Bishop Office

Saint Francis of Assisi

Roman Catholic Diocese

Second Life

THE CURIA

BISHOP OFFICE

Bishop Raphael Cardinal Zimer with Auxiliary Bishop Lareh Cardinal Portal welcome all of interesants for personal meetings to the offices in the Curia, Lionheart Kiara (a front of Saint Francis Cathedral). The office is open for every interessant, who have the request on every subject to the bishop or auxiliary bishop.

Bishop Zimer and Auxiliary Bishop Portal invite every interesant on prior arranged meeting. To set the meeting please send the official letter in notecard to the bishop (SL name: rafi.zimer) or drop the notecard to the box over the enterance to the Cathedral, and wait for reply. We ask for this procedure because Bishop Zimer and Auxiliary Bishop Portal are busy in real-life these days and are logging in to Second Life on before arranged meetings only.

May God be with you all!

Renovation of the Chapel of Holy Cross

28th April A.D. 2014

RENOVATION

Chapel of Holy Cross

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

We have renovated the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which is located on the right nave in Saint Francis Cathedral. You are all welcome to visit.

Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

Sunday, 27th April A.D. 2014

Second Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

           Thomas, one of the twelve, was not there when Jesus appeared the first time. When told of Jesus' appearance, Thomas refused to believe it.  He wanted to see for himself, but only under certain conditions.  "Unless I put my fingers in his hands, and my hand into his side, I will not believe." 

         Later, when Jesus appears a second time, Thomas is with the other eleven.  He is invited by Jesus to touch him.  All Thomas could say was, "My Lord, and my God."  What opens Thomas' eyes is not the proof he needed, but the fact he had seen the risen Lord.  His statement, "My Lord and my God." erases his doubts and becomes one of the strongest statements  regarding the divinity of Jesus in the New Testament.

