Posted on 03/02/2006 10:15:09 PM PST by Salvation
**************
Yes, that is quite right.
Dear Friends in Christ,
Here is some news on Father Altier from a web site called "Catholic Parents Online" whose Spiritual Director was and probably is Father Robert Altier.
It is an interesting article.
http://www.catholicparents.org/fatheraltier/Fr.%20A%20silenced.html
Father Robert J. Altier
These are truly dark days of Lent for all of us who love and respect Father Robert Altier. We are all saddened by the fact we can no longer read/hear his inspirational homilies on www.desertvoice.org or listen to his spiritual wisdom every Tuesday on Relevant radio.
We don't know of any reasonable answer to why he has been silenced. Please be assured that this action of the Archbishop is not related to any scandal or sexual misconduct on the part of Father Robert Altier.
Father Altier's innocence of any impropriety was confirmed by Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath see: Archbishop silences priest's 'Voice'
Dennis McGrath said, “Father Altier is an honored priest, and has not committed any improprieties.” He also said Archbishop Flynn will not discuss the issue publicly because it is a "personal matter, but I surmise that Father Altier's contrarian position on Virtus is the issue." Priest asked to quiet opposition to anti-sex-abuse program.
There are some rumors that Father Altier may be moved, but this is only hearsay and from what we know is not true.
Also, people are asking if Father Altier will still be offering Holy Mass and giving the presentations at our annual Lenten retreat on April 1st and the answer is
- Yes.
First and foremost we ask you to pray for Fr. Altier and for Archbishop Flynn. Also, to really pray together in unity, we are calling on everyone who cares for Father Altier, to come together in solidarity as a show of our deepest respect and moral support for him.
Please join us on the beautiful Feast of the Annunciation, Saturday March 25th, at the 5:15pm Mass (Benediction is at 5:00pm) at St. Agnes Catholic Church in St. Paul, to offer our prayers for him. (Father Altier may be saying this Mass but no one knows the schedule at this time.)
Has there been any response from the office of the Archbishop, to your knowledge?
bttt
Thank you for the ping SOLDIEROFJESUSCHRIST.
Dear Fatima,
I had posted two new homilies probably the last published ones of Father Altier in a post earlier yesterday.
Please inform Salvation and the others. If any one is interested, i can send it to them separately by email or by freepmail.
They are Homilies for the 2nd of March 2006 and for the 3rd of March 2006.
The 3rd of March 2006 being his last published homily on the Internet for a long time to come specially if the ban or censorship imposed by the Archbishop is indefinite.
I also have some wma files with me of Father Altier. They are only a minute each in length.
I managed to save them and installed them on my desktop some time last week -- I can send them to anyone who is interested.
However, I will need an email address to send them to as I doubt I could send them by Freepmail.
Father Altier speaks on an number of issues just for a minute called "Did you Know" which was broadcast on "Relevant Radio" and recorded by the folks who maintain desertvoice.
He talks on a wide variety of spiritual matters like Lenten Observances, Our Lady, The Real Presence, Etc.
I asked you about him and the next day it all came down.I did find a local connection because he was on, as the Spirit leads-Hang in there friend-WWW.spiritdaily.com or org has a little something on Father with his words today.
Dear Friends in Christ,
This is an interesting article that I found when I typed in the following words "Voice in the Desert" in the Google Search Engine.
It is all about Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Australia and a Defender of the Catholic Faith down under (Australia).
Cardinal Pell was formerly the Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia till 2001.
I strongly believe that Father Robert Altier O.C.D.S. should get a transfer out of Minneapolis and into Sydney as Cardinal Pell who is a staunch defender of the Catholic Faith in Australia and Oceania will not only welcome him with open arms but also elevate him to the post of Vicar General in the near future.
The Only Orthodox Archbishops that come to mind that exist in the United States are Archbishop Chaput of Denver and Archbishop Raymond Burke of Saint Louis, but no one can compare with Cardinal George Pell in my opinion.
Father Altier cannot afford to stay any more in Minneapolis-- as Archbishop Flynn will only make his life more and more miserable.
I strongly believe that Father Altier will prosper and flower in his ministry under an Orthodox Archbishop or Bishop either in the United States, Australia, or Canada.
An Orthodox Catholic Bishop from Canada that comes to mind is Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary, in Western Canada.
http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=219
A Voice in the Desert:
How One Bishop is Bringing Life to a Dry Continent
A Voice in the Desert
How one bishop is bringing life to a dry continent
By RICHARD ROTONDI
Richard Rotondi is the Marketing Director of Sophia Institute Press in Manchester, New Hampshire. He recently returned from an Australian trip with his wife and daughter.
