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Solemnity celebrated on the first of November. It is instituted to honour all the saints, known and unknown, and, according to Pope Urban IV, to supply any deficiencies in the faithful's celebration of saints' feasts during the year.
In the early days the Christians were accustomed to solemnize the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ at the place of martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast; as is shown by the invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (379) to the bishops of the province of Pontus. Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all. The first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. We also find mention of a common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily of St. John Chrysostom (407). At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist were honoured by a special day. Other saints were added gradually, and increased in number when a regular process of canonization was established; still, as early as 411 there is in the Chaldean Calendar a "Commemoratio Confessorum" for the Friday after Easter. In the West Boniface IV, 13 May, 609, or 610, consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary. Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary for 1 November. A basilica of the Apostles already existed in Rome, and its dedication was annually remembered on 1 May. Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration on 1 November to the entire Church. The vigil seems to have been held as early as the feast itself. The octave was added by Sixtus IV (1471-84). Catholic Encyclopedia
A priest was shot twice at an Orthodox church in Lyon, France, at about 4 p.m. local time Saturday, October 31, 2020.
The priest is in critical condition and is being treated.
The assailant is on the run, a spokesperson said. This attack comes as the nation is on high-alert after a terror attack at the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice this week.
Father Nikolaos Kakavelakis, a Greek citizen, was shot twice as he was closing the church in the city’s seventh arrondissement, a police source told FranceInfoTV.
The attacker was on the run, police said. “He is a Mediterranean-type man measuring 1.90m, wearing a long black raincoat and a black hat. It seems he was hiding a sawn-off shotgun under his coat. He fired it in the direction of the orthodox priest and fled,” Ludovic Cassier of the police union Unité SGP Police told French radio.
The Lyon newspaper Le Progrès reported that 52-year-old Father Kakavelakis, father of 2 children, had been seriously injured in the attack. Neighbors in what was described as a quiet residential district told the paper they heard two shots, followed by screams of pain.
The victim was conscious when he was taken from the Greek Orthodox church on the rue du Père Chevrier to the ambulance, the paper reported, and able to tell witnesses he did not know the man who attacked him.
Dies irae is a Latin hymn attributed to either Thomas of Celano of the Franciscans (1200 – c. 1265)or to Latino Malabranca Orsini (d. 1294), lector at the Dominican studium at Santa Sabina.The hymn dates from at least the thirteenth century, though it is possible that it is much older, with some sources ascribing its origin to St. Gregory the Great (d. 604), Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), or Bonaventure (1221–1274). The poem describes the Last Judgment, trumpet summoning souls before the throne of God, where the saved will be delivered and the unsaved cast into eternal flames. It is used as a sequence in the Requiem (Mass for the Dead or Funeral Mass). The FULL Lyrics are below the video:
Last Judgement Triptych by Hans Memling triptych (Image above) (c. 1467 – 1471)
LISTEN to this Beautiful Chant found below the Lyrics and SHARE!
Lyrics in Latin-English: The Day Of Wrath
Dies irae, dies illa, solvet saeculum in favilla, teste David cum Sibylla.
Thatday of wrath, that dreadful day, shall heaven and earth in ashes lay, as David and the Sybil say.
Quantus tremor est futurus, quando iudex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus!
What horror must invade the mind when the approaching Judge shall find and sift the deeds of all mankind!
Tuba mirum spargens sonum per sepulcra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum.
The mighty trumpet's wondrous tone shall rend each tomb's sepulchral stone and summon all before the Throne.
Mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura, iudicanti responsura.
Now death and nature with surprise behold the trembling sinners rise to meet the Judge's searching eyes.
Liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur, unde mundus iudicetur.
Then shall with universal dread the Book of Consciences be read to judge the lives of all the dead.
Iudex ergo cum sedebit, quidquid latet apparebit: nil inultum remanebit.
For now before the Judge severe all hidden things must plain appear; no crime can pass unpunished here.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? quem patronum rogaturus? cum vix iustus sit securus.
O what shall I, so guilty plead? and who for me will intercede? when even Saints shall comfort need?
