CITOC Archive (588)
200th session of Lectio Divina in the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina in Rome.
Written byWith the session that took place on the 9th of March last, Lectio Divina in the Church of Santa Maria in Transpontina reached its 200th edition. Under the guidance of Fr. Bruno Secondin, with the help of a group of collaborators, these sessions of prayerful reading of the Word of God began in the season of Advent in 1996. They have continued ever since with around fourteen sessions every year. Over the years, to guide the different sessions a number of important people have offered their services, among whom, the then Card. Joseph Ratzinger.
The 200th edition was guided by the Prior General, Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. It was based on the text of the Gospel of the 3rd Sunday of Lent, “Zeal for your house has devoured me” (Jn 2,13-25). For further information on these Lectio divina sessions, see its own website, www.lectiodivina.it
In his words of introduction the Prior General expressed his gratitude for this service and for the perseverance of the organisers and participants. He further placed this initiative in the context of other such initiatives that are part of the life of the Order: a sign of the interest that people have in this service is the number of some 9.300,000 visits to the website of the Order www.ocarm.org since Lectio divina became part of what was on offer.
In the Carmelite parish of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, on the 24th of February, the funeral took place of Fr. John Malley, O.Carm. who was Prior General of the Carmelite Order from 1983 to 1995. The Bishop of Tucson, Gerard F. Kicanas presided at the celebration, which was led by the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. The concelebrants included Fr. Falco Thuis, O.Carm. and Fr. Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm., Priors General from 1971 to 1983 and from 1995 to 2007 respectively, as well as Fr. Carl Markelz, Prior Provincial of the Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, Fr. William Harry, O.Carm., Commissary Provincial of the West, and Fr. Vernon Malley, O.Carm. a brother of Fr. John, along with several Carmelite and diocesan priests. The funeral was also attended by many religious from different Carmelite congregations and a large number of students from our highschool (Salpointe Catholic High School).
The General Curia wishes to thank all those many people from all around the world who sent messages of sympathy.
Lent is the penitential season of approximately 40 days set aside by the Church in order for the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. During this holy season, inextricably connected to the Paschal Mystery, the Catechumens prepare for Christian initiation, and current Church members prepare for Easter by a recalling of Baptism and by works of penance, that is, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Even in the early Church, Lent was the season for prayerful and penitential preparation for the feast of Easter. Though the obligation of penance was originally only imposed on those who had committed public sins and crimes, by medieval times all the faithful voluntarily performed acts of penance to repair for their sins.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of lent. In this day, it is the clarion call to “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:15). For the next forty days, the faithful willingly submit to fasting and self-denial in imitation of Our Lord’s forty-day fast in the desert. It is in these dark and still nights, these desert-times, that the soul experiences its greatest growth. There, in the inner arena, the soul battles the world, the flesh and the devil just as Our Lord battled Satan's triple temptation in the desert. His battle was external, for Jesus could not sin; our battle is interior, but with a hope sustained by the knowledge of Christ’s Easter victory over sin and death.
How to practice Lent
We should view the season of Lent as an opportunity to reflect on the significance of Christ’s death, examine our hearts, and confess our sins. It can be a time of spiritual cleansing and renewal. It is not a “law” that we must follow, and there is a great variety of practices that we can try out. Based on the historic practice of Lent, try doing something in each of these three categories:
- Fasting
Give up something for God. Fasting is not a means to “earn” something from God, but rather a way to learn to curb your appetites and focus more completely on God. In practice, Fasting means having only one full meatless meal to maintain one's strength. Two smaller, meatless and penitential meals are permitted according to one's needs, but they should not together equal the one full meal. Eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. Catholics from age 18 through age 59 are bound to fast. Again, invalids, pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt. - Prayer and Meditation
Read over the Gospel accounts of Christ’s arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Reflect on His suffering, and the tremendous love that it represents. Reflect on your own sin and what it cost Him. Take out some time for prayers of confession and repentance. Do some spiritual “house cleaning.” - Giving to the poor
Use the money that you save by not eating to help the poor. Consider doing some volunteer work. How can you show the love of Christ to others?
by Jennifer Gregory Miller, Kenneth P. Carlson and Margaret Gregory
On the 10th of February last, a ceremony to honour Fr. Bartolomé Xiberta was held at our house in Tarrasa (Barcelona, Spain) the city where he died in 1967. At the ceremony there was a presentation of the book written by the priest Josep Maria Manresa Lamarca, titled, The Ecclesiology of Fr. B. Xiberta (1897-1967), recently published by the Institutum Carmelitanum in Edizioni Carmelitane (Rome).
Along with the author, those who attended the ceremony included, Don Salvador Cristau, Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese of Tarrasa, (a message of support and affection was received from the Bishop of Tarassa, Don José Ángel Meneses, whom illness prevented from being present), the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., the Postulator General, Fr. Giovanni Grosso, O.Carm., the Prior Provincial of the Province of Catalonia, Fr. Manuel Bonilla, O.Carm., and Don Salvador Pie Ninot, professor of Ecclisiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University who directed the thesis that has just been published. Each of the speakers spoke about the figure of Bartolomé Xiberta from a particular point of view: the theologian, the Carmelite, the sage and the religious. As people are aware, Fr. Xiberta’s cause for beatification is underway.
On February 6, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. a 6.9 Magnitude earthquake hit the Negros - Cebu regions of the Philippines. Our parish has been badly affected with the loss of 23 lives, including many children and babies, over 40 houses were totally destroyed and another 12 very badly damaged.
The Carmelite parish priest has asked for our help and the Curia has sent $10,000 immediately in emergency aid, thanks to the generosity of the Little Flower Fund. Please help! You can contact the Bursar General in Rome who will send money directly to the Philippines and ensure all of it reaches the parish and the people.
