Helping Catholics know & love the Lord and his Church
Advertisement

Byline: Michael R. Heinlein

13 min read
Saints

Shared Saintly Feasts

13 min read
9449 views
Comments Off on Shared Saintly Feasts
13 min read

It is not uncommon to find friendships within the Communion of Saints. There are stories of saintly siblings like Sts. Benedict and Scholastica, who spent the night before the latter’s…

It is not uncommon to find friendships within the Communion of Saints. There are stories of saintly siblings like Sts. Benedict and Scholastica, who spent the night before the latter’s death engaged in a conversation of the heart about the things of faith. Or others come to mind, like the spiritual friendship of immigrant American Redemptorists Sts. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, or the spiritual mentorship of the French bishop St. Francis de Sales and the widowed foundress St. Jane Frances de Chantal. Or there are the examples of saints whose joined forces changed the face of religious life, such as Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi, or the duo of Church Doctors Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila, who, by their Carmelite reforms, taught the world anew on prayer and contemplation.

Despite their shared backgrounds, these and many other saintly counterparts do not share liturgical memorials. Each of the above have their own separate and unique feast days, and yet many saints on the universal calendar are liturgically commemorated together because of their unique relationships.

On the General Roman Calendar there are more than a dozen feasts days that memorialize two saints in the same commemoration. A bit about them and their feasts follows.

Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
— Jan. 2 —

Of the theological powerhouse known as the Cappadocian Fathers — hailing from the Cappadocia region of Turkey — two are celebrated together Jan. 2. St. Basil the Great (330-79) became bishop of Caesarea, and his close friend and collaborator, St. Gregory Nazianzen (329-89), became Patriarch of Constantinople. Both used their philosophical training to help the Church more fully understand divine revelation and formulate key doctrines of the Faith at early ecumenical councils. Together they were key players in much of our theological understanding, particularly of the Trinity.

Sts. Timothy and Titus
— Jan. 26 —

A respected leader among early Christians in modern-day Turkey, St. Timothy was a companion and one of the closest collaborators of St. Paul. St. Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Lois and Eunice, respectively, are noted in Scripture for their great faith and virtue. Accompanying St. Paul on many of his missionary travels throughout the Gentile world, St. Timothy became one of St. Paul’s most trusted aides, having been assigned important tasks like co-authorship of many of the Pauline epistles. St. Paul sent St. Timothy to the Philippians, boasting of him, “I have no one comparable to him.” He became bishop at Ephesus, and it is reported in an apocryphal text that he was martyred there for putting a halt to a pagan procession by preaching the Gospel.

St. Titus also was a close collaborator of St. Paul, who aided in the mission to the Gentiles. St. Paul put him in charge of the church at Crete, according to Tradition. He is celebrated together with St. Timothy on Jan. 26, both held up as disciples of St. Paul, whose conversion the Church celebrates the previous day.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius
— Feb. 14 —

The Byzantine brothers Constantine (c. 826-69) and Michael (815-85) eventually became monks, along with which came changes in their names, to Cyril and Methodius, respectively. Eventually, St. Methodius became a bishop. Together with their students, the brothers developed the Glagolithic and Cyrrilic alphabets as part of their work in spreading the Gospel among the Slavic peoples. Their creative approach as missionaries, always in union with the pope, is what brought the Faith ultimately to much of Eastern Europe. Feb. 14 marks the date St. Cyril died in Rome, and together they were named among the co-patrons of Europe by Pope St. John Paul II in 1980.

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
— March 7 —

Martyred together in the north African city of Carthage around 203, Sts. Perpetua and Felicity and their companions were catechumens at the time of their death. The written account of their martyrdom survives as one of the oldest and most popular texts from early Christianity, detailing the story of the noblewoman Perpetua and her slave woman, Felicity. Both pregnant at the time, they were put to death by the Roman Empire, among others, for their conversion to Christianity.

