Pope Francis announced today that he will canonize Bl. Junipero Serra (1713-1784), the Franciscan priest who carried on extensive missionary work in California in the eighteenth century. "In September, God willing, I will canonize Junipero Serra in the United States, who was the evangelizer of the west of the United States," he told reporters aboard the plane taking him from Sri Lanka to Manila on the second leg of his Asian tour.
Bl. Junipero Serra helped to found nine missions in California beginning with the San Diego mission in 1769. He died in 1784 near the mission in Carmel. In time, Spanish missionaries built twenty-one missions in California.
The basic idea behind the missions was to keep the nomadic Native Americans from wandering, settle them by teaching them farming techniques, and then trying to convert them to the faith. Thus, missionaries set up schools, churches, and marketplaces. They taught women domestic arts like sewing, weaving, and cooking. They trained men to be farmers, carpenters, ranches, and tanners. Missions were spaced out a day's walk from one another. A criticism of the mission system was that in most cases once the Native Americans had converted to Christianity they were not free to leave the missions.
When Spain lost control of Mexico in 1828, the missions declined. Some friars left for Spain. A secular government took over Mexico. Greedy politicians looted and ruined missions, exploiting and killing Native Americans. Religious practice declined. By the time the United States took California from Mexico in 1847, there were only thirteen priests left in the vast territory.
Assignments
Read and report on the California missions. See information at this state sponsored site.
Read and report on the life of Bl. Junipero Serra. See the Catholic Encyclopedia site.
Pope Francis announced his intention to create twenty new cardinals at the upcoming consistory (an assembly of cardinals called together by the pope) on February 14, 2015. Fifteen of the new cardinals are less than eighty years old and would be eligible to vote for a new pope should the need arise. Five of the cardinals are over eighty and will receive the red biretta (the three-peaked hat worn by cardinals) as an honor for their service to the Church, but would not be eligible to vote for a new pope.
The new cardinals represent many smaller countries and countries with few Catholics. Some observers were surprised by this. Others noted that the international nature of his choices and his decision not to make cardinals out of leaders of traditional cardinalatial sees (cities that are usually headed by cardinals) has precedence in Popes Pius XII and Pope Benedict XVI. In 1946, Pope Pius XII chose fifteen cardinals from around the world as well as seventeen from Europe and the United States. Pope Benedict’s final consistory in 2012 was also international with one new cardinal from the United States and the other five from Lebanon, India, Nigeria, Colombia, and the Philippines.
Invite students to review geography and consider the countries in which these cardinals live.
You might consider posing questions like the following:
Where in these countries will the new cardinals live?
How many of them will be cardinals of cities that are also capitals of their countries?
Elector Cardinals
Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of Wellington (New Zealand) Where? Southern tip of North Island, capital city
Archbishop Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, S.D.B., of Montevideo (Uruguay) Where? Southern tip of Uruguay on the coast, capital city
Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez Pérez of Vallodolid (Spain) Where? North central Spain
Archbishop Alberto Suàrez Inda of Morelia (Mexico) Where? Middle of Mexico but closer to the Pacific Ocean
Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok (Thailand) Where? Southern part of country, capital city
Archbishiop Manuel José Macario do Nascimento Clemente, Patriarch* of Lisbon (Portugal) Where? Southwest Portugal, near coast, capital city
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura** Where? Vatican
Archbishop Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B., of Yangon (Myanmar) Where? South of the main part of the country, capital until 2005
Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli of Ancona-Osimo (Italy) Where? Northern east coast
Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento (Italy) West coast of Sicily
Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M., of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Where? Center of Ethiopia, capital city
Archbishop Pierre Nguyên Van Nhon of Hà Nôi (Viêt Nam) Where? South central area of country, capital city
Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado, of Santiago de Cabo Verde (Archipelago of Cape Verde) Where? Middle of largest island
Bishop José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán, O.A.R., of David (Panamá) Where? Western side of country
Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga (Island of Tonga) center of the Island of Tonga
Non-elector Cardinals
Archbishop Luigi De Magistris, Major Pro-Penitentiary*** Emeritus (Italy);
Júlio Duarte Langa, Bishop Emeritus of Xai-Xai (Mozambique).
