World Religions News

Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz (left) during a meeting in Portugal on Oct. 9, 2023. / Credit: Opus Dei/Flickr

Lima Newsroom, Sep 12, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, renewed his request for prayer for the new statutes of “the Work,” as its members call this institution of the Catholic Church, and encouraged them to share “the fire of the Lord” with others.

“As I have already told you, in the upcoming days there will be a new meeting of the experts who are studying the possible changes to the statutes of the Work. Let us continue to accompany this work with our prayer,” Ocáriz said in a message shared Sept. 11 on the organization’s website.

In July 2022, Pope Francis ordered a reform of Opus Dei, which has as its center the drafting of new statutes, a work the prelature is carrying out in coordination with the Vatican in a climate of dialogue and trust, as previously noted by Ocáriz.

‘Bringing the fire of the Lord to all souls’

In today’s text, Opus Dei’s leader offers a reflection on one of the seven words that Jesus spoke when he was on the cross — “I thirst” (Jn 19:28) — in anticipation of the Sept. 14 feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Ocáriz posed some questions: “Do I have that same thirst? Do I share in the fire that burns in his heart? Am I consumed by zeal for souls wherever I am? Do I fearlessly strive to enkindle the people I meet, through my prayer and atonement, through my sincere friendship?”

“We can remember, with St. Josemaría, that our mission is to bring to all souls — in the midst of the world — the fire of the Lord that we harbor in our hearts,” the text continued, recalling what the founder of Opus Dei said at the beginning of his well-known book “The Way.” 

“To shine forth, wipe out, set aflame. Phrases that will become an ever-increasing reality in our lives to the extent that we contemplate the wounded heart of Jesus and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are set aflame by that same fire,” Ocáriz continued, exhorting members to illuminate “intellects with clear doctrine, to erase the filth of sin with our own expiation, to enkindle hearts with love.”

“The holy cross speaks to all of us. Let us not be afraid of love, of giving life in abundance, even if it seems that we are losing our lives, because that is not the case. Let us not be afraid to make Christ known through our lives, whom so many souls are seeking thirstily, often without knowing it,” the prelate counseled.

After encouraging Opus Dei members to walk alongside the Virgin Mary, the prelate of Opus Dei finally encouraged his readers that the experience of suffering “may enkindle in us ever more strongly the light of faith, the assurance of hope, and the fire of charity, and along with them, joy. Yes, also joy in the cross.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition cover the altar, just dedicated by the cardinal. The covering of the altar signifies that it is both the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Lord’s table. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Sep 12, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

On Aug. 31, exactly 100 years after its dedication, the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant was reopened for worship on the hill of Kiryat Yearim, nine miles from Jerusalem. 

The church, which was closed for four years for restoration work, stands atop the hill overlooking the (Muslim) village of Abu Gosh. From the top, visitors can see Jerusalem.

The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” has held an important role in the history of the Jewish people as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested after being recovered from the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 6). 

The ark contained the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments — God’s covenant with the Jewish people — were inscribed and was the sign of God’s presence among his people.

According to the Bible, it was hosted in the house of Abinadab, where it remained for about 20 years (see 1 Samuel 7:1-2) until King David brought it to Jerusalem.

For this reason, even today, the site is visited by many groups of Jews.

A Byzantine basilica was built on the top hill around the fifth century. The current church, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1920, stands on the remains of that building. It was consecrated in 1924 by the then-Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Luigi Barlassina, and dedicated to Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, recently came to the basilica to dedicate its new altar on the occasion of the reopening of the church. 

“This reopening is a moment of trust in the future, a desire to start anew, and this is what we need most at this time, when everything around us speaks of death and endings,” he told CNA after the celebration on Aug. 31.

“Climbing this mountain, blessed by the presence of the Lord,” he added, “invites us to have a broad and farsighted perspective on events and not to close ourselves off in the dramatic present moment.”

Hosting the event were the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, a French congregation founded in 1832 by Mother Emilie De Vialar, which owns and operates the church and surrounding property.

The complete details of how the land came to be acquired by the sisters are lost to history, but it centers on one of the order’s sisters who died in 1927. Sister Josephine Rumèbe, who is buried in the church, was reportedly endowed with special mystical gifts and managed to acquire the land on behalf of the sisters. The story goes that she had 5,000 francs at her disposal and sought the help of a clergyman for the purchase. To prevent a competing buyer from acquiring it, the cleric secured the entire hill for 20,372 francs. Miraculously, when Sister Josephine counted the gold coins hidden in her room, the amount matched exactly what she needed.

The dedication of the new altar in the basilica took place after the recitation of the creed and chanting of the litanies. The cardinal placed relics in the altar, including that of Mother Emilie De Vialar, who was canonized a saint in 1951. This was followed by the anointing of the altar with chrism oil, the incensing of the altar, the covering of the altar, and the lighting of the altar.

“The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said the cardinal in his homily, inviting the faithful, following the example of the Virgin Mary, to renew their trust in God as the Lord of history and active within history.

Upon entering the church — whose iconographic elements were created by artists from the Ave Center of the Focolare Movement — the eye is drawn to the golden flame emanating from the center of the apse.

A special decoration that, on one hand, evokes the biblical significance of fire, symbolizing the presence of God, and on the other, is connected to the history of this place and particularly to Sister Josephine’s vision of a “mountain of fire,” holds significance here.

