December 21, 2006 — Vol. 5, No. 11

Pope Benedict XVI recently extolled the meaning and value of cloistered life in his midday Angelus talk that addressed "Pro Orantibus" Day. Read more below.

Read this on the IRL website.

CONTENTS:

• Bishop Thomas G. Doran, IRL President, Undergoes Surgery for Lung Cancer
• Pope Hails the Life of Cloistered Religious
• Chinese Nuns Reach Settlement with Attackers over Land Dispute
• Pope Asks Jesuits to Continue Making Gregorian University a Priority
• Vatican Carmelite Latinist Starts Gratis Academy
• Brotherhood of Hope Goin’ Deep with Release of Second Music CD
• Brother Glodek Reappointed Head of Marianists' U.S. Province
• Night at Movies Can Be Opportunity to Enrich One's Faith, Says Daughters of St. Paul Member
• Contemplative Good Shepherd Sisters Celebrate 175 Years of Prayer
• Tradition of Mary's House in Turkey Stems from Nun's Vision
• Trappists at Mepkin Abbey Elect Father Gumula as New Abbot
• Polish Archbishop Tells Dissident Nuns to Leave Convent
• New CD Provides Helpful Background on Liturgy of the Hours

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Bishop Thomas G. Doran, IRL President, Undergoes Surgery for Lung Cancer

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic removed approximately one-fourth of Bishop Thomas G. Doran’s left lung during a four-hour surgery Thursday, Dec. 14. Two spots, one in each of the bishop’s lungs, were discovered during his annual routine physical exam earlier this month. Doctors notified the bishop of the discovery and asked him to return to the clinic for additional testing on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Those tests revealed a benign condition in the right lung but suggested a malignancy in a tumor located in the left lung.

The surgery to remove the top portion of Bishop Doran’s left lung verified that the tumor was adenocarcinoma, one of the more common types of lung cancer. During the procedure, doctors performed a “visual and manual” examination of the surrounding tissue and the lymph nodes to check for any spread of the cancer. All indications were that the cancer had not metastasized to any other area.

His Excellency was scheduled to stay at the hospital at least five to seven days. Upon his release Bishop Doran will be transported back to Rockford where he will complete his recuperation. When he will be able to resume his regular schedule is yet to be determined.

Bishop Doran is the eighth bishop of the Rockford Diocese which includes 11 counties in Northern Illinois, serving about 450,000 Catholics. He was appointed Bishop of Rockford April 19, 1994, and was ordained and installed as bishop June 24, 1994. Since 1998 he has served as President of the Institute on Religious Life.

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Pope Hails the Life of Cloistered Religious and Says Their Communities Are "Green Lungs" for Society

Cloistered monasteries are like the "green lungs" of a city -- beneficial for all, including those who don't even know those religious houses exist, says Benedict XVI. Before reciting the midday Angelus on Nov. 19 with several thousand people gathered today in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled that on Nov. 21 the Church would celebrate "Pro Orantibus" Day, dedicated to recalling the religious communities of contemplative life.

"Some wonder about the meaning and value of their presence in our time, in which many urgent situations of poverty and need must be addressed," the Holy Father acknowledged in his address delivered from the window of his study.

"Why 'shut oneself' forever behind the walls of a monastery and deprive others of the contribution of one's talents and experiences?" he asked. "What efficacy can prayer have to resolve the numerous concrete problems that continue to afflict humanity?"

Benedict XVI responded: "These brothers and sisters silently witness that in the midst of daily vicissitudes, at times extremely convulsive, God is the only support that never falters, unbreakable rock of fidelity and love. …

"Given the widespread need that many experience to leave the daily routine of the great urban agglomerations in search of appropriate spaces for silence and meditation, monasteries of contemplative life appear as 'oases' in which man, a pilgrim on earth, can go to the sources of the Spirit and slake his thirst along the way."

These places, "apparently useless, are, on the contrary, indispensable, like the green 'lungs' of a city," the Pope contended. "They are beneficial for all, including for those who do not visit them or perhaps do not know that they exist."

After thanking God "for the gift of so many persons who, in monasteries and hermitages, are totally dedicated to God in prayer, silence and hiddenness," the Pontiff encouraged his listeners to offer these religious "spiritual and also material support so that they will be able to fulfill their mission of keeping alive in the Church the ardent expectation of Christ's return."

See the IRL's website devoted to cloistered life at www.cloisteredlife.com.

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Chinese Nuns Reach Settlement with Attackers Over Land Dispute

The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Xi'an, China, have reached a settlement with men who had attacked the nuns over a land dispute. Sister Maria Yang Conghui, superior general of the convent in the Xi'an Diocese, said Nov. 7 that the settlement was reached Oct. 27 between the order and the nine defendants, including the owner of the security company involved in the incident. Sister Maria spoke to UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. She said the nuns had sought $63,000 in compensation for medical expenses but settled for $44,000. Bishop Anthony Dang Mingyan of Xi'an said Nov. 6 that the case's legal process was fair, and the diocese will not pursue the case. The nuns said in an Oct. 30 statement the defendants "realized they caused severe physical and psychological harm to our nuns and expressed a sincere wish for repentance."

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Pope Asks Jesuits to Continue Making Gregorian University a Priority

Although it may tax their resources, Pope Benedict XVI asked the Jesuits to continue making the Pontifical Gregorian University a priority in their service of the Church. The Pope visited the university on Nov. 3, addressing students, professors and benefactors, then holding a private meeting with some of the 89 Jesuits who work at Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute. In his public remarks, the Pope spoke about his many visits to the university, beginning with a visit during the Second Vatican Council and including his service as a visiting professor in 1972-73. As he did in late October speeches at the Pontifical Lateran University and to Rome university students gathered at the Vatican, Pope Benedict focused his remarks on the importance of a life of prayer for students studying theology or other subjects in preparation for a life of service to the church.

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Vatican Carmelite Latinist Starts Gratis Academy
for Students Eager for Latin

In the heart of ancient Rome, tucked between the Pantheon and the Roman Forum, a new Academy of Latin has been established by the Vatican's chief Latinist. On Nov. 2, U.S. Carmelite Father Reginald Foster announced "festive ac jucunde," or "joyously and delightfully," the opening of a new "Academia Romae Latinitatis" for all English speakers interested in learning or brushing up on their Latin. The Milwaukee-born priest, who works in the Latin-language section of the Vatican's Secretariat of State, said on that he had been itching "to start something new." When his enormously popular Latin courses were canceled at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University in mid-October for a lack of registered, paying students, Father Foster took that as a sign to branch out on his own and start his own school. Interested students were to meet Nov. 6 at the academy's new venue on Via della Gatta in Rome's Piazza Venezia in order to "sign up" for his free classes starting Nov. 7.

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Brotherhood of Hope Goin' Deep with Release of Second Music CD

The Brotherhood of Hope, an IRL affiliate community, just released its second CD, Into the Deep -- a lively collection of hymns, chant, Spanish, Irish and contemporary music. The brothers' first CD has enjoyed airtime on the BBC, EWTN, and 130 radio stations. Their new release is approved by Vatican Radio and endorsed by internationally respected musicians and leaders alike.

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Brother Glodek Reappointed Head of Marianists' U.S. Province

Marianist Brother Stephen Glodek was appointed to a second term as provincial of his order's U.S. province, effective July 1. More than 600 Marianist brothers and priests serve in the U.S. province, which includes Ireland, Puerto Rico, India, East Africa and Mexico. The province's headquarters are based in St. Louis. In his role as provincial, Brother Glodek serves as chancellor of Chaminade University of Honolulu and St. Mary's University in San Antonio. He is vice president of the board of trustees of the University of Dayton in Ohio. All three universities are run by the order. He served as president of the Marianists' 2006 general chapter meeting in Rome. Brother Glodek has been in provincial leadership for the Marianists since 1986. He was assistant provincial of the former New York province for seven years and provincial for nine years. In July 2002, when four separate Marianist provinces in the United States were united to create one U.S. province, Brother Glodek was appointed as its provincial.

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Night at Movies Can Be Opportunity to Enrich One's Faith,
Says Daughters of St. Paul Member

A night at the movies isn't just about entertainment, according to Sister Nancy Usselmann, a Daughter of St. Paul. It also can be an opportunity for enriching one's faith, she said. Sister Nancy gave some insight into ways media can be used as a means of recognizing and understanding God in a workshop titled "Meeting Jesus at the Movies: Reel Spirituality" during the Metuchen Diocese's catechetical congress in early November at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center in Piscataway. "God is present in the culture and is involved in all human experience," said Sister Nancy, who is the manager of Pauline Books and Media in New York City. She explained that to grow in their faith people must recognize the presence of Christ in all of their activities. "We can't separate media from the rest of our faith life," she said. By using a method called "deep viewing," she demonstrated that lessons can be found in movies that are adaptable to an individual's unique struggles. Deep viewing involves being attentive to the experience of watching a film, asserting and articulating the feelings created by the movie, opening a dialogue with the experience and learning from it.