*          *          *

Homily of Saint John Paul II   

Mass in St Peter's Square for the canonization  of Sr Mary Faustina Kowalska

Sunday, 30 April 2000

1. "Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius"; "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever" (Ps 118: 1). So the Church sings on the Octave of Easter, as if receiving from Christ's lips these words of the Psalm; from the lips of the risen Christ, who bears the great message of divine mercy and entrusts its ministry to the Apostles in the Upper Room:  "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20: 21-23).
Before speaking these words, Jesus shows his hands and his side. He points, that is, to the wounds of the Passion, especially the wound in his heart, the source from which flows the great wave of mercy poured out on humanity. From that heart Sr Faustina Kowalska, the blessed whom from now on we will call a saint, will see two rays of light shining from that heart and illuminating the world:  "The two rays", Jesus himself explained to her one day, "represent blood and water" (Diary, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, p. 132).
2. Blood and water! We immediately think of the testimony given by the Evangelist John, who, when a solider on Calvary pierced Christ's side with his spear, sees blood and water flowing from it (cf. Jn 19: 34). Moreover, if the blood recalls the sacrifice of the Cross and the gift of the Eucharist, the water, in Johannine symbolism, represents not only Baptism but also the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 3: 5; 4: 14; 7: 37-39).
Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified:  "My daughter, say that I am love and mercy personified", Jesus will ask Sr Faustina (Diary, p. 374). Christ pours out this mercy on humanity though the sending of the Spirit who, in the Trinity, is the Person-Love. And is not mercy love's "second name" (cf. Dives in misericordia, n. 7), understood in its deepest and most tender aspect, in its ability to take upon itself the burden of any need and, especially, in its immense capacity for forgiveness?
Today my joy is truly great in presenting the life and witness of Sr Faustina Kowalska to the whole Church as a gift of God for our time. By divine Providence, the life of this humble daughter of Poland was completely linked with the history of the 20th century, the century we have just left behind. In fact, it was between the First and Second World Wars that Christ entrusted his message of mercy to her. Those who remember, who were witnesses and participants in the events of those years and the horrible sufferings they caused for millions of people, know well how necessary was the message of mercy.
Jesus told Sr Faustina:  "Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy" (Diary, p. 132). Through the work of the Polish religious, this message has become linked for ever to the 20th century, the last of the second millennium and the bridge to the third. It is not a new message but can be considered a gift of special enlightenment that helps us to relive the Gospel of Easter more intensely, to offer it as a ray of light to the men and women of our time.
3. What will the years ahead bring us? What will man's future on earth be like? We are not given to know. However, it is certain that in addition to new progress there will unfortunately be no lack of painful experiences. But the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr Faustina's charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.
However, as the Apostles once did, today too humanity must welcome into the upper room of history the risen Christ, who shows the wounds of his Crucifixion and repeats:  Peace be with you! Humanity must let itself be touched and pervaded by the Spirit given to it by the risen Christ. It is the Spirit who heals the wounds of the heart, pulls down the barriers that separate us from God and divide us from one another, and at the same time, restores the joy of the Father's love and of fraternal unity.
4. It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called "Divine Mercy Sunday". In the various readings, the liturgy seems to indicate the path of mercy which, while re-establishing the relationship of each person with God, also creates new relations of fraternal solidarity among human beings. Christ has taught us that "man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but is also called "to practise mercy' towards others:  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy' (Mt 5: 7)" (Dives et misericordia, n. 14). He also showed us the many paths of mercy, which not only forgives sins but reaches out to all human needs. Jesus bent over every kind of human poverty, material and spiritual.
His message of mercy continues to reach us through his hands held out to suffering man. This is how Sr Faustina saw him and proclaimed him to people on all the continents when, hidden in her convent at £agiewniki in Kraków, she made her life a hymn to mercy:  Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo.
5. Sr Faustina's canonization has a particular eloquence:  by this act I intend today to pass this message on to the new millennium. I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their brethren.
In fact, love of God and love of one's brothers and sisters are inseparable, as the First Letter of John has reminded us:  "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments" (5: 2). Here the Apostle reminds us of the truth of love, showing us its measure and criterion in the observance of the commandments.
It is not easy to love with a deep love, which lies in the authentic gift of self. This love can only be learned by penetrating the mystery of God's love. Looking at him, being one with his fatherly heart, we are able to look with new eyes at our brothers and sisters, with an attitude of unselfishness and solidarity, of generosity and forgiveness. All this is mercy!
To the extent that humanity penetrates the mystery of this merciful gaze, it will seem possible to fulfil the ideal we heard in today's first reading:  "The community of believers were of one heart and one mind. None of them ever claimed anything as his own; rather everything was held in common" (Acts 4: 32). Here mercy gave form to human relations and community life; it constituted the basis for the sharing of goods. This led to the spiritual and corporal "works of mercy". Here mercy became a concrete way of being "neighbour" to one's neediest brothers and sisters.
6. Sr Faustina Kowalska wrote in her Diary:  "I feel tremendous pain when I see the sufferings of my neighbours. All my neighbours' sufferings reverberate in my own heart; I carry their anguish in my heart in such a way that it even physically destroys me. I would like all their sorrows to fall upon me, in order to relieve my neighbour" (Diary, p. 365). This is the degree of compassion to which love leads, when it takes the love of God as its measure!
It is this love which must inspire humanity today, if it is to face the crisis of the meaning of life, the challenges of the most diverse needs and, especially, the duty to defend the dignity of every human person. Thus the message of divine mercy is also implicitly a message about the value of every human being. Each person is precious in God's eyes; Christ gave his life for each one; to everyone the Father gives his Spirit and offers intimacy.
7. This consoling message is addressed above all to those who, afflicted by a particularly harsh trial or crushed by the weight of the sins they committed, have lost all confidence in life and are tempted to give in to despair. To them the gentle face of Christ is offered; those rays from his heart touch them and shine upon them, warm them, show them the way and fill them with hope. How many souls have been consoled by the prayer "Jesus, I trust in you", which Providence intimated through Sr Faustina! This simple act of abandonment to Jesus dispels the thickest clouds and lets a ray of light penetrate every life. Jezu, ufam tobie.
8. Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo (Ps 88 [89]: 2). Let us too, the pilgrim Church, join our voice to the voice of Mary most holy, "Mother of Mercy", to the voice of this new saint who sings of mercy with all God's friends in the heavenly Jerusalem.
And you, Faustina, a gift of God to our time, a gift from the land of Poland to the whole Church, obtain for us an awareness of the depth of divine mercy; help us to have a living experience of it and to bear witness to it among our brothers and sisters. May your message of light and hope spread throughout the world, spurring sinners to conversion, calming rivalries and hatred and opening individuals and nations to the practice of brotherhood. Today, fixing our gaze with you on the face of the risen Christ, let us make our own your prayer of trusting abandonment and say with firm hope: Christ Jesus, I trust in you! Jezu, ufam tobie!