Sts. Philip and James
— May 3 —

What is known about the apostle St. Philip comes from the Gospel of St. John. His name is Greek in origin and he was an intermediary with the Greek Gentiles who sought to meet Jesus. Hailing from Bethsaida, along with Sts. Andrew and Peter, St. Philip is thought to have been a follower of St. John the Baptist.

St. Philip is quoted at the miracle when Jesus fed the 5,000 by multiplying the loaves and fishes, and again at the Last Supper when he beseeched the Lord to “show us the Father” (Jn 14:8). Most Scripture scholars are in agreement that St. Philip the Apostle is not the same person as the deacon St. Philip in the Acts of the Apostles. The noncanonical “Acts of Philip” gives account of his martyrdom as well as his preaching and miracles.

St. James the Less, known as “the son of Alphaeus” in the synoptic Gospels, also is referred to as a relative of the Lord. His mother is named Mary, possibly the same Mary who stood alongside the Blessed Mother, John and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross. St. Matthew’s father also is named in the Gospel as Alphaeus, so it could be that he was the brother of St. James the Less.

He is not to be confused with St. James “the son of Zebedee,” also referred to as St. James the Greater. The reason for this distinction between the two Jameses is not entirely clear; it could be related to age, size or precedence. It is presumed that the death of James recorded in Acts of the Apostles refers to St. James the Greater.

Authorship of the New Testament Letter of James is attributed to St. James the Less, who also was the first bishop of Jerusalem. He is regarded to have called the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 50 to address the controversy surrounding the requirement of circumcision debated by Sts. Peter and Paul.

Sts. Philip and James share a liturgical memorial as a vestige of history. There is no reason to think their combined efforts in evangelization post-Pentecost would be the cause for this. Rather, their relics were brought to the same Roman church for veneration sometime in the sixth century, and their feast is set around the date of that church’s dedication. Today the church is known and dedicated as the Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles.

Sts. Nereus and Achilleus
­— May 12 —

While accounts differ on their lives and background, Sts. Nereus and Achilleus are remembered as brothers martyred in early Rome, likely at the end of the first century. An epitaph written for their original tomb by Pope St. Damasus, a few centuries after their death, said the brothers were converted soldiers who gave up their way of life to follow Christ. The pope wrote that the two illustrate “what great deeds can be brought about by Christ’s glory.”

Sts. Marcellinus and Peter
— June 2 —

Two early Roman martyrs, said to have died in 304, Sts. Marcellinus and Peter are mentioned by name in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I). An early martyrology says St. Marcellinus was a priest and St. Peter was an exorcist. Brought to the wilderness outside Rome for their execution, because the executioners did not want their place of death and burial to become a shrine for the Christians, an account of their martyrdom states they happily cleared the space of its wild vegetation for their death and burial.

Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher
— June 22 —

These martyrs reaped the immediate consequences from King Henry VIII’s break with the Catholic Church. Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher were imprisoned for treason because they rejected the king as head of the Church in England, which would have been tantamount to rejecting papal supremacy, and refused to acknowledge his illegitimate child as his successor. St. Thomas More had been one of the king’s closest friends and collaborators; at the height of his career he served the king as chancellor. St. John Fisher of Rochester took a stand no other bishop in England would, and he was named a cardinal while in prison. Their deaths were just days apart in 1535. St. John Fisher died June 22, and St. Thomas More died on July 6, reportedly saying, “I die the king’s good servant, and God’s first.”

Sts. Peter and Paul
— June 29 —

Although each has an individual feast connected to him (Conversion of St. Paul on Jan. 25 and Chair of St. Peter on Feb. 22), Sts. Peter and Paul share a feast commemorating them — particularly their martyrdom in Rome — on June 29. Referring to the shared feast for the Prince of the Apostles and the Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Augustine of Hippo said in his Sermon 295 (included in the Office of Readings for the day): “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on two different days, they were one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood.”