Rex tremendae maiestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis, salva me, fons pietatis.
O King of dreadful majesty! grace and mercy You grant free; as Fount of Kindness, save me!
Recordare Iesu pie, quod sum causa tuae viae: ne me perdas illa die.
Recall, dear Jesus, for my sake you did our suffering nature take then do not now my soul forsake!
Quaerens me, sedisti lassus: redemisti crucem passus: tantus labor non sit cassus.
In weariness You sought for me, and suffering upon the tree! let not in vain such labor be.
Iuste iudex ultionis, donum fac remissionis, ante diem rationis.
O Judge of justice, hear, I pray, for pity take my sins away before the dreadful reckoning day.
Ingemisco, tamquam reus: culpa rubet vultus meus: supplicanti parce Deus.
Your gracious face, O Lord, I seek; deep shame and grief are on my cheek; in sighs and tears my sorrows speak.
Qui Mariam absolvisti, et latronem exaudisti, mihi quoque spem dedisti.
You Who did Mary's guilt unbind, and mercy for the robber find, have filled with hope my anxious mind.
Preces meae non sunt dignae: sed tu bonus fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne.
How worthless are my prayers I know, yet, Lord forbid that I should go into the fires of endless woe.
Inter oves locum praesta, et ab haedis me sequestra, statuens in parte dextera.
Divorced from the accursed band, o make me with Your sheep to stand, as child of grace, at Your right Hand.
Confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis. voca me cum benedictis.
When the doomed can no more flee from the fires of misery with the chosen call me.
Oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritum quasi cinis: gere curam mei finis.
Before You, humbled, Lord, I lie, my heart like ashes, crushed and dry, assist me when I die.
Lacrimosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla. iudicandus homo reus: huic ergo parce Deus.
Full of tears and full of dread is that day that wakes the dead, calling all, with solemn blast to be judged for all their past.
Pie Iesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Amen.
Lord, have mercy, Jesus blest, grant them all Your Light and Rest. Amen.
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, "Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: "Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."
Responsorial PsalmPS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. The LORD's are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Reading 21 JN 3:1-3
Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.
AlleluiaMT 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 5:1-12A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
Prayer to Make a Spiritual Communion- People who cannot communicate now make spiritual communion.
At your feet, O my Jesus I bow down and offer you the repentance of my contrite heart, which abysses itself into its nothingness and Your holy presence. I adore you in the Sacrament of Your love, the ineffable Eucharist. I wish to receive you in the poor home that my heart offers you. In anticipation of the happiness of sacramental communion, I want to possess you in spirit. Come to me, oh my Jesus, that I may come to you. May Your love inflame my whole being, for life and death. I believe in you, I hope in you, I love you. So be it. Amen
KofC: What is the miracle that Pope Francis approved for Father McGivney’s beatification?
In May, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to Father McGivney, putting him one step closer to
sainthood. The Knights of Columbus’ founder is recognized as having miraculously interceded on
behalf of Mikey Schachle, the son of Michelle and Daniel Schachle, a Knights of Columbus insurance
agent in Tennessee. Before Mikey was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome as well as a rare
condition that doctors said would “take his life shortly after birth.” After his parents and others began
praying through Father McGivney’s intercession, Mikey was cured, and his parents named him Michael
McGivney Schachle. He is now 5 years old.
Fr. McGivney will be beatified in a special Mass celebrated by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, on Saturday, October 31, 2020. The celebration takes place at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford, in the US state of Connecticut.
WATCH the Beautiful Video Below with the Family of the Miracle Baby who was Healed by Fr. Michael McGivney:
CLOCKS GO BACK 1 HOUR this SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2020 at 2 am. In most of North America Daylight Savings time ends and the clocks go back 1 hour. This means you can sleep in 1 hour before going to Church. Here is a FUNNY Video about the Time Change to Remind you not to Forget Church! (Image Source : GOOGLE)
Death toll from the Aegean earthquake rises to 27
Some 25 people have died and more than 800 have been injured in the Turkish province of Izmir. Two people have died on the Greek island of Samos. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake was centred off the coast of Turkey. Rescuers continue to dig for survivors. Athens and Ankara put aside geopolitical tensions and pledge collaboration to deal with the emergency.
