from the desk of Fr. Paul…

Sunday, May 15, 2011

from the desk of Fr. Paul…

Many of you know that I am celebrating my Golden Anniversary as a Capuchin this year. A few weeks ago, the Diocese celebrated all the Priest and Religious who have a jubilee this year (25, 50 and 60 years either as a Priest or Religious). There were 16 of us honored with a beautiful Mass and luncheon for our service to God and the Diocese. For me, the actual anniversary date is September 1, the day in 1961 that I entered the Capuchin Order.

The reason I have not said anything is that I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Yes, it is a great milestone in my life, but after 50 years, I should be a saint, but I am far from it. I am thankful to God for the gift of my vocation and can honestly say that the years have passed very quickly. It is hard to believe that I have been in the Order that long. This however, is a good lesson – life is short. When looking ahead, it might seem a long time, but looking back, it seems very short. I thank the Lord or these fifty years; they have been filled with growth in my relationship with God and my appreciation of His powerful presence. He has chosen me to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis as a Capuchin and I wouldn’t trade these fifty years for any other lifestyle or vocation. They have been beautiful years.

Thank you, everyone, for all your well wishes, for the many kind words that were written or said to me and for all your many gifts bestowed upon me. There is just one thing, however, that I must clear up. Some of your have been congratulating me for being a Priest for 50 years. On November 8th, I will have been a Priest for 42 years (not 50), but on September 1st, I will have been a Capuchin for 50 years.

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The Catholic Church traces its foundation to Jesus and the twelve Apostles. It sees the bishops of the Church as the successors of the apostles and the pope (the bishop of Rome), in particular, as the successor of Peter, the leader of the apostles.

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world's population. The Catholic Church is a communion of the Western Rite (Latin Rite) and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called particular churches), comprising 2,795 dioceses in 2008.

The Church's highest earthly authority in matters of faith, morality and Church governance is the Pope,currently Pope Benedict XVI, who holds supreme authority in the Church in concert with the College of Bishops, of which he is the head. The Catholic community is made up of an ordained ministry and the laity; members of either group may belong to organized religious communities.

The Church defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. It operates social programs and institutions throughout the world, including schools, universities, hospitals, missions and shelters, as well as organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Charities that help the poor, families, the elderly and the sick.

Through apostolic succession, the Church believes itself to be the continuation of the Christian community founded by Jesus in his consecration of Saint Peter, a view shared by some historians. It has defined its doctrines through various ecumenical councils, following the example set by the first Apostles in the Council of Jerusalem. On the basis of promises made by Jesus to his apostles, described in the Gospels, the Church believes that it is guided by the Holy Spirit and so protected from falling into doctrinal error.

Catholic beliefs are based on the Bible and on Traditions handed down from the time of the Apostles, which are interpreted by a teaching authority. Those beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed and formally detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.Formal Catholic worship, termed the liturgy, is regulated by Church authority. The Eucharist, one of seven Church sacraments and the key part of every Catholic Mass or Eastern Catholic Divine Liturgy, is the center of Catholic worship.

With a history spanning almost two thousand years, the Church is one of the world's oldest institutions and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilization since at least the 4th century. In the 11th century, a major split (the Great Schism) occurred between Eastern and Western Christianity, largely as a result of disagreements over papal primacy. The Eastern Orthodox churches became a separate entity from the Catholic Church in the resulting schism. Eastern Churches who remained in or later re-established communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, form the Eastern Catholic churches. In the 16th century, partly in response to the Protestant schism, the Church engaged in a substantial process of reform and renewal, known as the Counter-Reformation.

Although the Church maintains that it is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" founded by Jesus Christ where one can find the fullness of the means of salvation, it also acknowledges that the Holy Spirit can make use of other Christian communities to bring people to salvation. It believes that it is called by the Holy Spirit to work for unity among all Christians, a movement known as ecumenism.Modern challenges facing the Church include the rise of secularism and opposition to its stances on abortion, euthanasia, and contraception.

Welcome to Resurrection of the Lord - E Komo Mai

Sunday, May 15, 2011