Sts. Joachim and Anne
— July 26 —

Formerly having their own feasts prior to the liturgical revisions following the Second Vatican Council, the saintly parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary now share a feast. What we know about them is from Tradition, particularly the extra-biblical Protoevangelium of St. James. St. Joachim is said to have been known for his charity and generosity just as much for his love of God, and St. Anne’s name — meaning “favor” or “grace” — reflects an identity tied closely to her daughter’s. The barrenness of their marriage caused them great pain, and Mary’s conception brought them untold joy. But it is unknown if they came to see that from the very union of their flesh that the Son of God took on human nature.

Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus
— Aug. 13 —

The joint celebration of these saints since 1969 is a lesson in forgiveness and an example of how enemies can become friends. Not only did the Church face threats from the hostile Roman Empire in the third century, but also the internal unity of the Church was threatened by heresy. The theologian St. Hippolytus took things to an extreme when he believed that the bishops of Rome were not strong enough in their defense of the Faith against various heresies. Elected as an alternative bishop of Rome, he became the first antipope, attacking his rivals, popes Urban I and Pontian. When Pope St. Pontian was arrested and sent to a slave camp, St. Hippolytus soon followed the same fate. Before their martyrdom they reconciled, and Pope Fabian brought their relics together in Rome on Aug. 13, 236.

Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian
— Sept. 16 —

Following a persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire in the third century, many Christians died for their faith, yet many lived because they abandoned it and performed pagan acts of worship so that their lives might be spared. Some believed — led by the Roman priest Novatian — that the Christians who apostatized in order to survive could not be welcomed back into the Church unless they repented and were rebaptized. This heresy was forcefully opposed by Pope St. Cornelius and the bishop of Carthage, St. Cyprian. Novatian was elected a rival antipope, and St. Cornelius called a synod to garner support, having Novitian and his followers excommunicated. A defender of Pope St. Cornelius, St. Cyprian suffered much and also was faced with a rival to his own episcopal office in addition to many dissenting priests. Both Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian were martyred, in 253 and 258, respectively.

Sts. Cosmas and Damian
— Sept. 26 —

Said to have been twin brothers, the physicians Sts. Cosmas and Damian were martyred in 287 during the Diocletian persecution at Aegeae in modern-day Turkey. They garnered the Greek nickname “Anargyroi” — meaning “the moneyless” — because, according to Tradition, they accepted no remuneration for the care they gave to the sick. Legends about the martyrs indicate that miracles they performed with the sick brought about many converts. Tradition holds that after many attempts to kill them, from crucifixion to stoning, Sts. Cosmas and Damian eventually were beheaded. Their names are included in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I).

Sts. Simon and Jude
— Oct. 28 —

St. Jude Thaddeus is not to be confused with the traitor Judas Iscariot. The figures of Jude and Thaddeus in the Gospels both are thought to refer to the same apostle. Not much is known about him other than his purported authorship of the New Testament letter bearing his name. A tradition holds he is the brother of St. James the Less, and his powerful intercession earned him the moniker as patron of hopeless causes. Tradition holds that St. Simon the Apostle, referred to as the “zealot” in the Gospel, was the missionary partner of St. Jude. Both are said to have suffered martyrdom together in modern-day Lebanon around A.D. 65. The relics of these apostles share a tomb in the papal Basilica of St. Peter’s in the Vatican.

Prayerful Pairings

Many of the saints who share liturgical memorials also are commemorated together in the Eucharistic Prayer I (the Roman Canon). These include Sts. Peter and Paul, James and Philip, Simon and Jude, Cornelius and Cyprian,Cosmas and Damian, Marcellinus and Peter, and Felicity and Perpetua.

Largely unchanged since the Council of Trent, there are two separate listings of saints within the prayer. Included are those saints particularly important to the faith of the nascent Church in Rome, such as the apostles, first bishops (popes) and many of the city’s earliest martyrs of the Roman Church. In total there are 41 saints named in the Roman Canon, including the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. These are in addition to the names of three particularly significant Old Testament figures (Abel, Abraham and Melchizedek) who, each in their own way, somehow foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic.  Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael. This article originally appeared in The Priest magazine.

