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Appreciation of the Sacred Congregations

   This weekend we continue with our new series in the search to uncover the great treasuries of the Church contained in the great Deposit of Faith. We continue with the Roman Curia and today deal with the first three congregations among nine with the second three on Monday and the final three on Tuesday. For the thirteenth installment, click on APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH

THE ROMAN CURIA

    The Sacred Congregations in the Roman Curia are the governing agencies of the Church. There are currently nine congregations (down from twelve). This weekend we are going to begin our short treatise on the Sacred Congregations, focusing on three each day: Monday we will feature the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Tuesday we will feature the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and the Congregaton for Catholic Education. This weekend we feature the first three: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Clergy briefly identifying each.

Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith


   This congregation safeguards the doctrine of faith and morals, examining doctrinal questions, writings and theological opinions, providing a forum for those under scrutiny to defend their views. This congregation, under the stewardship of one of the most well-known prelates besides the Pope himself - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect - examines matters pertaining to the Petrine Privilege also called the "Privilege of Faith" in regards marriage cases as well as preserving the dignity of the Sacrament of Reconciliation including the Seal of Confession. Two commissions are attached to this congregation, which is responsible for the Pontifical Biblical Commission of which Cardinal Ratzinger is President and the International Theological Commission as well which is an advisory board composed of no more than 30 theologians who answer to Cardinal Ratzinger.

    This Sacred Congregation began during the pontificate of Pope Innocent III as the Holy Office of the Inquisition to combat heresy. In his Apostolic Constitution Licet Pope Paul III made it a permanent congregation of cardinals with supreme and universal competence over all issues concerning heresy and those suspected of being heretics. The name was changed early in this century by Pope Saint Pius X to the Congregation of the Holy Office and Pope Paul VI, in his Motu Proprio Integrage Servandae reorganized this congregation giving it its present title in an effort to get away from the negative concept of only dealing with heresy. Since then, especially during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II the emphasis has been on promotion of orthodox doctrine, faithfully implemented by Cardinal Ratzinger since his appointment as Prefect in 1981.

Congregation for Bishops

   This congregation is headed by Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, O.P. of Brazil who was appointed Prefect by John Paul II on June 25, 1988 during the Consistory where he also was welcomed into the cardinalate. The Congregation for Bishops has jurisdiction over the the functions of bishops of the world and the sees they serve. Attached to this congregation are the Pontifical Commission for Latin America established on April 19, 1958 by Pope Pius XII and restructured by John Paul II in 1988 and headed by Cardinal Bernardin Gantin of Benin, Africa, and the central coordinating office for Military Vicars which our present Pope created on February 2, 1985, and an office for coordinating the bishops scheduled visits to Rome, called ad limina visits, mandatory for all bishops as of June 29, 1988.

    The origins of this congregation date back to Pope Sixtus V on January 22, 1588 when, in his Apostolic Constitution Immensa he formed it as part of the Roman Curia as the Consistorial Congregation. Pope St. Pius X extended the congregation's powers on June 20, 1908 as did Pius XII on August 1, 1952 with his Apostolic Constitution Exsul Familia. Its duties were reorganized by Pope Paul VI on August 1, 1967 and given its current title. On June 28, 1988 John Paul II redefined its responsibilities adding ad limina visits at that time.

Congregation for the Clergy

    This congregation deals with the life, discipline, rights and duties of the clergy universally. It oversees the preaching of the Word, catechetics, norms for religious education for both children and adults in dioceses and parishes. It also governs the preservation and administration of the temporal goods of the Church. The Prefect since February 21, 1998 has been Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia. Attached to his congregation is the International Council for Catechetics which Paul VI created in 1973 and the Institute "Sacrum Ministerum" established through John Paul II's Apotolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis in 1992 for the permanent formation of the clergy.

    This Curia office began as the Congregation of the Cardinals Interpreters of the Council of Trent through the Apostolic Constitution Alias Nos by Pope Pius IV on August 2, 1564. The title was changed by Pope Gregory XIII and further revised by Pope Sixtus V as the Congregation of the Council which it remained until renamed it present title by Paul VI on August 15, 1967 and further redefined by John Paul II on June 28, 1988 with the added responsibilities of the attached commissions.