Izmir (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The number of dead of the earthquake that struck the Aegean coasts of Turkey and Greece yesterday afternoon now stands at 27: 25 in the Turkish province of Izmir and two on the Greek island of Samos, government sources in the two countries reported. The epicentre of the earthquake, which registered a magnitude 7.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and 6.6 according to Turkish authorities, was off the Izmir area. The quake caused a mini-tsunami that hit both Izmir and Samos. In Izmir, officials counted at least 800 injured, and extensive damage to homes with entire buildings collapsing. Rescue teams continue to dig for survivors. To deal with the displaced, Turkish authorities have set up a tent city for at least 2,000 people. On the Greek side, the impact was more contained. In addition to two young people who died, eight have been injured. Putting aside recent geopolitical tensions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged mutual aid. Athens and Ankara are at loggerheads over the exploitation of vast hydrocarbon fields in the eastern Mediterranean.
At least 140 people have drowned after a vessel carrying around 200 migrants sank off the Senegalese coast, the deadliest shipwreck recorded in 2020.
According to media sources, the Senegalese and Spanish navies, and fishermen who were nearby, rescued 59 people and retrieved the remains of 20 others.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply saddened by this recent tragedy, which follows four shipwrecks recorded in the Central Mediterranean last week and another in the English Channel.
“We call for unity between governments, partners and the international community to dismantle trafficking and smuggling networks that take advantage of desperate youth,” said Bakary Doumbia, IOM Senegal Chief of Mission.
“It is also important that we advocate for enhanced legal channels to undermine the traffickers’ business model and prevent loss of life.”
Local community members told IOM the vessel left Mbour, a coastal town in western Senegal on Saturday (24/10) bound for the Canary Islands. The boat caught fire a few hours after departure and capsized near Saint-Louis, on Senegal’s northwest coast.
The Government of Senegal and IOM have arranged a mission to travel to Saint-Louis to assess the needs of survivors and provide immediate psychosocial assistance.
The number of departures from West Africa to the Canary Islands has significantly increased in recent weeks.
IOM Senegal has been monitoring departures from the coast with the assistance of members of the community since the beginning of September. In September alone, 14 boats carrying 663 migrants left Senegal for the Canary Islands. Of these departures, 26 per cent were reported to have experienced an incident or shipwreck.
IOM estimates there have been roughly 11,000 arrivals to the Canary Islands this year compared to 2,557 arrivals during the same period last year. This is still far below peaks seen in 2006 when over 32,000 people arrived.
With this tragic shipwreck, at least 414 people are known to have died along this route in 2020 according to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, which recorded 210 fatalities there in all of 2019.
Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 484 Reading 1 PHIL 1:18B-26 Brothers and sisters: As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,
for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.
Responsorial Psalm PS 42:2, 3, 5CDEF R. My soul is thirsting for the living God. As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. R. My soul is thirsting for the living God. Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? R. My soul is thirsting for the living God. I went with the throng and led them in procession to the house of God. Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving, with the multitude keeping festival. R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Alleluia MT 11:29AB R. Alleluia, alleluia. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 14:1, 7-11 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Prayer to Make a Spiritual Communion- People who cannot communicate now make spiritual communion.
