HOW POPE FRANCIS ANNOUNCES NEW COURSES ON CATHOLIC SOCIAL DOCTRINE, CARDINAL GREGORY FEAST OF EPHIPHANY! (1508 hits)
For Immediate Release From Kingdom Cooling Well Water Ministries!
The ‘Centesimus Annus Pro Pontefice' Foundation opens registrations for new in-person and online courses to explore the contribution of the Social Doctrine of the Church to our world’s ongoing transformation and crises.
The courses take place from 20 January to 23 March 2024, both in-person and online, under the academic direction of Monsignor Guy-Réal Thivierge.
The course will be inaugurated at the Casa Bonus Pastor in Rome by the Foundation’s president, Anna Tarantola.
The 2024 High Training Course in Catholic Social Teaching aims to achieve more universal human rights and promote pathways to peace, according to a letter by Msgr. Thivierge, available on the Centesimus Annus Foundation - Pro Pontifice website: https://www.centesimusannus.org/en/courses...
Lessons and target audience
The course calendar details that the learning method proposed comprises three levels: in-depth, inductive, and community wisdom.
These courses, organized for the past several years, are aimed at public and private executives, professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, religious figures, and young students preparing to enter the workforce.
The goal is to teach the principles and practices of the Church's Social Doctrine.
Through them, the Foundation seeks to “foster the growth of a thoughtful and cohesive community that can influence the social and economic realities of the world.”
Course structure
The sessions include seven modules, three in-person and four online, designed as educational journeys focused on integral human development, and social friendship and cooperation.
The on-site meetings in Rome will be held at the Casa Pastor Bonus, while the remote sessions will take place from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (GMT+1).
Each session is structured with specialist lectures in various fields of Catholic Social Doctrine and representatives from the economic, financial, and social spheres.
The format includes open dialogues, discussions, free time for lunch, and group work.
For religious participants, the course is entirely free, while a discount may be applied to young attendees at the discretion of the Foundation (requests should be sent to the General Secretariat).
Themes of the courses
The course topics include an introduction, work methodology, and the foundations of the Church’s Social Doctrine.
The second session will focus on “Culture and Society.” The third is dedicated to “Politics and Democracy.” The fourth will address “Economic and Social Responsibility: New Challenges and Pathways.”
The fifth will explore “Communication and New Technologies.” The sixth will delve into “Artificial Intelligence,” and the seventh will tackle “Social Transformations and Education.”
Cardinal Onaiyekan on Nigeria's Massacres: Insecurity Crisis Raises Serious Questions
In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Nigeria, calls for a concrete response to the insecurity crisis witnessed in the latest Christmastime massacre, warning this coordinated series of attacks raises serious questions, and expresses gratitude to Pope Francis for his drawing attention to the 'horror' plaguing the West African nation.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Cardinal John Onaiyekan is suggesting that latest attacks in Nigeria's Plateau State, which manifested in coordinated massacres over a series of villages during the Christmas holidays, raises serious questions and requires a concrete response.
In an interview with Vatican News, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja expressed this, noting that while the insecurity crisis and killings are "nothing new," that this recent incident causes greater cause for concern as it suggests there may be more organization behind these events.
The Pope drew the world's attention to the horror during his Angelus on 31 December, as he decried that "unfortunately, the celebration of Christmas in Nigeria was marked by serious violence and many victims." Assuring his prayers for them and their families, the Pope prayed: "May God free Nigeria from these atrocities!"
The Cardinal thanked the Holy Father for mentioning the situation openly on Christmas Day in Saint Peter's Square. "We are not proud to have our Nigeria mentioned with these kind of atrocities, but we thank the Holy Father for bringing it to the attention of the international community."
As the UN also said the series of deadly coordinated attacks raised a serious alarm, the Cardinal laments that now "there is no part of Nigeria that is really safe."
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Q: Cardinal Onaiyekan massacres throughout Nigeria's Plateau State between the 23rd and the 26th of December killed some 200 people and wounded some 500 others. In the wake of these deadly coordinated attacks on some 30 villages, that caused more than 200 families to leave their homes and take shelter in camps for displaced people, how would you say these attacks reflect the insecurity crisis in the country?
