace from Jesus to save all people. He wanted the Church to shine with the holiness of Jesus.

After seven years of teaching, he made the decision to become a monk. He wanted to live the rest of his life in prayer and penance. He would pray and sacrifice so that many people in the Church would become holy. He went to a monastery of St. Romuald.

Peter Damian wrote a rule for the monks. He also wrote a life of their holy founder, Romuald. Peter wrote many works of theology to help people deepen their faith. Twice his abbot sent him to neighbouring monasteries. He helped the monks begin reforms that would encourage them to live closer to God. The monks were grateful because Peter was so kind and respectful.

Peter was finally called from the monastery. He became a bishop and a cardinal. He was sent on very important missions for various popes throughout his long life.

St. Peter Damian died in 1072 at the age of sixty-five. Because he was a champion of truth and a peacemaker, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1828. The poet Dante (who lived from 1265 to 1321) recognized the greatness of St. Peter Damian. In his poem, the "Divine Comedy," Dante places Damian in the "seventh heaven." That was his place for holy people who loved to think about or contemplate God.

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A WEEKEND FAMILY VISIT

After the Bishops Convention in Dallas, I travelled to Tampa to spend a few days with my sister Marion and brother-in-law John Baysfield near San Antonio, Florida. The flora and fauna are delightful and the sisters and parishioners of St. Anthony's Parish were most hospitable (the pastor was away, and his substitute was Fr. Peter Groulx, a retired priest and "snowbird" fromThunder Bay diocese).

Having enjoyed some sunny weather, walks and talks and rest, I am returning today to tackle the backlog at the office, grateful for this short winter breather. 

Some pix: 

The Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth invited Father Peter, my sister and me to Saturday breakfast

The 9 o'clock Sunday Mass is in the Extraordinary Form (in Latin); the purple vestments for Septuagesima Sunday remind the faithful that Lent is drawing near.

The 10:30 Mass is in the Ordinary Form (in English), I was invited to preside at it.