Monday: the Roman Curia: Sacred Congregations - part two

Events this weekend in Church History

    On Friday 775 years ago in 1224 Saint Francis of Assisi, who had journeyed to Mount Alverno in prayer was given the visible stigmata by God. From that time on his hands, feet and side bled at certain times. He became the first "modern" stigmatist. In Francis' writings he reinforces that he considered such pain a tremendous gift from God and embraced His Will in everything. For other events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history this weekend, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for September 17:

379 A.D.


Death of Saint Satyrus of Milan, brother of Saint Ambrose and Saint Marceilina. He served as prefect of the See of Milan under Ambrose and was the subject of Ambrose's famous eulogy "On the Death of a Brother" when he died.

705 A.D.


Death of Saint Lambert of Maestricht in Flanders, Bishop and Abbot who was martyred by relatives for denouncing Pepin for his adulterous affair.

1179 A.D.


Death of Saint Hildegard prioress and mystic who was called the "Prophetess of the Rhine" because of her prophecies.

1224 A.D.


Commemoration of the Stigmata endowed on Saint Francis of Assisi at Mount Alverno where the five wounds of the crucified Christ shot like fiery rays into the hands, feet and side of Francis.

1442 A.D.


Death of Saint Peter of Arbues in Spain. He became a priest and was appointed inquisitor for the Kingdom of Aragon by Cardinal Thomas Torquemada. During his rule as Inquisitor, not one person was tortured or put to death by Peter. Nevertheless, the heretics he was seeking out - the Marranos (Catholics who had opted for Judaism) assailed him while he was in prayer on September 15 and he died of wounds inflicted by them two days later. He was canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. .

1552 A.D.


Birth of Camillo Borghese in Rome who would go on to become the 233rd successor of Peter as Pope Paul V on May 16, 1605 and reign until January 21, 1621.

1595 A.D.


Pope Clemens VIII recognizes Henry IV as King of France by absolving him of his excommunication lowered by Pope Sixtus V. It would lead to his reluctant acceptance of the Edict of Nantes which gave the Huguenots religious freedom.

1621 A.D.


Death of Saint Robert Bellarmine. For more on this holy Bishop, Religious and Doctor of the Church click on TODAY'S LITURGY.

1759 A.D.


Pope Clement XIII releases his second encyclical Cum primum on observing canonical sanctions..

1863 A.D.


Pope Pius IX issues his 22nd encyclical to the bishops of Bogata titled Incredibili on persecution in New Granada.

1882 A.D.


The encyclical Etsi Nos is the tenth encyclical ushered by Pope Leo XIII. Auspicato concessum on Saint Francis of Assisi and his stigmata.

Historical Events in Church Annals for September 18:

1502 A.D.


Christopher Columbus reaches the shores of Costa Rica on his fourth and final voyage.

1544 A.D.


Treaty of Crepy in which the German Holy Emperor Charles V and the king of France Francois I signed a peace treaty which enables the Church to proceed with the much needed Council of Trent which would follow soon after through the cooperation and urging of Pope Paul III.

1663 A.D.


Death of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, a Franciscan Tertiary of the Conventual Franciscans who was a mystic receiving messages and purported to have levitations whose ecstacies during this time were a great embarassment to scholars in the Church who could not explain the phenomena. He was canonized by Pope Clement XIII in 1767. Today St. Joseph of Cupertino is the patron saint of air travelers and pilots.

1840 A.D.


Pope Gregory XVI issues his seventh encyclical Probe nostis on the Propagation of the Faith.

1899 A.D.


Pope Leo XIII releases his 68th encyclical, this one on the education of the Clergy entitled Paternae.