In a country where religion is often approached languidly, when it is approached at all, Archbishop George Pell is causing people to sit up and take notice.
"Tiger of a Player for Catholics," trumpeted one major news daily when Pell's appointment as archbishop was announced. "Pell a Voice Among Bishops," said another.
A third reported the reaction of Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, a Catholic, who found it "exciting" that such a "giant" had been appointed-but who also predicted that Catholics who "bend with the breeze" would be disappointed.
Now, a year after Pell's installation on August 16, 1996, that early excitement has been justified. During his first months as archbishop, Pell has (1) committed himself publicly to defending the papacy, opposing women priests and upholding the "difficult" moral teachings of the Church, (2) published a high-school religion text designed "to evoke the romance of orthodoxy" in the young, (3) implemented sweeping reforms in his diocesan seminary, prompting the entire staff to resign and (4) battled with-and bested-the liberal (former) head of Australia's Jesuits, Rev. W.J. Uren, in a controversy involving Ignatius Press publisher Fr. Joseph Fessio.
As Deputy Prime Minister Fischer predicted, Catholics who "bend with the breeze" have indeed been disappointed, to put it mildly. But for Archbishop Pell, it's all in a day's work.
"There are many smorgasbord Catholics who choose a bit of this and a bit of that. That's their business," Pell told a television reporter shortly after his appointment. "My business as a bishop, as a defender of the tradition, is to proclaim the whole of the message."
Pell’s tough resolve in the face of opposition has a long history. During his student days this "Tiger of a Player" developed a reputation as a skilled footballer, eventually winning a spot on a semi-pro Australian Rules football team.
Now 56 years old, the Archbishop still has the strength and bearing of an athlete. His tough but respectful way of dealing, with opponents has a sportsmanlike quality that is likely familiar to the players who once met him in the field.
Within the Church Pell has long been a champion of orthodoxy. During his nine-year tenure as auxiliary bishop of Melbourne, Pell appeared frequently on radio and television and became known as an outspoken defender of the "Gospel of Life."
Before his consecration as bishop, Pell served as rector of Melbourne's diocesan seminary. Rome or the Bush?, a 1986 expose of abuses in the Australian Church, explicitly praises Pell for ending problems at the seminary-though his work in this area would not be completed until his appointment as archbishop a decade later.
Ever since becoming a bishop Pell has maintained strong links with Rome. He has served on two separate pontifical councils, and is a member of Cardinal Ratzinger's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Like the Holy Father before him, Pell has chosen as his motto "Be not afraid!"-and he has preached vigorously on the necessity of preserving unity with the Pope.
"From the earliest times the Church of Rome ... was the supreme guarantor of the authenticity of the tradition deriving from Christ and the apostles," said Pell to the more than 8,000 people who attended his investiture as archbishop:
"The Pope as Bishop of Rome personally embodies this as the symbol of unity and defender of orthodoxy. One important task of a bishop is to be a focus of unity within his diocese; but equally important is his work to ensure that his diocese remains fully united with the universal Church around the Pope. In this age and in this archdiocese, when the papacy is enjoying one of the brightest moments in its long and brilliant history, it is my duty to commit myself publicly to both these unifying tasks...."
Such words have won Pell the admiration of Melbourne's young Catholics, and the gratitude of faithful grown frustrated with years of liturgical and doctrinal abuses in their parishes and schools.
Challenge and Opposition
But such words have not endeared Pell to all elements within the Church. The Archbishop has suffered a series of what Australians call "media beatups": Pell's critics have accused him in the secular media of being "hard line"; a Jesuit publication took him to task for a "quintessentially Roman outlook ... that would take [the Church] back into a kind of pre-1960s ghetto."
These "media beat-ups" indicate the fierce resistance Pell will face as he works to ensure that the Church in Melbourne remains fully united with Rome. Australians in general are not known for prompt obedience to authority, religious or secular. Perhaps even more than elsewhere, it can take years before a directive from the bishop is implemented at the parish or local level.
"In many dioceses in which the bishop is personally orthodox, the powerful bureaucracies surrounding him have succeeded in painlessly extracting the essence of the reform that the bishop might have wished to bring about," writes intellectual and political activist Bob Santamaria, perhaps Australia's most prominent layman, in his recent memoirs. This can be seen in Melbourne in pastors' illicit practice of general absolution during Advent and Lenten penitential services-despite directives from Pell's predecessor, Archbishop Frank Little.
Early Skirmish-and Victory
But the faithful in Melbourne have reason to hope Pell will succeed where others have failed. Already during his tenure as archbishop, Pell has fought skirmishes with "powerful bureaucracies" and other Church opponents--and emerged as the decisive victor.