At your feet, O my Jesus I bow down and offer you the repentance of my contrite heart, which abysses itself into its nothingness and Your holy presence. I adore you in the Sacrament of Your love, the ineffable Eucharist. I wish to receive you in the poor home that my heart offers you. In anticipation of the happiness of sacramental communion, I want to possess you in spirit. Come to me, oh my Jesus, that I may come to you. May Your love inflame my whole being, for life and death. I believe in you, I hope in you, I love you. So be it. Amen
Born: 924 in Swabia Died: 31 October 994 at Pupping, Linz (modern Austria) Canonized: 1052 by Pope Leo IX Patron of: apoplexy; carpenters and wood carvers; paralysis; stomach diseases; strokes
Prayer to St. Wolfgang:
Lord, help us to follow in Your footsteps just as Your Apostles did, that we may be a good example to others. Grant us the graces we need to be good disciples and always lead our friends on the path to holiness. Saint Wolfgang Pray For Us. AMEN Bishop of Ratisbon (972-994), born about 934; died at the village of Pupping in upper Austria, 31 October, 994. The name Wolfgang is of early German origin. St. Wolfgang was one of the three brilliant stars of the tenth century, St. Ulrich, St. Conrad, and St. Wolfgang, which illuminated the early medieval period of Germany with the undying splendour of their acts and services. St. Wolfgang sprang from a family of Swabian counts of Pfullingen (Mon. Germ. His.: Script., X, 53). When seven years old he had an ecclesiastic as tutor at home; later he attended the celebrated monastic school on the Reichenau. Here he formed a strong friendship with Henry, brother of Bishop Poppo of Würzburg, whom he followed to Würzburg in order to attend at the cathedral school there the lectures of the noted Italian grammarian, Stephen of Novara. After Henry was made Archbishop of Trier in 956, he called his friend to Trier, where Wolfgang became a teacher in the cathedral school, and also laboured for the reform of the archdiocese, notwithstanding the enmity with which his efforts were met. Wolfgang's residence at Trier greatly influenced his monastic and ascetic tendencies, as here he came into connection with the great reformatory monastery of the tenth century, St. Maximin of Trier, where he made the acquaintance of Ramwold, the teacher of St. Adalbert of Prague. After the death (964) of Archbishop Henry of Trier, Wolfgang entered the Order of St. Benedict in the Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln, Switzerland, and was ordained priest by St. Ulrich in 968. After their defeat in the battle of the Lechfeld (955), a victory gained with the aid of St. Ulrich, the heathen Magyars settled in ancient Pannonia. As long as they were not converted to Christianity they remained a constant menace to the empire. At the request of St. Ulrich, who clearly saw the danger, and at the desire of the Emperor Otto the Great, St. Wolfgang, according to the abbey annals, was "sent to Magyars" as the most suitable man to evangelize them. He was followed by other missionaries sent by Bishop Piligrim of Nassau, under whose jurisdiction the new missionary region came. After the death of Bishop Michael of Ratisbon (23 September, 972) Bishop Piligrim obtained from the emperor the appointment of Wolfgang as Bishop of Ratisbon (Christmas, 972). Wolfgang's services in this new position were of the highest importance, not only for the diocese, but also for the cause of civilization. As Bishop of Ratisbon, Wolfgang became the tutor of Emperor St. Henry II, who learned from him the principles which governed his saintly and energetic life. Poppe, son of Margrave Luitpold, Archbishop of Trier (1016), and Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg (1004-1012), also had him as their teacher. St. Wolfgang deserves credit for his disciplinary labours in his diocese. His main work in this respect was connected with the ancient and celebrated Abbey of St. Emmeram which he reformed by granting it once more abbots of its own, thus withdrawing it from the control of the bishops of Ratisbon, who for many years had been abbots in commendam, a condition of affairs that had been far from beneficial to the abbey and monastic life. In the Benedictine monk Ramwold, whom St. Wolfgang called from St. Maximin at Trier, St. Emmeram received a capable abbot (975). The saint also reformed the convents of Obermunster and Niedermunster at Ratisbon, chiefly by giving them as an example the convent of St. Paul, Mittelmunster, at Ratisbon, which he had founded in 983. He also co-operated in the reform of the ancient and celebrated Benedictine Abbey of Altach (Nieder-altach), which had been founded by the Agilolf dynasty, and which from that time took on new life. He showed genuine episcopal generosity in the liberal manner with which he met the views of the Emperor Otto II regarding the intended reduction in size of his diocese for the benefit of the new Diocese of Prague (975), to which St. Adalbert was appointed first bishop. As prince of the empire he performed his duties towards the emperor and