Pentecost Vigils

All night Pentecost vigils are being held throughout the country. The vigils at St. Lucia's Cathedral, Colombo 13, St. Sebastian's Church, Moratuwa, St. Lawrence's, Wellawatee etc are expected to draw large crowds.

As reported earlier, the Tamil stream of the CCR is having its vigil at Fatima Church, Maradana, Colombo 10. The special feature will be the message by South Indian Catholic Evangelist Bro. Evans, the former director of Divine Retreat Centre, Chalakudy, Kerala.

Pentecost wishes

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Tamil Stream, Colombo wishes all its friends, benefactors, sister communities and all men of goodwill, the Grace of God during this Penectost Season. May the Lord bless, guide and use as an instrument to renew His Church and serve mankind without any discrimination of race, relgion etc. May the Lord bless our country, Sri Lanka, with peace and goodwill amongst all its people.

Pentecost Celebrations in the Up Country Sri Lanka

Programs scheduled for the Pentecost Week

10th Saturday - 7.30 pm. to 5 a.m. on Sunday with Holy Mass, Full Night Vigil at Fatima Church, Maradana, Colombo 10.(arrangements are made for those coming from distance to relax a few hours before and after the vigil

In the Up Country

Nawalapitiya - Queensbury Estate at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday the 11th - Contact Fr. Timothy at St. Mary's Nawalapitiya Phone 054 2222360

Katugastota, Sacred Heart Church, Monday the 12th at 5.30 p.m.

Hantane estate on Tuesday 13th at 5.30 p.m.

Contact Fr. Christie at St. Anthony's Cathedral Kandy.081 2223382 or 0718308177

PENTECOST 2008

PEACE IN LANKA

"NOT BY POWER OR MIGHT: BUT BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD!"

The Pentecost Night vigil organised by the Colombo group of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is to be held at the Fatima Church, Maradana, Colombo 10.

It will start at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday the 10th May and conclude with Holy Mass at 5 a.m.

All are invited

A three day preparatory Good News meetings are being held currently (7th to 9th) at St. Anthony's Boys Maha Vidyalayam, Kochchikade, Colombo 13, daily at 6.00 pm.

A special feature will be the message by Brother Evans from Good News Centre, Vadakkankulam, Tuticorin Diocese, Tamilnadu.

A large number of people from every walk of life thronged at the first two days of the meetings held so far.

First Catholic studies centre in British university

London (PTI): The first centre for Catholic studies in a secular British university is being set up at Durham University in north England in collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church.

The centre will include the UK's first endowed chair of Catholic theology at a non-religious institution.

Funding for the centre and the Bede chair of Catholic theology has been raised through donations from the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, spearheaded by the late Right Rev Kevin Dunn, two religious orders and the Ballinger Trust.

For its part, the university will fund a lectureship in Catholic studies to support the centre and will contribute 10,000 pounds over three years as "seed money" for the project.

The university hopes to become a world-class centre for Catholic theology and is looking for a "leading Roman Catholic scholar" to become the first holder of the Bede chair.

University officials said that expressions of interest have already been received from around the world and the university hopes to make an appointment by September.

The director of the centre, Dr Paul Murray, said the centre would provide "the space" for Catholicism to be rigorously examined in a public setting, something that is important for all religions.

"It is for the good of all when religious traditions are brought into serious focus alongside each other and in dialogue with all the scholarly resources and diverse disciplinary expertise that the public university affords," he said.

"One of [the Catholic church's] weaknesses is providing the space where the whole body can think through with honesty what it means to live the Catholic tradition with creativity and integrity in the contemporary world."

Pope to meet with Muslims at seminar in November

March 5th, 2008

POPE MEETS MUSLIM SCHOLARS IN NOVEMBER

ROME (CNN) — Pope Benedict XVI plans to meet with Muslim scholars and religious leaders this autumn at a Catholic-Muslim seminar in Rome, the Vatican said Wednesday.

Two dozen scholars and leaders will be meeting Nov. 4 to 6. The pope — who will be receiving the seminar participants — is scheduled to meet with Muslim scholars on the last day of the conference.

The announcement came after prominent Muslims and Catholics held talks at the Vatican this week in which they agreed to establish a Catholic-Muslim forum and to organize the November seminar.