Archbishop Karl-Joseph Rauber, Apostolic Nuncio**** (Germany);
José de Jesús Pimiento Rodriguez, Archbishop Emeritus of Manizales (Colombia);
Luis Héctor Villaba, Archbishop Emeritus of Tucumán (Argentina)
* Why is the cardinal-elect from Portugal known as the “Patriarch” of Lisbon? A papal Bull (decree) in 1716 gave the cleric who presided at the college chapel cathedral the rank of patriarch. The patriarch was responsible for Western Lisbon and some other areas. The plan was that he would be created a cardinal at the first consistory following his appointment. Later, the patriarch became responsible for Eastern Lisbon and other areas formerly under the leadership of the archbishop of Lisbon because there was no need for an archbishop and a patriarch at the same time.
** What is the Prefect for the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura? The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is a court of justice, in this case the supreme court of justice for the Vatican that also ensures that justice in the Church is correctly administered. The prefect is the chief officer of this tribunal.
*** What is the Major Pro-Penitentiary Emeritus? This is the Vatican court of mercy that deals with issues such as excommunication, indulgences, and so on. Emeritus is a Latin term that describes a person who has retired from a post.
**** What is an apostolic nuncio? An apostolic nuncio is a Church diplomat to a state or international organization.
Sources:
Elizabeth Dias, “Pope Francis Surprises Again: 20 New Cardinals, None from USA.” January 4, 2015, Time, http://time.com/3652935/pope-francis-cardinals/
Robert Mickens, “Francis chooses new cardinals from the margins,” January 5, 2015, National Catholic Reporter Online, http://ncronline.org/blogs/roman-observer/francis-chooses-new-cardinals-margins
Andrea Tornielli, “Pius XII and Benedict XVI’s “global” Consistories,” January 5, 2015, Vatican Insider, http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/pio-xii-pacelli-papa-pope-concistoro-concistory-concistorio-38389/.
Enjoy sharing some brief background on the life of St. Andre Bessette, a humble member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and the prayer to St. Joseph, the one he was devoted to.The feast day of St. Andre Bessette is January 6.
Traditional Novena Prayer to St. Joseph
Oh Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh Saint Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son, all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Oh Saint Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
Saint Joseph, Patron of the departing souls, pray for us. Amen.
For this prayer experience you will need tapers, slips of paper, and something to write with. Gather the students in an open space. Have them sit in a circle. Give each person an unlit taper candle. Follow these directions.
Remind the students that Jesus calls himself "the light of the world" (Jn 8:12).
Have the students write on small slips of paper specific elements of darknes in their own lives (e.g., jealousy, hatred, prejudice, fear, loneliness) and on other slips of paper specific ways Jesus has brought light to their lives (e.g., a special friendship, a caring teacher, a favorite spot in nature, peace through participation in the sacraments, prayer).
Have the group sit in a circle with the unlit taper candles. Make the room as dark as possible.
Call on one student to begin by sharing an occarsion of darkness from his or her life. Repeat the process around the rest of the circle with each student sharing about darkness.
Then, repeat the sharing, this time with the participant telling about how Jesus brings light to their lives (e.g., family relationships, friendships, achievements, nature, compassion, love). Light the first person's candle.
Repeat the process. After each new person has shared, they should light their candle from the person who spoke before them.
Conclude with a song, perhaps "I Am the Light of the World" by Greg Hayakawa.
The following lesson centers around the poem "The Bethlhem Explosion" by Madeline L'Engle. The accompanying background material and lesson is taken from The Catholic Spirit: An Anthology for Discovering Faith Through Literature, Art, Film, and Music by Michel Bettgole, OSF, and James D. Childs.
Author Background
Madeleine L’Engle (1916–2007) was a prolific writer of more than sixty books in a variety of forms, including fiction, fantasy, biography, poetry, and prose. She is best known, however, for her children’s books. Her book of fantasy, A Wrinkle in Time, won the distinguished Newberry Medal for Children’s Literature. Madeleine L’Engle was a woman of profound religious faith. She felt strongly that all writers, especially Christian writers, had a vocation from God to bring hope and light into a darkened world. As she said in her book Walking on Water, the writer has a duty “to further the coming of the kingdom and to turn our feet toward home.”
Before the Reading
It is God’s will to reveal himself and his purpose for humankind. However, God has not made his revelation known all at once. He has revealed himself to humanity in stages. First he spoke to Adam and Eve, and made a covenant with them to send a Redeemer who would defeat death and sin. He then spoke to Noah and granted him dominion over all the things of the earth. Next, God spoke to Abraham and the Patriarchs and to Moses and made an everlasting covenant with the people of Israel. Finally, the Lord made himself most perfectly known through the revelation of his Son, Jesus Christ. “In times past. God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophet; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe” (Heb 1:1–2). All Salvation History leads up to the moment when Christ comes into the world as true God and true man. In her poem “The Bethlehem Explosion,” Madeleine L’Engle writes about a common experiment in a chemistry class. Because she sees the world with the eyes of faith, this common experiment becomes a sign and a metaphor for the coming of Jesus into the world.