the empire with the utmost scrupulousness and, like St. Ulrich, was one of the mainstays of the Ottonian policies. He took part in the various imperial Diets, and, in the autumn of 978, accompanied the Emperor Otto II on his campaign to Paris, and took part in the great Diet of Verona in June, 983. St. Wolfgang withdrew as a hermit to a solitary spot, now the Lake of St. Wolfgang, apparently on account of a political dispute, but probably in the course of a journey of inspection to the monastery of Mendsee which was under the direction of the bishops of Ratisbon. He was discovered by a hunter and brought back to Ratisbon. While travelling on the Danube to Pöchlarn in Lower Austria, he fell ill at the village of Pupping, which is between Efferding and the market town of Aschach near Linz, and at his request was carried into the chapel of St. Othmar at Pupping, where he died. His body was taken up the Danube by his friends Count Aribo of Andechs and Archbishop Hartwich of Salzburg to Ratisbon, and was solemnly buried in the crypt of St. Emmeram. Many miracles were performed at his grave; in 1052 he was canonized. Soon after his death many churches chose him as their patron saint, and various towns were named after him. In Christian art he has been especially honoured by the great medieval Tyrolese painter, Michael Pacher (1430-1498), who created an imperishable memorial of him, the high altar of St. Wolfgang. In the panel pictures which are now exhibited in the Old Pinakothek at Munich are depicted in an artistic manner the chief events in the saint's life. The oldest portrait of St. Wolfgang is a miniature, painted about the year 1100 in the celebrated Evangeliary of St. Emmeram, now in the library of the castle cathedral at Cracow. A fine modern picture by Schwind is in the Schak Gallery at Munich. This painting represents the legend of Wolfgang forcing the devil to help him to build a church. In other paintings he is generally depicted in episcopal dress, an axe in the right hand and the crozier in the left, or as a hermit in the wilderness being discovered by a hunter. The axe refers to an event in the life of the saint. After having selected a solitary spot in the wilderness, he prayed and then threw his axe into the thicket; the spot on which the axe fell he regarded as the place where God intended he should build his cell. This axe is still shown in the little market town of St. Wolfgang which sprang up on the spot of the old cell. At the request of the Abbey of St. Emmeram, the life of St. Wolfgang was written by Othlo, a Benedictine monk of St. Emmeram about 1050. This life is especially important for the early medieval history both of the Church and of civilization in Bavaria and Austria, and it forms the basis of all later accounts of the saint. The oldest and best manuscript of this "Life" is in the library of the Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln in Switzerland (manuscript No. 322), and has been printed with critical notes in "Mon. Germ. His.: Script.", IV, 524-542. It has also been printed in, "Acta SS.", II November, (Brussels, 1894), 529-537; "Acta SS. O. S. Ben.", V, 812-833; and in P.L., CXLVI, 395-422. Catholic Encyclopedia
'"Tell my children I love them." Those were the last words of Simone (see photo above), as she was dying after running from the the Islamist attack inside "Notre-Dame" Basilica in Nice, France. At 8.30 am, on October 29, 2020, the sacristan Vincent opened the church basilica. The first two believers to come to prayer were two women from the neighborhood. After 30 minutes all three were dead. The 44-year-old mother of 3 from Brazil, Simone Silva, was seriously injured but, was able to drag herself out of the church into the exterior cafe and told the emergency doctor that she loved her children.
SEE ALSO:
#BreakingNews 3 People Killed while Praying in Notre Dame
The sacristan Vincent Loques, age 55, also leaves behind three children. "My sadness is infinite," explained the Archbishop of Nice, André Marceau. Yesterday all churches in the city were closed and placed under police protection. At 3 p.m., the church bells rang across France.
The Brazilian Government noted, with great regret, that one of the fatal victims was a 44-year-old Brazilian woman, mother of three, residing in France for many years.
Three people were killed and several others injured in the attack that French President Emmanuel Macron said was an "Islamist terrorist attack".
The attacker, named Brahim Aioussaoi, from Tunisia, was armed with a knife attacked church-goers in the French city of Nice.
President Macron doubled the number of soldiers deployed to protect schools and religious, to 7,000. The French government has also raised its security alert level to its maximum level.
The attack took place inside Notre-Dame basilica and the attacker was shot and wounded. He was taken to hospital.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor, Jean-Francois Ricard, said a man and woman were killed inside the church. The third victim, a 44-year-old woman, Simone, who managed to flee, died at a nearby restaurant.