The Mass will be celebrated by bishop c. Raphael Zimer at 

12:00 PM SLT in Saint Francis Cathedral

TELEPORT 

Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II

Sunday, 27th April A.D. 2014

On the day 27th April of Lord Year 2014, at 10:00 morning Rome time in Vatican City, His Holiness Pope Francis has announced Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II as the Saints of Roman Catholic Church.

Saint John XXIII pray for us...

Saint John Paul II pray for us...

Episcopal Statement about CCH and Saint Francis Catholic School

26nd April A.D. 2014

The Curia, 26nd April

Anno Domini 2014

EPISCOPAL STATEMENT

Cum Bono Vincere Malum

             Dear beloved in Jesus Christ brothers and sisters.

        Few months ago Saint Francis of Assisi Diocese took under the diocesan wings the Conservative Catholic House (Conservative Catholic Girls group), as a leader of spiritual care of the pupils. We have also created the Saint Francis Catholic School, where young boys and girls are growing in faith and love to our Savior Jesus Christ, and Our Father the Highest Lord in Heaven.

       This school is the role-play group, which I personally respect and like the idea. The group is located in 20th century, and pupils are growing up in the old-fashioned and conservative view of the Church from 20th Century. The school is in type of boarding school.

After some time the leaders of CCH has offered me the role of official Head of the school - I accepted it with pleasure, and was always lead it without acute hand and in the democracy. My decisions are made only after suitable discussion. CCH is old-fashioned school, which means 'traditional' way of teaching, it means also the special system of punishment. The system incudles also physical punishment, which I have never accept, but tolerated because bigger part of Governors accepted it, but my role is only spiritual and symbolic Father, the representative.

My decision relates to a difference of opinion between diocese with Church and school governors. Even the fact that the group is located in 20th century and called 'conseravite' does not give permission to use evil ways of teachings like physical punishment. The duty of teachers is create the friendly environment in Christ for pupils, not cold rooms, over which hangs a whip.

The good of the pupils is the most important for me, as a director and spiritual leader in the school, and I left the application to stop the physical punishment to the governors. Unfortunately, my application has been rejected and I have been assured by governors that physical punishment will stay... with me and without me.        In this case, with huge sadness in my heart, I have to announce the offical decision:

Since today, 26th April Anno Domini 2014, Saint Francis of Assisi Diocese with me, Bishop Raphael Cardinal Zimer, stops the support the Conservative Catholic Group with Conservative Catholic House. The existence of the Saint Francis Catholic School is suspended for unknown time.

According to this fact, I would like to ask Governors of CCH to elect new head of the school.

Additionally, since today, 26th April Anno Domini 2014, Saint Francis Catholic School is not connected in any way with Conservative Catholic Group and Conservative Catholic House, the school is not part of any Role-Play group or Court, but is totally under Saint Francis of Assisi Diocese as an official part.

      In this time I am giving all the issues to our Lord in Heaven.

+ Raphael Cardinal Zimer

Bishop of Saint Francis of Assisi Diocese

*          *          *

The Canonization Of Pope John XXIII And Pope John Paul II

Sunday, 27th April A.D. 2014

THE CANONIZATION

OF POPE JOHN XXIII AND JOHN PAUL II

It is with great joy that this April 27th, Divine Mercy Sunday, we will witness the supreme honor of canonization of not one but two popes, Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II. They will be canonized as saints in a historic solemn liturgical rite officiated by Pope Francis.

It is through this Rite of Canonization that the Supreme Pontiff, in an act which is protected from error by the Holy Spirit, elevates a person to the universal veneration of the Church. A Mass, Divine Office and other acts of veneration can now be offered throughout the universal Church.

Join us and all Catholics around the world to celebrate the Canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.

