TODAY'S SAINT : JAN. 4 : ST. ELIZABETH SETON

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

FOUNDRESS AND FIRST SUPERIOR OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY

Feast: January 4

Information: Feast Day: January 4 Born: 28 August 1774 in New York City, New York, USA Died: 4 January 1821 in Emmitsburg, Maryland Canonized: 14 September 1975 by Pope Paul VI Patron of: Catholic Schools; State of Maryland This first American-born saint accomplished more in twelve years than most people do in a whole lifetime. From 1809 to 1821, the year she died, she laid the foundation for the Catholic parochial system in the United States, founded her Sisters of Charity, and ran her school and lived with her community at her headquarters in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Elizabeth Ann Bayley was the daughter of a distinguished colonial family in New York City, her father a physician and professor at what later became Columbia University. Her grandfather was rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Staten Island. Born in 1774 she married William Magee Seton, a wealthy young businessman, in 1794. They had five children. Mr. Seton had reversals in business and lost his fortune, and a sea voyage was recommended to recover his health. The couple, along with their eldest daughter, embarked for Italy in 1803 and were given hospitality by the Filicchi family of Leghorn. William Seton died in Pisa less than three months later. Influenced by her stay in Italy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton became a Catholic upon her return to the United States, against the opposition of her family. In August 1807, she was invited by the superior of the Baltimore Sulpicians to found a school for girls near the Sulpician seminary in Baltimore. With the help of Archbishop Carroll, she organized a group of young women to assist her in her work, received a religious rule and habit from him, and took the vows of religion. In 1809, she moved her headquarters to Emmitsburg, adopted a modified version of the rule of St. Vincent de Paul for the French Sisters of Charity, and laid the foundation for the Catholic parochial school system in the United States. She trained her sisters for teaching, wrote textbooks for classrooms, worked among the poor, the sick, and the black people of the region, and directed the work of her congregation. In 1814, she sent her nuns to open an orphanage in Philadelphia and another in New York City in 1817. She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, and was canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975. Her body is enshrined at the motherhouse of the American Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg. Thought for the Day: Mother Seton seems almost like a neighbor down the street. But she is St. Elizabeth Seton, who found God through very difficult times. She was loving wife, devoted mother, foundress, and saint. From 'The Catholic One Year Bible': . . . "Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men!" And they left their nets at once and went with him.-Matthew 4:19-20 SOURCE: EWTN.COM

YOUNG 16-YEAR OLD GIRL GANG-RAPED AND KILLED BY FIRE

ASIA NEWS REPORT: After attackers set the girl on fire to prevent her from speaking, she dies from burns to her body. Doctors reveal she was pregnant. The family accuses the police of negligence and of cremating their daughter's body against their will, perhaps to hush up the case. For Catholic doctor, the incident is "an attack on the dignity of life itself".


Kolkata (AsiaNews) - A 16-year-old girl was gang-raped twice and then set on fire on the night of 31 December to prevent her from speaking. She died later in hospital from the burns she suffered. The case was compounded by the total indifference of the authorities. Although she filed a complaint after the first attack, the police failed to provide protection. Instead, after her death, it hastily arranged for the cremation of her body against the wishes of the family.
The young woman's tragic fate began on 25 October when she was attacked and raped by two men on the outskirts of Calcutta. She was later found in fields near her home. Her name was not disclosed in accordance with Indian law to protect the identity of rape victims.
Despite everything, the young woman and her parents went to the local police station to report the incident. On her way home, she was assaulted again, kidnapped and raped. A few hours later, she was found near the railway station in Madhyamgram.
According to preliminary reports, the young woman was hospitalised before Christmas, her body covered with burns. At first, doctors thought about suicide, but before she lost consciousness she said that her rapists had set her on fire. Eventually, tests indicated that she was pregnant.
After she died on Tuesday, her parents demanded her body - they wanted to wait for the arrival of some family members from Bihar before conducting the funeral service.
Police however did not wait. First, they threatened the family, telling them to leave Kolkata with their daughter's body, then they cremated it before the family could sign the death certificate.
When asked, police could not give a clear explanation for the night-long tragedy. "We wanted to ensure that there was no law-and-order problem," said Joint Commissioner Rajeev Mishra.
According to local sources, the police apparently acted on the instructions of a minister of the ruling Trinamool Congress government, who wanted to silence everyone to avoid incidents in conjunction with 1 January, the anniversary of the founding of his party. Indeed, no Trinamool leader expressed condolences to the victim's family.
The violent incident in Kolkata brings to mind the tragic gang rape in New Delhi, in December 2012. At the time, Pascoal Carvalho, a Catholic physician and member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told AsiaNews that the incident was "an attack on life itself and the sign of the degradation of the dignity and sanctity of every human being."