A 60-year-old woman whose body was found at the entry of the church, suffered “a very deep throat-slitting, like a decapitation,” Ricard added. The 55-year-old man, Vincent, also died after deep cuts to his throat.
The attacker shouted "Allah Akbar" as he carried out the attack.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor Ricard, said the attacker, was born in 1999. He was carrying a copy of the Qur'an - the Muslim holy book.
In Nice, Daniel Conilh, a 32-year-old bar worker serving in a nearby café, described the scene as it unfolded.
"Everyone ran away, there was shooting. A woman came straight out of the church saying to us: 'run, run, someone has gone down, there's going to be shooting, people are dead'," he recounted, adding that he called for calm as panicked customers fled the café.
Church bells tolled across France at 3pm to show respect for the victims.
The Vatican released a statement saying the Pope was "praying for the victims".
Edited from https://veja.abril.com.br/ and EuroNews
JOINT STATEMENT BY EU COUNTRIES:
Joint statement by the members of the European Council
We, European leaders, are shocked and saddened by the terrorist attacks in France.
We condemn in the strongest terms these attacks which represent so many attacks on our common values.
We stand united and firm in our solidarity with France, the French people and their government - in our common and continued fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
We call on world leaders to work for dialogue and understanding between communities and religions rather than division.
ASIA/PAKISTAN - A court approves the kidnapping of the Catholic minor: vibrant protests by the Church and civil society
Thursday, 29 October 2020
Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - "We call on the authorities of the Sindh government, police officers and the judiciary for justice and a fair trial, as well as severe measures to be taken to stop the growing wave of kidnappings and forced conversions and marriages of young girls belonging to religious minorities in Pakistan.
At the moment, minority citizens do not feel safe and do not feel they have equal rights". This is what Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Archbishop of Karachi said in a message sent to Agenzia Fides, speaking about the case of the young Catholic girl Arzoo Raja, kidnapped, converted to Islam and forced to marry a Muslim man, in Karachi (see Fides 21, 22 and 24/10/2020)
Father Saleh Diego, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Karachi and also at the head of the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission, led a demonstration of more than 300 people including Christians, Hindus and Muslims at the entrance of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, yesterday 28 October. Fr. Diego said: "We ask for justice for the minor Arzoo Raja, who is only 13 years old. The court order that in fact legitimizes the kidnapping has saddened the Christian community in Pakistan. According to the order, the girl will have to live with her kidnapper and the police will guarantee their protection". Fr Diego informs: "The kidnapped girl has already been with her kidnapper for two weeks and the court ruled in favor of the kidnapper, which is terrible. To do it justice we will make all possible effort".
Arzoo Raja was kidnapped on 13 October 2020 by a Muslim man named Ali Azhar, who lived in the vicinity of the young Christian's home. On the day of the kidnapping, the young girl converted to Islam and married him.
The court order, issued on October 27, mentioned that Arzoo Fatima was initially a Catholic however, over time, she understood that Islam is a universal religion and asked her parents and other family members to embrace Islam, but they categorically refused. Arzoo subsequently accepted Islam out of her own free will and contracted a marriage with a Muslim man, Ali Azhar, her kidnapper.
The same order invites the police not to make any arrests in connection with the First Information Report registered under Article 364-A of the Pakistani Penal Code (i.e. kidnapping of a person under the age of 14). Indeed, the police are required to provide protection to the newly married girl.
Shema Kirmani, a Muslim and human rights activist, told Fides: "We strongly condemn such acts that are carried out in the name of religion. No religion allows anyone to be forced to convert and marry their kidnapper. This is kidnapping and rape". She adds: "According to the Child Marriage Act of the Sindh province, no one can be allowed to marry under the age of 18, the authorities must arrest and punish the culprits".
