(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday canonized seven new Saints including Argentina’s “gaucho priest” Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.
Know as “Cura Brochero”, the Argentinian who made it his mission to take the Gospel message of salvation to the peripheries, was proclaimed a Saint together with six others in a Mass in St. Peter’s Square.”
During his homily the Pope said “saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them.”
The others to be canonized were two Italians, two from France, a Spaniard and a young Mexican martyr, José Sanchez del Rio who died during the Cristero struggle upholding his faith.
Some 80,000 people filled St. Peter’s Square for the occasion, including many flag-waving Argentinians who had made the journey to Rome to see Brochero elevated to sainthood.
Amongst them was also Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his family.
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ homily for the Canonization Mass:
At the start of today’s celebration, we addressed this prayer to the Lord: “Create in us a generous and steadfast heart, so that we may always serve you with fidelity and purity of spirit” (Collect).
By our own efforts, we cannot give ourselves such a heart. Only God can do this, and so in the prayer we ask him to give it to us as his “creation”. In this way, we come to the theme of prayer, which is central to this Sunday’s scriptural readings and challenges all of us who are gathered here for the canonization of new Saints. The Saints attained the goal. Thanks to prayer, they had a generous and steadfast heart. They prayed mightily; they fought and they were victorious.
So pray! Like Moses, who was above all a man of God, a man of prayer. We see him today in the battle against Amalek, standing atop the hill with his arms raised. From time to time, however, his arms would grow weary and fall, and then the tide would turn against the people. So Aaron and Hur made Moses sit on a stone and they held up his arms, until the final victory was won.
This is the kind of spiritual life the Church asks of us: not to win by war, but to win with peace!
There is an important message in this story of Moses: commitment to prayer demands that we support one another. Weariness is inevitable. Sometimes we simply cannot go on, yet, with the support of our brothers and sisters, our prayer can persevere until the Lord completes his work.
Saint Paul writes to Timothy, his disciple and co-worker, and urges him to hold fast to what he has learned and believed (cf. 2 Tim 3:14). But Timothy could not do this by his own efforts: the “battle” of perseverance cannot be won without prayer. Not sporadic or hesitant prayer, but prayer offered as Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “Pray always, without ever losing heart” (Lk 18:1). This is the Christian way of life: remaining steadfast in prayer, in order to remain steadfast in faith and testimony. Here once again we may hear a voice within us, saying: “But Lord, how can we not grow weary? We are human… even Moses grew weary…!” True, each of us grows weary. Yet we are not alone; we are part of a Body! We are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the Risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the Church, and thanks to the Church’s prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness.
We have heard the promise Jesus makes in the Gospel: “God will grant justice to his chosen ones, who cry to him day and night” (cf. Lk 18:7). This is the mystery of prayer: to keep crying out, not to lose heart, and if we should grow tired, asking help to keep our hands raised. This is the prayer that Jesus has revealed to us and given us in the Holy Spirit. To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm. On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us. For the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. He guides us in prayer and he enables us to pray as sons and daughters.
The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them. The seven witnesses who were canonized today also fought the good fight of faith and love by their prayers. That is why they remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart. Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer. May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart. May we let the Holy Spirit pray in us, and may we support one another in prayer, in order to keep our arms raised, until Divine Mercy wins the victory.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) On the morning of Sunday, October 15, Pope Francis presides over Holy Mass for the canonization of seven new Saints.
Two of the new Saints are martyrs: José Sánchez del Río , a 14-year-old boy who was killed in 1928 in Mexico during the “Cristero” struggle which opposed the government’s anti-Catholic and anticlerical policies. Under torture José refused to disown his faith; a handwritten note addressed to his mother and found on his dead body read: “I promise that in heaven I will prepare a place for all of you. Your José dies defending the Catholic faith for the love of Christ the King and Our Lady of Guadalupe”.
The first martyr belonging to the La Salle Order, killed in 1792 during the French Revolution. His name is Salomone Leclercq ; he too chose to die in the defense of his faith.
Then there is “Cura Brochero” (José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero), an Argentinean priest “’who smelt of sheep’ and travelled enormous distances on the back of a mule during the 19th century to bring consolation and Jesus’ message of salvation to the poorest of the poor.
The Spanish Bishop of Palencia Manuel González García , founder of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth, the Disciples of Saint John, and the Children of Reparation. He was known for his strong devotion to the Eucharist and became known as the “Bishop of the Tabernacle”. He died in 1940.
Father Lodovico Pavoni of the Italian city of Brescia, founder of the religious congregation ‘Sons of Mary Immaculate’ or ‘Pavonians’. During the industrial revolution of the 19th century he set up an Oratory for Christian education and together with his ‘labourer brothers’ he taught the poor and the marginalized trades and religious education in the belief that improving social conditions would improve the spiritual life, and improving the spiritual life would improve social conditions..
Alfonso Maria Fusco , a priest from the southern Italian city of Salerno, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, commonly known as Baptistine Sisters. Their mission was to evangelize, educate and promote youth, especially those who were most poor, abandoned and at risk. He was particularly close to the impoverished and neglected farmers of the South of Italy after the unification of Italy in 1861.
