Beatific Visions

Well, I made it! My plane landed in Italy at about 5:45pm and I was immediately greeted by this sign in the airport:

Following a crazy half-hour taxi-ride--there doesn't seem to be any regard for speed limits or turn signals in these parts--I made it to my apartment. There I met some awesome new friends: Lisa Wheeler and Alexis Walkenstein from The Maximus Group, and fellow-blogger Kathy Schiffer. I'm typing this now from my apartment in Rome (where the 'A' is on the map below):

After I settled in to the apartment and picked up some authentic Italian pizza, I needed to meet-up with a friend on the other side of Vatican City. I didn't think the rendezvous would be a too troublesome. If I just cut through St. Peter's square, I thought, I could meet him in about ten minutes--fifteen tops.

So as dusk darkened the skies, I trekked through the Italian streets--without my map of course--boldly marching to the meeting place like I actually knew where I was going.

This was all well and good, except for three problems:

First, St. Peter's square was already blocked off in preparation for the beatification. Second, I realized that most people in and around the Vatican actually speak Italian (not English). So asking for directions typically gets you nothing more than a taste of Babel.

And third, I didn't actually know where I was going.

To make the walk even more problematic, tens of thousands of pilgrims had already packed in around Vatican City. It was tough to see even a sliver of street in between all of the sleeping bags, which blocked all roads around the Vatican's perimeter. Somehow, walking around the crowds, I ended up far away from St. Peter's, and after a handful of phone calls back and forth with my friend, he basically commanded, "OK. You stay where you are and I will come find you."

But despite the confusion and frustration, I walked back to the apartment filled with joy. Throughout the night, each corner I turned revealed children, nuns, old folks, priests, and even policemen celebrating. They were singing, dancing, parading, and laughing the night away. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. Even though I had no idea where I was going most of the night, I nevertheless felt like I was right where I was supposed to be.

Here's a taste of the excited celebration from one small side street (sorry for the dark; blame the night). This was one of the rare streets that was somewhat navigable:



In just a few hours, I'll make my way back to St. Peter's square again to get as good a position as I can for the beatification. I'll join hundreds of thousands of witnesses, including over 600 priests, as we celebrate the holiness of the great man and worship the God who brought it all about.

---

Here are some last minute materials to prepare you for the Sunday morning beatification:

• Watch the beatification live through television or online
• A good article from Fr. James Martin, S.J. on why, despite his human flaws, John Paul II deserves beatification.
• Fr. Robert Barron asks two questions: "why are we celebrating the beatification?" and "what makes a Saint a Saint?"
• Catholic reporter John Allen answers the most common beatification questions:
• #1: What's the Rush?
• #2: What’s the deal with miracles?
• #3: Why make saints out of popes?
• #4: What’s the Divine Mercy connection?
• #5: Is it the pope or the papacy?

Popes, Saints, and Bloggers

Under ordinary circumstances, you'd be hard-pressed to gather these three groups (in fact you'd be lucky to overlap any two.) But all three will combine in Rome this weekend during two major events: the beatification of Pope John Paul II and a special Vatican conference on blogging.

On Sunday, May 1, Pope Benedict XVI will beatify his predecessor in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Millions more will watch through television or online as Pope John Paul II officially becomes "Blessed"--the halfway mark toward sainthood.

From the moment the Polish pontiff died, Catholics around the world have clamored for a quick path toward sainthood. But it wasn't until the first officially-approved miracle was attributed to John Paul's intercession that the celebration could finally commence. After John Paul helped a French nun recover from a paralyzing disease, the Sunday beatification was excitedly scheduled.

But the beatification is juxtaposed against another intriguing Vatican event: a meeting with150 bloggers hosted by the Pontifical Councils of Culture and Social Communications. The event, which will take place on Monday, May 2, is a sign not only of the Vatican's interest in using new media, but also of their desire to better understand the so-called 'digital continent.'

The Internet, like any mission territory, has its own unique character. It carries with it problems, situations, and issues not found in offline environments. And it even comes with its own vernacular. The Vatican's upcoming meeting signals the Church's desire to learn how to navigate these online waters and how to become fluent in the digital language.

Incredibly, I was one of the 150 bloggers invited to participate in the meeting. While my own blog has given me a little insight into the blogosphere, I've learned a lot more through writing my upcoming book, The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops who Tweet, which will be released by Our Sunday Visitor in August.

Over the coming days, I'll be in Rome blogging through these two events here at the OSV Daily Take blog. So throughout this significant weekend, be sure to check back often for updates!

Westminster Abbey, site of royal wedding, has ancient Catholic roots

By Msgr. Owen F. Campion

Westminster Abbey, where Britain’s Prince William and Catherine Middleton are marrying today, is a London landmark. and for 500 years a house of worship of the Church of England. However, the church, actually dedicated to St. Peter, was for centuries Roman Catholic, and, indeed, it was the site of a Benedictine monastery.

An interesting point of English religious history is the appeal that Benedictine monasticism had in the country for so long. Benedictine monasteries once dotted the English countryside. Westminster came to be important because of its proximity to London, and beginning with King St. Edward the Confessor (1003?-1066), it was a favorite religious site for English royalty.

Thus, almost every king or queen of England has been crowned in the church, the last being Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. She and her husband, Prince Philip, were married there, as were her parents, the late King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Benedictine houses were not the only monasteries in England. Other religious orders had abbeys and convents. They were centers not only of worship but of education and of services for people. Their stories comprise a marvelous chapter in English history.