According to the expert, "it is urgent not only to condemn gender-based violence, but also to understand its causes. Our patriarchal mind-set has become insidious in our society. We live in an environment that does not consider women equal to men, one that continues to assign specific roles. The cycle of domination begins well before birth and female foeticide and infanticide are a well-known malaise in our society."
ASIA NEWS IT REPORT

HOLY NAME OF JESUS - PRAYERS - NOVENA - LITANY - FEAST JAN. 3

Today is the Feast of the Holy Name of JESUS. This is celebrated on different dates depending on the rite. However, the 8 days after Christmas signify the date of the Circumcision of Jesus. On that day Jesus was given His name as foretold by the angel. The monogram signifying the Holy Name of Jesus consists of the three letters: IHS. In the Middle Ages the Name of Jesus was written: IHESUS; the monogram contains the first and last letter of the Holy Name. (IMAGE SOURCE/SHARE GOOGLE)

NOVENA TO THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
O Merciful Jesus, Who didst in Thy early infancy commence Thy office of Savior by shedding Thy Precious Blood, and assuming for us that name which is above all names; we thank Thee for such early proofs of Thine infinite love. We venerate Thy sacred name, in union with the profound respect of the Angel who first announced it to the earth, and unite our affections to the sentiments of tender devotion which the adorable name of Jesus has in all ages enkindled in the hearts of Thy Saints.

Animated with a firm faith in Thy unerring word, and penetrated with confidence in Thy mercy, we now most humbly remind Thee of the promise Thou hast made, that where two or three should assemble in Thy name, Thou Thyself wouldst be in the midst of them. Come, then, into the midst of us, most amiable Jesus, for it is in Thy sacred name we are here assembled; come into our hearts, that we may be governed by Thy holy spirit; mercifully grant us, through that adorable name, which is the joy of Heaven, the terror of Hell, the consolation of the afflicted, and the solid ground of our unlimited confidence,
all the petitions we make in this novena.

Oh! blessed Mother of our Redeemer! Who didst participate so sensibly in the sufferings of thy dear Son when He shed His Sacred Blood and assumed for us the name of Jesus, obtain for us,through that adorable name, the favors we petition in this novena.

Beg also, that the most ardent love may imprint on our hearts that sacred name, that it may be always in our minds and frequently on our lips; that it may be our defense and our refuge in the temptations and trials of life, and our consolation and support in the hour of death. Amen.
 

LITANY OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS

Lord, have mercy	Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy	Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy	Lord, have mercy
God our Father in heaven	have mercy on us
God the Son,	have mercy on us
Redeemer of the world	have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit	have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God	have mercy on us
Jesus, Son of the living God	have mercy on us
Jesus, splendor of the Father	have mercy on us
Jesus, brightness of everlasting light	have mercy on us
Jesus, king of glory	have mercy on us
Jesus, dawn of justice	have mercy on us
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary	have mercy on us
Jesus, worthy of our love	have mercy on us
Jesus, worthy of our wonder	have mercy on us
Jesus, mighty God	have mercy on us
Jesus, father of the world to come	have mercy on us
Jesus, prince of peace	have mercy on us
Jesus, all-powerful	have mercy on us
Jesus, pattern of patience	have mercy on us
Jesus, model of obedience	have mercy on us
Jesus, gentle and humble of heart	have mercy on us
Jesus, lover of chastity	have mercy on us
Jesus, lover of us all	have mercy on us
Jesus, God of peace	have mercy on us
Jesus, author of life	have mercy on us
Jesus, model of goodness	have mercy on us
Jesus, seeker of souls	have mercy on us
Jesus, our God	have mercy on us
Jesus, our refuge	have mercy on us
Jesus, father of the poor	have mercy on us
Jesus, treasure of the faithful	have mercy on us
Jesus, Good Shepherd	have mercy on us
Jesus, the true light	have mercy on us
Jesus, eternal wisdom	have mercy on us
Jesus, infinite goodness	have mercy on us
Jesus, our way and our life	have mercy on us
Jesus, joy of angels	have mercy on us
Jesus, king of patriarchs	have mercy on us
Jesus, teacher of apostles	have mercy on us
Jesus, master of evangelists	have mercy on us
Jesus, courage of martyrs	have mercy on us
Jesus, light of confessors	have mercy on us
Jesus, purity of virgins	have mercy on us
Jesus, crown of all saints	have mercy on us
Lord, be merciful	Jesus, save your people
From all evil	Jesus, save your people
From every sin	Jesus, save your people
From the snares of the devil	Jesus, save your people
From your anger	Jesus, save your people
From the spirit of infidelity	Jesus, save your people
From everlasting death	Jesus, save your people
From neglect of your Holy Spirit	Jesus, save your people
By the mystery of your incarnation	Jesus, save your people
By your birth	Jesus, save your people
By your childhood	Jesus, save your people
By your hidden life	Jesus, save your people
By your public ministry	Jesus, save your people
By your agony and crucifixion	Jesus, save your people
By your abandonment	Jesus, save your people
By your grief and sorrow	Jesus, save your people
By your death and burial	Jesus, save your people
By your rising to new life	Jesus, save your people
By your return in glory to the Father	Jesus, save your people
By your gift of the holy Eucharist	Jesus, save your people
By your joy and glory	Jesus, save your-people
Christ, hear us	Christ, hear us
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer	Lord Jesus, hear our prayer
Lamb of God, you take away
the sins of the world	have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away
the sins of the world	have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away
the sins of the world	have mercy on us

