I’ll remember your intentions at Mass: I’ll be going to Santa Susanna tomorrow morning and then to the North American College at 6 p.m. for Mass and a turkey dinner. I’ll need to attend two Masses just to thank the Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed - and continues to bestow – on me!!

The weekend will be very special here when the Church will welcome six new cardinals, including American Archbishop James Harvey.

Take care, enjoy, and God sit on your shoulder!

UPDATE: ARCHBISHOP KURTZ ON ROME DIOCESE USE OF BLESSING FOR A CHILD IN THE WOMB

In a letter dated November 21 to all pastors in the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope’s vicar general for Rome, announced the publication in the diocese of the Blessing of a Child in the Womb.

He noted that since the June diocesan meeting on baptism, “we have encouraged the pastoral practice of meeting with families from the moment they learn they will have a child and of accompanying them in prayer and closeness. The aim is to help families feel the cordial and affectionate presence of the parish community at such a delicate time in their lives.”

The Blessing of a Child in the Womb was promoted by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville. When he was bishop of Knoxville he had asked the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities if such a blessing existed. When none was found, the committee began preparing a text that was presented to the Divine Worship Committee in March 2008. In November 2008 the bishops approved the prayer and it was sent to the Holy See for the "recognitio."

Last April the U.S. bishops issued a note stating that the Holy See approval had been granted and, as of mid-May, a period in which much of the world celebrates Mother’s Day, the blessing would be available in parishes throughout the United States. At that time, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, explained that the blessing was prepared to "support parents awaiting the birth of their child, to encourage parish prayers for and recognition of the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to foster respect for human life within society."

The blessing may be imparted either during the liturgy or outside of Mass and the text will eventually be included in the Book of Blessings, after it has been revised.

Cardinal Vallini’s letter to Rome’s pastors included a link to the blessing rite.

At the October synod on the new evangelization, Archbishop Kurtz proposed that this blessing be adopted by the universal Church. He said, “This blessing is a great opportunity, first of all, to join a mother who is fill with joy and sometimes with concerns about what is best for her child. It's a time to unite with the father. And of course it is a great opportunity as a first step in reaching out to the family, to invite them to begin preparation for the Baptism of the child who is not yet born.”

UPDATE: Archbishop Kurtz sent the following email to me, in response to this news from Rome: “I am delighted to hear news of Cardinal Vallini’s message to the priests of Rome encouraging use of the Blessing of the Child in the Womb. In Louisville, we continue to seek ways to promote the use of this special blessing. This Sunday I will speak of it and of the outreach to families so central to the new evangelization. On the first Thursday of December, December 6th, there will be a special ceremony for the Blessing of the Child in the Womb at St. Joseph Basilica and Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Kentucky. Through this blessing, we pray in joy for the gift of the child in the womb and ask for God’s help to the child and parents. It also will be a meaningful way to invite parents to begin the preparation for the baptism of their child once born. May it also be a testimony within our society to the sanctity of human life.”

POPE ENCOURAGES CEASEFIRE, NEGOTIATIONS IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

At the end of his weekly general audience today in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Benedict urged an end to violence between Israelis and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

“I am following with great concern,” he said, “the escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Along with my prayerful remembrance of the victims and for all those who are suffering, I feel the duty to reiterate once again that hatred and violence are not the solution to problems. I also encourage the initiatives and efforts of those who are trying to obtain a ceasefire and to promote negotiations. I also urge the authorities of both Parties to take courageous decisions in favour of peace and put an end to a conflict with negative repercussions throughout the entire Middle East region, which is troubled by too many conflicts and is in need of peace and reconciliation.”

BENEDICT XVI ON THE “REASONABLENESS” OF FAITH

Pope Benedict continued his weekly catechesis for the Year of Faith at the general audience Wednesday in the Paul VI Hall, fovcusing on the “reasonableness of faith” which he defined as “an encounter with the splendor of God’s truth. Through faith we come to true knowledge of God and ourselves, and learn to live wisely in this world as we await the fullness of life and happiness in the next.

“Faith and reason,” he continued, “are meant to work together in opening the human mind to God’s truth. By its nature, faith seeks understanding, while the mind’s search for truth finds inspiration, guidance and fulfilment in the encounter with God’s revealed word. Far from being in conflict,” stressed the Holy Father, “faith and science go hand in hand in the service of man’s moral advancement and his wise stewardship of creation.”

He pointed out that, “The Gospel message of our salvation in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offers us a true humanism, a ‘grammar’ by which we come to understand the mystery of man and the universe. In this Year of Faith, may we open our minds more fully to the light of God’s truth, which reveals the grandeur of our human dignity and vocation.”

In English-language greetings, Benedict XVI offered “a cordial greeting to the participants in the conference on Catholic and Muslim cooperation in promoting justice in the contemporary world. I also greet the group from CAFOD, with gratitude for the agency’s fifty years of charitable activity on behalf of the Church in England and Wales.” CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.

THE NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Sunday, November 11, during my visit to D.C., I went to the noon Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This is a very well-attended Mass, one of the reasons being that the shrine choir offers magnificent music.

The guest celebrant on November 11 was Archbishop Savio Hon, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome. The shrine’s rector, Msgr.Walter Rossi whisked Abp. Hon away for a tour after Mass and our paths did not cross. We’ve met previously here in Rome.

I had been to the shrine on a number of occasions before but had never taken the time after Mass to slowly walk around and take in some of the absolutely stunning art that covers every square inch of this amazing basilica. I also knew very little of its history and was quite surprised to learn some interesting facts from the website. I have yet to visit the grotto area below the shrine.

For example: In 1846, an excerpt from a Massachusetts newspaper told of "a magnificent Catholic church [to] be built at Washington, D.C. after the manner of the great cathedrals of the Old World from subscriptions of every Catholic Parish in America.” Spanning the late 19th, 20th and now 21st century, American Catholics would indeed build a sanctuary that rivals those of Europe and the world, not only in size but in stature as well.

The shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, and is the nation’s preeminent Marian shrine. With over 70 chapels and oratories that relate to the peoples, cultures and traditions that are the tapestry of the Catholic faith and the mosaic of our great nation, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is indeed, America’s Catholic church.

The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art in the world. You can see a very small portion of that art in the photos I post today, and I’ll get back to you with more.

By the by, an interesting bit of trivia: St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is 186.30 meters in length. If you were to place the national shrine inside St. Peter’s, at 139.14 meters in length, it would be the fifth longest church (following St Paul's, London, UK: 158.10 m; The Duomo, Florence, Italy: 149.28 m and Sacred Heart of Jesus, Brussels, Belgium: 140.94 m).

Write to Joan at:
joansrome@ewtn.com 

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