However, it was not without a less than glorious side. Gradually, often owning great tracts of land and enjoying privileges under the law, many monasteries grew to be rich and worldly, their religious character fading.

This slide into worldliness furnished an excuse for King Henry VIII to seize the monasteries, disperse the monks and take the lands and wealth for himself. All this occurred after the king split with the Roman Church, a move that deprived the monasteries of protection under the law.

His public motive was that too many monasteries had become corrupt. In fact, of course, he wanted what they had. Westminster definitely had become worldly and wealthy. When the king declared himself head of the Church in England, the abbot and many of the monks at Westminster pledged allegiance to him.

Their willingness to abandon loyalty to the pope, however, won them no privileges in the long run. Henry VIII seized Westminster. His Catholic daughter, Queen Mary I, reinstated it as a monastery and called the Benedictines back. Her Protestant half sister and successor, Queen Elizabeth I, disbanded the monastery once more.

No ruler ever completely shut it down as a church. It has remained a house of worship, although of the church founded by Henry VIII, protected and maintained by the British state.

Tourists today may have a difficult time realizing that it is a functioning church, but the same might be said for many historic Catholic churches on the European continent. Nevertheless, Anglican religious services regularly are held.

The abbey is not Westminster Cathedral. When Blessed Pope Pius IX re-established the English hierarchy more than 160 years ago, he could not use the old names for the dioceses that existed before the Reformation. Anglican dioceses were using the old names, and under British law, no other religious jurisdiction could carry the name. So, the pope could not re-establish the Diocese of London. Instead, he created the Archdiocese of Westminster, centering it in that part of London once occupied by Westminster Abbey property. Westminster Cathedral, a magnificent building itself, is the seat of the archdiocese.

Last year, Pope Benedict XVI joined the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury at evensong (Anglican vespers) in Westminster abbey. It was a poignant moment. The pope recalled England’s Catholic history.

Msgr. Owen F. Campion is OSV’s associate publisher.

Why Canada can't have a Catholic king or queen

By Msgr. Owen F. Campion

According to Our Sunday Visitor’s 2011 Catholic Almanac, 43 percent of the Canadian population identifies itself as Catholic, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees complete freedom of religion in Canada, yet no Catholic, nor anyone married to a Catholic, may serve as Canada’s head of state.

Canada is a very vibrant democracy. A parliament makes the laws, and a prime minister, customarily the leader of the majority of members in the lower house of Parliament, administers the law.

However, under its constitution, Canada is a monarchy. Its head of state is a king or queen who also is the British monarch. So, Queen Elizabeth II is the official head of the Canadian state under the title of “queen of Canada.” Her position in Canada is completely independent of anything in Britain. (In fact, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, Prince William, and his bride, Kate Middleton, will visit Canada on their first official overseas trip as a married couple in June. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called it "a testament to our country’s very close relationship with the Royal family.")

Canadian public officials and Canadian soldiers and sailors swear allegiance to the queen of Canada personally just as American officials and military pledge allegiance to the U.S. Constitution. She is commander-in-chief of Canadian armed forces, and all authority is vested in her, although in Canada a governor-general, whom the queen appoints, but only as advised by the Canadian prime minister, acts in her name. The crown stays out of politics and the running of the government but technically names the prime minister.

The religious angle, the slight against Catholics, is that current Canadian law includes, and maintains, the rule pertaining in Britain since 1701 that no Catholic can occupy the throne nor can anyone whose spouse is a Catholic.

Eight years ago, a Catholic Canadian, Tony O’Donahue, from Toronto, brought suit against Canada, and against the Province of Ontario, stating that prohibiting Catholics from being the head of state violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and furthermore insults him and the country’s other Catholic citizens.

Eventually, in effect, the courts ruled against him. So, the statute enacted 310 years in Britain still binds not only in the United Kingdom but also in Canada. To some extent, it does not matter. Queen Elizabeth II is a Protestant, as are her son and his son, her heirs.

Possibly had Prince William, second in line to the throne, chosen to marry a Catholic, a change would have been made. However, Kate Middleton is an Anglican as is he. For the foreseeable future, no conflict with the law seems likely to arise.

Still, the Act of Settlement, as the 1701 law is called, enshrined not only in Britain but also in Canada a prejudice against Catholics, despite the fact that the religious quarrels of the early 18th century long have faded away.

The O’Donahue lawsuit held that keeping this old requirement, and certainly applying it in a country completely independent of Britain, and not even existing as sovereign entity in 1701, is ridiculous and offensive.

Neither in Ottawa or London have politicians moved to change the Act of Settlement, although it recently was debated in Britain. Advocates of change have noted that ironically the monarch may be Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist, but not Roman Catholic.

Not much fire has been generated, however, because no one cares very much. The crown has little actual power in either country.

Furthermore, fewer people in Britain and in Canada think that religion is important anyway. Both societies more and more are becoming secularist and irreligious.

Things have come a long way since the beginning of the 18th century. For almost 200 years, British Catholics have been able to worship freely. Members of the royal family have converted to Catholicism. Catholics hold high government offices. For almost a century, much longer than the United States, Britain has had diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

By the way, while each is independent and conceivably might view the 1701 law differently, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand, and 10 other states deny the role of head of state to Catholics since they, too, share a monarch with Britain.

Msgr. Owen F. Campion is OSV's associate publisher.