Perhaps Pell's biggest battle to date has been over the formation of seminarians at Corpus Christi, Australia’s biggest seminary, which trains priests for Melbourne and other dioceses. It is the seminary where Pell had once been rector, and where he addressed such problems as liturgies featuring Billy Joel songs, faculty intimidation of orthodox and conservative students and risqué courses on sexuality.
As an archbishop, Pell was in a position to make more wholesale changes. Last fall, Pell and the other bishop-trustees of Corpus Christi presented the faculty with a list of reforms for the seminary. The reforms, based on Pope John Paul II's pastoral letter on the formation of seminarians, called for increased periods of retreat, meditation, recollections and more intensive study of public forms of worship and pastoral duties.
"I want them to be able to pray better, to celebrate the sacraments more devoutly and pray the word of God more devoutly, especially by example," explained Pell.
When presented with the reforms, the staff of the seminary made headlines across the country by resigning en masse. Father Paul Connell, rector of the seminary, explained that he and his staff were not willing to run the seminary according to the Archbishop's "new style." An anonymous staffer complained to the press about a stricter and more regulatory regime.
Pell was gracious in victory. He said publicly that he felt no animosity towards the Corpus Christi staff. "They are good people who have done a good job," said Pell, "but they have a different vision of seminary formation."
Like a good sportsman, he did not add that it was his vision that had taken the field.
The Fessio Affair
As Archbishop, Pell has taken the field against opponents not only within his diocese, but across Australia.
One headline-making case occurred after his installation, and involved American Jesuit Fr. Joseph Fessio, publisher of Ignatius Pre ss. Fessio was preparing to embark on a lecture tour of Australia, having been invited to do so by an organization of Catholic priests.
When Jesuit Provincial Rev. W. J. Uren learned of Fessio's proposed visit, he circulated a "warning" to the Australian bishops, saying that Fessio's visit was unauthorized. Though Fessio's American superiors had given permission for the trip, Uren claimed Fessio was violating Jesuit protocol by not obtaining his permission as well. ("Preposterous," says Fessio. "If the protocol Fr. Uren refers to exists, no Jesuit I have spoken to has ever heard of it.")
Uren was also concerned that Fessio had "on occasion given expression to some rather reactionary views," and that his Australian sponsors subscribed to "rather legalistic forms of orthodoxy." (Father Fessio responded by challenging Uren to state publicly his acceptance of Church teaching on homosexuality, artificial contraception and the possibility of women priests.)
In the midst of this uproar, Archbishop Pell contacted the bishops whose dioceses Fr. Fessio would be visiting. Pell informed the bishops that he would be present for Fessio's address in Melbourne, and would personally propose the vote of thanks.
That settled the matter of whether Fessio would come to Australia. In fact, Fessio drew crowds of 500 in Brisbane and Sydney-and 1500 in Pell's Melbourne.
Challenges for the Future
Despite these early victories, Pell still has much work to do for the Church in Melbourne.
One task is upholding the uniqueness of the priesthood. In relaxed Australia, priests are often not scrupulous about distinguishing themselves with clerical garb or titles; the perception of the priesthood has been tragically desacralized.
This tendency to blur the distinction between priest and layman has created great pressure to address an impending shortage of priests by means of "priestless parishes" staffed by lay administrators.
Already one parish in Melbourne has a lay administrator, serving out a contract signed by Pell's predecessor; the laity have been conditioned to prepare for many more. Pell is trying to undo that conditioning-"There is no truly Catholic Church without bishops and priests and deacons," Pell preached at his investiture-but this battle is already in a late phase.
Desacralization has taken other forms. The number of Catholics attending weekly Mass has dropped precipitously in recent years. In the 1950s, a Gallup poll found that more than sixty percent of Australian Catholics attended Mass weekly; today, that figure is no higher than twenty percent.
The great majority of Catholic high school students disagree with Church teaching on premarital sex, birth control and even the Sunday Mass obligation. An astonishing ninety-seven percent of Catholic schoolchildren stop practicing the Faith within a year of leaving Catholic schools. Perhaps only fifteen percent of self-described Catholics in Australia fully adhere to the Faith.
Archbishop Pell inherits a diocese where the Faith is challenged and even threatened. But that faithful fifteen percent has great reason for hope.
"Does fifteen percent represent an irremediable situation?" asks Bob Santamaria in his recent memoir. "Not yet. The situation is not yet irrecoverable. What Arnold Toynbee called 'creative minorities' are the determining factor.
What will decide the situation in the next decade is, first and foremost, the actual beliefs of the fifteen percent of practicing Catholics, the 'climate' in which they live and the spirit that animates them."
With Archbishop Pell at the helm, the beliefs, climate and spirit of faithful Melbourne Catholics are likely to be solid as a rock.