Important Dates In The Life Of Pope John Paul II

The longest reigning pope in modern history, John Paul II, took his message on the road, visiting 129 countries -- several repeatedly -- on 104 trips and logging more than 700,000 miles in a papacy that lasted more than 27 years.  Blessed John Paul died at the age of 84 at the Vatican April 2, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

As the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, John Paul became a spiritual protagonist in two global transitions: the fall of European communism, which began in his native Poland in 1989, and the passage to the third millennium of Christianity. The day of his canonization is Divine Mercy Sunday -- an observance Pope John Paul put on the church's universal calendar in 2000 on the Sunday after Easter. The Polish pope was a longtime enthusiast of the Divine Mercy devotions of St. Faustina Kowalksa, whom he beatified in 1993 and canonized in 2000.

Pope John Paul also instituted the annual February 2 World Day of Consecrated Life, the February 11 World Day of the Sick and a World Meeting of Families every three years. But welcoming hundreds of thousands of young people to the Vatican for a special Palm Sunday celebration in 1984, Pope John Paul launched what has become the biggest international gathering on the church's calendar: World Youth Day.

In his later years, the pope moved with difficulty, tired easily and was less expressive, all symptoms of the nervous system disorder of Parkinson's disease. Yet he pushed himself to the limits of his physical capabilities, convinced that such suffering was itself a form of spiritual leadership.

Here are some important dates in the life of Blessed John Paul II:

• 1920: Karol Wojtyla is born May 18, baptized June 20 in Wadowice, Poland.
• 1929: His mother dies; he receives first Communion.
• 1938: Moves to Krakow with father; enters Jagellonian University, joins experimental theater group.
• 1940: University studies interrupted; he works as manual laborer during World War II.
• 1941: His father dies.
• 1942: Enters secret seminary in Krakow.
• 1944: Is hit by a car, hospitalized; is hidden in archbishop's home to avoid arrest by Nazis.
• 1945: World War II ends; he resumes studies at Jagellonian University.
• 1946: Nov. 1, is ordained priest; goes to Rome for graduate studies.
• 1949: Named assistant pastor in Krakow parish.
• 1954: Begins teaching philosophy at Catholic University of Lublin; earns doctorate in philosophy.
• 1958: Sept. 28, ordained auxiliary bishop of Krakow.
• 1962: Goes to Rome for first session of Second Vatican Council.
• 1963: Attends Vatican II second session, is named archbishop of Krakow Dec. 30.
• 1964: Is installed as archbishop of Krakow; attends council's third session.
• 1965: Makes three trips to Rome to help redraft Vatican II document on church in modern world; attends final council session.
• 1967: June 28, is made cardinal; named to first world Synod of Bishops but stays home to protest government's denial of a passport to Poland's primate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.
• 1971: Attends first of several bishops' synods in Rome; is elected to its permanent council.
• 1978: Oct. 16, is elected 264th pope and bishop of Rome; visit to Assisi is first of 146 trips within Italy; visit to a Rome parish marks start of visits to 317 of Rome's 333 parishes.
• 1979: Visits Dominican Republic and Mexico, his first of 104 trips abroad as pope; also visits Poland, Ireland, United States and Turkey; publishes first encyclical, apostolic exhortation; convenes first plenary meeting of College of Cardinals in more than 400 years; approves Vatican declaration that Swiss-born Father Hans Kung can no longer teach as Catholic theologian.
• 1980: Convenes special Dutch synod to straighten out problems in Dutch church; becomes first modern pope to hear confessions in St. Peter's Basilica.
• 1981: May 13, is shot, severely wounded; names Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger head of Vatican doctrinal congregation.
• 1982: Marks anniversary of attempt on his life with trip to Fatima, Portugal; meets with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat; makes Opus Dei the church's first personal prelature.
• 1983: Promulgates new Code of Canon Law; opens Holy Year of Redemption; visits would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, in prison.
• 1984: Establishes diplomatic relations with United States.
• 1985: Warns that abortion in Europe is "demographic suicide"; convenes special bishops' synod to review 20 years since Vatican II.
• 1986: Makes historic visit to Rome's synagogue; calls world religious leaders to Assisi to pray for peace.
• 1987: Opens Marian year and writes encyclical on Mary; attends first international World Youth Day in Argentina.
• 1988: Approves issuance of Holy See's first public financial report; issues encyclical, "On Social Concerns"; issues letter defending women's equality but saying they cannot be ordained priests; sets up Vatican commission to try reconciling followers of schismatic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
• 1989: Is widely seen as key figure in collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
• 1990: Issues first uniform law code for Eastern Catholic churches; issues global norms for Catholic higher education; approves Vatican instruction on theologians; establishes diplomatic relations with Soviet Union.
• 1991: Issues encyclical marking 100 years of Catholic social teaching; convenes special European synod to deal with rapid changes in wake of communism's collapse.
• 1992: Has benign tumor on colon removed; issues official "Catechism of the Catholic Church."
• 1993: Writes first papal encyclical on nature of moral theology.
• 1994: Declares teaching that women cannot be priests must be held definitively; establishes diplomatic relations with Israel; publishes book, "Crossing the Threshold of Hope"; named Time magazine's "Man of the Year."
• 1997: Names St. Therese of Lisieux a doctor of the church; presides at synod for America, one of a series of regional synods.
• 1998: Historic Cuba visit is 81st trip abroad; starts first permanent Catholic-Muslim dialogue.
• 1999: Unseals Holy Door in St. Peter's to start jubilee year 2000.
• 2000: Presides at numerous jubilee year events in Rome; makes historic visit to Holy Land.
• 2003: Marks 25th anniversary as pope; beatifies Mother Teresa of Kolkata, one of record number of beatifications and canonizations under his pontificate.
• 2004: Opens Year of the Eucharist.
• 2005: Publishes new book, "Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums"; hospitalized, undergoes tracheotomy. Dies April 2.
• 2011: May 1, beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.

