(Vatican Radio) The Holy Father has appointed Mons. Stephen Chirappanath, of the clergy of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda, as the Apostolic Visitor for the Syro-Malabar faithful living in Europe, elevating him to the episcopate and assigning him the Titular see of Slebte.
Msgr. Stephen Chirappanath was born December 26, 1961 at Puthenchira. After his philosophical and theological studies at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, he obtained a doctorate in moral theology at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. He speaks Malayalam, English, Italian and German.
He was ordained a priest on December 26, 1987 and has also held the following positions: Priest in Padua Nagar; Tribunal ; Director of the Centers for Drug Rehabilitation; Rector of St. Paul’s Minor Seminary, Irinjalakuda; Professor, and then Vice Rector of St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary in Vadavathoor. Since 2011 he is the procurator to the Major Archbishop in Rome and the coordinator for the Syro Malabar faithful in Italy, offices which he will continue to hold.
In recent decades, the emigration of Indians in the West has been growing significantly. Now there are Syro Malabar communities in different European countries: Italy, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland, as well as Ireland. The number of faithful varies from 11,125 in Italy to 7768 in Ireland, and only 30 in Denmark, with a total of about 30,000. There are 20 centers for the Celebration of ‘Qurbana’ (Liturgical Service) in Italy, 16 in Ireland, 10 in Austria and less in other countries, with about 35 priests. The Apostolic Visitor has the duty to visit the faithful of his Church living in Europe, interacting with the Ordinaries of the place to which they are entrusted, referring to the Apostolic See about their pastoral care.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday morning celebrated Mass at the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland, to mark the 1050 th anniversary of the ‘Baptism of Poland.’
The full text of his homily is below
Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
1050 th Anniversary of the Baptism of Poland
Czestochowa , 28 July 2016
From the readings of this Liturgy a divine thread emerges, one that passes through human history and weaves the history of salvation.
The apostle Paul tells us of God’s great plan: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his son, born of a woman” ( Gal 4:4). But history tells us that when this “fullness of time” came, when God became man, humanity was not especially well-disposed, nor was there even a period of stability and peace: there was no “Golden Age”. The scenario of this world did not merit the coming of God; indeed, “his own received him not” ( Jn 1:11). The fullness of time was thus a gift of grace: God filled our time out of the abundance of his mercy . Out of sheer love he inaugurated the fullness of time.
It is particularly striking how the coming of God into history came about: he was “born of a woman” . There was no triumphal entrance or striking epiphany of the Almighty. He did not reveal himself as a brilliantly rising sun, but entered the world in the simplest of ways, as a child from his mother, with that “style” that Scripture tells us is like a rainfall upon the land (cf. Is 55:10), like the smallest of seeds which sprouts and grows (cf. Mk 4:31-32). Thus, contrary to our expectations and perhaps even our desires, the kingdom of God, now as then, “does not come in a way that attracts attention” ( Lk 17:20), but rather in littleness, in humility .
Today’s Gospel takes up this divine thread delicately passing through history: from the fullness of time we come to the “third day” of Jesus’ ministry (cf. Jn 2:1) and the proclamation of the “hour” of salvation (cf. v. 4). Time shortens, God always shows himself in littleness. And so we come to “the first of the signs that Jesus did” (v. 11), in Cana of Galilee.
There is no amazing deed done before the crowd, or even a word to settle a heated political question like that of the subjection of the people to the power of Rome. Instead, in a small village, a simple miracle takes place and brings joy to the wedding of a young and completely anonymous family. At the same time, the water that became wine at the wedding banquet is a great sign, for it reveals to us the spousal face of God, a God who sits at table with us, who dreams and holds communion with us. It tells us that the Lord does not keep his distance, but is near and real . He is in our midst and he takes care of us, without making decisions in our place and without troubling himself with issues of power. He prefers to let himself be contained in little things, unlike ourselves, who always want to possess something greater. To be attracted by power, by grandeur, by appearances, is tragically human. It is a great temptation that tries to insinuate itself everywhere. But to give oneself to others, eliminating distances, dwelling in littleness and living the reality of one’s everyday life: this is exquisitely divine.
God saves us, then by making himself little, near and real . First God makes himself little . The Lord, who is “meek and humble of heart” ( Mt 11:29), especially loves the little ones, to whom the kingdom of God is revealed ( Mt 11:25); they are great in his eyes and he looks to them (cf. Is 66:2). He especially loves them because they are opposed to the “pride of life” that belongs to the world (cf. 1 Jn 2:16). The little ones speak his own language, that of the humble love that brings freedom. So he calls the simple and receptive to be his spokespersons; he entrusts to them the revelation of his name and the secrets of his heart. Our minds turn to so many sons and daughters of your own people, like the martyrs made the defenseless power of the Gospel shine forth, like those ordinary yet remarkable people who bore witness to the Lord’s love amid great trials, and those meek and powerful heralds of mercy who were Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina. Through these “channels” of his love, the Lord has granted priceless gifts to the whole Church and to all mankind. It is significant that this anniversary of the baptism of your people exactly coincides with the Jubilee of mercy.
Then too, God is near , his kingdom is at hand (cf. Mk 1:15). The Lord does not want to be feared like a powerful and aloof sovereign. He does not want to remain on his throne in heaven or in history books, but loves to come down to our everyday affairs, to walk with us. As we think of the gift of a millennium so filled with faith, we do well before all else to thank God for having walked with your people, having taken you by the hand and accompanied you in so many situations. That is what we too, in the Church, are constantly called to do: to listen, to get involved and be neighbours, sharing in people’s joys and struggles, so that the Gospel can spread every more consistently and fruitfully: radiating goodness through the transparency of our lives.