Ill-fated royal romance of Prince William's ancestor

By Msgr. Owen F. Campion

The royal marriage of Britain’s Prince William, heir to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, to Kate Middleton will not create one problem with which many British politicians, and Canada’s Supreme Court, recently have coped.

Were the bride a Roman Catholic, the talk all would be about religion, not about her bridal gown.

For three centuries British law has held that no monarch can be a Catholic, or married to a Catholic, and no heir can be a Catholic or married to a Catholic. Proposals to change the law have been made. The Canadian Supreme Court recently upheld the law in Canada, which while fully independent, is a constitutional monarchy sharing its dynasty with Britain.

All this is moot since Kate Middleton is, and always has been, a Protestant.

This law has presented problems in the past, most sensationally over a century ago. Queen Victoria was on the throne, reigning over the worldwide British Empire, “upon which the sun never set.” Her heir was her eldest son, Albert Edward, prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. He was an Anglican. His wife was the Danish Princess Alexandra, born a Lutheran, a convert to Anglicanism. So, there was no problem for him.

However, the elder son of Albert Edward and Alexandra, Prince Albert Victor, duke of Clarence, while himself an Anglican, was smitten by the great-granddaughter of the last French king, Louis Philippe. Princess Helene of Orleans, daughter of the pretender to the French throne, and sister of the Portuguese queen, in every other sense was an ideal candidate for Albert Victor’s hand.

Queen Victoria favored the match. So did her government. British leaders wanted to cement ties with France. While Helene’s family no longer reigned, she and her parents were very popular in France.

Helene’s Roman Catholicism was the problem. If married to her, Albert Victor would be denied his rights as heir.

Historians differ. Some say that her father, Prince Philippe, duke of Orleans, would not hear of her conversion to Anglicanism. This is likely. Aside from religious feelings, a movement in France actively sought to restore the monarchy, with Philippe as king. His greatest supporters were fervent Catholics who would find Helene’s conversion offensive.

Some say that Helene herself was willing to convert and personally asked Pope Leo XIII himself to give his approval. Of course he had to refuse, if he were asked. In any case, Helene stayed a Catholic.

The romance ended, although apparently not with the couple’s preferences. Time passed. Albert Victor was engaged to a minor German princess, Mary. Then tragedy struck. The prince fell ill with influenza in 1895, and in short order he died. His younger brother, George, duke of York, followed him as heir, married Mary, and from 1910 to 1936 they were King George V and Queen Mary.

It was said that, as Albert Victor lay dying, delirious in his fever, he whispered only one word, “Helene”. At his funeral, his grieving parents allowed one wreath to rest on his coffin. It bore a card with the oneword, “Helene”.

For a while, Helene was discussed as a bride for the future Czar Nicholas II. Her Catholicism again was the problem. Any Russian czarina had to be Orthodox.

Helene eventually was married to the properly Catholic Prince Emmanuel Filibert, duke of Aosta, a cousin of the Italian king. She died in England in 1951, not far from the place where she had met Albert Victor.

Seventy-five years later, some speculated that Prince Charles, eldest son and heir of Queen Elizabeth II, wished to marry Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, daughter of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte. Marie Astrid was, and is, a Catholic. The religious problem arose again at least in conversation. One rumor had Marie Astrid’s uncle, Belgium’s King Baudouin, working for a solution. Nothing happened.

Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. William is their son.

Msgr. Owen F. Campion is OSV's associate publisher.

Would you believe...atheist chaplains?

Posted by Mary DeTurris Poust

Apparently there are atheists in foxholes. And they need chaplains.

From the New York Times:

Strange as it sounds, groups representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.

Joining the chaplain corps is part of a broader campaign by atheists to win official acceptance in the military. Such recognition would make it easier for them to raise money and meet on military bases. It would help ensure that chaplains, religious or atheist, would distribute their literature, advertise their events and advocate for them with commanders.

Your thoughts on this? Do atheists need chaplains? Does that mean atheism is a religion?
Read the full story HERE.

Alleluia! He is risen!

"Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here but has been raised." Luke 24:6

Easter joy and blessings to you and yours from all of us at OSV Daily Take.

Holy Saturday: Waiting in the shadows

By Mary DeTurris Poust

I've been awake since 4:30 a.m., which seems appropriate somehow on this day of watching and waiting. The rain is coming down. The sun has not made an appearance. It is as if the world is weeping and holding its breath all at once, waiting for an answer.

At this point in the season, past the Lenten promises -- too many of them unfulfilled -- to fast and pray and serve, I always identify with Peter, locked away, afraid, ashamed, alone. Every year I want Lent to be "perfect." I want to make Good Friday better than perfect. I want to do justice to the day, as if that's even possible. And, as if on cue, every year I fail miserably. Good Friday always ends up being the exact opposite of what I had hoped for. Of course, that's nobody's fault but my own.

Then I remember Peter, and I can't help but be comforted. He doubted, denied, ran away, and yet Jesus saw fit to call him the "rock," the one who would go on to lead his church, or, at that point, his band of disciples. Maybe, just maybe then, Jesus sees some shred of worth beneath my many failings, behind my own doubts and fears.