“The theme of the seminar will be ‘Love of God, Love of Neighbor,’” the Vatican said in a news release.

INDIANS REJOICE AT THE CANONIZATION OF SR. ALPHONSA

BLESSED ALPHONSA TO BE CANONIZED IN OCTOBER

Blessed Alponsa was born on 19th August 1910 as the fourth child of Joseph and Mary Muttathupadath, in the parish of Kudamaloor in the state of Kerala. She was baptized on the 27th August. Her baptismal name was Anna and her pet name Annakutty. Her mother passed away three moths after her birth.

Annakutty started her schooling at Arpookara and left for Muttuchira Govt. School for pursuing her studies from the fourth class onwards under the immediate supervision of her maternal aunt Annamma Muricken. The aunt brought her up extremely affectionately, but equally strictly also. Her one ambition was that the child should be brought up as a respectable housewife for a deserving bridegroom. Annakutty had a vision of St. Theresa of Liseux whose life in spired her to become a religious. She therefore did not yield to any marriage proposal. Finally when she was almost compelled to be betrothed at to the church, she extricated herself from it by voluntary burning her foot placing it an ash pit of burning husks. Against such determine resistance the aunt succumbed to her desire and permitted her to join a convent .

Annakutty joined Clarist convent at Bharananganam in 1927 on the feast of Pentecost. She recived the veil postulant on second August 1928 with the name Alphonsa. Her vestition was on 19th May 1930. Later she joined the St. Theresa’s School Chenganacherry for higher studies, on completing which she engaged in teaching for a period of one year at Vakakkad. Sr. Alphonsa entered the novitiate on 12th August 1935. During this period, she had a sever attack of hemorrhage and it was feared that she would have to be sent back. But on the ninth day of novena held by her and the community seeking intercession of Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavera, she was miraculously cured her. She completed the novitiate and made the solemn profession of her religious vows on 12th August 1936.

Sr. Alphonsa continued to have her repeated spells of sickness and pain. She was on a bed of thrones torn and tortured by excruciating pain and prolonged agony. Here was an rejoiced in the lord and magnified Him. She was longing to suffer even more for her own sanctification and that of the world.

She constantly advised her companions and novices to accept suffering cheerfully citing the biblical references to the grain of wheat which has to fall down and decay for raising new sprouts; it has to be ground in order to be turned into hosts for transformation as the body of Our Lord. She also reminded them of the grapes which have to be crushed for yielding wine to become the blood of the Lord.
Her death(28th July 1946) was unnoticed by the public. The funeral was simple and thinly attended. But soon the school children , who loved her received favors through her intercession. Her tomb at Bharananganam turned into a great centre of pilgrimage attracting people from far and near.

H.E. Cardinal Tisserant inaugurated the diocesan process for her beatification on 2nd December 1953. The Long diocesan and subsequent apostolic processes bore fruit when on 9th November 1984 the Holy Father officially declared that she had practiced the Christian virtues heroically. A miracle wrought through her intercession was also formally approved by the Pope on 6th July 1985.

Providence has been pleased to bestow on this generation the grace to see a daughter of the soil, a seed of the ancient Christian community of Kerala and India, beatified (8th February 1986) in her homeland by the Supreme Pontiff during his visit to this chosen land.

The formal announcement on the elevation of the Blessed Alphonsa of Bharananganam to full sainthood on October 12, 2008 has been hailed as a defining moment for not only the Christian community in Kerala but throughout the region of South Asia.

According to the authorities of the St. Mary’s Church at Bharananganam, where the mortal remains of Blessed Alphonsa have been interred, the announcement was made in Rome after a conclave of the consistory consisting of Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinals and Bishops. The announcement came at 3 p.m. IST and the thousands of believers who had thronged the Alphonsa Chapel at the campus of the Forane Church at Bharananga- nam received it with prayers and a pyrotechnic display. The day at the chapel began early, with priests holding the Holy Mass throu ghout the day. Nearly 40 km away, at Kudamaloor, pilgri- ms queued up at the ancestral house of the Alphonsa.

Once declared saint, Sr. Alphonsa will be the second saint from India after St. Gonsalo Garcia. The diocesan process for the beatification of Sr. Alphonsa began on December 2, 1953.