When she was still a young postulant in France, during Eucharistic adoration, Sister Josephine had a vision of flames forming a mountain with Jesus above them instead of the host. The vision then vanished, and only 50 years later, at the time of laying the foundation stone of the church, it was revealed to her that the “mountain of fire” was indeed Kiryat Yearim, which she used to call “the Holy Mountain.”

Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation for the Holy Land, immediately felt a strong connection to this place. She recounted to CNA: “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will.”

On the centenary of the church’s dedication, Sister Valentina also emphasized the significance of this place for her congregation, whose charism is to serve the needs of people through works of charity. 

“What is charity work? What people need today is not just health care or education; there is a hunger and thirst for God. We must be able to recognize this need, helping those who come here to listen to his voice. We need places where people can pause and rest with God,” she said.

When the construction of the church was nearly complete, Sister Josephine had a vision of the Virgin Mary, at the top of the church, facing Jerusalem with outstretched arms in a gesture of dispensing grace. A statue now stands above the church to recall that vision, facing away from those entering and directed toward Jerusalem. 

“This place, which evokes the covenant, invites us to realign ourselves with God and to be under this blessing,” Sister Valentina concluded.

This is also the meaning of the words she addressed to those present — the vast majority of local faithful from Jerusalem as well as from Galilee — at the end of the Mass.

“Sister Josephine had already seen you in various visions: ‘I saw a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.’”

She continued: “And what if we are that vision? What if we are that future? Of course, we are! From now on, you will be the ones to bring life to this hill, to this covenant between God and his people. Come, rush, stay, feel at home. There is not only a newly renovated church to see but a Presence to discover: Take the time to dwell with the Lord. What could be more beautiful... Many graces await to be dispensed from here!”

From left: Our Lady of Fatima; Our Lady of Lourdes; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Our Lady of the Rosary; Our Lady of Sorrows; Our Lady, Undoer of Knots; and Our Lady of Peace. / Credit: Ricardoperna via Canva Teams; rparys via Canva Teams; Bluebird13 via Canva Teams; Sidney de Almeida via Canva Teams; Zarateman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner (1625-1705), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; and Gerald Farinas at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Sept. 12, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast was officially instituted by Pope Innocent XI, and the celebration dates back to the early 1500s when Catholics in Spain began commemorating Mary’s special graces, intercession, and mediation.

Over the centuries, the Blessed Mother has been graced with a plethora of different titles such as Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Queen of Peace, and many others. 

Here are seven of the Virgin Mary’s most popular titles:

Our Lady of Fátima

The Blessed Mother received this title when she appeared to three shepherd children in the small village of Fátima, Portugal, in 1917. Against the backdrop of World War I, the Virgin Mary appeared six times to Lucia Dos Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto where she instructed them to pray the rosary daily, showed them a vision of hell, and warned them of the trials that would afflict the world by means of war, starvation, and the persecution of the Church. In her last apparition to the children, she called herself “the Lady of the Rosary.”

Our Lady of Lourdes

On a cold day in February 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 13-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France. Over the course of 18 apparitions, the Blessed Mother told the young girl to pray the rosary, to pray for the conversion of sinners, and that a chapel needed to be built on that spot. This spot continues to be the home of the healing waters millions of pilgrims visit each year at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The most popular Marian title in Latin American countries, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to a humble Native American, Juan Diego, on a hill in what is now Mexico City in 1531. She made a request that a church be built on the site and left an image on Juan Diego’s tilma that still shows no signs of decay almost 500 years later. Between 18 million to 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe yearly.0

Our Lady of the Rosary

The Blessed Virgin Mary received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary in the 16th century from Pope Pius V after he attributed a naval victory that secured Europe against Turkish invasion to the intercession of the Blessed Mother. Crew members on more than 200 ships prayed the rosary in preparation for the battle, as did Christians throughout Europe, who were encouraged by the pope. When the pope was informed of the day’s events — that all but 13 of the nearly 300 Turkish ships had been captured or sunk — he understood the significance. He was moved to institute the feast now celebrated universally as Our Lady of the Rosary.

Our Lady of Sorrows

The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is nearly 1,000 years old and encourages the faithful to reflect on the seven sorrows of Mary, which begin with St. Simeon’s prophecy told to the Blessed Mother and culminate in the events of the passion and death of Christ. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots

One of the many devotions Pope Francis has promoted during his pontificate is the devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. A painting of the Blessed Mother, which was completed around the year 1700, shows her untying knots from a long ribbon. The image was inspired by the painter’s grandparents, who years before avoided a divorce after meeting with their priest, who took a ribbon from the marriage ritual and asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to untie the knots of their marital difficulties. 

Queen of Peace

The title of Queen of Peace, or Our Lady of Peace, dates back to the 16th century when Jean de Joyeuse presented a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to his bride, Françoise e Voisins, on their wedding day. The statue, named Notre Dame de Paix, or Our Lady of Peace, depicted Mary holding an olive branch in her right hand and the Prince of Peace, Jesus, seated in her left arm. The statue became a family heirloom and was passed down to their grandson, Henri Joyeuse, who joined the Capuchins in Paris. The statue remained with the Capuchins for the next 200 years and on July 9, 1906, in the name of St. Pius X, the archbishop of Paris ceremonially crowned the Our Lady of Peace statue, thus becoming Our Lady, Queen of Peace.

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