Continue Reading
Comments Off on Shared Saintly Feasts
8 min read
The Church

What is heraldry in the Catholic Church?

8 min read
14370 views
Comments Off on What is heraldry in the Catholic Church?
8 min read

Ecclesiastical heraldry is both familiar and mysterious. Frequently seen in one form or another, coats of arms pervade our Catholic culture in numerous ways: on letters and newspapers, diocesan websites…

Ecclesiastical heraldry is both familiar and mysterious.

Frequently seen in one form or another, coats of arms pervade our Catholic culture in numerous ways: on letters and newspapers, diocesan websites and Twitter pages, in Roman churches and diocesan cathedrals. Most Catholics, though, are unaware of the significance of this time-honored practice.

Steeped in tradition, ecclesiastical heraldry is a regulated system of self-identification, adopted by the Church from medieval society, which operates as a science and an art form with its own rules and regulations.

A heraldic achievement, also called a coat of arms, is permitted lawfully for those who occupy ecclesiastical office — for example, popes, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, monsignors, priests, religious superiors such as abbots and abbesses — as well as ecclesiastical territories and institutions — for example, dioceses, religious orders, papal knighthoods, basilicas, cathedrals, parish churches, schools and other Catholic institutions. While heraldry runs the risk of being seen as haughty or pompous, in reality it simply seeks to graphically herald (or announce) — in color and symbol — who and what the bearer is.

Identification

The use of artistic elements to identify personages, locations and possessions first existed in pre-Christian societies. Pharaohs of ancient Egypt offer one of the earliest precursors of heraldic practices. Their various holdings of goods and properties were identified with the symbols found in the cartouche, an oval symbol containing personal hieroglyphics with a distinct line at the bottom indicating royalty. Likewise, the Book of Numbers provides evidence that standards and symbols were used by the tribes of the nomadic Israelites in early biblical times (see 1:2,18,52).

The papal coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013). Shutterstock

Modern heraldry finds its origins with the Battle of Hastings in 1066 — illustrated in the famous Bayeux Tapestry — when knights concealed by battle armor were first identified with decorated shields. Later developments incorporated the shield design into body coats, banners and even coverings for horses. These coats of arms subsequently became synonymous with the knight’s family, especially following the Third Crusade (1189-92). The shape and character of ecclesiastical heraldry are closely tied to these developments since the Church adopted many of the customs and traditions of the culture.

As feudal and belligerent Europe shifted into the structures of nobility and royalty, familial arms were used much as in ancient Egypt — to identify themselves and their possessions. Similar measures of personal identification were incorporated into items such as seals (often part of rings), which were legally mandated for use on documents and letters as a means to provide authenticity and prevent forgery.

Because noble status and property was inherited by the oldest son through primogeniture, the youngest son was typically offered for service in the Church. Familial arms continued to be used by those appointed to such ecclesiastical positions of jurisdiction and authority, although they were typically modified for ecclesiastical use by removing warlike symbols. Many sources indicate that the first bishop known to do so was Guy of Vergy, bishop of Autun in the early 13th century. A personal papal coat of arms — other than just the standard tiara and keys indicative of papal office — was first used during the pontificate of Pope Martin V (1417-31). Use of heraldry by all ecclesiastical officeholders became a standardized means of self-identification beginning in the 17th century.

Heraldry’s Rules

Because a coat of arms seeks to identify its bearer, each must be unique — like a passport or Social Security number. Therefore, offices and methods for documentation and legislation for both secular and ecclesiastical heraldry were established, the most notable and enduring secular example being the College of Arms established in England by King Richard III in 1484. Initial codification of heraldry in the Church coincided with widespread practice by the 17th century through a system of ecclesiastical headgear developed by French heraldist and printer Pierre Palliot.

Although the jurisprudence of secular heraldry significantly weighs upon the Church’s heraldic tradition, it was also shaped by the development of doctrinal, liturgical and canonical factors. The Church itself began to systematically regulate her heraldry in 1905, with Pope St. Pius X’s establishment of the Heraldry Commission of the Roman Curia, an office abolished in 1960 by Pope St. John XXIII.