Winning "the great middle ground" to orthodoxy
An Interview with Archbishop Pell
Since his surprise appointment as chief pastor of the Church of Melbourne in July 1996, members of the world's largest media organizations have had to vie for time with Archbishop George Pell. But on a recent Monday morning, the Archbishop invited an unknown American reporter to his offices overlooking Melbourne's stately St. Patrick's Cathedral for a half-hour talk.
A copy of Sursurn Corda left with the Archbishop's secretary on the previous Friday had secured the interview. "I'm pleased to see you reporting on the good news in the Church," said Pell.
Whether Pell's appointment as Archbishop is good news or otherwise is a matter of perspective. Those Catholics-a not unsizable lot in Australia, especially within the Church bureaucracy-who yearn for women priests, or lay-run parishes, or freedom from the edicts of Rome, have greeted the new Archbishop less than enthusiastically, murmuring to the press about the "lack of consultation" in his appointment and the prospect of a new "hard-line" regime.
But the reaction at various Catholic apostolates, bookstores, magazines and youth groups, where long-suffering faithful cheer Pell's fidelity to the Pope and Magisterium and tack up homemade posters and banners celebrating their new champion, more than compensates for the grumbling of his detractors.
The Archbishop himself seeks to avoid inflaming partisan sentiments. "I don't like the labels 'conservative' or liberal,"' says Pell, adding that one of his prime aims is to build unity within his diocese. Pell makes it clear that unity must be grounded in a common assent to core Church teachings. But on matters of policy, discipline and style he conveys such flexibility, diplomacy and respect for lawful diversity that one wonders how his opponents make the 'hard-liner" charge with a straight face.
In the Australian news at the time is Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, a Sri Lankan theologian excommunicated by Rome for his refusal to recant heretical views. The articles on Balasuriya recall Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz's earlier warnings that members of his diocese faced excommunication for joining dissident groups. Looking for a real "hard-line" statement, I ask the Archbishop if he foresees Church leaders turning increasingly to excommunication as a way to contain dissent.
The Archbishop looks at me wryly. "I think that's a little extreme."
What about recent comments by Bob Santamaria--an intellectual, political activist and perhaps Australia's most influential Catholic layman--that we are suffering a crisis as devastating as during the Pelagian and Arian heresies, when large sectors of the "teaching Church" endangered Christendom by refusing to pass on the full Catholic faith?
"Santamaria is certainly Australia's most prominent Catholic layman," says the Archbishop. "But I do not entirely agree with his diagnosis." Pell sees the chief danger to the Church as outside her fold, from a relentlessly secular culture, rather than from internal dissent.
"Certainly we have added to the confusion, and haven't helped ourselves as effectively as possible. Much of that is because so many of our teachers have been heavily influenced from the society in which they find themselves. With young people, I'm quite sure the greater damage is done from the media--from videos, teenage magazines, television and cinema."
Given that secular influence in at least some of our Catholic schools, how important will homeschooling be to the future of the Church?
"I have friends who homeschool," says Pell. "Certainly it's an option. But I don't think it will ever be the dominant way in which Catholics are formed."
At every point in the conversation, the Archbishop expresses confidence in the existing infrastructure of the Church -- parishes, schools, seminaries--and in the "great middle ground" of Catholics. By clearly and unambiguously presenting this "middle ground" with the truths of the Faith, Pell hopes to build a Church that is loyal to the Pope, reverent towards the sacraments, welcoming of even the most challenging doctrines.
It is a large hope, and one that pits Pell against activists for women's ordination, lay-run parishes, and other "progressive" causes, who also hope to advance their agenda by winning the Church's middle ground. But Pell impresses most observers as being more than up to the task -- which is why fearful Church bureaucrats are murmuring darkly to the press, and why Pell's likeness can be found on posters tacked up in the offices of Catholic bookstores, magazines, apostolates and youth groups all across Melbourne.
The Archbishop as Teacher
During his investiture as head of the Church in Melbourne, Archbishop George Pell promised that his archdiocese would remain "fully united with the universal Church around the Pope." Shortly thereafter, he published Issues of Faith and Morals, a high-school textbook which examines contemporary issues in the light of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Though written in a style designed to engage young people, it never shies away from presenting the full teaching of the Church.
"This book is...written with the conviction that nothing is to be gained by biding the severity of Christ's teaching," says Pell in his foreword. "Such a concealment would be unfair to readers, and has proved disastrous in practice. The 'sweetening' of Christianity produces spectators, not joiners, because the strength of the Church lies in the Cross as the necessary prelude to the Resurrection."