This Lent certainly did not turn out the way I imagined it would. My plans to set aside certain times for silence and prayer were waylaid by sick children and my own bout with a brief illness. For weeks on end, we seemed to have one virus after another at our house, keeping us down -- both physically and spiritually. Rather than hang on for dear life to what I wanted, however, I began to realize that perhaps my "sacrifice" for the season was to let go of my plans, even the plans to pray more, and accept what was right there in front of me -- my children in need of a mom to read to them, comfort them, make them snacks, or just snuggle on the couch in the middle of the afternoon. In some ways, my Lenten plans were far more selfish than the Lenten reality I was handed. I wanted to lock myself away in silence. Instead I had to give up my quiet time and make time for someone else, and isn't that what I should have been doing in the first place?

So today, as I sip coffee in the silence of early morning, while everyone else is sleeping, I'm focusing on the fact that things often are not as they appear -- as the earliest disciples learned after what at first seemed like defeat on the cross. My Lent wasn't really a failure; it was simply different than what I wanted it to be initially. Perhaps then, my Good Friday wasn't a failure either. Perhaps it was simply another -- albeit bumpier -- path to the same Truth.

On this Holy Saturday, I am waiting in shadows of my own making, like Peter, longing to be set free.

"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -- John 8:31-32

Good Friday: Seven Last Words

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, N.Y.

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Father forgive them, they know not what they do...
We see Jesus on the cross today and hear him forgiving his persecutors, forgiving us. It is a powerful scene, but it is more than just a scene out of our faith history. Jesus’ way is supposed to be our way. Forgive, forgive, forgive, even in the face of the most unreasonable suffering and injustice. Are we willing to forgive as Jesus did?

Today you will be with me in Paradise.
The “good thief” has always been a favorite of mine. Imagine in your last dying moment that you utter a few kind words and are assured by Jesus himself that you will be in heaven with him that day. It would be nice to assume that in that situation I would have taken the path of belief, like the good thief, but there is a much bigger part of me that probably would have been like the unrepentant thief, expecting mercy and miracles despite faithlessness.

Woman, behold your son...
At last a comfort in the midst of all this misery. God gives us a mother for all time. He reminds us that his mother is our mother, who, with a mother’s unconditional love, will open her arms to us when we are desperate, when we are hurting, when we are searching for peace and a way back to the Father.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Despair, despair. If Jesus can feel despair, what hope is there for me? Then again, Jesus’ moment of despair reminds me of his humanness and that gives me hope even in this dark moment. God became man, walked on earth, suffered torture and death beyond our comprehension. My God is fully human and fully divine. My God knows what it means to live this earthly life, and so my God knows my small sufferings and heartaches and will not turn His back on me.

I thirst.
The wretched physical anguish of the Crucifixion is coming to bear. It is almost too much for us to take. Jesus, water poured out for the world, thirsts. And yet in the midst of this suffering, we remember Jesus’ words to the woman at the well, the woman to whom he first revealed his identity: “...whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.” (John 4:14)

It is finished.
Jesus has completed his mission of redemption. Darkness descends, the earth shakes, the temple curtain tears in two. We see Jesus’ anguish near its end. We should be reduced to trembling at the enormity of his suffering, his gift to us. Unlike his followers who were plunged into fear and despair at this moment, we have the benefit of hindsight. We know what is coming. We know that his Crucifixion was cause for our salvation. His death a victory. His earthly end our eternal beginning.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Jesus is going back to the Father, back to where he started before time began, but he will not leave us orphans. We patiently wait to celebrate his Resurrection, to rejoice in our unearned windfall. We wait, pray, watch, listen -- hopeful, trusting, faithful. We begin our vigil now, waiting for the darkness to turn to light.

Holy Thursday: Anything But Normal

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Today I'm guest blogging over at Sarah Reinhard's blog, SnoringScholar.com. I'll start you here...

My teenage son came home from school last week and reported that he took his younger Catholic school “buddy” across the street to our parish church to walk him through the Stations of the Cross. After they were done and were getting ready to leave the church, Noah had a strong desire to stay – and not just because he likes missing class. It was something he had never felt before, he said, something comforting that made him want to kneel down in the midday silence.

I know that feeling. I’ve been in our church when it’s semi-dark and completely empty. It feels deeply spiritual and powerfully peaceful. It feels like home.

It’s really not surprising that it would feel that way. After all, ours is a faith that centers on a shared meal, a spiritual version of the kitchen table, a sense of home even among strangers, even in a foreign land, wherever Jesus is present in the tabernacle.

Holy Thursday drives that point home for me. I can easily allow myself to slip back in time and imagine Jesus and the Apostles gathered in the home of a friend...Continue reading HERE.

Martin Sheen talks about his Catholic faith, opposition to abortion

Posted by Mary DeTurris Poust

In an interview with Irish Central, Hollywood veteran Martin Sheen talked in a surprisingly open way about his deep Catholic faith and his strong opposition to abortion. It's rare but refreshing to hear this kind of honesty from a celebrity, especially when it may not win him many fans and may cost him quite a few.

From the story:

During the interview Sheen opened up on how he practices the Rosary, his belief in trans-substantiation and the communion of saints. The actor, who recently re-ignited his popularity with his role as President Bartlet in "The West Wing," spoke on his Catholic devotion and how his pro-life views stopped him from backing President Obama in the 2008 elections.

When Byrne questioned him on his anti-abortion stance Sheen explained "We had pregnancies with our grandsons, three specifically. And we welcomed these children and encouraged the mothers to have the children and gave them support. The lads were not happy at the time but they came to love these children. We have three grown grandchildren, two of them are married, they’re some of the greatest source of joy in our lives.”

