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Appreciation of the Sacred Congregations

    Today 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, treating today the next three Sacred Congregations. For the fourteenth installment, click on APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH THE ROMAN CURIA

    As we mentioned in the last installment, the Sacred Congregations in the Roman Curia are the governing agencies of the Church. We covered the first three, today 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. Tomorrow 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.

Congregation for the Oriental Churches


   This congregation governs the persons and discipline of the Eastern Catholic Churches which covers the areas mostly concentrated in the mideast Europe, eastern Asia and northeastern Africa. This congregation, with Italian Cardinal Achille Silvestrini as Prefect, also governs Eastern Church members in communities outside the mid-east such as in America and Canada. Churches include the Armenian Catholic Church, the Byzantine Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Coptic Catholic Church, the Latin Patriarch Church, the Melkite Church, the Oriental Churches, the Syriac Catholic Church as well as allegiance to Rome by the Ethiopian Church and the Malabarese Church.

    Religious organization, following political developments chiefly in Rome and Constantinople, led to the separation of first the Greek, then the Russian Orthodox Church. Within the Eastern Catholic Churches only the Maronite Church has never been in schism. With the passing of the centuries, those in schism divided and subdivided. Then, chiefly since the 16th and 17th centuries, most of them returned to full unity with the True Church. Most however, chose to practice their Holy Liturgy in the language and culture of their origin. To accommodate this Rome took measures to assure their rights for these rites.

    The origin of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches thus began during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX on January 6, 1962 with his Apostolic Constitution Romani Pontifices when it was added to the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. On May 1, 1917 in the Motu Proprio Dei Providentis Pope Benedict XV created the congregation as a separate entity and Pope Pius XI further extended its authority on March 25, 1938 with his Motu Proprio Sancta Dei Ecclesia.

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

   This congregation is headed by Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez of Chile who was appointed Prefect by John Paul II on February 21, 1998 during the Consistory where he also was welcomed into the cardinalate. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has jurisdiction over the promotion and regulation of the liturgy, especially the sacraments to make sure everything is in harmony with the rubrics and the competencies of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Attached to this congregation are special commissions that review causes of nullity or dispensations for priests and deacons and absolution from their obligations which they vowed at their ordinations.

    This congregation, originally was composed of two congregations - the Congregation for Divine Worship which was instituted by Pope Paul VI on May 8, 1959 as an offshoot of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments created by Pope Saint Pius X on June 29, 1908. He had established it to replace the Congregation of Rites which Pope Sixtus V instituted in 1588 after the Council of Trent. Though Paul combined both Worship and Sacraments, it was John Paul II who reunited the two as it exists today in his Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus of June 28, 1988.

Congregation for the Causes of Saints

   This congregation handles all aspects of beatification and canonization of candidates as well as regulating the preservation of relics. Headed by Bishop Jose Sairava Martins, C.F.M. who has been busy since Pope John Paul II has beatified and canonized more saints than any other Sovereign Pontiff in the history of the Church including the most recent: yesterday's beatification of Bishop Anton Martin Slomsek in Slovenia.

    This congregation was first created as the Congregation of Rites in the aftermath of the Council of Trent by Pope Sixtus V in 1588. Though Pope Pius IX made some modifications in 1920, Pope Paul VI made the most significant changes by defining the functions of this office with his Apostolic Constitution Sacra Rituum Congregatio in 1969 and finally revised, upgrading procedures by Pope John Paul II in 1983 with his Apostolic Constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magister.

Tomorrow: the Roman Curia: Sacred Congregations - part three

Holy Father charges the priests to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation more accessible and often

    In his most recent regular weekly Wednesday Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II entreats the bishops and priests to carry out their duties as ministers of the Sacrament of Penance and make confession more readily available so all can partake of the cleansing process in preparation for the new millennium and a new beginning spiritually . For the Pope's words, click on THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.