Historical Events in Church Annals for September 19:

305 A.D.


Death of Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr. For more on this saint, see THIS WEEKEND'S LITURGY

    This weekend we observe the Twenty-fourth Friday along with the Feast of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Religious and Doctor of the Church. Saturday is the Twenty-fourth Saturday in Ordinary Time plus the Observance of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday. We finish the weekend with the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. For the liturgies, readings, meditations and vignettes for these feasts, click on LITURGY

Friday September 17:
Twenty-fourth Friday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Religious and Doctor of the Church

Green or White vestments

First Reading: 1 Timothy 6: 2-12
Psalms: Psalm 49: 6-10, 17-20 and Matthew 5: 3
Gospel Reading: Luke 8: 1-3

    Born into a noble family in 1542 in the village of Montepulciano, Italy shortly after the Protestant Revolt through Europe, Saint Robert Bellarmine joined the Jesuit seminary at the age of 18, studing at the Roman College in Padua and at Louvain until being ordained in 1570 with his first assignment being professor at Louvain until 1577. Because of poor health, which became his cross througout his life, he transfered to the Pontifical Gregorian University where he taught theology for another eleven years. During this time he not only wrote four volumes of his work Controversies which came under heavy attack from Protestant sympathizers who had infiltrated the Vatican. Because of this assault on his writings they were almost placed on the Index of Forbidden Books but Pope Sixtus V intervened because of his loyalty to Robert and Robert's close association and invaluable assistance to the Vatican. In 1588 Robert was chosen spiritual director for the University which was then called the Roman College. One of his charges who he guided was a young seminarian named Saint Aloysius Gonzaga who died during his deaconate in 1591 shortly before being ordained. Three years later Robert became head of the University and subsequently provincial for the Jesuits' in Naples. In 1599 Pope Clement VIII elevated him to Cardinal, much to his objections for Robert did not feel worthy, but Clement knew he would make a great cardinal and enlisted him to help solve the dispute between the Jesuits and Dominicans regarding predestination. Three years later Clement appointed Cardinal Bellarmine Archbishop of Capua. Three years later Pope Paul V recalled him to Rome where was appointed the official theologian for the Holy See and became a constant companion to the pontiff, being positioned as a member of almost every Congregation of the Holy Office. Ironically it was Robert who called on to silence Galileo in 1616. In 1621 at age 79 Robert retired to St. Andrew's Novitiate, the Jesuit house near the Quirinale where he was visited and blessed by Pope Gregory XV just before Robert breathed his last breath reciting the Creed on September 17, 1621. In 1930 he was canonized by Pope Pius XI and declared a Doctor of the Church a year later. Throughout his life he was a staunch defender of the truths in refuting Protestant heresy and reconverting thousands who had fallen prey to the Protestant Reformation.

Saturday September 18:
Twenty-fourth Saturday in Ordinary Time
Observance of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

Green or white vestments

First Reading: 1 Timothy 6: 13-16
Psalms: Psalm 100: 2-5
Gospel Reading: Luke 8: 4-15

   Honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary is a custom first promoted by the Benedictine Monk Saint Alcuin back in the days of Charlemagne (see archives December 23, no. 25 issue). He composed different formulas for Votive Masses for each day of the week, with two set aside to honor Our Lady on Saturday. This practice caught on with great enthusiasm and eventually the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday became the Common of the Blessed Virgin. This Mass was a favorite with retired priests and those whose sight was failing for most had memorized this Mass and were able to say it by heart without having to read the Lectionary or Sacramentary. One reason Saturday was dedicated to Mary was that Saturday held a special meaning in Mariology. First of all, as Genesis accounts for, God rested on the seventh day. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was Saturday. Jesus, Son of God rested in the womb and then, when He became incarnate, in the loving arms of Mary from birth until she held His lifeless body at the foot of the Cross. Thus the God-head rested in Mary. It was also on Saturday after Good Friday that Jesus gave His Mother a special gift and reward for keeping her faith in His Divinity intact by making an exceptional appearance to her. Thus, because of these reasons, the devotion spread by St. Alcuin and other liturgies that evolved within the Church, Saturday took on a special Marian significance. Saturday took on even more significance in honoring Mary when Our Lady imparted to visionary Lucia in her third apparition at Fatima on July 13, 1917, "Our Lord wishes that devotion to my Immaculate Heart be established in the world. If what I tell you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace; the war will end...I ask the consecration of the world to my Immaculate Heart and Communion of reparation on the First Saturday of each month...If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace...In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph, and an era of peace will be conceded to humanity." As we draw nearer to that wonderful event, it is more important than ever to honor Mary's request on the First Saturday as well as each Saturday that her feast is commemorated in the Church calendar, not to mention responding to her call daily with the Rosary and attending Daily Mass, nourished by her Divine Son present body and blood, soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. It is in the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary where she remains in the background in the liturgy of the Word so that her Divine Son's words and His Presence take the spotlight as He should while Mary remains the chief intercessor before the Holy Trinity as she should and serves as the ideal for all Catholics to strive for, as we should. The Dictionary of Mary states quite succinctly, "Through these liturgical acts, (honoring Mary on Saturday) Christians exalt the person of Mary in the action that renews the sacrifice of Christ and in the action that prolongs His prayer."