In a related story, Sheen said his Catholic faith had saved him after he'd been away from the Church for many years:

“It’s always a crisis that brings you back. And we begin to ask those two fundamental questions, if your gonna reflect on your life and take serious responsibility for it: who am I, and why am I here? And you reflect on those. I damn near died; I had the last rites,” he says.

“I started going to Mass again but it was out of fear and apprehension that I would die . . . and so it was another four years that I actually committed to come back. I came back to the Church of Vatican II, which I didn’t have a clue had gone on in my absence.”

Perhaps Sheen was thinking of his son when he spoke about how Catholicism can provide a concrete and real way forward when other vices fail.

“We all yearn for the sacred, we are always looking for a transcendence; some people go about it with drugs or alcohol or sex or power or ego, whatever, and when they prove not satisfying and we come to our senses, we begin to realize that there’s another costly journey,” says Sheen.

“It has to cost you something; if something worthwhile doesn’t cost you something, you are left to question its worth. And so I decided to go on that journey and, you know, I’m still at it.”

Read the full story HERE. Read the related story on how Catholicism saved Sheen HERE.

And for more on Sheen's reversion to Catholicism, read the recent OSV book "Recovering Faith: Stories of Catholics Who Came Home."

Confession is good for the soul, and maybe a scholarship

By Mary DeTurris Poust

As I sat in the chapel before Mass last night, waiting to go to confession, I couldn't help but feel heartened by the fact that there were so many of us there -- more than a dozen of all different ages -- that it would be tough to get us all in before Mass started. A half-hour later, as I left the chapel with my two older children, I felt so much lighter than I did when I walked in. But you know how that goes. Confession is not only good for the soul; it's good for the head and maybe even the body. It's just plain good.

The image that kept replaying in my head while I was sitting there reflecting and waiting my turn was from the above video, one of the entries in the iConfess scholarship contest (which I wrote about previously HERE) promoting the All-Day Confession event taking place in the Archdiocese of New York and dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre tomorrow, April 18.

A guide (and quiz) for Holy Week

Here's the perfect resource to help you prepare for Holy Week. It's OSV's Guide to Holy Week, which includes information on traditions -- Easter egg coloring, baking sweet breads, making palm crosses -- as well as a quiz and this helpful list of 12 tips for making Holy Week more meaningful:

1. THINK PRAYER. If you have to work or go to school during Holy Week, think about how you can incorporate prayer breaks into each day.
2. MAKE AN ADDITIONAL SACRIFICE by fasting and abstaining from meat on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday in addition to Good Friday.
3. DON'T WATCH TELEVISION from sundown on Holy Thursday until Easter morning.
4. GO to confession.
5. SET ASIDE 10 minutes every day to read Passion accounts in the Gospels.
6. Make it a point to FORGIVE someone on Good Friday.
7. PRAY the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
8. OFFER UP any pain or difficulties you experience during Holy Week and unite your sufferings with the pain of Christ.
9. PRAY the Stations of the Cross.
10. ATTEND all of the Triduum liturgies.
11. INVITE family members, friends and neighbors — especially people who have strayed from the church — to come to church with you.
12. VOLUNTEER to help decorate your parish on Holy Saturday for Easter.

Click HERE for the full Guide to Holy Week.

Shaw: The key to JPII's sanctity

By Russell Shaw

Strange as it may seem at first, I find the key to the sanctity of Pope John Paul II in the closing words of an American novel published in 1988 — a book the pope most likely never read. In brief, the heart of John Paul’s practice of “heroic charity” resides in the fact that he showed the world how to carry the cross.

His May 1 beatification — the formal declaration that he’s “blessed” as a step on the way to recognition as a saint — is expected to be one of the biggest events Rome has seen in years. Those gathered in the heartland of Christianity, as well as the millions joyfully following the event around the world, will undoubtedly be celebrating the obvious greatness of this extraordinary man.

John Paul was human, and he made mistakes. He was slow to come to grips with the sex abuse problem, and not all his choices for bishop turned out well. But among the conspicuous elements of his greatness were his key role in the fall of communism, which he helped bring about by his powerful support for the Polish people’s deeply spiritual rebellion against their communist overlords; his remarkable body of encyclicals and other teaching documents positioning Catholics to engage contemporary secular culture; and his dramatic, globe-circling travels that captured the imaginations and moved the hearts of people throughout the world.

Important as all this was, however, to me the heart of his sanctity resides somewhere else. I find the idea expressed at the end of J.F. Powers’s second novel and last book, Wheat that Springeth Green (New York Review Books Classics).

Powers, a serious Catholic, was not a prolific writer — he published just three books of short stories and two novels — but he was a subtle and insightful one as well as a careful craftsman. "Wheat That Springeth Green" tells the story of an American priest named Joe, a would-be wearer of a hairshirt during his seminary years, who as a pastor in the post-Vatican II Church learns what everyday penitential suffering really means.

In an incident that recalls an episode in the life of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, Joe deserts his post and runs away. But, also like the Cure d’Ars, he soon relents and turns back.

Not long after that, friends give Father Joe a birthday party. After it’s over, he’s heading to his car when another priest, Lefty by name, calls after him about a chair he’s offered to give Joe and Joe has declined: “Sure you don’t want that chair?”

“Joe shook his head and kept going, calling back, ‘Yes,’ and when Dave called after him, ‘Where is it you’re stationed now—Holy…Faith?’ Joe shook his head and kept going, calling back, ‘Cross.’”