“The Bethlehem Explosion”
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the world should be enrolled. And Joseph too went up from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child (Lk 1:1, 4–5).
The chemistry lab at school
was in an old greenhouse
surrounded by ancient live oaks
garnished with Spanish moss.
The experiment I remember best
was pouring a quart of clear fluid
into a glass jar, and dropping into it,
grain by grain, salt-sized crystals,
until they layered
like white sand on the floor of the jar.
One more grain—and suddenly—
water and crystal burst
into a living, moving pattern,
a silent, quietly violent explosion.
The teacher told us that only when
we supersaturated the solution,
would come the precipitation.
The little town
was like the glass jar in our lab.
One by one they came, grain by grain,
all those of the house of David,
like grains of sand to be counted.
The inn was full. When Joseph knocked,
his wife was already in labour; there was no room
even for compassion. Until the barn was offered.
That was the precipitating factor. A child was born,
and the pattern changed forever, the cosmos
shaken with that silent explosion.
Reading for Comprehension
1. Where was the chemistry laboratory located?
2. What does the student do with the individual grains of salt-sized crystals?
3. What is meant by “supersaturation”?
4. What happened when the final grain was dropped into the solution?
5. What is the final event that causes “the silent explosion in the cosmos” that completes God’s plan?
Reading for Understanding
What aspects of the birth of Jesus are represented in the poem by: the glass jar, the grains of crystal, the silent and violent explosion in the glass jar?
An explosion destroys the surface order of things to reveal the power that lies beneath. Read John 1:1–3. Explain how Christ’s birth reveals the dynamic love of God that was present from the beginning of creation.
God speaks to us as individuals at various stages of our life. In a gradual manner or by a sudden event, he makes himself known to us and enables us to see people, events, and God himself in a clearer way. Examine a decisive moment in your life. What did it tell you about yourself or the world? How would your life be different if that event had never occurred? How did God speak to you in this event? What was the Lord trying to tell you?
Activity
God revealed himself to Israel, his Chosen People, over a long period of time. Read the following stories from the Bible:
the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:4–24);
the freeing of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 14);
the prophecies about the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13–53:12).
How can each of these episodes be compared to the grains of crystal described in L’Engle’s poem? Read the account of the Transfiguration found in Matthew 17:1–8. How is this manifestation of Jesus in glory another example of a “silent explosion”?
December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas. On his first journey as pope in 1979, St. John Paul II went to Mexico "to invoke on my pontificate the motherly protection and assistance of Our Lady of Guadalupe; to repeat to her with greater vigor prompted by new and immense obligations: 'Totus tuus sum ego!' (I am all yours!), and to place in her hands the future of evangelization in Latin America. He composed the following prayer for the visit. Pray it with your students by dividing the class in half to alternate each praying aloud each stanza.
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the prayer that we address to you with filial trust, and present it to your Son Jesus, our sole Redeemer.
Mother of Mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice, to you, who come to meet us sinners, we dedicate on this day all our being and all our love. We also dedicate to you our life, our work, our joys, our infirmities and our sorrows. Grant peace, justice and prosperity to our peoples; for we entrust to your care all that we have and all that we are, our Lady and Mother. We wish to be entirely yours and to walk with you along the way of complete faithfulness to Jesus Christ in His Church; hold us always with your loving hand.
Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray to you for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service of God and souls. Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede with the Lord that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God, and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious, strong in the faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries.
Grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children.
Our hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to go continually to Jesus and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him, by means of the confession of our faults and sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul.
We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth.
Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
If you can excuse the reproduction quality, here's an icebreaker idea you might use in the next couple of weeks. Design a page like this Christmas tree with several bingo items your students can sign off on. This will get them moving around the room and talking to everyone in an informal, holiday-like atmosphere. You can play for a winner (the first person who gets all the Christmas tree boxes signed) or just for fun. In either case, call on several volunteers to share remembrances of the occasions indicated by the boxes they signed.
It is God's own hand which has guided everything, and He it is whom we must thank above all. Hence I beg you to unite your thanks with ours in order that we may draw down more abundant blessings from heaven upon our owrk, and above all, not stop their flow by want of gratitude.
--Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross
