Nuntia-November 2003
96. Beatification of Sr. Rosalie Rendu, D.C. (1786-1856)
Rome, 8-11 November 2003
A. Vigil Service
Parish Church of St. Joachim – 8 November 2003,
5:30 pm
Participants. Some 1200 people filled the parish church of St. Joachim,
which is located near Casa Maria Immacolata, a house of the Daughters
of Charity. Fr. Robert P. Maloney, C.M., Superior General, presided
over this prayer service on the evening before the beatification
of Sr. Rosalie Rendu. Among the many participants, it should be noted
here the presence of Fr. Richard McCullen, C.M., former Superior
General. Also present were the Mother General and the General Council
of the Daughters of Charity, family members of Sr. Rosalie, many
Daughters from Italy and other parts of the world, Vincentian priests
and brothers, and many lay members of the Vincentian Family.
They “experienced an overwhelming sense of smallness.” This
first celebration of the “triduum” in honor of Sr. Rosalie
(prayer vigil, beatification and Mass of Thanksgiving), was solemnly
opened by Sr. Évelyne Franc, D.C., Mother General of the Daughters
of Charity. In her opening comments she stated that the great men
and women whom God called throughout history “experienced an
overwhelming sense of smallness in the face of this mystery of God.” This
reality gave “greater life and strength to the certainty of
God’s presence.” Then the Assembly sang Gloria a te, “the
Cornerstone,” “the Great Shepherd,” “True
Teacher,” “Beloved Son”..., expressions found
in the official hymn of the recent Jubilee. In fact, an icon
of Christ
the King was placed in the center of the sanctuary to remind
us that everything should be directed to Jesus, our King. An
image
of Sr.
Rosalie was placed to one side.
“
Go and be the sacrament of Christ.” The Word of God was then
proclaimed and the Litany of the Saints chanted. All the saints and
blessed of the Vincentian Family were included in this litany. Then
some reflections were offered on Sr. Rosalie’s thoughts on
prayer and love for the poor. The Superior General then gave a homily
in which he reminded us of the three teachings that Sr. Rosalie left
us as an inheritance as a result of her service to the poor: be concrete
and practical, be tender and fearless, and believe with “enormous
faith” that Christ lives in them. The homily was followed by
an anointing of the hands, during which time the following words
were prayed over each person: “Go and be the sacrament of Christ
in the world.” All were invited to be like Sr. Rosalie, “perfume
of Christ” for the poor and the rich.
To clothe yourselves anew. As the Prayer of the Faithful (proclaimed
in diverse languages) was concluded, the participants sang the Pater
Noster and before the Superior General gave the final blessing he
invited all to clothe themselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness,
humility, meekness and patience (see Col 3:12). As the hymn Va Rosalia,
Va (a hymn written in Italian to honor the newly proclaimed Blessed)
was sung, the Vincentian Family, who came to this Vigil Service,
left the presence of Christ in this church to go, like Sr. Rosalie,
and find this same presence alive among the poor. An incredible bottleneck
of cars that seemed lost among the people who were leaving this holy
place on the Via Pompeo Magno, gives one an idea of the many pilgrims
who had come to participate in this Vigil Service on the evening
before the beatification of Sr. Rosalie Rendu.
B. Beatification of Sr. Rosalie Rendu, DC St. Peter’s
Square, 9 November 2003, 9:30 am
The newly Beatified. On Sunday, 9 November, Pope John
Paul II proclaimed five persons Blessed: Juan Nepomuceno Zegrí y Moreno, Valentin
Paquay, Luigi Maria Monti, Bonifacia Rodríguez Castro
and Rosalie Rendu. Before beginning the Eucharist, a brief
description of the life and work and the spirituality of each
of these individuals
was read. Between each part songs and hymns were sung.
The pilgrims. More than 15,000 people participated in this
celebration in St. Peter’s Square. A brilliant sun gave warmth and an atmosphere
of joy to this Lord’s Day.
More than 4,000 members of the Vincentian
Family were present (only the delegation for Blessed Luigi
Maria Monti was larger). Some of those present were: Cardinal Jean-Marie
Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris; Bishop Mario Ríos, C.M., auxiliary
bishop of Guatemala; Msgr. Salmon Lagagneur, a relative of Sr. Rosalie;
Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., Superior General; Fr. Richard McCullen,
former Superior General; Fr. Yvon Laroche, Superior General of the
Religious of St. Vincent de Paul and Fr. Roberto D’Amico, Postulator
General. Also present were: the General Council of the Daughters
of Charity, led by Sr. Évelyne Franc, D.C., Superioress General;
Sr. Juana Elizondo, former Superioress General; Daughters of Charity
from Italy and many other parts of the world; Dr. José Ramón
Díaz Torremocha, President of the St. Vincent de Paul Society,
Vincentian priests and brothers, members of other branches of the
Vincentian Family; delegations from Belgium, Spain, France and Italy
(birthplaces of the newly Beatified). Sr. Thérèse
Bequet, a Daughter of Charity, 93 years of age, who was miraculously
cured
through the intercession of Sr. Rosalie was unable to make
the trip from France.