What does that have to do with John Paul II? Just this. In his declining years — old, sick, increasingly incapacitated by Parkinsonism — he soldiered on, demonstrating how a son of God accepts the Father’s will, takes up his cross, and goes to meet his death.

Other public men have hidden their weakness and disability — among American presidents, think of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and John Kennedy.

Popes have sometimes done the same. John Paul handled it differently, carrying on his ministry as pastor of the universal Church as well as his failing strength allowed and allowing the world to witness his weakness in a display of uncommon heroism. No doubt there are many reasons why he deserves to be called “Blessed” and some day “Saint.” This one seems central to me.

Russell Shaw is an OSV contributing editor.

Praise for saints of the non-canonized variety

By Mary DeTurris Poust

If you were to look at the chain around my neck, you'd find a medal of Pope John Paul II, a Miraculous Medal touched by Mother Teresa, and a little silver heart with the name "Irene" engraved on the front.

For me, these three medals represent important saintly people in my life. The first two medals are reminders of saints of my time, great spiritual role models already on the road to official canonization. I met Mother Teresa at St. Patrick's Cathedral when I was a young reporter for Catholic New York. I saw Pope John Paul II at Madison Square Garden in 1979 when I was president of my parish CYO. The third medal? That one is a reminder of my mother, Irene, who died 23 years ago yesterday and is a saint in my book even if the Church doesn't know it.

Today my personal practice of looking to non-canonized saints got a boost from Pope Benedict XVI when he told people gathered in St. Peter's Square that he is inspired not only by the great saints but by "simple" saints as well.

From a story by Catholic News Agency:

"I look also to ‘simple’ saints, those good people I see in my life who will never be canonized, who are normal people, so to speak, without visible heroism, but in whose everyday goodness I see the truth of faith.

"...Pope Benedict reminded his audience that, “(w)e are all called to saintliness: it is the very measure of Christian life." Achieving holiness, he concluded, requires opening ourselves "to the action of the Holy Spirit" so that we can become part of "the great mosaic of sainthood that God creates throughout history."

So now I know I'm in good company when I put my hand to my throat and seek strength in the company of saints, recognized or not.

Read the full CNA story HERE.

A response to NY Times story on changes to Mass

By Mary DeTurris Poust

In case you missed it, the New York Times ran a front-page story on the new translation of the Roman Missal in yesterday's edition. The story, "For New Mass, Closer to Latin, Critics Voice Plain Objection," included many negative reactions to the changes that are coming in Advent.

Today the Times is running my Letter to the Editor in response to that story. I wrote not only as a lifelong Catholic but as an author who focused on the changes in my newest book, "The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass." Initially, I didn't like the idea of the new language. My attitude was one of "leave my Mass alone." But as I researched and wrote, I came to love many of the changes.

Will there be some confusion and frustration when the new language is rolled out? You bet. Is this an opportunity for renewal and education? Absolutely. We need to take the positive aspect of what's coming and run with it.

You can read the original Times story HERE. You can read my letter HERE.

Not true: Madonna abandoning Kabbalah for Opus Dei

Well this one certainly shot at the speed of light today through the Catholic blogosphere: The [U.K.] Mirror has reported that Madonna is backing away from the Jewish mysticism branch Kaballah -- and flirting with the idea of joining the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei.


Seriously.


From the article:

“She has started exploring different religions [a source told the Mirror.] Madonna has always been intrigued by Opus Dei. As yet, she’s not a fully paid-up member – she’s just had informal chats.”
...
On Friday she spent 90 minutes at the Opus Dei center in Orme Court before returning to her North West London home. Last night her spokesman declined to comment.

Fantastic yarn. Unfortunately, it appears lacking in factual basis. Brian Finnerty, the U.S. communications director for Opus Dei, told me this afternoon that the story is not true.

He adds: "We are doing our own checking into this story and it appears to be simply untrue. We are trying to reach the journalist to find out how this got started."

Updated at 2:49 p.m. with longer attribution to Finnerty.

What's your most powerful Mass experience?

By Mary DeTurris Poust

When I was talking with Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York on his radio show last week, the archbishop mentioned celebrating Mass in the hospital room of an ailing priest. The hospital tray was the altar. The priest, too sick to get up from bed, concelebrated with a stole draped across him. When it was over, the priest's family was in tears, so moved by this stripped down but supremely powerful experience of the pivotal Catholic prayer.

That conversation got me to thinking about my own unusual, albeit powerful, experiences of the Mass. Sure, I have been to many beautiful Masses in St. Patrick's Cathedral and other awesome churches around this country, but the truth is that the Masses that stand out most for me are those that were not necessarily accompanied by inspiring music and brilliant stained glass. They were the simple Masses -- the CYO Mass celebrated at our parish with the hosts we made in my family's kitchen, the private Mass offered in a small and simply appointed chapel in a bishop's home, the retreat Mass offered among aging Sisters at their retirement center, the Mass celebrated in Italian by a Nigerian priest in a side chapel at St. Peter's Basilica for a congregation of two, the Masses where there was nothing to distract from the main event, the Eucharist.

What are some of your most powerful experiences of the Mass? Please share with us those moments around the altar that have most moved you.

Is Soul Surfer on your schedule this weekend?

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Before I'd even read one review of Soul Surfer, the new movie based on the true story of a teenage surfer who loses her arm in a shark attack, I told my 10-year-old daughter I would take her to see it, not because either of us likes surfing or even swimming in big waves but because I want her to see a story about a girl not much older than herself who overcomes tremendous odds to reclaim her life and the thing that brought her joy. All with a heavy reliance on her Christian faith.