Blessed John XXIII: From Humble Beginnings To A Lasting Legacy

Blessed John XXIII was the 260th successor of St. Peter, serving as pope from October 1958 to June 1963. He is best known for convening the Second Vatican Council. 

Here are some highlights of Blessed John XXIII's life:

• 1881: Nov. 25, born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the fourth in a family of 13 children to Giovanni Battista and Marianna Giulia Roncalli, a family of sharecroppers in Sotto il Monte, Italy.
• 1892: Enters the seminary at Bergamo.
• 1901: In Rome to further his studies, he takes a year off for military service.
• 1904: Aug. 10, is ordained a priest and serves as secretary to the bishop of Bergamo.
• 1905: Begins teaching history and patristics (the lives and teachings of the church fathers) at Bergamo seminary.
• 1915: Is called back to military service; serves as medic and chaplain during World War I.
• 1918: Opens a hostel for students in Bergamo.
• 1921: Is called to Rome as the head of the Italian national office of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
• 1925: Is named archbishop and appointed apostolic visitator to Bulgaria, where he works closely with Eastern Catholics.
• 1934: Transfers to Istanbul, where he serves as apostolic delegate to Turkey and Greece, improving relations with the Orthodox and Muslims.
• 1939-44: During World War II, he helps many Jews to escape Nazi persecution by issuing "transit visas" from the apostolic delegation and coordinating rescue plans with other ambassadors.
• 1944: Is named nuncio to Paris.
• 1953: Is named a cardinal and patriarch of Venice.
• 1958: Is called to Rome for a conclave; is elected Oct. 28 and takes the name John XXIII. At age 76, he is the oldest pope to be elected in more than 200 years.
• 1960: Presides over the Rome diocese's first synod.
• 1961: Issues "Mater et Magistra" ("Mother and Teacher"), an encyclical on social issues that emphasizes the obligations of nations and individuals to bring about social justice. He creates the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity to lead the church into a new era of ecumenical relations.
• 1962: Oct. 11, opens the first session of the Second Vatican Council, which set in motion major reforms of the church, its structure, liturgy and relations with other Christians and other religions.
• 1963: At the height of the Cold War, he releases his second social encyclical, "Pacem in Terris" ("Peace on Earth"), teaching that true peace must be built on the pillars of truth, justice, love and freedom.
• 1963: June 3, dies of cancer.
• 2000: Sept. 3, beatified by Blessed John Paul II.

The transmission from Canonization Mass from Vatican will start at 10:00 AM Rome time.

Easter Resurrection Sunday

Sunday, 20th April A.D. 2014

Easter Resurrection Sunday

ALLELUIA!

JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD!

ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20:1-9. On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.  When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

*          *          *

My brothers and sisters in Christ! May the joy and peace of the Lord Jesus fill all your hearts on this beautiful Easter Sunday that commemorates the glorious Ressurection of the Lord Jesus.

As many of you are aware, Easter is the principal feast of the liturgical year. Pope Leo I called it the greatest feast (festum festorum), and said that Christmas was celebrated only in preparation for Easter.

You may wonder why Easter is the greatest of all feasts celebrated during the liturgical year? It is because it commemorates the marvellous Resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the first day of the week. Based on the testimonies of "over five hundreds" [1 Cor. 15:5-8] believers who have witnessed the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it cannot be denied that "the Lord has risen indeed." [Lk. 24:34]

On the Feast of Easter, we commemorate the most important turning point in the history of mankind. We honour the fulfillment of the "blessed hope" of every living being, "the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." [Tit. 2:13] At that moment, when the fullness of time had arrived, all the faithful believers of the past, present, and future, received the free gift of salvation through the grace of God.

In order to appreciate the glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we have to consider what the outcome would have been if there had been no resurrection. Saint Paul summarizes this subject in the following words:

"Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ - whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." [1 Cor. 12-9]

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ." [1 Cor. 20-2]

In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead! He was not only raised from the dead to prove to us that He is God; He was raised to prove to us that "we will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?'" [1 Cor. 15:52-5; Is. 25:8]

My brothers and sisters, as we have heard from the Second Reading of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians, because we have been raised with Christ, we should seek the things that are from above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. We should set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For we have died in Christ, and our new life is hidden with Christ in God.

For us Christians, Easter Sunday is a day of joy. It is a day of joy because of the new life that we have received in Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. It is a day of joy because we have new brothers and sisters in Christ who have come home by receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. It is a day of joy because it is the time of the year when many, after having been absent for some time, return to Jesus through the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist. It is a day of joy when in the perfect unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, all the saints and angels of Heaven rejoice with us because "The Lord has risen indeed." [Lk. 24:34]

On this beautiful Easter Sunday, our joy in Christ is manifested many ways. It is manifested through our presence at the celebration of the Holy Mass during which time, with all our hearts, we praise our Lord Jesus Christ in thanksgiving. It is manifested in the warmth of the homes where family members and friends have been invited to a great feast of excellent foods. It is manifested in the laughter of the little children who will be provided with the opportunity to play games with their parents, be it searching for coloured eggs or other games. For some children, this special relationship with their parents is a rare opportunity because sometimes during the year, we forget to make ourselves little so we can share in the joy of our little ones.

In the midst of all this outward joy that we are celebrating, let us not forget those who's joy is inward. There are those who are sick in the hospital, the prisoners who have been forgotten, those who's countries have been torn apart by warfare, the seniors who live in solitude, all those who share in our joy in their own way. Our Lord is also their Lord. Inwardly, they also share in the joy of knowing that the Lord has indeed risen.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, witnessed by hundreds in the early days of the Church, is our proof that one day we will all be united as one eternal family. This life is temporary. What awaits us is so much better and greater. Until we reach that day, let us live the joy of Easter with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us make a special effort to reach out to those who do not share in our joy and especially those who have been forgotten so they may manifest their joy outwardly as we are doing today. As of today, may you all go forth in the Spirit of Christ and bring the joy of the Lord to all those who touch your lives!

The Mass will be celebrated by bishop c. Raphael Zimer at 

12:00 PM SLT in Saint Francis Cathedral

TELEPORT

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Sunday, 13th April A.D. 2014

PALM SUNDAY

OF THE LORD'S PASSION

At the procession with palms

    Jesus' entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming of the kingdom that the King-Messiah was going to accomplish by the Passover of his Death and Resurrection. It is with the celebration of that entry on Palm Sunday that the Church's liturgy solemnly opens Holy Week.

    How will Jerusalem welcome her Messiah?  

    Although Jesus had always refused popular attempts to make him king, he chooses the time and prepares the details for his messianic entry into the city of "his father David".  

    Acclaimed as son of David, as the one who brings salvation (Hosanna means "Save!" or "Give salvation!"), the "King of glory" enters his City "riding on an ass".  

    Jesus conquers the Daughter of Zion, a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth.   And so the subjects of his kingdom on that day are children and God's poor, who acclaim him as had the angels when they announced him to the shepherds.