Below are some "unsweetened" samples of Pell's treatment of several controversial topics. Readers whose appetites are whetted are in luck: Ignatius Press will be publishing an American version of Issues of Faith and Morals this fall.
ON CELIBACY: Even when the Church has been stained with sexual scandals, when magazines proclaim that celibacy is impossible, probably unhealthy and somehow conducive to sexual deviancy, faithful priestly celibacy is still a superb and provocative witness to people inside and outside the Church. It remains the best sign that the priest has not signed up for some human advantage, real or imagined.... The present vitality of Catholic communities throughout the world is due in no small measure to the sacrifices of celibate priests, nuns and brothers. The history of the Western world cannot be understood without acknowledging the civilizing power of Catholic celibacy.... Such celibacy represents an awe-inspiring triumph over natural instincts and has ignited millions of souls with the love of God over the centuries (pp. 68-69).
ON CHASTITY: Catholic teaching on sexuality comes directly from Our Lord Himself and has stood the test of time for two thousand years. Throughout that time, people have seen that Christ's teaching is designed to prepare them for marriage and then protect the married state for life.... Sex, in God's plan, is kept special for marriage (pp. 58-59).
ON HELL: We have no right to reject this teaching of Christ and the Church simply because we regard it as too fierce or unpleasant.... God respects human freedom: He is powerless before a human refusal to repent and must deliver justice ... (p. 144).
ON "PRIMACY OF CONSCIENCE": Some claim that since the Second Vatican Council, Catholics are now allowed to follow their individual consciences, even if this means going against the teachings of Christ and the Church.... Such claims are quite mistaken. We do speak of the primacy of the pope. We could usefully speak of the primacy of truth or the primacy of the word of God in Scriptures, but to speak of the primacy of conscience is at best a misleading half-truth (pp. 5-6).
ON THE PRIESTHOOD: Ministerial priesthood is received by a special sacrament which goes back to the time of Christ and the apostles, so the priest's status is different from that of the baptized.... The priest's ordination, which is a gift from the Holy Spirit, gives him special powers which are used to celebrate the Eucharist, forgive sins and anoint the sick (p. 74).
ON WOMEN PRIESTS: The official teaching of the Catholic Church has never varied from the beginning of Christianity to the time of Pope John Paul 11. the Church cannot ordain women to the priesthood because she does not have the power to ordain women.
The Church must remain faithful to the example of Our Lord and the apostles, who did not admit women to the Twelve, did not ordain them to celebrate the Eucharist and did not authorize their successors to do so.
So, based on the past, women's ordination can never happen in the future. Some Catholics resent this fact being spelled out, but it is better to explain the official teaching and its basic consequences rather than to allow people to be confused (p. 79).
This item 219 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
© Copyright Trinity Communications 2006. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions
Web services provided by Trinity Consulting, Inc.
Dear Friends in Jesus and Mary,
I would like to make a correction to Comment Number 71. Cardinal Pell is the Archbishop of the "Archdiocese of Sydney in Australia" and he is a big promoter of the 40 hours devotion.
A Big Fan of the 40 hours Devotion is our beloved Father Altier.
Here is an article on the 40 hours Devotion as well as some information on Eucharistic Adoration in Australia.
I am well acquainted with the 40 hours devotion in Philly as I lived there for over a Year.
http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0120.html
40 Hours with Jesus Christ FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS
My parish is having 40 Hours devotions.
What is the history of this devotion?
The Forty Hours Devotion is a special forty-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition.
Of course, the focus of this devotion is on the Holy Eucharist. As Catholics, the words of our Lord burn in our hearts: "I myself am the living bread come down from Heaven. If anyone eats this bread, He shall live forever; the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
Affirming our belief in the real presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, the Vatican Council II taught that the Holy Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Lumen Gentium, #11). While the Mass is the central act of worship for us Catholics, an act which participates in the eternal reality of our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection, Vatican Council II upheld and encouraged the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass.
Of course such devotion derives from the sacrifice of the Mass and moves the faithful to both sacramental and spiritual communion with our Lord (Eucharisticum Mysterium, #50). As Pope Pius XII taught in Mediator Dei, "This practice of adoration has a valid and firm foundation." Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has repeatedly "highly recommended" public and private devotion of the Blessed Sacrament, including processions on the Feast of Corpus Christi and the 40 Hours Devotion (cf. Dominicae Cecae, #3, and Inaestimabile Donum, #20-22).
Second, the number forty has always signified a sacred period of time: the rains during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years, our Lord fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning His public ministry. The 40 Hours Devotion remembers that traditional "forty-hour period" from our Lord's burial until the resurrection. Actually in the Middle Ages, the Blessed Sacrament was transferred to the repository, "the Easter Sepulcher," for this period of time to signify our Lord's time in the tomb.
