(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has declared Armenian poet and monk, Saint Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Universal Church. Meeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints on Saturday ahead of his departure for Aricca on Lenten retreat, the Pope confirmed the proposal put forward by the Plenary…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has declared Armenian poet and monk, Saint Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Universal Church. M eeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints on Saturday ahead of his departure for Aricca on Lenten retreat, the Pope confirmed the proposal put forward by the Plenary Session of the Congregation to confer the title of Doctor of the Universal Church on the 10 th century saint.
St. Gregory of Narek is widely revered as one of the greatest figures of medieval Armenian religious thought and literature. Born in the city of Narek in about 950 A.D., St. Gregory came from a line of scholars and churchmen.
St. Gregory received his education under the guidance of his father, Bishop Khosrov, author of the earliest commentary on the Divine Liturgy, and from Anania Vartabed, abbess of Narek Monastery. He and his two brothers entered monastic life at an early age, and St. Gregory soon began to excel in music, astronomy, geometry, mathematics, literature, and theology.
He became a priest at the age of 25 and dedicated himself to God. He lived most of his life in the monastery of Narek, where he taught at the monastic school. St. Gregory began his writings with a commentary on the “Song of Songs,” which was commissioned by an Armenian prince. Despite his reservations that he was too young for the task, the commentary became famous for its clarity of thought and language and its excellence of theological presentation.
He also wrote a number of famous letters, sharagans , treasures, odes, melodies, and discourses. Many of his prayers are included in the Divine Liturgy celebrated each Sunday in Armenian Churches around the world.
St. Gregory’s masterpiece is considered to be his Book of Lamentations . Also known as Narek , it is comprised of 95 prayers, each of which is titled “Conversation with God from the depth of the heart.” A central theme is man’s separation from God, and his quest to reunite with Him. St. Gregory described the work this way: “Its letters like my body, its message like my soul.” He called his book an “encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer for people all over the world. After the advent of movable type, the book was published in Marseille in 1673, and has been translated into at least 30 languages.
St. Gregory of Narek is remembered by the Armenian Church in October of each year.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio/JRS) After more than eight months in captivity, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) announced the release of Fr Alexis Prem Kumar. In a statement published Monday JRS states it is “immensely grateful to the Indian government for its role in achieving his release”. “The last eight months have been a long and difficult period…
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(Vatican Radio/JRS) After more than eight months in captivity, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) announced the release of Fr Alexis Prem Kumar. In a statement published Monday JRS states it is “immensely grateful to the Indian government for its role in achieving his release”.
“The last eight months have been a long and difficult period of uncertainty for Fr Prem’s family, friends and colleagues. You cannot imagine our relief that he is now home, safe and sound. We are aware of the tireless efforts at many levels to achieve his release and we are grateful for the consolation we have received from the prayerful support of countless friends, including those of the school children from the school where he was kidnapped,” said Fr Peter Balleis SJ, JRS International Director.
On 2 June 2014, Fr Kumar was taken by a group of unidentified men in western Afghanistan while on a visit to a JRS-supported school for returnee refugees in a settlement 34km from the city of Herat. The forty-seven year old Jesuit, from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was about to return to Herat when he was forced at gunpoint into a vehicle by a group of armed men.
JRS has worked in Afghanistan became in 2005. Even during the difficult months of Fr Prem’s captivity, however, JRS continued to run its programmes in the country in order to ensure that Afghan students had continued access to quality education.
“Our role in Afghanistan has been to help displaced persons and their host communities, to offer them education and skills so they can rebuild their lives and those of their communities. We were close to the Afghan people before the abduction of Fr Prem and we will continue to accompany them in any way we can” said Fr Stan Fernandes, JRS Regional Director in South Asia.
Before moving to Afghanistan five years ago, Prem Kumar had worked for the Jesuit Refugee Service, serving Sri Lankan refugees living in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. At the time of his kidnapping, he was the JRS Afghanistan Director.
“Our attention now turns to the welfare of Fr Prem. All of us will do whatever we can to ensure that Prem receives the necessary attention and support from his family, his Jesuit brothers in the Society of Jesus, and his many friends and colleagues in JRS,” Fr Fernandes emphasised.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis and other members of the Roman Curia began their annual spiritual retreat on the first Sunday of Lent (February 22nd).
The retreat is taking place in the town of Ariccia, in the Casa Divin Maestro centre, about 20 miles south of Rome. The Pope is staying there, along with other members of the Roman Curia, from Sunday 22nd to Friday the 27th.
During the retreat Pope Francis will have no public meetings or audiences, including no Wednesday general audience.
The priest who is leading the spiritual exercises is Carmelite Father Bruno Secondin. The reflections will focus on the roots of the Christian faith and the inner strength to live it out consistently. They will also look at embracing an encounter with God and spreading the Gospel.
(from Vatican Radio)…