The papal coat of arms of Pope St. John Paul II (1978-2005). He was the last pope to adopt the triple tiara of the popes. Shutterstock

At the end of the subsequent decade, with the approval of Pope Paul VI, three specialists published Rubrica Araldica Vaticana — the compendium of rules governing ecclesiastical heraldry today. Likewise, the Vatican Secretariat of State issued Ut sive sollicite in 1969, a brief instruction on coats of arms and other honorifics for cardinals, bishops and other prelates. Current scholarly interest in the field is reinforced by the laudable and exhaustive 2014 manual of ecclesiastical heraldry published by Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, a leading heraldic authority and designer of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s coat of arms.

An equally significant aspect of heraldry’s regulations is the centuries’ old linguistic components governing it. In effect, heraldry has its own language.

Even today, the artistic rendering of a coat of arms is accompanied by a lengthy explanation written in blazon — heraldry’s own language. Coming from a word from French for “shield,” blazon combines terms of Old English and French resulting in a language with a distinctive word order, vocabulary and grammar. Blazon describes a coat of arms with such detail that it is possible to be artistically reproduced by anyone familiar with the lexicon. Coats of arms are described in Latin from the bearer’s point of view, left and right for the viewer correspondingly are called dexter and sinister.

A coat of arms for each ecclesiastical order, office, rank or institution contains several symbolic elements. External elements to the coat of arms describe what office and jurisdiction the bearer holds, while interior elements describe the bearer.

Starting at the uppermost part, replacing the knight’s helmet or monarch’s crown on the crest of secular arms, most ecclesiastical arms are topped with a galero — a hat now only used in ceremonial depictions.

The unique and central part of any coat of arms is the shield. Most shields for cardinals and bishops are impaled — a combination of two parts often indicating occupation of an office — in which the arms of the bearer’s diocese are seen on the left and personal arms are on the right. Examples of those bearing only their personal arms are titular bishops such as auxiliaries, some cardinals and officials in the Roman Curia or cardinals not ordained as bishops. Behind a bishop’s shield is a processional cross denoting rank in the episcopate: one horizontal bar indicates a bishop or two indicates an archbishop. The cross is replaced by a crosier for those with ordinary jurisdiction who are not bishops, such as abbots or the ordinaries of the Anglican Ordinariates. Because they occupy positions of jurisdiction, male and female religious superiors are entitled to bear a coat of arms, although the only one of those which might be impaled is an abbot’s with the arms of his abbey.

The coat of arms of Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan since 2012, and previously the Patriarch of Venice. Shutterstock

A quick glance at a coat of arms, then, provides important information. Looking at the coat of arms of Cardinal Angelo Scola depicted on Page 28, the following facts about him can be deduced by reading his coat of arms: The coat of arms is topped with a red galero, indicating he is a cardinal; there is a processional cross with two horizontal bars, indicating he is a metropolitan archbishop; there is an impaled shield, indicating he is the ordinary bishop of his archdiocese.

Personal aspects of a shield also incorporate elements of the bearer’s life, often depicting symbols representative of their particular devotions or patron saints, life events or genealogy. Additionally, below the shield is a motto chosen by the bearer, typically from Scripture.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael. 

Continue Reading
Comments Off on What is heraldry in the Catholic Church?
3 min read
Saints

St. Peter Chanel: A missionary to Oceania

3 min read
7635 views
Comments Off on St. Peter Chanel: A missionary to Oceania
3 min read

When St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841) first applied for his bishop’s permission for missionary work, not long after his 1827 ordination, he was denied and sent to work in a French…

When St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841) first applied for his bishop’s permission for missionary work, not long after his 1827 ordination, he was denied and sent to work in a French country parish. For a priest with his gifts and talents, it was no surprise that he revitalized it in a short amount of time. The people came to love him for his charity and care for them, particularly the marginalized and sick.