Men and women to remember and imitate. When the beatification
ceremony was completed, the Pope announced the days for the
liturgical celebration
of each of the Blessed. The feast of Sr. Rosalie is 7 February,
the day of her death. A long and loud applause was heard throughout
the
square, which was filling up for the Angelus. The drapes over
the images of the newly Blessed were lifted, indicating that
these
men and women are “living gospels,” “men and women
to remember and above all to be imitated.” As this honor was
given to the newly Blessed, their relics were brought forward and
placed on the side of the altar. Sister Rosalie’s relic
were carried by one of her relatives: Mme. Chantal Marie Digeon.
“
A servant to the poorest”.
During a time of great social conflict,
Sr. Rosalie, “joyfully became a servant to the poorest, restoring
dignity to each by means of material help, education and the teaching
of the Christian mystery, inducing Frederick Ozanam to place himself
at the service of the poor.” This is the way Sr. Rosalie was
spoken about in the homily, which continued with these words: “Let
us give thanks for the witness of charity that the Vincentian Family
gives unceasingly to the world!” During the Presentation of
Gifts, the Daughters of Charity offered a white porcelain from Limoges
(France). The celebration continued as usual, with the exception
that, while the Holy Father, because of his illness, remained at
the side of the altar, Cardinal José Saraiva Martins,
Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, recited
the Eucharistic
Prayer. At the conclusion of the Eucharist, the Pope greeted
the pilgrims and prayed the Angelus with them.
C. Mass of Thanksgiving Parish Church of St. Gregory
VII, 10 November 2003, 8:30 am.
The parish church of St. Gregory VII is located near the Vatican.
It was here that about 1300 persons gathered to give thanks
to God for the newly Blessed Rosalie Rendu. The Eucharist was
celebrated
in French and presided by the Archbishop of Paris. Among the
60 concelebrants
were Bishop Guy Bagnard, Bishop of Belley-Ars, the diocese
in which Sr. Rosalie was born, the Superior General, members
of
the General
Council, other Vincentian and diocesan priests. In his homily,
Cardinal Lustiger, after he highlighted the difficult historical
situation
in which Sr. Rosalie lived and worked (atheism, anti-clericalism,
and great difficulties in the social and political order) stated
that “our own era is a period that is also marked by many social
and political problems,” and just as Sr. Rosalie, through the
conviction of her faith and her identification with Christ, became
a sign for Paris, so too we are called to be a sign of Christ’s
presence in our world. At the conclusion of his homily he invited
all present to return once again to the fundamental spirit of our
Founders and to ask the Lord for the gift of fidelity in serving
the poor and the little ones of this world. The Prayer of the Faithful
(prayed in Italian, French, English, Polish, Spanish and Portuguese)
was an act of thanksgiving for the newly Blessed, for the Vincentian
Family and for our Founders. This was also a time, however, to raise
our voices in prayer for the poor, the victims of violence, injustice
and war. At the conclusion of the celebration, Sr. Évelyne
Franc, Superioress General, thanked the Cardinal for his presence,
and also expressed her gratitude for the presence of the Superior
General, the Director General of the Daughters of Charity, the Vincentian
priests and brothers, the Daughters of Charity and the many pilgrims
who traveled from so many different parts of the world for this wonderful
celebration. She invited all to pray: “Blessed Rosalie Rendu,
pray for us!” It was then announced that, for “understandable
reasons,” the audience with the Holy Father had been
cancelled.
D. Meetings of the French DelegationRome.
On the evening of 8 November, the Archbishop of Paris
presided at the Eucharist in the Church of Saint-Louis des
Français,
located in the center of Rome. Many pilgrims from Paris and the Diocese
of Belley-Ars were present. Concelebrants included Bishop Robert
Sarrabère, retired bishop of Dax as well as Vincentians and
other priests who had traveled from France to Rome for the beatification
ceremony. Later, Pierre Morel, the French Ambassador to the Holy
See, offered a dinner. Guests included: a large delegation from the
French Government headed by Giles de Robien, Minister of Transportation;
the French Cardinals Jean-Marie Lustiger, Paul Poupard and Jean-Louis
Tauran; the Superioress General of the Daughters of Charity, Sr. Évelyne
Franc; the Superior General, Robert P. Maloney, C.M.; a small
group of Daughters of Charity and Vincentians. On Sunday afternoon,
9
November, the French Ambassador to the Holy See held a reception
for the different
delegations that had traveled from France to Rome for the beatification
ceremony.