Papal Audience Address from Wednesday, September 15, 1999

    On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Holy Father addressed over 10,000 in St. Peter's Square, continuing his theme of reconciliation for the Jubilee Year 2000 with the charge to priests to carry out their responsibility of being the conduit in the confessional to help effect the conversion process from sin to sanctifying grace for all faithful Catholics. It must be pointed out that the English translation only highlights the Pope's main points and does not go into detail as does the Italian translation from the Vatican.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

    In this final year of preparation for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, we are invited to rediscover the Sacrament of Penance as an encounter with our merciful and forgiving Father. Through the Death and Resurrection of his Son, God the Father has established a Covenant relationship with us, in which we are called to be open to the message of the Gospel, to be converted and to do works of penance.

    Through the Sacrament, sinners are restored to the saving relationship of the Covenant; they are freed from sin, grow in holiness, and rediscover the profound joy of being restored to the state of grace.

    As we approach the Jubilee, the pastoral task of Bishops and priests is to ensure that the Christian communities entrusted to them undertake the path of conversion and penance. In this regard, I would remind pastors that, to be good confessors, they themselves must be authentic penitents. I pray that the entire People of God will experience conversion and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so that together we may enter the new Millennium with renewed hearts and minds.

---

Florence's present greatest treasure could be her shepherd Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli

    We continue with this special series introducing you to the Princes of the Church. Our one-hundredth red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order is 75 year-old Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, Archbishop of Florence. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II during the Consistory of May 24, 1985 For more on Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION

100.   Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli

    A native of the Tuscany region, Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli was born on February 21, 1924 in Ronta di Mugello. As a young man he enrolled in the minor seminary in Firenze and continued there and in Rome for major scholasticate studies, being ordained in Florence on July 13, 1947. After a dozen years as the Vice-Rector of the minor seminary in Florence, he was appointed pastor of a parish in Castelfiorentino where there were many with leanings toward atheism and anti-Catholicism. Almost miraculously he soothed the foment against the clergy, winning them over and establishing a healing within the community that made him legendary in the region and throughout Italy. This prompted the Archbishop of Florence Cardinal Benelli to appoint him Pro-Vicar and then Vicar General of the See.

    He was made a bishop on May 28, 1982 by Pope John Paul II and consecrated by Cardinal Benelli a month later on June 24th as the Titular Bishop of Tubune di Mauretania and Auxiliary Bishop of Florence. Less than a year later on March 18, 1983 he was made permanent Archbishop with the death of Cardinal Benelli. Two years later he was further honored by being included in the Holy Father's Consistory of May 25, 1985 receiving the red beretta and the titular church of St. Mary of Graces along the Via Trionfale.

    At 75 he is nearing retirement as Archbishop of Florence, having held that position for sixteen years. Besides his busy duties in the city known as the birthplace of the Renaissance, he serves membership on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace while residing at Arcivescovado at Piazza San Giovanni 3, 50129 in Firenze, Italy.

    Today is the Feast of the Korean martyrs Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and companions while tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Matthew. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and vignettes on these feasts, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Monday, September 20, 1999

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.

Monday September 21:
Feast of SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE & EVANGELIST

Red vestments

First Reading: Ephesians 4: 1-7, 11-13
Psalms: Psalm 19: 2-5
Gospel Reading: Matthew 9: 9-13

    One of the greatest evangelists is, of course, Saint Matthew the Apostle, whose account of Christ's teaching and life, the first book of the New Testament, are the most detailed and complete - the most accurate catechism, if you will, for the Christian faithful. As his gospels reveal, He wasn't always Matthew. He was born in Capharnaum with the name Levi the son of Alphaeus who was a tax collector. As was the custom of those times, the father's trade was handed down to the son and so Matthew, too, became a tax collector. As we all know he abandoned being a publican when called by Our Lord to follow him while sitting in the tax-collector's seat in Capharnaum. Matthew's Gospel, written in Aramaic - the "Hebrew tongue" mentioned in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, was written to fill a yearning need to reach his fellow Palestinians who included both believers and non-believers. For believers his writings served as a token of his regard and as encouragement for the trials to come, specifically to prevent falling back into the ways of Judaism; for the unbelievers, his gospel was intended to convince them that Jesus was indeed the Messiah in the flesh in Whom all promises of the Old Testament had been fulfilled in a spiritual way as opposed to the more expected material or carnal manner that He would come as a conquering king. Matthew emphasized this, referring to the "Kingdom of God" or the "Kingdom of Heaven" in well over 50 incidences in his gospel. After the Ascension and Pentecost Sunday, Matthew remained in Jerusalem writing, but shortly after the persecution of Harold Agrippa I began in 42, he left Israel to preach in Parthia and Persia first, and then later went to Ethiopia where he received his crown of martyrdom and was reunited with his Master Whom he had written so faithfully, fully and accurately for and about. His relics were discovered and transfered in the 10th Century to Salerno Italy at the coordination of Pope Gregory VII.