In a world where "entertainment" is overflowing with negative messages and images, I have to believe that Soul Surfer will be a welcome relief, something that is not only suitable for my children but motivating in the best possible ways.

Here's what Busted Halo had to say about Soul Surfer:

Some of the most poignant scenes are those that depict small aspects of life that she had once taken for granted, like the ability to cut a tomato or hold hands with family members while saying grace before a meal. But Bethany’s mind is set on the long-term goal of getting back into the water. One month after the attack — in real life and in the film — she did just that.

...At times this talk of faith may seem clichéd to some viewers, but it is also true to, and an integral part of, Bethany’s real-life story. The doctor calls her a living miracle. Her father reads the Bible beside her bed and reminds her in the hospital that she “can do all things through Him who gives her strength.” The language used in the film reflects Bethany’s reality and is necessary for understanding her motivation and recovery. A story of a young girl overcoming the attack and the injury could have been told without it, but it would not have been about Bethany.

Bethany’s concerns in the film about her future in the surf world and the dating world are also natural ones for a 13-year-old girl, and tween viewers will likely sympathize. Although a few lines of encouragement from Hunt may tend toward the obvious, all too often part of being a teenager is needing to be reassured of the obvious. “You are beautiful,” “Normal is overrated,” Hunt tells her. Not bad reminders for adults, either.

Other reviews I've read were not so positive, with some reviewers obviously put off by the overtly Christian message. But I'm convinced that this movie will be a big hit with teen and tween girls. And why not? Scenes of Hawaii, surfing teenagers, pop music. It's a perfect combination at a perfect time of year. The Christian message is icing on the cake.

Do you plan to see Soul Surfer? If you do, come back and tell us what you think. Read the full Busted Halo review HERE.

Measuring 'success' in breaths, smiles

A friend and colleague, Brian Caulfield, has written a touching story about Cardinals' pitcher Trever Miller and faith in the face of adversity over at Fathers For Good.

Brian told me that FFG, which is an initiative of the Knights of Columbus, is "seeking to bring attention to good Catholic role models in sports for parents to show to their children, since sports plays such a powerful role in our culture." Please check out his story and be inspired:

By Brian Caulfield

As he begins his 12th season as a major league pitcher, Trever Miller is familiar with baseball’s performance measurements: earned run average, strikeout-walk ratio, winning percentage, saves and a dozen other metrics. A lanky lefty reliever with the St. Louis Cardinals, who specializes in retiring left-handed batters in late innings, he even holds a major league record for consecutive mound appearances without a win or loss decision. Having pitched for five teams, the 37-year-old hurler’s lifetime record is a respectable 18-16.

But as a father of a child who was born with two holes in her heart and a genetic disorder so rare that it doesn’t have a name, Miller measures success in life in more basic ways these days – the next breath, a winning smile, a new movement from his daughter Grace. She was not supposed to leave the hospital after birth yet turns a miraculous 7 years old in June.

“Faith goes with the territory,” Miller said last month during the Cardinals’ spring training in Florida. “Grace is my hero and my inspiration. She has overcome more physical tests than I ever have in a lifetime of baseball.”

Continue reading HERE.

Photo credit: AP Photos/Nati Harnik

Tune in to Archbishop Dolan's show today

I'll be talking about my newest book, "The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and Mass," with Archbishop Timothy Dolan on his weekly radio show, A Conversation with the Archbishop, today, April 7, at 1 p.m. EST. Tune in to The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159/XM 117.

The show will be repeated on Saturday at 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again on Sunday at 6 p.m. and midnight ET.

This was my third time on the archbishop's show, which manages to be funny, informative, uplifting and spiritually nourishing all at once. To give you a clue, I get to talk about everything from the Liturgy of the Hours and the Last Supper to the New York Yankees- Boston Red Sox rivalry. Where else can you find that on Catholic radio?

Of course, there's lots more to the show than just my segment, so be sure to stay for the whole thing.

i-Confess contest promotes New York event

By Mary DeTurris Poust

i-Confess.

It's not a joke or an app or part of the new Mass. It's a digital campaign to drum up interest in the All Day Confessions event that will be happening in New York on Monday, April 18. The Archdiocese of New York in conjunction with the dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre is sponsoring the i-Confess campaign, asking students to create and submit short YouTube-style videos promoting the Sacrament of Penance for a chance to win a top prize of $25,000 toward an educational scholarship. The student's school will receive an additional $25,000. A second place prize of $10,000 will be awarded, as well as multiple third place prizes of $1,000.

So far the YouTube site for i-Confess has 13 entries posted, including the one above featuring a seminarian. What do you think? Do you have a favorite? Will it bring people back to confession? (h/t Frank Weathers for this one.)

Related to this topic, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has issued a pastoral letter on the Sacrament of Penance. You can read that HERE.

Shaw: Libya conflict shows need for rethinking just war theory

By Russell Shaw

The military intervention in Libya by the United States and NATO offers new evidence that the just war theory stands in need of rethinking. The theory is fine as far as it goes. The problem is it doesn’t go far enough.

People who say the just war theory should be scrapped because modern warfare makes it irrelevant miss the point. Even nuclear war is unthinkable, though not thereby impossible, precisely in light of just war principles like proportionality (the force used should be reasonable in light of the military goal) and discrimination (don’t kill noncombatants by using indiscriminate force).