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Contemplative Good Shepherd Sisters Celebrate 175 years of Prayer

The 569 women who make up the Contemplative Sisters of the Good Shepherd take vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and zeal for souls. "The vow of zeal says it all," said Sister Barbara Beasley, U.S. provincial leader, in a written reflection. "They give their lifeblood to prayer for the ministries of the active (Good Shepherd) sisters and the needs of the world. They are a powerhouse of prayer." Founded by the then-35-year-old Sister (now St.) Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in France, the Contemplative Sisters of the Good Shepherd marked their 175th anniversary last summer. Members of the order are located in 58 communities in 28 countries, including Australia, South Korea, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Central American nations, Chile, Paraguay, Canada, United States and Mexico. "We have a gift to give the world," Sister Barbara said, "and it is our prayer and our lives."

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Tradition of Mary's House in Turkey Stems from Nun's Vision

Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims began making pilgrimages to the House of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus only after a bedridden, almost illiterate German nun had a vision of the house's location. In an account attributed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, who never left Germany, the house could be found high on a rocky hill above Ephesus, partially hidden in a grove of trees. Pope Benedict XVI briefly went into the tiny house Nov. 29 before celebrating an outdoor Mass in honor of Mary. Blessed Emmerich's description of her vision was published in "The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary" by the poet Clemens Brentano after the nun's death in 1824. While Brentano claimed to have acted as a secretary, simply writing down what Blessed Emmerich described, the Vatican said the style raised enough questions over authorship that it did not consider the book on Mary or two other Brentano accounts of Blessed Emmerich's visions in the process that led to her beatification in 2004. However, the book led a French priest to Turkey in 1881 in a search for the house.

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Trappists at Mepkin Abbey Elect Father Gumula as New Abbot

Trappist Father Stanislaus Gumula has been elected the fourth abbot of Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner. He succeeds Father Francis Kline, who died in August at the age of 57 after a long illness. "Our desire and hope is to continue to show the compassionate face of Christ ... and that reconciliation between divergent voices and groups and between human communities and our natural surroundings and ecosystems is always possible," said Abbot Gumula. Born Stanley Amil Gumula and raised in Philadelphia, the 65-year-old Abbot Gumula entered Mepkin Abbey, a monastery of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, more commonly known as Trappists, in 1959. He made his first profession of vows in 1961 and his final profession in 1980. The monastery's cellarer -- or person in charge of provisions -- since 1984, he was ordained to the priesthood in 2003.

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Polish Archbishop Tells Dissident Nuns to Leave Convent

A Polish archbishop told a group of nuns to leave their convent after the Vatican expelled them from their order for refusing to accept a new mother superior. "There are no private religious orders in the Catholic Church where everyone can set their own rules," Archbishop Jozef Zycinski of Lublin told Poland's Catholic information agency, KAI, in early December. "We should pray for these lacerated, lost and highly strung sisters." Father Mieczyslaw Puzewicz, a spokesman for the Lublin Archdiocese, told KAI tensions had surfaced after Sister Jadwiga Ligocka, the former mother superior of the Sisters of the Family of Bethany, claimed to have "private inspirations from the Holy Spirit." A Vatican delegate dismissed the mother superior from her position at the Kazimierz convent in 2005, but Sister Jadwiga continued to occupy the convent with 10 nuns and an unknown number of novices. The Polish Press Agency reported Dec. 1 that the nuns refused to accept the Vatican's October ruling and had hired bodyguards.

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New CD Provides Helpful Background on Liturgy of the Hours

A "nuts and bolts" explanation of the important elements of the Divine Office is now available on a new CD. Its author, Rev. Brian Mullady, O.P., IRL theological consultant, offers deep insight on how to make the recitation of the Breviary one's "daily diet of Scripture" unifying the Old and New Testaments with the Fathers of the Church and sacred hymnody. This talk will help you better understand and to more fervently pray the Divine Office.
Read more and order.

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