    In honor of today's Feast of the Korean martyrs, we present the Opening Prayer for the Mass in their honor:

O God, You have created all nations and You are their salvation. In the land of Korea Your call to the Catholic Faith formed a people of adoption, whose growth You nurtured by the blood of Andrew, Paul and their companions. Through their martyrdom and their intercession grant us strength that we, too, may remain faithful to Your commandments even until death.

    This date 129 years ago in 1874 officially signaled the death knell of the Papal States when Pope Pius IX was forced to surrender to King Victor Emmanuel to avoid bloodshed. The 255th successor of Peter chose to become a self-prisoner inside the Vatican never venturing outside. The Vatican would not receive its freedom, so to speak, until the Lateran Treaty in 1929. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for September 20:

118 A.D.


Death of Saint Eustace, a Roman general who converted and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers who was martyred. Eustace, along with his family was roasted to death on a large iron spit.

536 A.D.


The interment of Pope Saint Agapitus in Rome. Though he died on April 22 in Constantinople, his body was sealed in a leaden coffin and preserved until it could be brought back for proper burial in the eternal city.

1168 A.D.


Death of the antipope Paschal III who had been promoted by Frederick I Barbarossa against the legitimate Pope Alexander III.

1159 A.D.


Election of Cardinal Orlando Bandinelli as the 170th successor of Peter, taking the name Pope Alexander III. He was embroiled in a battle with antipopes during this time in the tug of war between Frederick I of Barbarossa and the Holy See. Alexander excommunicated Barbarossa and defeated him at the Battle of Legnano with the help of the Lombard League. He also convened the 11th Ecumenical Council.

1276 A.D.


The Portuguese-born Cardinal Pedro Juliao of Spain is elected Pope John XXI, becoming the 187th successor of Peter. From Alphonsus of Portugal he obtained the promise that the churches and their income would be respected in that kingdom. John died in the collapse of the residential palace in Viterbo while it was being hastily constructed for him.

1599 A.D.


Ferdinand Magellan embarks on his voyage that would circumnavigate the world, carrying with him missionaries who would touch souls during the journey.

1645 A.D.


Death of Saint John Masias, Dominican lay brother from Lima, Peru who had the gift of reading hearts.

1867 A.D.


Death of Saint Andrew Kim, Saint Paul Chong and companion Korean martyrs. For more on their story, click on DAILY LITURGY

1870 A.D.


Pope Pius IX is forced to surrender to King Victor Emmanuel opting for that rather than bloodshed. From that point on Rome became the capital of Italy and the Pope was denied from governing the Papal States, thus officially eliminating them, but he was allowed to retain the Holy See and the Vatican grounds which would become Vatican City and a country unto itself. It would not be until 1929 that a Treaty of Peace would be signed between Italy and the Vatican.

1887 A.D.


Pope Leo XIII issues his 22nd encyclical Vi e bn noto on the Rosary and public life.

1896 A.D.


Pope Leo XIII releases his 60th encyclical , also on the Rosary entitled Fidentem piumque animum.

     With the messages completed, you can now order the book that contains ALL the messages. This much-anticipated 224-page book of ALL the messages to the world imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart from the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a lasting gift that will inspire you in your faith, and all God asks of us. You can acquire your own handsome, coffee-table top copy of "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." containing all 632 messages or the THE HIDDEN WAY containing 100 inspirational Meditative Lessons from Our Lord and Our Lady on Church Doctrine by clicking on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." or THE HIDDEN WAY or both books at BOOKS

Click here to go to SECTION THREE or return to SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

September 20, 1999 volume 10, no. 178   DAILY CATHOLIC