Saturday January 15, 2011
Yesterday's news that Pope John Paul II will be beatified on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, has been greeted with joy by Catholics around the world. There is little doubt that Pope John Paul II was one of the most beloved popes of the modern world, and perhaps even of all time. The extraordinary length of his pontificate—he reigned for 27 years, the second-longest reign of any pope—meant that two generations advanced to adulthood knowing John Paul as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.
Pope John Paul II's charismatic personality guaranteed that few people regarded him with disinterest. Love him or hate him, everyone had an opinion.
What are your thoughts on the beatification of Pope John Paul II? Will you try to be in Rome for the event? How did his pontificate affect your life? Did you see him in person on one of his many apostolic visits to the countries of the world? What are your memories of Pope John Paul II?
Share your thoughts on the beatification of Pope John Paul II!
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Friday January 14, 2011
On January 14, 2011, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints announced that Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the rite of beatification for John Paul II on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday.
For the beatification to proceed, two things were required: first, an investigation into the "heroic nature of the virtues" of Pope John Paul II; and second, the certification of a miracle attributed to his intercession.
The judgment concerning the heroic nature of John Paul's virtues was made in June 2009 and approved by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints in November of that year. Now, the Congregation has certified a miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession: the complete recovery of Sr. Marie Simon Pierre Normand, a French nun, from Parkinson's disease—an ailment by which Pope John Paul II himself was afflicted in the final decade of his life.
In light of the great devotion to Pope John Paul II exhibited by so many of the faithful both during his life and after his death, the beatification process was expedited by Pope Benedict, who waived the customary five-year waiting period for John Paul's cause (the investigation into his sanctity) to begin.
The beatification will be held on a day that held great meaning for Pope John Paul II. On Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized his countryman Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, and extended the feast of Divine Mercy Sunday to the entire Catholic Church.
What are your thoughts on the beatification of Pope John Paul II? Will you try to be in Rome for the beatification? How did Pope John Paul II's pontificate affect your life? Share your thoughts on the beatification of Pope John Paul II!
(Photo by Bachrach/Getty Images)
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Thursday January 13, 2011
More, perhaps, than we might realize. On his blog, "In the Light of the Law," canon lawyer Ed Peters responds to a rather intemperate headline in the Montreal Gazette: "Pope rails against rise of un-Christian names." The article, which was considerably more reasonable than the headline, quoted Pope Benedict's homily on the Baptism of the Lord, in which he noted that "Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church."
That is why, as Peters points out, the 1983 Code of Canon Law states that, at baptism, "Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given." Interestingly, as I discussed in "Reader Question: Must Children Be Named After Saints?," the current Catechism of the Catholic Church phrases the obligation positively—"Parents, godparents, and the pastor are to see that he be given a Christian name"—wording that is more in line with the previous (1917) Code of Canon Law.
As Peters remarks, though, "either formulation of the law provides sufficient guidance in the choice of names for Christians of good will," yet "neither formulation is adequate to prevent parents from abusing their responsibilities in the naming of their children." In these days of celebrity worship and ego trips, taking care to name one's child after a biblical figure, a Christian saint, or a virtue can itself be a fairly significant step in bringing him or her up right.
(Photo © Rose Richert)
More on Baptism:
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Thursday January 13, 2011
Nominations have just opened for the 2011 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards! On the 2011 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards Nomination Form, you will find ten categories:
- Best Catholic Book of 2010
- Best Catholic Blog
- Best Catholic Website
- Best Catholic Podcast
- Best Catholic Magazine
- Best Catholic Newspaper
- Best Catholic iPhone App
- Best Catholic iPad App
- Best Catholic to Follow on Twitter
- Best Catholic Facebook Page
You can make a nomination in any or all of the categories. If you would like to make more than one nomination in a particular category (say, you can't decide between your two favorite Catholic iPhone apps), simply fill out the nomination form a second time.
Nominations will remain open until 11:59 P.M. EST on February 4, 2011. At that time, I will tally up the nominations and choose up to five finalists in each category. When I announce the finalists on February 11, voting will begin. (Sign up for the About.com Catholicism Newsletter to be notified automatically when nominations open.) Voting will end at 11:59 P.M. EST on March 8, and the winners will be announced on March 15.
While the About.com Readers' Choice Awards have been around for a few years, this is the first year that the About.com Catholicism GuideSite has participated in them. That makes this an ideal opportunity for you to get your Catholic book, blog, magazine, or app (or any of the other categories) recognized. Yes, you can even nominate yourself or your product, and you can encourage others to nominate you as well!
Both finalists and winners will get an attractive logo (similar to the one above) that they can use on their webpages and other promotional material. And they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have been chosen as one of the best in their field by the 75 million monthly unique visitors worldwide who find About.com their most trusted source on the Internet.
So what are you waiting for? Read a brief description of the ten categories, and make your nominations today!
Questions? Ask them in the comments!