St. Peter Chanel did not let his desire for the missions die out, however. He had long been drawn to foreign evangelization since he was a young boy, after reading accounts of American missionaries written by the French missionary Bishop Louis Dubourg, who had authority over much of America’s southern states and territories.

A bright and gifted student, St. Peter won a variety of awards that proved his theological and linguistic prowess, making him an ideal candidate for the missions.

In 1831, St. Peter again sought permission to join the Society of Mary (called the Marists), a missionary congregation founded a few decades earlier in his native France focused on evangelical work in local and foreign missions. Despite joining the congregation, however, St. Peter was unable to fulfill his missionary desires for at least five years, assigned instead to teach in a minor seminary.

In 1836, after the Marists obtained papal approval, the order was asked to send missionaries to various regions of Oceania. St. Peter was assigned as superior of a group who set sail the same year.

A desire to share the Gospel with those who never heard of Christ brought St. Peter to the French controlled island of Futuna. He and his companion, a French lay brother, were in store for a difficult and arduous task in the mission field there. Although St. Peter struggled to learn the language, he went on to master it. And there were the difficulties with a new culture and isolation on a remote island. St. Peter wrote how he believed the local religion was Satan’s work, but he was patient and willing to work slowly for their conversion.

At first, the king of Futuna favorably received St. Peter and his companion. However, there was a miscommunication that the missionaries were only visitors learning the natives’ language and customs. Once their intentions were made clear, combined with the successes of Christian missionaries on nearby islands, the king turned on the missionaries. He perceived and feared the threats they posed to his power. But, for good reason, the Europeans were also feared for their exploitation of Futuna women and general mistreatment of the natives.

The king’s tension with the missionaries reached a boiling point when the king’s own son expressed his desire for baptism. In response, the king sent his brute son-in-law to kill the missionaries.

St. Peter knew well that his life was threatened, writing: “It does not matter whether or not I am killed; the religion has taken root on the island; it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.”

While others rushed the saint’s house and vandalized it, the king’s son-in-law clubbed St. Peter to the ground, killing him with an axe. He died, only 37, on April 28, 1841, the protomartyr of Oceania and of his congregation.

Within a year of St. Peter Chanel’s death, the local bishop assigned several other missionaries to Futuna, and most of the island converted to the Faith — including St. Peter’s murderer.

His feast day is April 28.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael

Continue Reading
Comments Off on St. Peter Chanel: A missionary to Oceania
4 min read
The Church

Remembering Cardinal George’s Witness

4 min read
7578 views
Comments Off on Remembering Cardinal George’s Witness
4 min read

Looking up “courage” in my thesaurus, synonyms appeared such as tenacious, endurance, fortitude, grit and boldness. If the definition had included a photograph, the image could fittingly have been of…

Looking up “courage” in my thesaurus, synonyms appeared such as tenacious, endurance, fortitude, grit and boldness. If the definition had included a photograph, the image could fittingly have been of a courageous young man from Chicago who took first vows as a missionary with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1957. That man is the late Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I.

Much can be said about Cardinal George — more than I will say here. He had a superior intellect and was a model pastor. He was prophetic — a man of great faith, truth and holiness. And his life was marked by a certain and rare amount of courage.

Cardinal George’s courage showed itself in a variety of ways — perhaps most notably in the perseverance he exhibited when answering God’s call for him to serve the Church as a priest, despite the suffering and difficulties he encountered all his life.

Though rejected for priesthood in the Archdiocese of Chicago because of the effects polio had left on his young body, Cardinal George so wanted to be a priest that he applied to a high school seminary operated by the Oblates near St. Louis.

The Oblates were founded in 1816 by French priest (later bishop) St. Eugene de Mazenod in order to form missionaries, especially to the poor. By the 1930s, Pope Pius XI had defined the missionary Oblates as “specialists in the most difficult missions of the Church.” And in addition to the ordinary religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Oblates take a unique, fourth vow of perseverance. It seemed the young Francis George had found himself in the right place.