        Their acclamation, "Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord", is taken up by the Church in the Sanctus of the Eucharistic liturgy that introduces the memorial of the Lord's Passover.

Gospel according to Saint Matthew 21:1-11
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
“Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately you will find an ass tethered,
and a colt with her.
Untie them and bring them here to me.
And if anyone should say anything to you, reply,
‘The master has need of them.’
Then he will send them at once.”
This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion,
“Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.
They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them,
and he sat upon them.
The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees
and strewed them on the road.
The crowds preceding him and those following
kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”
And when he entered Jerusalem
the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied,
“This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Readings:

• Book of Isaiah 50:4-7. 
• Psalms 22(21):8-9.17-18a.19-20.23-24. 
•  Letter to the Philippians 2:6-11. 
• Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 26:14-75.27:1-66. 

The Mass will be celebrated by bishop c. Raphael Zimer at 

12:00 PM SLT in Saint Francis Cathedral

TELEPORT

'Ad Orientem' Novus Ordo since 10.04.2014

10th April A.D. 2014

EPISCOPAL STATEMENT

+ NOVUS ORDO in 'AD ORIENTEM' +

Why we decided to change from Versus Populum (Facing the People) to Ad Orientem (Facing East, to the altar)?

Our virtual diocese in the beginning took the liturgy established on the Council of Trent (Tridentine Rite) as a standard form of liturgy in our diocese. The Tridentine Latin Mass has been present in our cathedral for months of activity - additionally we would like to say that in the past in our virtual diocese services has been in Latin language only. Few months ago, when we received a lot of suggestions to take Novus Ordo from Vatican Council II as a standard form of Mass, we decided to change the Rite for Roman Rite. Our current form of Mass is Ordinary Form of Roman Rite, commonly called "Mass of Pope Paul VI" - the most popular form of the liturgy on the World, and this form will still remain in our diocese.

Roman Catholic Church has wonderful tradition. To show our traditional view on the liturgy, with approval our faithful needs, we decided to remain Ordinary Form of Roman Rite (Novus Ordo) as a standard form of Mass in our diocese but in 'Ad Orientem' style. It means that middle altar has been removed and we have back to high altar, where celebrant will celebrate Mass with face to the East (to the altar), very similar to Latin Mass. English language stays as standard langauge of the liturgy in our diocese as well.

Tridentine Latin Mass is celebrated only spontaneously, or on faithful request.

You are all most welcome to visit our cathedral after modifications!

God bless you all in Christ!

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

ADORATION OF THE

BLESSED SACRAMENT

Connection in prayer with people,
who adore Blessed Sacrament in Real Life

Our goal is to build a community of faith and prayer. We believe that this method will become one of the tools of education to prayer, and especially to participate in the Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Real Life (here in SL is just a symbol), and contribute to a sense of the real presence of the body of Jesus Christ hidden in host.

Our virtual diocese:

• reminds you that Christ is actually waiting for you, and you can unite with Him spiritually in different ways, in every place and time;
• reminds you that there is no substitute adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the church or chapel IN REAL LIFE or receive Christ in Holy Communion IN REAL LIFE;
• gives you the opportunity to ask in prayer for yourself and for others.

The exposure of the virtual monstrance is an additional incentive to:

• to renew in you faith in the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist;
• to discover the beauty of duration of many people in adoration;
• to take the prayer where you live every day.

We hope that frequent and regular personal prayer and nurture the soul the desire of the Eucharist will lead visitors from our virtual cathedral to adoration to a nearby church or chapel in RL, and above all to receive Christ in Holy Communion. In the case of the elderly and the sick, to invite the priest with the Blessed Sacrament to the house.

We suggest to all of visitors to set up the SL environment settings to midnight time.

The symbol of the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in Saint Francis Cathedral, on the Tabernacle, three times:

1. 03:00 AM SLT - 05:00 AM SLT

(Morning Prayer 05:30 AM SLT - 05:50 AM SLT)

2. 06:00 AM SLT - 12:00 PM SLT

(Celebration of the Mass at 12:10 PM SLT)

3. 01:00 PM SLT - 11:59 PM SLT

Secular Franciscan Order in Second Life

SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER

Saint Francis of Assisi virtual Diocese

Second Life

We would like to announce that after opening the province of Order of Friars Minor OFM we are happy to welcome the lay people who would like to become a lay friar/sister in the Third Rule of Saint Francis - Secular Franciscan Order.