The Forty Hours Devotion begins with a Solemn Mass of Exposition, which concludes with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and a procession. The Blessed Sacrament remains on the altar in a monstrance. During the next 40 hours, the faithful gather for personal or public prayer in adoration of our Lord. The Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the tabernacle for the daily Mass, and then returned for exposition after Mass. At the end of the devotions, the Mass of Deposition is offered, again concluding with a procession, benediction and final reposition of the Blessed Sacrament. While the forty-hour period should be continuous, some Churches break-up the time, reposing the Blessed Sacrament at night because of security reasons.
The Forty Hours Devotion can be seen almost like a parish mini-retreat or mission. A guest priest may be invited to give a series of homilies. Confessions should be offered and encouraged. Consequently, an appropriate time to schedule Forty Hours is either Advent or Lent.
While the Forty Hours Devotion nurtures the love of the faithful for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, three special dimensions have also surrounded this devotion: the protection from evil and temptation; reparation for our own sins and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory; and deliverance from political, material, or spiritual calamities. Here the faithful implore our Lord to pour forth His abundant graces not only for themselves, but their neighbors, not only for their own personal needs, but for those of the world. Such practices are evidenced in the history of this devotion, which we shall explore next week.
Having explored the spiritual dimension of the Forty Hours Devotion, a greater appreciation for this spiritual exercise is found through knowing its history. The practice of Forty Hours Devotion originated in Milan about the year1530. Granted, prior to this time, the Church did have exposition and benediction, Eucharistic processions, and devotions to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle.
In 1539, Pope Paul III responded to a petition from the Archdiocese of Milan asking for an indulgence for the practice: "Since our beloved son the Vicar General of the Archbishop of Milan, at the prayer of the inhabitants of the said city, in order to appease the anger of God provoked by the offenses of Christians, and in order to bring to nought the efforts and machinations of the Turks who are pressing forward to the destruction of Christendom, amongst other pious practices, has established a round of prayers and supplications to be offered by day and night by all the faithful of Christ, before our Lord's Most Sacred Body, in all the churches of the said city, in such a manner that these prayers and supplication are made by the faithful themselves relieving each other in relays for forty hours continuously in each church in succession, according to the order determined by the Vicar...
We approving in our Lord so pious an institution, grant and remit." While this pronouncement seems to be the earliest official approval by the Church of this devotion, the Forty Hours Devotion spread rapidly.
By 1550, both St. Philip Neri and St. Ignatius Loyola had also instituted this practice, especially for the reparation of sin. Recognizing the tremendous graces offered through this devotion as well as the dangers threatening the Church, Pope Clement VIII in his letter Graves et diuturnae (November 25, 1592) proclaimed, "We have determined to establish publicly in this Mother City of Rome an uninterrupted course of prayer in such ways that in the different churches, on appointed days, there be observed the pious and salutary devotion of the Forty Hours, with such an arrangement of churches and times that, at every hour of the day and night, the whole year round the incense of prayer shall ascend without intermission before the face of the Lord."
He also issued regulations for the devotions, which were later collected and promulgated by Pope Clement XI in 1705, and known as the Instructio Clementina.
In our own country, St. John Neumann (1811-60), the fourth bishop of Philadelphia, was a strong promoter of the Forty Hours Devotion. While the practice had already existed in individual churches throughout the city (as well as in other places in the country), no organized, cohesive diocesan schedule for it had ever before been attempted. St. John had an tremendous devotion to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and desired to foster such a spiritual life in his people.
Unfortunately at this time, a strong anti-Catholic sentiment plagued Philadelphia. During the Know Nothing riots of 1844, two churches were burned and another was saved simply by the threat of gunfire. Some priests, therefore, advised St. John that the introduction of 40 Hours Devotion would only flame the hatred against the Catholics and expose the Blessed Sacrament to desecration. St. John was left in a quandary.
A strange incident occurred which helped St. John decide. One night, he was working very late at his desk and fell asleep in his chair. The candle on the desk burnt down and charred some of the papers, but they were still readable. He awoke, surprised and thankful that a fire had not ignited. He fell on his knees to give thanks to God for protection, and heard His voice saying, "As the flames are burning here without consuming or injuring the writing, so shall I pour out my grace in the Blessed Sacrament without prejudice to My honor. Fear no profanation, therefore; hesitate no longer to carry out your design for my glory."
He introduced the practice of 40 Hours Devotion at the first diocesan synod in April, 1853, and the first devotions began at St. Philip Neri Parish, an appropriate place since that saint had initiated the devotion in the city of Rome. St. John himself, spent most of the three days in the Church praying. No trouble ensued. St. John then introduced the program for the whole diocese, so that each parish would have Forty Hours Devotion during the course of the year.