Ghazala Shafiq, Christian activist for human and women's rights, speaking to Fides remarks: "This court order accepts the forced conversion of Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old girl. The judge did not even ask for her birth certificate to prove her age, and they did not allow her to meet her parents. This is an unfair order, in which priority is not given to the documents presented by the parents that prove the correct age of the girl". (AG-PA) (FULL TEXT - Agenzia Fides, 29/10/2020)
U.S. Bishop Chairmen Commend Administration for Geneva Consensus Declaration
WASHINGTON–Three bishop chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commended the Trump Administration for its leadership in coalescing 33 United Nations member states to sign on to the Geneva Consensus Declaration last week. The Declaration further strengthens an ongoing coalition to achieve better health for women, preserve human life, strengthen family as the foundational unit of society, and protect every nation’s sovereignty in global politics. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Bishop David A. Konderla of Tulsa, chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage issued the following statement:
“We are grateful to the administration for its leadership on this historic declaration that proclaims many critical truths about the sanctity of human life and the family, including that every human being has the inherent right to life, and that the family is foundational to a healthy society. Equally important, the Declaration makes clear that every country has a sovereign right to determine its own laws with regard to abortion, free of coercion. It is our hope that this Declaration will serve as a catalyst for these 33 nations, and many more, to persistently stand united against powerful international forces that promote abortion and undermine the family throughout the world.”
"Yes” vote for euthanasia puts vulnerable on a dangerous path
The approval of the End of Life Choice Act Referendum puts vulnerable people and those who care for them on an unwelcome and dangerous path, says the ethics expert for the Catholic bishops, Dr John Kleinsman.
“For very many people the End of Life Choice Act will bring a new and unwelcome dynamic into their lives. The very presence of the option of euthanasia will present as a burden and a pressure for many people and families,” says Dr Kleinsman, who is Director of the bishops’ Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics.
“The introduction of assisted death will have a huge impact on all those who work with the dying – doctors, nurses and other health carers, as well as chaplains, priests and lay ministers. We will be reflecting in the coming months with these groups as to how the law will impact the people they care for, as well as the carers themselves. Among the questions raised will be ones about the provision of the sacraments at the end of life, and the impact on funeral celebrations.”
The End of Life Choice Act Referendum was held alongside the 2020 general election. Provisional results released today indicate 65.2 per cent of voters supported the referendum and 33.8 per cent opposed it. The act – which legalises euthanasia in New Zealand – will take effect in 12 months if the final count confirms the result.
Dr Kleinsman said approval for the referendum meant the country had crossed a line with no return.
The law – which was opposed by most major healthcare groups -- is broader in scope than other laws overseas and, relative to places such as Victoria, Australia, much weaker in terms of its safeguards, said Dr Kleinsman.
“This is not a law for the few hard cases,” he said. “This law makes it easy for anyone diagnosed with a terminal illness to choose an assisted death – anywhere between 20,000 to 25,000 people will be eligible in any one year. It has no requirement for palliative care, no mandatory cooling off period, no requirement for independent witnesses, and lacks effective processes for detecting whether people might be opting for a premature death because of pressure, whether as a result of their own internal feelings of being a burden, or because of external pressures.
“This result goes against the tide of opinion worldwide with 33 jurisdictions around the world having rejected similar laws in the last five years, including the UK and Scotland, because of the risks posed for vulnerable people. It will only be a matter of time before our MPs come under pressure to broaden the law even more – that is what has happened with these laws overseas, and why would it be any different here? This law puts us on a very dangerous path, and today is just the start.”
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus,
to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the Gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right that I should think this way about all of you,
because I hold you in my heart,
you who are all partners with me in grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
For God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
Responsorial Psalm
PS 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (2) How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
JN 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
LK 14:1-6
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.
Prayer to Make a Spiritual Communion- People who cannot communicate now make spiritual communion.
At your feet, O my Jesus I bow down and offer you the repentance of my contrite heart, which abysses itself into its nothingness and Your holy presence. I adore you in the Sacrament of Your love, the ineffable Eucharist. I wish to receive you in the poor home that my heart offers you. In anticipation of the happiness of sacramental communion, I want to possess you in spirit. Come to me, oh my Jesus, that I may come to you. May Your love inflame my whole being, for life and death. I believe in you, I hope in you, I love you. So be it. Amen
All Saints Day
Solemnity of All Saints
BISHOP