SUNDAY September 19:
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Green vestments

First Reading: Isaiah 55: 6-9
Psalms: Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Second Reading: Philippians 1: 20-24,27
Gospel Reading: Matthew 20: 1-16

   Though it is superceded by the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 19 is the feast of Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr:

    Though very little is really known about Saint Januarius, he is more regularly known as San Gennaro and no one can pinpoint the date of his birth. We do know, from the biography of Saint Paulinus of Nola that Januarius, along with Saint Martin of Tours appeared to Paulinus in a vision as the author describes what Paulinus saw, "Paulinus began to ask in a clear voice where his brethren were. One of the priests, thinking that he was referring to his brother bishops who had just celebrated the Eucharist with him in his bedroom, responded: 'Your brethren are all here with you.' But he answered: 'I am speaking of Januarius and Martin [of Tours], my brothers in the episcopate, who a little while ago were speaking to me and promising me that soon I would join them'." Januarius was martyred in 305 by the Emperor Diocletian along with six companion martyrs at Pozzuoli which is near Naples, Italy. Since the 6th Century Januarius has been a special patron saint of the Napolitan city south of Rome. Miraculous events have contributed to his popularity for his blood has been preserved in a reliquary in Naples. Ever since the 13th Century there is scientific and historical proof that the dried blood is liquified four times a year, first on his feast day of September 19, on the octave of his feast, December 16 and the first Saturday in May. This phenomenon has been so great that several Holy Fathers over the centuries have put an indulgence on veneration of Januarius' relic.

Monday September 20:
Feast of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and companion Martyrs

Red vestments

First Reading: Ezra 1: 1-6
Psalms: Psalm 126: 1-6
Gospel Reading: Luke 8: 16-18

SAINTS ANDREW KIM TAEGON, PAUL CHONG HASANG, AND COMPANION MARTYRS IN KOREA

    One of the newest feasts in the Church, our current Holy Father Pope John Paul II officially canonized Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Saint Paul Chong Hasang along with 111 companions as martyrs while on official visit to Korea in 1984. Like the feast, the conversion of Korea is also relatively new, with evangelization there not being undertaken until the beginning of the 1600's. It was first begun by a group of lay Catholics who were on fire for their faith. Petitioning various countries to send priests to minister to the people, France answered the call, secretly stealing into the country for Christianity was not tolerated on this far eastern island north of Japan. Between 1839 and 1867 113 were killed for their faith, including 103 members of the Christian community which included three bishops and seven priests, all French who were members of the Foreign Mission Society of Paris. St. Andrew was one of the first Koreans ordained a priest in 1845. He had been a dedicated student both in Korea and at Macao where he learned the Latin language. Secretly slipping back into Korea, he ministered to the people tirelessly, bringing them the Sacraments for nearly two years until the Korean tribesmen attacked him and beheaded him at the edge of a river as the sun was setting on September 16, 1846. The Christians snuck down later that evening and retrieved his body, carrying him up into the mountains for a proper and safe burial. Though little is known of Andrew, he did write two epistles or letters, one to the Vicar Apostolic bishop who had ordained him and the other to the faithful pleading for them to keep the faith. One of those who heeded his wise words was St. Paul Chong Hasang, a Catholic layman who was martyred for his faith less than a week later on September 22, 1846. Like the early Christians, the deaths of these Korean and French martyrs sowed the seeds of a flourishing Church in Korea for decades to come.

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September 17-19, 1999 volume 10, no. 177   DAILY CATHOLIC