Every lay and clergy is welcome to join to Secular Franciscan Order!

MORE: CLICK

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Sunday, 06th April A.D. 2014

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Blessed Notker

first Sunday of month

Blessed Notker the Stammerer 

Benedictine monk 

(c. 840-912)

        Notker, also called Notker the Poet or Notker of Saint Gall, was a musician, author, poet, and Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall in modern Switzerland. He was born circa 840, to a distinguished family.

        He studied with Tuotilo at Saint Gall's monastic school, taught by Iso, and Moengall. He became a monk there and is mentioned as librarian in 890 and as master of guests in 892-4. He was chiefly active as a teacher, and displayed refinement of taste as poet and author.

        Ekkehard IV, the biographer of the monks of Saint Gall, lauds him as "delicate of body but not of mind, stuttering of tongue but not of intellect, pushing boldly forward in things Divine, a vessel of the Holy Spirit without equal in his time".

        He died in 912. He was beatified in 1512.

Covering of Crosses and Images in Lent

Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University. 

Q: Why are crosses and images covered during the last weeks of Lent? — D.K., Oakland, California
A: First of all, I would first like to recommend Monsignor Peter Elliott's excellent guide "Celebrations of the Liturgical Year" published by Ignatius Press in 2002. It is a very useful resource for all those involved in the practical aspects of liturgical planning.
The duration of such veiling varies from place to place. The custom in many places is to veil from before first vespers or the vigil Mass of the Fifth Sunday of Lent while others limit this veiling from after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.
In some places images and statues are actually removed from the church and not simply veiled, especially after Holy Thursday.
Crosses are unveiled after the Good Friday ceremonies. All other images are unveiled shortly before the Mass of the Easter Vigil.
Neither the Stations of the Cross nor stained glass windows are ever veiled.
The bishops' conference may decide if the veiling during this period should be obligatory within its territory.
The veils are usually made of lightweight purple cloth without any decoration.
The custom of veiling the images during the last two weeks of Lent hails from the former liturgical calendar in which the Passion was read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent (hence called "Passion Sunday") as well as on Palm Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week, and Good Friday.
For this reason the period following the Fifth Sunday of Lent was called Passiontide. A remnant of this custom is the obligatory use of the first Preface of the Lord's Passion during the Fifth Week of Lent.
As Monsignor Elliott remarks, "The custom of veiling crosses and images ... has much to commend it in terms of religious psychology, because it helps us to concentrate on the great essentials of Christ's work of Redemption."
Although this is true, the historical origin of this practice lies elsewhere. It probably derives from a custom, noted in Germany from the ninth century, of extending a large cloth before the altar from the beginning of Lent.
This cloth, called the "Hungertuch" (hunger cloth), hid the altar entirely from the faithful during Lent and was not removed until during the reading of the Passion on Holy Wednesday at the words "the veil of the temple was rent in two."
Some authors say there was a practical reason for this practice insofar as the often-illiterate faithful needed a way to know it was Lent.
Others, however, maintain that it was a remnant of the ancient practice of public penance in which the penitents were ritually expelled from the church at the beginning of Lent.
After the ritual of public penance fell into disuse — but the entire congregation symbolically entered the order of penitents by receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday — it was no longer possible to expel them from the church. Rather, the altar or "Holy of Holies" was shielded from view until they were reconciled to God at Easter.
For analogous motives, later on in the Middle Ages, the images of crosses and saints were also covered from the start of Lent.
The rule of limiting this veiling to Passiontide came later and does not appear until the publication of the Bishops' Ceremonial of the 17th century.
After the Second Vatican Council there were moves to abolish all veiling of images, but the practice survived, although in a mitigated form.
ROME, 8 MARCH 2005

Readings:

• Book of Ezekiel 37:12-14. 
• Psalms 130(129):1-2.3-4.5-6.7-8.
• Letter to the Romans 8:8-11. 
• Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11:1-45. 

The Mass will be celebrated by bishop c. Raphael Zimer at 

12:00 PM SLT in Saint Francis Cathedral

TELEPORT