He composed a special booklet for the devotions and obtained special indulgences for the faithful attending them. The Forty Hours Devotion was so successful it spread to other dioceses. At the Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866, the Forty Hours Devotion was approved for all Dioceses of the United States.
The Forty Hours Devotion provides a wonderful opportunity for the spiritual growth of each person and the parish as a whole. In a world where temptation and evil abound, where devotion to the Mass and our Lord in the Holy Eucharist have declined, where the practice of penance and confession have been forgotten, we need the Forty Hours Devotion more than ever.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Saunders, Rev. William. "40 Hours with Jesus Christ." Arlington Catholic Herald.
This article is reprinted with permission from Arlington Catholic Herald.
THE AUTHOR
Father William Saunders is dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College and pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Sterling, Virginia.
The above article is a "Straight Answers" column he wrote for the Arlington Catholic Herald. Father Saunders is also the author of Straight Answers, a book based on 100 of his columns and published by Cathedral Press in Baltimore.
Copyright © 2003 Arlington Catholic Herald
Society for Eucharistic Adoration
This organization is not a service of the Archdiocese of Sydney.
Please direct any query to the organization directly.
Description
Society for Eucharistic Adoration, a lay organization founded in Sydney in 1993 to promote and encourage all forms of Eucharistic Adoration and in particular perpetual adoration, wherever it is feasible.
Members undertake to make a weekly holy hour in any church or chapel.
Address
142 Victoria St, Ashfield NSW 2131
Telephone 9798 3056
Fax 9797 2273
Email contact@seadoration.org
Website http://www.seadoration.org
Dear Fatima,
In your last post to me yesterday, you said that you had asked me about Father Altier and then all bad stuff started to happen to him.
I am confident that it was all coincidental. None of us should blame ourselves for what happened to Father Altier as we are his biggest supporters and fans of his Homilies and Talks.
But, I strongly believe that Father Altier should leave the Archdiocese of Minneapolis asap and join an Archdiocese in the United States like the Archdiocese of Denver, or the Archdiocese of Saint Louis or the Diocese of Baker, Oregon, or the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska as all these Archdioceses or Dioceses have extremely "Orthodox" and "Faithful" Bishops or Archbishops as the case may be.
For your perusal and bookmarks, please take note of these two web pages that have 100% of all of Father Altier's Homilies and Talks in the Audio and Written Format.
FOR THE ATTENTION OF SALVATION NOTHING HAS BEEN LOST INSPITE OF THE FACT THAT DESERTVOICE HAS SHUT DOWN AND DELETED ALL THE LINKS TO HIS HOMILIES AND TALKS.
1. http://www.gabrielmass.com/altier
2. http://desertvoice.excerptsofinri.com/index.html
Dear Folks in Christ,
Here is an article about a Chinese Catholic Bishop who was faithful to Rome and even suffered 13 years of Hard Labor in a Communist Chinese Camp, but never wavered in his Fidelity to the Magisterium and Holy Mother Church.
He passed away yesterday. This is someone whom Father Altier would always look up to.
Father Altier often preached in his Homilies about the witness of Catholic Bishops and Cardinals as well as Priests who suffered for the "FAITH" and are perhaps still doing so unlike Archbishop Flynn who can only think of persecuting Holy,Faithful, and Orthodox Priests like Father Altier.
Another Fine Example in South East Asia, is the suffering undergone by the late Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan who was subjected to much torture and harrasement during his 13 years of Solitary Confinement in a Vietnamese Communist prison.
These are Bishops and Cardinals I definitely look up to as well as Cardinals like Archbishop George Pell of Sydney, Australia who is well known as a Staunch Defender of the Catholic Faith and Morals in Australia.
Code: ZE06030802
Date: 2006-03-08
Bishop Sun Yuan Mo Is Mourned
Prelate, 85, Previously Spent 13 Years in Forced Labor
BEIJING, MARCH 8, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A Vatican agency confirmed the death of Bishop Joseph Sun Yuan Mo, of the Chinese diocese of Linfen, in Shanxi province. He was 85.
Numerous faithful attended an afternoon Mass every day for six days after the prelate's death Feb. 23, according to a report today by the Fides agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The bishop had been seriously ill for years.
Intense cold and abundant snow did not hinder their attendance at the Feb. 28 funeral. More than 2,000 faithful, as well as all the priests of the diocese and three bishops of neighboring dioceses, attended to bid farewell to the "elderly and faithful witness of Christ," Fides said.
Joseph Sun Yuan Mo was born on Nov. 7, 1920, in Zhuangyuan, Hongdong district, 585 kilometers (360 miles) southwest of Beijing.