The Second Meeting of the Prioresses and Novice Directors of the Monasteries of the Antilles
Written byFrom the 9th to the 12th of January, 2012, the Prioresses and Directors of Novices of the six monasteries of Nuns in the Antilles, (Porto Rico and the Dominican Republic), came together in the Monastery of Maria Madre de la Iglesia, La Vega, in the Dominican Republic, for the Second Meeting of the Prioresses and Directors of Novices, coordinated by Fr. Rogelio Mur, O.Carm., Delegate for the Nuns of the area.
The main purpose of this meeting, involving the representatives of the different communities, was to study and discuss the ways in which the Ratio Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae Monialium, is being applied since its publication in 2007. There is a proposal to hold this kind of meeting every two years with a view to increasing mutual assistance in the different areas of interest that are shared by the monasteries of the Antilles.
During the Assembly of the Provincial Commissariat of Bolivia (Mel) held on 24-27 January 2012 were elected:
- Commissary Provincial: Fr. Garvin Grech, O.Carm.
- First Councilor: Fr. Albert Brincat, O.Carm.
- Second Councilor: Fr. Milton Murillo Ortiz, O.Carm.
Bishop Filippo Iannone, O.Carm. nominated to senior position Vicegerent in the Diocese of Rome
Written byThe Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has today nominated to one of the most senior positions in the Diocese of Rome, Italy, His Excellency Bishop Filippo Iannone, O.Carm. (Brun), who up until now has been Bishop of the Diocese of Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo since the 19th June 2009. Together with this office, the Pope has conferred on him the title of Archbishop.
Rome is the Pope’s Diocese to which he nominates the Cardinal Vicar and the “Vicegerente”. Together with the assistant bishops they are responsible for the normal pastoral running of the Diocese.
To Monsignor Filippo Iannone we offer most cordial good wishes from the whole Carmelite Family.
During the Assembly of the Provincial Commissariat of Peru (PCM) held on 17-20 January 2012 were elected:
- Commissary Provincial: Fr. Enrique Laguna Vargas, O.Carm.
- First Councilor: Fr. Eduardo Rivero Cárdenas, O.Carm.
- Second Councilor: Fr. Gerald Payea, O.Carm.
Pope Benedict XVI begins Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Written bySpeaking to the thousands of pilgrims present in the Paul VI Audience Hall on Wednesday for his weekly General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI said the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites all the Lord’s followers to implore the gift of unity. This year’s theme – We Will All Be Changed By The Victory Of Our Lord Jesus Christ – was chosen by representatives of the Catholic Church and the Polish Ecumenical Council. The Holy Father said, “Poland’s experience of oppression and persecution prompts a deeper reflection on the meaning of Christ’s victory over sin and death, a victory in which we share through faith.”
By his teaching, his example and his paschal mystery, the Lord has shown us the way to a victory obtained not by power, but by love and concern for those in need. Faith in Christ and interior conversion, both individual and communal, must constantly accompany our prayer for Christian unity.
Pope Benedict also focused on the need for all Christians to ask God for an increase of faith:
During this Week of Prayer, let us ask the Lord in a particular way to strengthen the faith of all Christians, to change our hearts and to enable us to bear united witness to the Gospel. In this way we will contribute to the new evangelization and respond ever more fully to the spiritual hunger of the men and women of our time.
Pope Benedict had greetings, as well, for pilgrims in many languages, including English, in which he bade especial welcome to a pair of groups: one, an ecumenical delegation from Finland that traditionally makes the pilgrimage to Rome during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; the other, a group of men and women in the Naval Service and Marine Corps of the United States:
I offer a cordial welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience. My special greeting goes to the Lutheran pilgrims from Finland. I also greet the group of sailors and marines from the United States. Upon all of you and your families I cordially invoke God’s abundant blessings!
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been celebrated for more than a century: each year from the 18th to the 25th of January. A Catholic convert, Paul Wattson, proposed the dates in 1908, because they coincide with the traditional feast of the Chair of St. Peter and feast of the conversion of St. Paul. Listen to our report: 
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Theme for 2012
We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ
(cf. 1 Cor 15:51-58)
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The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Onteniente, Spain, was held 11 December 2011. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. M. Magdalena Pla Tortosa, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Margarita Medina Armas, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. M. Jesús Barahona Berzal, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. M. Magdalena Pla Tortosa, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. M. Lourdes Font Font, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. M. Margarita Medina Armas, O.Carm.
At a recent meeting of the General Finance Commission of the Order, it was decided to hold the Triennial Meeting of Bursars at “Il Carmelo”, Sassone from 15 to 20 October 2012. Arrivals will be on 15 and departures on 20 October, with the working sessions from 16 to 19. There will be a mixture of plenary sessions, including an address by the Prior General and reports from the General Councillors, as well as regional meetings. This meeting is intended for friars and lay people who work as:
• Provincial, general commissariat and general delegation bursars
• Assistant provincial bursars
• Finance directors/business managers
• Provincial commissariat bursars
• Bursars from mission areas not yet constituted as delegations or commissariats
• Members of the General Finance Commission
A formal letter of invitation will be going out to the above early in 2012.
Promulgated the Decree of the Congregation for Causes of Saints concerning the nine Martyrs of the Castilian Province
Written byOn 19th December 2011, the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During the course of the audience the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the Decree concerning the Servants of God Alberto Maria Marco Aleman O.Carm. and eight friars of our Order; all killed by those who violently opposed their faith in the territory of the archdioceses of Madrid (Spain) between 1936 and 1937.
This group is to be added to those of the Province of Betica, Servants of God Carmelo M. Moyano and companions. Soon the date of the beatification of these two groups of martyrs will be decided with the authorities concerned. The Postulator General is still working on the process of the group of presumed martyrs of the Arago-Valentina Province.
