mercy Tag

HOLY YEAR OF MERCY – POPE FRANCIS’ MESSAGE FOR THE 50TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY • “Communication and Mercy: a fruitful encounter” is the title of Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day 2016 which was presented on 22 January at the Holy See’s Press Office. The message was symbolically signed by the Holy Father on 24 January 2016, on the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists. The 50th World Communications Day will be celebrated on 8 May 2016. It’s a message that brings us joyRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME – HOLY YEAR OF MERCY • On 13 January, Pope Francis presided over the General Audience in Paul VI Hall, beginning a catechetical series on God’s mercy in the Bible and he reflected on the passage from Exodus: “the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” For the Schoenstatt Family, this is an opportunity to reflect on the “coincidence” of the 50th anniversary of Fr. Kentenich’s 13 December 1965, “letter of mercy” and his covenant with God the Father, theRead More
BRAZIL, Gregory Oliveira • The spirit of Christmas once again takes into account the dark streets of Sao Paulo/SP, thanks to Christmas in Solidarity. At dawn on 25 December 2015, Schoenstatt Apostolic Youths from the Jaraguá neighborhood once again transformed the solitude of the night into a smile for those who live alone on the capital’s streets and avenues. Christmas in Solidarity reached the ten-year mark of mission with great celebration. The apostolic initiative began in 2005 with a small group of Youths from Jaraguá going through the city’s streetsRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME, HOLY YEAR OF MERCY • “Don’t you have another question?” He also noticed that the goodbye was near and perhaps he wanted to give me the joy of enjoying this meeting to the last moment, because we knew that it would not happen again for some time. I went to interview him, but in the end it was he who gently took care that I could ask all of my questions…Trying to be creative for my last question, I told him somewhat abruptly: “Yes, Your Holiness. ThereRead More
Editorial Staff  Schoenstatt.org – Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Schoenstatt, Madrid, Cologne, Vienna – Christmas 2015 • ” Only God the Father and his merciful love are important to us. Ultimately he loves us not so much – as we taught at the beginning of our Family’s history – because we have been good, but simply because he is our Father, or because he is able to pour out his merciful love most richly when we joyfully affirm our limitations, our weaknesses and miseries, and become aware that they are theRead More
PARAGUAY, by Maria Fischer • When Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio opened the “Holy Door” of the Original Shrine on 13 December, he showed the two dimensions of mercy: “The first and basic dimension is the mercy of God the Father, ‘…a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness..’ (Exodus 34:6), which is repeatedly given to us, and which we repeatedly experience. The second dimension is our attitude of mercy to everyone, and in particular those who suffer. Two parables of Luke’s Gospel –Read More
From Maria Fischer • “The door is a symbol of Advent: The Lord is coming to us; we want to open the door to him and welcome him.” These were the words of Fr Juan Pablo Catoggio, Chairman of Schoenstatt’s General Presidium, in his sermon on the Third Sunday of Advent. “This year the door is a particularly telling symbol. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has proclaimed an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Last Tuesday, 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, our Holy Father opened the Holy DoorRead More
FRANCIS IN AFRICA, by Maria Fischer • The news about the three deaths in a Bangui parish was mentioned to the Pope. He asked: “Can I go?” Bishop Juan José Aguirre of Bangassou related, “This morning with all the joy occurring in Bangui, with all the overwhelming joy present… yet, just a kilometer and a half from the place where the Pope had lunch with the bishops, three people were killed in the Fatima neighborhood.” “I was with the Pope, and I told him: Your Holiness, this morning three peopleRead More
POPE FRANCIS IN AFRICA, by Sarah-Leah Pimentel • On the last night of Pope Francis’ visit to Africa, he gathered with young people in the Central African Republic (CAR). The cathedral in Bangui became a holy place of mercy. Here, in this forgotten corner of Africa, in a country torn by seemingly endless cycles of conflict and death, Pope Francis opened the door of the cathedral that will be the Holy Door through which everyone is invited to enter in the Year of Mercy. Perhaps it will also be theRead More
POPE FRANCIS IN AFRICA, by Sarah-Leah Pimentel • After meeting the leaders of the Central African Republic (CAR), Pope Francis visited a refugee camp, administered the sacrament of reconciliation to a gathering of young people and celebrated two masses. Thousands came to see Francis despite a security lockdown Despite the fears of security, people turned out in large numbers to meet with Pope Francis. Journal de Bangui described the atmosphere as follows: “Despite the security threats and the fear that is now a part of their daily lives, the CentralRead More