He entered the diocesan minor seminary at 15 and then studied philosophy and theology at the major seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1948.
After a few years of teaching at Fu Jen Catholic University in Beijing, he was sent to minister in the southern province of Guanxi.
"During the difficult period of the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976, he returned to the town where he was born," recalled Fides. "He was eventually arrested there and condemned to 13 years of forced labor for 'reeducation.'"
Years later, after his release, he resumed his ministry. Consecrated bishop, he was in charge of the pastoral care of the diocese, first as auxiliary and, since 1991, as ordinary. The diocese has 36 priests, 60 nuns and 30,000 Catholics.
Dear Friends in Christ,
There is some breaking news at the moment on Yahoo which reveals the deep turmoil the Catholic Church in the United States is in.
In his Homilies throughout 2005, Father Altier has been constantly harping and preaching about this that is the Catholic Church in North America and Europe is in need of Purification asap.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060309/ap_on_re_us/church_abuse_spokane
Top U.S. Bishop Accused of Sex Abuse By JOHN K. WILEY, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 44 minutes ago
SPOKANE, Wash. - A woman has filed a claim that she was sexually abused more than 40 years ago by Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops and leader of the Spokane Diocese.
Skylstad issued a statement Wednesday categorically denying the accusation, saying he has not violated the vow of celibacy he took 47 years ago.
The claim was filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane on Dec. 27 by a woman who said she was under the age of 18 when Skylstad sexually abused her at St. Patrick's Parish and at Gonzaga University from December 1961 to December 1964.
Skylstad, 70, was a student at Gonzaga University from 1962-1966 and taught mathematics to students at Mater Cleri Seminary at Colbert, north of Spokane.
The diocese is one of three in the nation that filed for bankruptcy protection to deal with claims of sexual abuse by clergy. Skylstad last month offered to settle with 75 victims for $45.7 million.
The woman's claim was filed as a result of the bankruptcy "proof of claims" process, the diocese said.
Victims of clergy sexual abuse have until Friday to file claims. Greg Arpin, an attorney representing the diocese, said there were a total of 135 claims as of Wednesday morning, including the original 75 who would be covered by the settlement.
The woman's claim was first reported Wednesday by the Spokesman-Review newspaper of Spokane.
It is unclear under the reforms American bishops adopted in 2002 for responding to abuse claims whether Skylstad should temporarily step down while his case is being investigated.
The policy requires Catholic officials to determine whether there is "sufficient evidence" supporting the allegations against a cleric before they take him out of public ministry while a full review is conducted under Vatican oversight.
In its statement, the diocese said protocols for dealing with sex abuse allegations were being followed, and that Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's Apostolic Nuncio to the United States in Washington, D.C., had been notified of the claim.
Stephen Rubino, a lawyer hired by the woman's legal team, said he knows little about the filing but was asked to verify her claim. He said a bankruptcy court's confidentiality order limits what he can say about the claim.
"We have a minimum three months of work before any conclusions can be made regarding anything," Rubino said by telephone from Philadelphia. "This is complicated by the fact that she is overseas. It is complicated by records that are 45 years old and scattered across the country. And it is complicated by the emotional issues this woman is facing."
Rubino represented a man who claimed in the early 1990s that he was sexually abused by the late Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. The case was dropped in 1994 when the man recanted.
David Clohessy, national director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the woman's allegation should be taken seriously, despite Skylstad's denial.
"I think, given the horrific history, virtually every allegation should be treated seriously and investigated promptly," he said by phone from St. Louis.
Faith-sharing bump. Saved for further study.
***************
I agree with Pell. All the more reason to be concerned with programs such as TAT.
Dear Marshmallow,
Greetings from India. I am an Orthodox Indian Catholic of Portuguese Descent from the Former Portuguese Colony of Goa in India and I lived for 4 years near Atlanta, Georgia.
I just loved Georgia and specially the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta where I often used to go to pray.
It is good to know that you are from Georgia.
On this Thread, I have stated that my first nightmarish Experience in Religious Life was at the Trappist Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia when I was a Postulant there in 1999.
It almost broke my faith in the Catholic Church and it is only through the awesome Homilies of Father Altier that I am a Practicing Orthodox Catholic today.
As, Father Altier would often say if you spoke to him.
"Praised be Jesus Christ"
It is appalling that Abbots, Provincials, Bishops, and Archbishops are indifferent and are also in denial about widespread "Homosexuality" that exists in a number of Monasteries and Friaries in the United States as well as in Europe.
Unless something is done asap, I fear that the Catholic Church will be destroying itself and there will not be a Church to speak of in Europe or parts of North America in the future.
Faith-sharing bump.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.