Finally the French Discalced Carmelite mystic and writer Elizabeth of the Trinity who died aged just 26 in 1906 from Addison’s disease, which in the early 20th century had no treatment with which to cure or allieviate the suffering of its victims. Even though her death was painful, Elizabeth gratefully accepted her suffering as a gift from God. Her last words were: “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) On Saturday, 25 March 2017, Pope Francis will travel to northern Italy to visit the Archdiocese of Milan.
News of the upcoming visit came in a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.
Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan described the event as “a sign of closeness and esteem for the Church of Saint Ambrose, for the Metropolitan Church of Milan and for the entire region of Lombardia”.
He also expressed his gratitude for the Pope’s decision to “come and confirm us in our faith” and said that “we await the Holy Father in prayer, in preparation for this great gift”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in a gathering of senior citizens and their caregivers on Saturday, in the context of Italy’s national Grandparents’ Day celebrations. Grandparents’ Day in Italy – the Festa dei nonni – is marked each year on October 2 nd , with events continuing throughout the month.
Below, please find Vatican Radio’s English translation of the Holy Father’s prepared remarks
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am happy to be together with you to experience this day of reflection and prayer, placed in the context of Grandparents Day. I greet you all with affection, starting with the Presidents of the Associations, whom I thank for their words. I express my appreciation to those who have faced difficulties and hardships in order not to miss this event; and at the same time I am close to all elderly persons, who, because they are ill or on their own, could not move from home, but who are spiritually united with us.
The Church regards the elderly with affection, gratitude, and high esteem. They are an essential part of the Christian community and of society: in particular they represent the roots and the memory of a people. You are an important presence, because your experience is a precious treasure, which is essential if we would look to the future with hope and responsibility. Your maturity and wisdom, accumulated over the years, can help younger people in search of their own way, supporting them on the path of growth and openness to the future. The elderly, in fact, show that, even in the most difficult trials, we must never lose confidence in God and in a better future. They are like trees that continue to bear fruit: even under the weight of years, they can give their original contribution for a society rich in values and for the affirmation of the culture of life.
Not a few elderly people who generously spend their time and the talents that God has bestowed upon them by helping and supporting others. I think of how many you make yourselves available in parishes for a truly valuable service: some of you are dedicated to decorating the house of the Lord, others as catechists, leaders of the liturgy, others as witnesses to charity. And what about their role in the family? How many grandparents care for grandchildren, simply by passing on to children the experience of life, the spiritual and cultural values of a community and a people! In countries that have suffered a severe religious persecution, grandparents are the ones who pass on the faith to new generations, leading the children to be baptized in a context of underground suffering.
In a world like this, in which strength and appearance are often mythologized, your mission is to bear witness to the values that really matter and that endure forever because they are engraved on the heart of every human being and guaranteed by the Word of God. Precisely as people in the so-called “third age”, you, or rather we – because I too am one of them – we are called to work for the development of the culture of life, witnessing that every season of life is a gift from God and has its own beauty and its importance, though marked by fragility.
In the face of so many elderly people who, according to their means, continue to serve others, there are many who live with disease and physical disability, and need assistance. Today I thank God for the many people and structures that are dedicated to providing the elderly with daily service, to promote adequate human contexts, in which everyone can with dignity live this important stage of their lives. The institutions that house the elderly are called to be places of humanity and loving attention, where the weakest are neither forgotten nor neglected, but visited, remembered, and cared for as brothers and sisters. This is only a due expression of the gratitude owed towards those who have given so much to their communities and the preservation of its roots.
There is still a much that institutions and social structures can do to help older people to make the most of their abilities, to facilitate their active participation, particularly to ensure that their personal dignity is always respected and appreciated. To do this we must counter the harmful throw-away culture that marginalizes the elderly, considering them unproductive. Those responsible for the public weal, cultural, educational and religious leaders, as well as all people of good will, are called upon to commit to building a more and more welcoming and inclusive society. It is also important to promote the bond between generations. The future of a people requires the encounter between young and old: the young people are the vitality of a people “on the way” and the elderly reinforce this vitality with memory and wisdom.
Dear grandfathers and grandmothers, thank you for your example of love, dedication and wisdom. Continue with courage to bear witness to these values! Let not your smiles and the beautiful brightness of your eyes be lacking in society! I accompany you with my prayers – and do not you forget to pray for me as well. And now, upon you and your intentions and good works, I invoke the Lord’s blessing.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday visited children in Rome’s “SOS Village,” a residential complex that cares for children coming from difficult personal, family or social backgrounds. His surprise visit there was part of his “Friday of Mercy” initiatives that have seen him perform a concrete gesture of mercy on one Friday every month during this Jubilee Year.
During his visit to the centre, the Pope was given a tour of the grounds that include a small football pitch and a playground. The children living there also showed him their rooms and their toys and he listened to them talking about their personal stories. Before returning to the Vatican, Pope Francis also had an afternoon snack with the children.
Situated in north west Rome, the SOS Village is made up of 5 lodgings in which a maximum of up to six children below the age of 12 live together with a supervisor known as an SOS Mother. The children living in the centre are cared for and supported in the same way as a real family would do. They are taken to school, they go to the local parish and they practice sporting activities. All the staff who work in the centre care for the children for a number of years so as to create a stable relationship with them and help them acquire more autonomy as they grow older.
(from Vatican Radio)…