Within a decade after ordination as an Oblate priest, Father George was elected Oblate vicar general. With the position came frequent, extensive travel for more than a decade — even to some of the most remote missions in Africa and Asia. This was no small irony, given that he had been believed by some to be unfit for priesthood because of his disability.

Pope St. John Paul II — a man of great courage himself — appointed Father George a bishop in 1990. In 1997, St. John Paul sent Bishop George back home, naming him the first native-born archbishop of Chicago. He was created a cardinal the following year, and he rose to positions of prominence within the Church in the following years. By the time he died in 2015, Cardinal George arguably was among the most respected American bishops in the country’s history.

Cardinal George never took himself too seriously, and he is remembered for telling people regularly to “never feel sorry for yourself.” That lack of self-pity itself allowed him to live for others. Though he could be mischaracterized, particularly by media soundbites, as someone too cerebral and aloof, that was far from who he really was. Cardinal George always made himself available for any priest who wanted to see him, even and often with little notice. He was often the last to leave a parish gathering, never afraid to have a cup of coffee with or take a phone call from anyone. He was always on the move from one event or meeting to another. Those who lived with him have often remarked at how, despite the nonstop nature of his position, he never complained about the workload or exhaustion.

Cardinal George wasn’t perfect, nor would he ever have pretended to be. But those who knew him best recognize that Christ defined everything about his life. Cardinal George had a single-minded desire to prioritize the proclamation of Christ at all times.

Cardinal George’s witness seems even more notable today. We see courage lacking in so many ways, especially in the Church. But Cardinal George had it in spades, especially when it came to practicing what he preached, or to pursuing and speaking the truth, especially when no one wanted to hear it. Perhaps most of all, however, Cardinal George’s story reminds us to live in the faith that God’s ways are always better than ours and that his providence is beyond our imagining. That is courageous living; that’s Christian living. And it’s an important witness for us all.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic and author of Glorifying Christ: The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael. 

Continue Reading
Comments Off on Remembering Cardinal George’s Witness
1 min read
Saints

Saintly Exhumations

1 min read
10632 views
Comments Off on Saintly Exhumations
1 min read

The canonization process is comprehensive and exhaustive. No proverbial stone is left unturned when the Church investigates whether someone is in heaven. Canonization is pronounced with divine verification. Part of…

The canonization process is comprehensive and exhaustive. No proverbial stone is left unturned when the Church investigates whether someone is in heaven. Canonization is pronounced with divine verification. Part of the process includes a thorough examination of a person’s writings and statements made about them. A main task of the canonization process is to prove that the candidate lived a life of heroic virtue and to substantiate that miracles can be legitimately attributed to their intercession.

Another part of the canonization process is to exhume the candidate’s mortal remains. This is done for several reasons. Exhumation confirms that the person lived and died. That might sound strange, but the Church wants to be positive of even the most basic, simple facts. Professionals such as anthropologists examine the remains to see if they match the known historical information known about the candidate. And perhaps new information is learned from the exhumation itself.

In some cases, the candidate’s body is incorrupt. If scientifically inexplicable, this no doubt adds to the reputation of holiness for the candidate — although incorruption itself is not a miracle fulfilling those required for canonization.

Many times sainthood candidates’ mortal remains are enshrined in a church or chapel at some point after the person is declared Venerable, and so exhumation is necessary for that. Exhumation also allows for relics to be distributed to churches, etc., for veneration by the faithful, typically after the beatification process.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael. 

Continue Reading
Comments Off on Saintly Exhumations
5 min read
Mary

Mary, Mother of the Church

5 min read
13284 views
Comments Off on Mary, Mother of the Church
5 min read

Pope Francis decided in 2018 that a new Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church should be universally celebrated. While the Marian memorial had been celebrated locally in some dioceses and…

Pope Francis decided in 2018 that a new Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church should be universally celebrated. While the Marian memorial had been celebrated locally in some dioceses and religious communities throughout the world, it will now be celebrated throughout the universal Church in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The new memorial has a moveable date, since it is part of the Easter cycle, and is fixed to the Monday after Pentecost.