Paris. On Sunday, 16 November, the Archbishop of Parish presided
at a solemn celebration at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in
honor of Blessed Rosalie Rendu who labored in Paris for 53
years, serving
the poor in the Mouffetard district. Many Daughters of Charity
and Vincentians and lay members of the Vincentian Family, as
well as
many faithful in Paris, participated in this celebration.
For more information about the beatification of Sr. Rosalie
Rendu see L’Osservatore Romano: November 10 (Italian),
November 11 (French), November 12 (English), November 14 (Spanish),
and
the web
page of the Daughters of Charity: http://www.filles-de-la-charite.org/en/index.html
97. General Curia
Meeting of the General Council of the Daughters of Charity.
On 11-12 November, the Mother General and the members the General
Council
of the Daughters of Charity met in the General Curia with the
Superior General for a two-day tempo forte session in Rome
following the beatification
of Sr. Rosalie Rendu. Among the principal items treated were:
1) a document that the Mother General and her council are preparing
about Lines of Action for the Daughters of Charity over the
next
six years, 2) criteria for the approbation of Provincial Norms,
3) a small document for helping to orient the new members of
the General
Council in making visits to the provinces, 4) the submission
of the proposed new Constitutions and Statutes to the Holy
See.
Daughters of Charity of Italy. In connection with the meeting
in Rome of the Councils of the five Provinces of the Daughters
of Charity in Italy, on 19 November,
the Superior General celebrated the Eucharist, delivered a conference on
possible ways of unity for the Daughters of Charity of Italy,
held a dialogue, and took
part in the supper. The Directors and the General Counselor for the Italian
language group also participated in the meeting.
History of the C.M.
During the first two weeks of November,
Fr. John Rybolt, the ex-Director of CIF, after having visited
the archives of Madrid (Spain)
and of Turin (Italy) was at the General Curia visiting the archives,
as well as the
archives of the Collegio Leoniano. These visits were for collecting material
in order to continue, together with Fr. Luigi Mezzadri, the publication
of the history of the C.M., which began with the first volume (1625-1697),
written
by
Fr. Mezzadri and Fr. Román (+). At an opportune time, the collaboration
of the provinces is expected when they will be asked information in order
to contribute to the redaction of this history which is a project dear
to many
confreres.
98. Portugal
Interprovincial Meeting on Popular Missions. From 17-19 September,
the 13th Interprovincial Meeting on Popular Missions was held
at Fátima (Portugal). At this meeting
confreres from the four Provinces of Spain and the Province of Portugal, several
Daughters of Charity and lay persons of both countries participated. Fr. João
M. Barbosa Lemos, the Visitor of Portugal, opened the meeting by inviting the
participants to assume an attitude of reflection and change. Msgr. August César
Alves Ferreira, C.M., the Bishop of Portalegre-Castelo Branco (Portugal) spoke
on the Vincentian popular mission and its expression. The second day was dedicated
to the presentation of the two commissions of popular missions (“a young
mission” and “justice and charity”). Fr. Manuel Nóbrega,
C.M., spoke on the popular mission and its expressions, from the practical perspective.
The last part of this meeting was used to draft the conclusions, evaluate the
work done and organize the calendar of the missions 2003-2004. The participants
in this meeting also went in procession to the Shrine of Fátima.
99. Vincentian Family
Formation of Spiritual Assistants. In its efforts at the formation
of the spiritual assistants of the Vincentian Family, the
National Coordination
Team of the
Vincentian Family of Brazil has prepared a program of formation for the
spiritual assistants
to be implemented in 2004. With the collaboration of Mizael Pugioli, C.M.,
a small book entitled “O Serviço de Assessoria à Família
Vicentina” was published. From its content, several meetings on formation
were planned which will be implemented in the coming year in different
regions of the country. It aims, among others things, to raise up new spiritual
assistants
and to better define the service of the spiritual assistants, in order
to respond to the need for deepening the Vincentian identity and the demand
for the service
of spiritual assistants, especially on the part of the laity.
*****
NOMINATIONS
GAY Gregory 12-11-2003 Visitor – Central America
SOLÁS SÁNCHEZ Francisco 19-11-2003 Visitor – Venezuela
MANIMTIM Marcelo 20-11-2003 Visitor – Philippines
BOKALIC Vicente 25-11-2003 Visitor – Argentina
VOWS
JUNEMAN Thomas Curie Fra Occ 21-11-2003
NECROLOGIUM 2003
NOMEN COND DIES OB PROV AET VOC
SKRT LIPILAR Emilio Sac 10-11-2003 Arg 1º 77-61
STANTA Giovanni Sac 10-11-2003 Mad 9º 70-52
DOYLE Donald L. Sac 15-11-2003 Orl 2º 82-62