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. We have been saying this for the past ten years. And the government has been assuring us that they are on top of the situation. Billions, billions of naira have been budgeted every year for security. The whole place
Orthodox Christmas Overshadowed By Russian-Ukraine Missile Clash
Orthodox Christmas has been overshadowed by massive clashes between Ukraine and Russia, with Moscow saying it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia. The violence came at a time of Western concerns that Russia reportedly uses ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine, which in turn seeks to bring the 22-month war beyond its borders. By Stefan J. Bos
Air raid sirens wailed in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea. Traffic was suspended for a second straight day on a bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia’s southern Krasnodar region.
The span is a crucial supply link for Russia’s war effort. There were also reports that a power station in Moscow was hit, leaving parts of the capital without electricity as temperatures plunged to freezing temperature of minus 27 Celsius, more than minus 16 Fahrenheit.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its defenses intercepted 36 drones over Crimea and one over Krasnodar. It is part of an emerging pattern of intensified Ukrainian aerial attacks in recent days following massive strikes by Russia that have overshadowed the New Year and Orthodox Christmas.
Moscow claimed that a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile was also destroyed over the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
Additionally, Russian authorities said the Saky airbase, which is located in Crimea, was attacked, and there were several reports that five senior commanders were killed, but they have not been confirmed.
Nuncio to Ukraine: Light of Jesus Shines Even In War
Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, speaks with Vatican News about celebrating Christmas even as bombs are falling. By Svitlana Dukhovych and Christopher Wells
“Even at Christmas time, the war has not gone away. The war continues,” says Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Holy See’s Apostolic Nuncio, in an interview with Vatican News.
Ukraine is spending its second Christmas under the spectre of war, with the tragic conflict showing no signs of abating almost two years on from the full-scale invasion of the country by Russia.
Russia has stepped up its winter bombardment of urban areas, with Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, coming under massive attack on the second day of the new year. Ukrainian officials said at least five people were killed and scores more wounded in the attacks.
Ukrainians were not spared even on Christmas Day, with Archbishop Kulbokas noting air alerts and bombs falling even during the Christmas liturgies.
“But in this sense,” he adds, “Christmas stands out even more,
Celebrate National Marriage week! All couples, no matter how long they have been married, are invited to attend the Wedding Anniversary Mass to Celebrate the Vocation of Marriage on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 10:00am at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Couples wishing to attend the Wedding Anniversary Mass and/or receive an Anniversary Certificate must call their parish office to register.
Epiphany Sunday celebrates the gift of light to a world covered in darkness. We are called to be a light for others, drawing them to an encounter with Jesus Christ. Let us keep the light of Christ burning within us and shining out on the world! ✨
Cardinal Gregory's Mass for the Solemnity of the Epiphany at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Tune in via livestream on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuGhPhgpYU...
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DID YOU KNOW?
Have you ever heard about the (un)common practice of planting a St. Joseph statue in your yard when trying to sell your house? Read on to learn about the history of this tradition and St. Andre Bessette, whose #FeastDay is today!
St. Andre Bessette, also known as Frere Andre, is a North American saint who had a lifelong devotion to St. Joseph. Born in 1845 near Montreal, Andre suffered illness from his infancy, but willingly bore his cross as he became a farmhand, then a cobbler, a baker, a blacksmith, and a to factory worker, without much success. At age 26, Andre entered the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He was given the job of doorman at Notre Dame College in Montreal, which also included duties of sacristan, launderer, and messenger. His room there faced Mount Royal, where he spent much of his time praying.
For years, the Congregation tried to buy land on Mount Royal, to no avail. Frere Andre suggested that he and his brothers climb the hill and plant medals of St. Joseph. Soon after, the owners of the land granted the brothers a plot, where Andre would build a chapel, which would grow significantly over the next five decades into St. Joseph's Oratory, as it is known today. ⛪️
St. Andre Bessette, the sickly man who worked countless jobs, lived to be 92 years old and is buried at this chapel. Pope Benedict XVI said that Andre "lived the beatitude of the pure of heart." St. Andre Bessette, pray for us!
