This past weekend was one of the most remarkable of my entire life as I became a Dama, a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Friday at St. Mary Major Basilica, I joined seven women and 37 men who would be received into the Order the following day right before Mass at St. John Lateran. On Friday there was a prayer vigil and the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Word, a reading by all of us, future Ladies and Knights, of promises to the Order and the blessings of our capes and decorations.
Saturday, at St. John Lateran, the actual rite of investiture took place during which we received our decorations, had our capes placed on our shoulders and the women had their veils placed on their head.
Every moment of each day was extraordinary. By the end of Mass Saturday I truly felt like I had just taken religious vows and, in a way, that is what happens when you are received into this Order. The Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of Malta are the only two chivalric Orders under the protection of the Holy See. Women in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre are called “Ladies,” whereas in Malta they are called Dames.
EWTN covered the entire ceremony Saturday and one of my colleagues took some photos afterwards. The Vatican’s photographer from the L’Osservatore Romano was the official photographer for each ceremony but those photos are not yet ready. When they are ready, I will post a few and give a more detailed explanation of both the ceremonies and what my mind and heart felt those days.
Here are a few photos from my CNA colleague:
Today was an important day for the communications offices of the Holy See and a big day for the Number One communicator, Pope Francis!
The Vatican published some nominations over the weekend, two of which are especially important for English-speaking personnel of the Roman Curia: Bishop-elect Paul Tighe and Greg Burke. The third nomination was a promotion of an Italian within the CTV, The Vatican television Center:
Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, was named adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture and elevated to the dignity of bishop. Gregory Burke, currently communications adviser at the Secretariat of State, was appointed deputy director of the Holy See Press Office, effective February 1, 2016. and Stefano D’Agostini, Italy, technical head of the Vatican Television (CTV), as director of the CTV. (Here’s a great story from L’Osservatore Romano about Greg: http://www.news.va/en/news/five-days-to-say-yes).
As for Pope Francis, he delivered a lengthy address this morning during his annual exchange of Christmas wishes with ranking officials of the Roman Curia and then, in the Paul VI Hall, welcomed employees of the Roman Curia and Vatican City, along with family members.
POPE FRANCIS’ AND THE 12 VIRTUES OF CHRISTMAS
Pope Francis greeted the ranking members of the Roman Curia in the Clementine Hall this morning before delivering his annual Christmas remarks and asked them to forgive him for sitting down to speak: “I am not feeling that well, I think I have a touch of the flu,” he said.
In reality, Francis gave no sign of feeling poorly, speaking with feeling and with gestures. And after his talk he went around the room to individually greet the assembled prelates.
Following are some of the highlights of that Christmas talk:
The Pope began by saying, “I am pleased to offer heartfelt good wishes for a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year to you and your co-workers, to the Papal Representatives, and in particular to those who in the past year have completed their service and retired.
He noted that in his 2013 talk, “I wanted to stress two important and inseparable aspects of the work of the Curia: professionalism and service. Last year, as a preparation for the sacrament of Reconciliation, we spoke of certain temptations or “maladies” – the “catalogue of curial diseases” – which could affect any Christian, curia, community, congregation, parish or ecclesial movement.”
Francis said, “Some of these diseases became evident in the course of the past year, causing no small pain to the entire body and harming many soul,” an allusion to the Vatileaks 2 scandal.
The Pope stated, vis-à-vis-the Curia, that, “the reform will move forward with determination, clarity and firm resolve, since Ecclesia semper reformanda.
“Nonetheless,” he went on, “diseases and even scandals cannot obscure the efficiency of the services rendered to the Pope and to the entire Church by the Roman Curia, with great effort, responsibility, commitment and dedication, and this is a real source of consolation.”
“It would be a grave injustice not to express heartfelt gratitude and needed encouragement to all those good and honest men and women in the Curia who work with dedication, devotion, fidelity and professionalism, offering to the Church and the Successor of Peter the assurance of their solidarity and obedience, as well as their constant prayers.”
Pope Francis highlighted the need “to return to the essentials, which means being ever more conscious of ourselves, of God and our neighbours, of the sensus Ecclesiae and the sensus fidei. It is about this return to essentials that I wish to speak today, just a few days after the Church’s inauguration of the pilgrimage of the Holy Year of Mercy.”
The Pope said he wanted “to present a practical aid for fruitfully experiencing this season of grace. It is by no means an exhaustive catalogue of needed virtues for those who serve in the Curia and for all those who would like to make their consecration or service to the Church more fruitful.” Francis said he hoped the following list of 12 virtues would “serve as our guide and beacon.” (I have abbreviated his remarks on each virtue)
1. Missionary and pastoral spirit: missionary spirit is what makes the Curia evidently fertile and fruitful; it is proof of the effectiveness, efficiency and authenticity of our activity.
