The parish has begun a new ministry, the
St. Gianna Molla Ministry for Life. I am so happy that we have done this since, without trying to be overly-dramatic, we are truly in the fight of our lives. Our culture, seemingly daily, continues to spin out of control, headlong into the deep, dark chasm of the culture of death.
Here is what our new ministry seeks to accomplish (from its Mission Statement):
In gratitude to God, the author of life, we combine our efforts to protect all of His created life made in His image and likeness from conception to natural death. We pledge to further the joyful culture of life by our positive words and example. We will educate others on the beauty of life, the horror of abortion and the shining happiness that a chaste and virtuous life will bring. In this, our mission, we humbly ask the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and guidance, and the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Gianna Molla.
I am also thrilled that 15 leading US bishops joined in signing an ecumenical "call to conscience" last week that not only decried the "impulse to redefine marriage," but likewise repented "as we have too easily embraced the culture of divorce." Released Friday at a Washington
press conference, the
"Manhattan Declaration" emerged from a group of 150 Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical leaders, ordained and lay alike. For its part, however, the American hierarchy was represented by a veritable A-list flank that included Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, Archbishops Donald Wuerl of Washington, Tim Dolan of New York, Charles Chaput of Denver, Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, John Myers of Newark, John Nienstedt of St Paul and Minneapolis, Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, and Bishops Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, David Zubik of Pittsburgh, and Richard Malone of Portland, who
spearheaded Maine's successful repeal of a law allowing homosexual marriage. Among others, the prelates were joined by several leading lights of the Catholic right, including
Ignatius Press chief Fr Joseph Fessio,
First Things editor Joseph Bottum, papal biographer George Weigel and Fr Robert Sirico of the
Acton Institute. Beyond its treatment of marriage, the signers pledged their energies to "to roll back the license to kill that began with the abandonment of the unborn to abortion," to "not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent" and "to embrace our obligation to speak and act in defense of these truths."
I encourage, as heartily as I can, each of our parishioners to sign the
Manhattan Declaration at their
website and to continue to pray and fast for a renewal of the culture of life in our country and in our world; and to wholeheartedly support the efforts of the parish's
St. Gianna Molla Ministry for Life!
"Hail Mary, full of grace!"
The parish has begun a new ministry, the St. Gianna Molla Ministry for Life. I am so happy that we have done this since, without trying to be overly-dramatic, we are truly in the fight of our lives. Our culture, seemingly daily, continues to spin out of control, headlong into the deep, dark chasm of the culture of death.
The Church of Saint Sebastian is one of St. Philip Neri's seven pilgrimage churches. I have had the great honor of visiting all seven of these pilgrimage churches while here in Rome (and gaining the plenary indulgence therewith attached, thank you very much!). San Sebastiani is most noteworthy for two things: 1) it sits atop one of Rome's great catacombs, and 2) it contains Bernini's last work. Pictured above are the entrances to the Catacombs of San Sebastiani and the church itself. Also pictured above, just as you enter the Church of San Sebastiani, are Bernini's last work, the sculpture of Christ the Redeemer and the sculpture of the Death of St. Sebastian, designed by Bernini but executed after his death by one of his students. The sculpture of Christ the Redeemer is truly stunning! You may recall that Bernini is probably most famous for two other works of art: 1) the great colonnade surrounding St. Peter's Square and 2) the breath-taking baldachino above the papal altar in St. Peter's Basilica.
The Trappist Abbey of Tre Fontani has three churches on the grounds. One church is the abbey church. Another church contains, in its crypt, the cell where Saint Paul was imprisoned prior to his beheading. And the third church, the Church of the Martyrdom of Saint Paul, is the site of Saint Paul's martyrdom where the miracle of the Tre Fontani (the "three fountains") occured. Tradition says that when Saint Paul was beheaded his head fell to the ground and "bounced" three times. At each spot where his head touched the ground, a "fountain" (really, a spring) came forth from the earth. Above are photos of the three altars in the Church of the Martyrdom of Saint Paul under which are the three "fountains" (springs). Also pictured above is the entrance of the Church of the Martyrdom of Saint Paul and a bas relief (inside the front entrance) of his beheading.
Today I visited Italy's most important and sacred World War II memorial. At this site, 335 Italian citizens were shot and, after being dumped in several caves of the Fosse Ardeatina area outside Rome, buried by the Nazis. These were "revenge executions." Hitler ordered that 10 Italians (many were priests, religious, and seminarians but others were randomly chosen from the streets) be killed for every one of the 32 Nazis killed by the Italian Resistance. That would have made 320 executions; however 15 more were added for "good measure." The Nazis responsible for carrying out the executions were eventually tried for crimes against humanity at the Nuremburg Trials upon the completion of WWII. However, their crime was not the execution of the 320 innocent Italians. Their only crime was that they exceeded their orders and killed an additional 15. Truly amazing...man's inhumanity to man. God help us! God save us!