Finally, God is real . Today’s readings make it clear that everything about God’s way of acting is real and concrete. Divine wisdom “is like a master worker” and “plays” (cf. Prov 8:30). The Word becomes flesh, is born of a mother, is born under the law (cf. Gal 4:4), has friends and goes to a party. The eternal is communicated by spending time with people and in concrete situations. Your own history, shaped by the Gospel, the Cross and fidelity to the Church, has seen the contagious power of a genuine faith, passed down from family to family, from fathers to sons and above all from mothers and grandmothers, whom we need so much to thank. In particular, you have been able to touch with your hand the real and provident tenderness of the Mother of all, whom I have come here as a pilgrim to venerate and whom we have acclaimed in the Psalm as the “great pride of our nation” ( Jud 15:9).
It is to Mary, then that we, who have gathered here, now look. In her, we find complete conformity to the Lord. Throughout history, interwoven with the divine thread, is also a “Marian thread”. If there is any human glory, any merit of our own in the fullness of time, it is she. Mary is that space, preserved free from sin, where God chose to mirror himself. She is the stairway God took to descend and draw near to us. She is the clearest sign of the fullness of time.
In the life of Mary we admire that littleness that God loves, for he “looked upon the humility of his servant”, and “lifted up the lowly” ( Lk 1:48, 52). He was so pleased with her that he let his flesh be woven from hers, so that the Virgin became the Mother of God, as an ancient hymn, sung for centuries, proclaims. To you who uninterruptedly come to her, converging upon this, the spiritual capital of the country, may she continue to point the way. May she help you to weave in your own lives the humble and simple thread of the Gospel.
At Cana, as here in Jasna Góra, Mary offers us her nearness and helps us to discover what we need to live life to the full. Now as then, she does this with a mother’s love, by her presence and counsel, teaching us to avoid hasty decisions and grumbling in our communities. As the Mother of a family, she wants to keep us together . Through unity, the journey of your people has surmounted any number of harsh experiences. May the Mother, who stood steadfast at the foot of the Cross and persevered in prayer with the disciples in awaiting the Holy Spirit, obtain for you the desire to leave behind all past wrongs and wounds, and to build fellowship with all, without ever yielding to the temptation to withdraw or to domineer.
At Cana, Our Lady showed great realism . She is a Mother who takes people’s problems to heart and acts. She recognizes moments of difficulty and handles them discreetly, efficiently and decisively. She is neither imperious nor intrusive, but a Mother and a handmaid. Let us ask for the grace to imitate her sensitivity and her creativity in serving those in need, and to know how beautiful it is to spend our lives in the service of others, without favourites or distinctions. May Mary, Cause of our Joy, who brings peace amid the profusion of sin and the turmoil of history, obtain for us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and enable us to be good and faithful servants
Through her intercession, may the fullness of time come about also for us. The transition from before to after Christ means little if it remains a date in the annals of history. May each one of us be able to make an interior passage, a Passover of the heart, towards the divine “style” incarnated by Mary . May we do everything in littleness, and accompany others at close hand, with a simple and open heart.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday morning made a brief visit to the Convent of the Sisters of the Presentation in Krakow, Poland.
During the visit, the Holy Father met with the sisters of the convent, and some students from the school associated with the facility.
While there, he signed the guest book with a message for the Sisters: “With gratitude for your generous service, I give you my blessing and encourage you in your educational apostolate. Cultivate with love the seeds of goodness, beauty and truth that God sows in every new generation.”
After his visit, he left for the airport, from where he traveled to Częstochowa by helicopter.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) During his stay in Krakow the Holy Father will be residing at the Archbishop’s residence in the heart of the city. This was the home of the Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla before his elevation to the See of Peter.
It was from the window of this residence that Pope John Paul II greeted his fellow countrymen on his many papal visits over the course of his pontificate and on Wednesday evening Pope Francis continued that tradition speaking to crowds of young people below.
He told them he could see that they were here with great joy in their hearts. Then he said to them that he had some bad news to tell them.
Let us be silent, the Pope said, as he spoke to them about a 22 year old WYD volunteer who died on the 2nd of July of cancer having been diagnosed in November of last year. This boy, the Holy Father said had worked very hard for this World Youth Day and had even booked to travel with him on a tram ride during this festival.
The Holy Father noted the faith of this young man and told the youth below the volunteer was looking down on them. Pope Francis went on to ask the young people to pray in their hearts, reiterating that the young man was with them and that this was a grace.
Concluding his remarks, the Pope joked that the young pilgrims should do what young people do, make noise during these nights before adding, pray for me.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has arrived in Poland at the start of a five-day apostolic journey.
It’s his 15th pastoral visit abroad and features many highlights including participation in the 31st World Youth Day taking place in Krakow, where he will lead a ‘Via Crucis’,celebrate the closing Mass and meet with some of the tens of thousands of young people from across the globe in various occasions.
During his visit the Pope will also visit the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, he will celebrate Holy Mass at the nation’s holiest shrine at Jasna Gora and he will pray at the Shrine of Divine Mercy.
After landing in Krakow this afternoon Pope Francis addressed the country’s political leaders and urged them to welcome migrants fleeing from wars and hunger.
Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane is in Poland reporting on the Pope’s visit. She speaks about his first steps on Polish soil and about the reception he is receiving…
Listen :
(from Vatican Radio)…