2. Idoneity and sagacity: idoneity, or suitability, entails personal effort aimed at acquiring the necessary requisites for exercising as best we can our tasks and duties with intelligence and insight. It does not countenance “recommendations” and payoffs. Sagacity is the readiness to grasp and confront situations with shrewdness and creativity.”
3. Spirituality and humanity: spirituality is the backbone of all service in the Church and in the Christian life. It is what nourishes all our activity, sustaining and protecting it from human frailty and daily temptation. Humanity is what embodies the truthfulness of our faith; those who renounce their humanity renounce everything.”
4. Example and fidelity: Blessed Paul VI reminded the Curia of “its calling to set an example.” An example of avoiding scandals which harm souls and impair the credibility of our witness. Fidelity to our consecration, to our vocation, always mindful of the words of Christ, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much;”
5. Rationality and gentleness: rationality helps avoid emotional excesses, while gentleness helps avoid an excess of bureaucracy, programmes and planning. These qualities are necessary for a balanced personality.”
6. Innocuousness and determination: innocuousness makes us cautious in our judgments and capable of refraining from impulsive and hasty actions. It is the ability to bring out the best in ourselves, in others and in all kinds of situations by acting carefully and attentively. … Determination is acting with a resolute will, clear vision, obedience to God and solely for the supreme law of the salus animarum.”
7. Charity and truth: two inseparable virtues of the Christian life, “speaking the truth in charity and practising charity in truth.”
8. Honesty and maturity: honesty is rectitude, consistency and absolute sincerity with regard both to ourselves and to God. … Maturity is the quest to achieve balance and harmony in our physical, mental and spiritual gifts. It is the goal and outcome of a never-ending process of development which has nothing to do with age.”
9. Respectfulness and humility: respectfulness is an endowment of those noble and tactful souls who always try to show genuine respect for others, for their own work, for their superiors and subordinates, for dossiers and papers, for confidentiality and privacy, who can listen carefully and speak politely. Humility is the virtue of the saints and those godly persons who become all the more important as they come to realize that they are nothing, and can do nothing, apart from God’s grace.
10. Diligence and attentiveness: the more we trust in God and His providence, the more we grow in diligence and readiness to give of ourselves, in the knowledge that the more we give the more we receive. ,.. Attentiveness is concern for the little things, for doing our best and never yielding to our vices and failings.”
11. Intrepidness and alertness: being intrepid means fearlessness in the face of troubles, like Daniel in the den of lions, or David before Goliath. … Alertness, on the other hand, is the ability to act freely and easily, without being attached to fleeting material things.”
12. Trustworthiness and sobriety: trustworthy persons are those who honour their commitments with seriousness and responsibility when they are being observed, but above all when they are alone; … Sobriety is prudence, simplicity, straightforwardness, balance and temperance. Sobriety is seeing the world through God’s eyes and from the side of the poor.”.
“And so,” concluded Pope Francis, “may mercy guide our steps, inspire our reforms and enlighten our decisions. May it be the basis of all our efforts. May it teach us when to move forward and when to step back. May it also enable us to understand the littleness of all that we do in God’s greater plan of salvation and his majestic and mysterious working.”
“TAKE CARE OF YOUR MARRIAGE AND YOUR CHILDREN!”
(VIS) – This morning in the Paul VI Hall Pope Francis exchanged Christmas greetings with the employees of the Holy See and Vatican City State, and their families.
Francis thanked all present for their work and for their efforts in doing all things well, even when there is no recognition. He addressed in particular those who have carried out the same type of work for many years, acknowledging that routine is not always easy to accept because “we are not machines … At times we need an incentive, or to change a little. … Thank you! Let us continue to go ahead, in our various workplaces, collaborating with patience and endeavouring to help each other.”
The Holy Father also apologized for the scandals that have taken place in the Vatican. “But I would like my and your attitude, especially in these days, to be that of prayer: praying for those involved so that they may repent and return to a righteous path.”
“There is another thing I wish to say to you, possibly the most important: I encourage you to take care of your marriage and your children. Look after them, do not neglect them. Marriage is like a plant. It is not like a cupboard that you put in a room and perhaps dust every now and then. A plant is living and must be cared for every day. … Marriage is a living reality: the life of a couple must never be taken for granted, in any phase during the progress of a family. Let us remember that the most valuable gift for children … is their parents’ love. And I do not mean only the love of parents for their children, but also the love between parents themselves, that is, the conjugal bond. This is good for you and for your children,”
“Therefore, first and foremost cultivate the plant of marriage, as spouses, and at the same time take care of the relationship with your children; here too, focus on the human relationship rather than material things. Focus on mercy in your daily relations, between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters; and take care of grandparents. The Jubilee must be lived also in the domestic church, not only in major events! The Lord love those who practice mercy in ordinary situations. This is my wish for you: to experience the joy of mercy, starting with your family. Happy Christmas!”
Joan's Rome 