One might ask what is the point of applying such titles to Mary? And why do we celebrate them? As the old maxim states, “de Maria numquam satis” (about Mary, not enough can be said). The reason, as theologian and mariologist Father Hugh Rahner, S.J., explains, is that “whatever is said of God’s eternal wisdom itself, can be applied in a wide sense to the Church, in a narrower sense to Mary, and in a particular way to every faithful soul.”

There are many theological implications that flow from the institution of this liturgical memorial. These are rooted in understanding the Church as the Body of Christ and Mary’s role in the life of the faithful.

The role of Mary

Pope St. Paul VI officially bestowed upon Mary the title of “Mother of the Church” at the closing of the third of the Second Vatican Council in 1964. Traced back to fourth-century origins with St. Ambrose, the title “Mother of the Church” evokes Mary’s spiritual motherhood, which is tied up with the nature of the Church.

Much of Vatican II’s ecclesiology, particularly found in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) is developed from the rich understanding of the Church in St. Paul’s theology. Therein the faithful learn of their union with Christ through membership in his body. St. Paul spoke clearly and eloquently of this reality, which he came to know firsthand at his conversion. When knocked to the ground and blinded, the Christian persecutor heard a voice ask him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). With this, it was made clear that Christ identified as one with his followers. Together they constitute a composite, a united whole — in what St. Augustine later described as the totus Christus, the whole Christ — for Christ and the baptized are one body.

St. Augustine put this in its proper Marian context: Mary is “the mother of the members of Christ … having cooperated by charity that faithful might be born in the Church, who are members of that Head.” “Mary gave birth to the One, and the Church gives birth to the Many, who through the One become one,” he said.

Since Mary is the mother of Christ, we who are the members of his body — the Church — are her sons and daughters. The new annual celebration of a memorial recalling her motherhood of the Church is occasion to meditate on this significant reality of the Church’s identity and the implications that flow from it. It is by the same principle that the fathers of Vatican II chose to include a lengthy portion on Mary in Lumen Gentium rather than promulgate a separate document about her.

Church’s model and help

Mary’s union with her Son is inseparable. This new memorial also is intended to foster greater Marian piety because we turn to Mary who is an example for all mankind, particularly the faithful. She is a “preeminent and … wholly unique member of the Church” (LG, No. 53).

Mary’s maternity is found in her obedience, faith, hope and charity. These characteristics are the fertile ground where the Word of God was planted and brought forth abundant life. Supernatural life came to the world by her “fiat,” which brought forth the Life of the World. Mary is, therefore, the New Eve since, as death came through Eve, life comes through her.

Pope St. John Paul II stated that “in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church. In this sense Mary, Mother of the Church, is also the Church’s model” (Redemptoris Mater, No. 47).

“In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls” (LG, No. 61). Mary’s entire life is an aspiration for the members of the Church, whereby she leads us to salvation, offering help to overcome sin and do good through her example and her heavenly aid. She desires nothing but to lead us to her Son.

The exemplary obedience, faith, hope and charity that define Mary must define all Christians. Simply put by Jesus, when he heard a woman shouted praise for the womb that bore him, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Lk 11:28).

By Mary’s obedience, the Church has a model for living in accord with God’s will. By her faith, the Church learns to bring Christ to the world. By her hope, the Church learns to count on the Lord (see Ps 130: 5). And by her love, the Church learns the path of salvation.

Christians have turned to Mary for her special grace and heavenly aid throughout the centuries, “invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix” (LG, No. 62). The institution of the new memorial highlighting Mary as

“Mother of the Church” offers yet another opportunity for the members of her Son’s body to appeal to rejoice in the motherly love of the one who is our model and our help.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael.

Continue Reading
Comments Off on Mary, Mother of the Church
Advertisement

Type on the field below and hit Enter/Return to search