But military conflicts like the one in Libya do raise questions that classical just war theory simply did not envisage. Some of the current confusion over the rationale and goals of the intervention may reflect that fact. Hence the need for fresh thinking aimed at developing the theory.

For example: The typical case assumed by just war analysis is one in which a nation is weighing whether to take up arms to defend itself against what it regards as unjust aggression. Here principles come into play like just cause, competent authority, efforts to resolve the situation peacefully, right intention, reasonable probability of success, and good results proportionate to the harm the use of force will bring about.

The basic question raised by Libya comes, of course, right at the start. Moammar Gadhafi was not attacking or threatening to attack the United States or its allies. Instead the Libyan tyrant was in the process of gunning down Libyans who’d had the temerity to rise up in protest against his tyrannical regime. Thus the grounds for intervention were said to be humanitarian: preventing the slaughter of Libyan civilians.

Many Americans respond favorably to this rationale, and very likely with good reason. Without much tweaking of the principle, military intervention to protect innocent people from being massacred can well be seen as covered by the just war principle of resisting unjust aggression. But that only points to further questions. Here are a few.

Should humanitarian intervention go beyond halting the violence and extend to regime change — toppling the tyrant? There seems to be no agreement on that at the upper levels of the American government, much less within the NATO coalition. And if the correct answer is sometimes but not always, the question then becomes: When?

Even an authoritarian government has a right, and sometimes a duty, to use force when necessary to maintain or restore public order. But when does this use of force become unjust and merit outside intervention? Should the United States be prepared to intervene in a civil war on behalf of the side it favors? If so, when and under what conditions?

Most people would agree that, generally speaking, intervention should first of all take the form of steps like sanctions and blockades, with direct military action employed only when and if it becomes necessary. But clearly there are exceptions — times when military action must come first. What are they?

Just war thinking requires that the decision to go to war be taken by the competent authority. But who is that today?

In Libya, America and its allies took the precaution of getting a green light from the U.N. Security Council. Is that step always necessary now, or should it sometimes be set aside in the interests of greater goods? And for the White House to ponder: Isn’t it in the spirit if not the letter of the Constitution to consult Congress before the shooting starts?

Russell Shaw is an OSV contributing editor.

Have you studied overseas? OSV wants to know.

Last week OSV Editor John Norton posted about his own experiences studying overseas during his junior year of college. Now we need your stories for inclusion in a special section of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper dedicated to overseas programs offered by Catholic universities and colleges in the United States.

Click HERE to go to the original post and to share your story in the comment section.

Meatless Fridays: What are you serving tonight?

By Mary DeTurris Poust

It's Friday. Time for another meatless meal. Are you in need of some new ideas, something other than pizza or fish? I have just the thing. Or several things, actually.

First, there are soups of all kinds, including lots of meatless soups perfect for Fridays, over at 40 Days of Soup, a special Lenten site from Ave Maria Press. Today's soup is a tomato lentil. For each day of Lent, there's another recipe, always with a reflection on the side and sometimes with a video. Check it out HERE.

I have a couple of vegan recipes of my own posted at my blog, Not Strictly Spiritual. Because my daughter and I are vegetarian, we aim to make Fridays vegan, so no seafood or dairy either. The first recipe is a pasta and lentil dish. It's amazing. You can find that recipe HERE. I've got a second pasta recipe with broccoli rabe, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and cannellini beans posted HERE.

Catholicmom.com has also posted a whole series of meatless meal ideas, from soups and stews to casseroles and salads. Lots of good stuff that you'll want to whip up long after Lent is over. Click HERE for that.

If you think the focus on Lenten meals is limited to Catholic websites, think again. Rachael Ray of Food Network fame has a whole page dedicated to Lent and meatless meals. She even includes information on the reasons and rules behind fasting and abstinence. Click HERE for recipes that include falafel burgers, "leeky" linguini with shrimp, New England pasta bake and more.

Do you have a favorite meatless meal website to share? Or a favorite recipe of your own? We're always looking for new ideas.

Participated in a Catholic college's overseas program? Tell me about it

Possibly the single-most formative year of my life was my junior year in college, which I spent in Innsbruck, Austria, through a study-abroad program offered by my alma mater, the University of San Francisco.

The program was unusual in that it was an entire year instead of a single semester, and in that we were matriculated directly into the University of Innsbruck (founded in 1669) and an associated Jesuit philosophy program. That meant all of our classes (and oral exams at the end of the semester) were exclusively in German.

There were two other men from USF in the program that year, and we all lived in a Jesuit-run international seminary for future diocesan priests known as the Canisianum. We were the only three laymen residents.

The first couple of months were very rough. All the usual stabilizers of life — language, cuisine, culture, hygiene standards, sartorial customs, theological presuppositions, a general assumption that America is and has been a force for good in the world, and even what constitutes a funny joke — were stripped away, leaving us not only to struggle to adapt to all the newness but also to view ourselves in the most unvarnished and honest way that we ever had. It wasn't always a pretty process. But somehow it worked. The last several months were heaven. We had made good friends with other students and we were so proficient in German that we were dreaming in it and speaking it without self-consciousness. Even the year-end oral exams in German weren't so bad.

I thought of that year again in the past week as we have pulled together for OSV Newsweekly a special section on overseas programs offered by Catholic universities and colleges in the United States.

Do you have an experience you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments. I'd like to print a selection of your testimonials in the newspaper.