Let us pray.

Lord, may we who honor the holy name of Jesus enjoy his friendship in this life and be filled with eternal joy in the kingdom where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

POPE FRANCIS CELEBRATES MASS FOR NAME OF JESUS FEAST - TEXT/VIDEO

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Friday morning in the mother church of the Jesuit order, the church of the Gesù, to mark the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus and to give thanks for the enrollment of the first Jesuit to be ordained a priest, Fr Peter Faber SJ, in the list of the saints. 

In his homily, Pope Francis spoke of the particular way in which the Jesuit Order is marked – and desires to be signed - by the name of Jesus: “To march,” he said, “beneath the standard of His Cross.” Pope Francis went on to explain that this means sharing in and having Christ’s very own sentiments. “It means,” he said, “to think like Him, to love like Him, to see [things the way He sees them], to walk like Him – it means doing what He did, and with the same sentiments He had, with the sentiments of His heart.”

Pope Francis went on to discuss the great example of his holy confrere, St Peter Faber, whose sainthood the Holy Father officially recognized and proclaimed on December 17^th of last year. “Under the guidance of St. Ignatius,” explained Pope Francis, “[the man who would become St Peter Faber, SJ] learned to combine his restless - but also sweet and even,” said Pope Francis, “exquisite sensitivity, with the ability to make decisions: he was a man of great desires,” Pope Francis said, “he recognised his desires and he owned them. Indeed, for Faber, it is precisely in the moment in which difficult things are proposed, that the true spirit that moves to action manifests itself.” Pope Francis added, “An authentic faith always implies a deep desire to change the world.”
Text from Vatican Radio 

POPE FRANCIS TELLS RELIGIOUS TO "WAKE UP THE WORLD" MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has told those in Religious Life to “wake up the world”, according to an article appearing in La Civiltà Cattolica, the Rome-based Jesuit weekly.

Editor Antonio Spadaro, SJ, has written an article recounting the private meeting last November between Pope Francis and the Union of Superiors General of religious men at the end of their 82nd General Assembly.

The 15-page article (available in English at the La Civiltà Cattolica website) documents the views of Pope Francis on religious life.

“Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world,” Pope Francis said. 

“We are speaking of an eschatological outlook, of the values of the Kingdom incarnated here, on this earth. It is a question of leaving everything to follow the Lord. No, I do not want to say “radical.” Evangelical radicalness is not only for religious: it is demanded of all. But religious follow the Lord in a special was, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up.”

The article also revealed he has asked the Congregation for Religious to revise, Mutuae Relationes, the 1978 instruction issued by the Congregation for Religious and by the Congregation for Bishops (concerning the relations between bishops and religious in the Church, which he called “outdated.”
Shared from Vatican Radio 
FULL TEXT INTERVIEW http://www.laciviltacattolica.it/articoli_download/extra/Wake_up_the_world.pdf

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STATISTICS OVER 6.6 MILLION VISITED VATICAN SINCE POPE FRANCIS ELECTED IN MARCH 2013

(Vatican Radio) Over 6.6 million people have attended events led by Pope Francis at the Vatican since his election in March.

Figures released by the Pontifical Household on Thursday are based on the number of tickets issued for papal events where they are needed, such as general audiences, Masses and private audiences.

A communiqué said they were also based on estimates of the number of people at events where tickets are not needed, such as the weekly Angelus or Regina Coeli or other celebrations in St. Peter’s Square.

It specified that the figures released do not include the crowds that turned out to see the pope during his trips to Brazil, to Assisi to Lampedusa and other events in Italy and in the Rome diocese.

Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013.


Text/Image from Vatican Radio