See preceding page for earlier entries for 4/11/10.
April 11, Second Sunday of Easter
ST. STANISLAW SZCZEPANOWSKI [Stanislaus of Szczepanow] (Poland, 1039-1079)
Bishop and Martyr, Patron of Poland
Born near Cracow, Stanislaw was appointed preacher and archdeacon for the Bishop of Cracow upon his ordination.
When he became bishop himself, he quickly became influential in the politics of the time (Cracow was the capital
of Poland then). He started opposing King Boleslaw II for waging unjust wars and for his personal immoral acts.
The king appeared to relent and become penitent for a time, but soon returned to his old ways. This time, Stanislaw
excommunicated him. The enraged king ordered him killed, and when his ministers refused to do so, he killed the
bishop himself, then had him hacked to pieces and thrown into a lake. Tradition says that the body miraculously
reintegrated; his remains are kept in Cracow's Wawel Cathedral. The king was forced to flee Poland after the murder,
and some say he retired in penance to a Benedictine abbey. The cult of Stanislaw began immediately upon his death.
He was canonized in 1253. In the following centuries, he became a symbol of Polish unity. Starting in the 13th
century, all the Kings of Poland were crowned before his tomb, and in periods of crisis and dismemberment, Poles
like to say they will be reintegrated again just as Stanislaw's body was.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041110.shtml
OR today.
Benedict XVI watches a film on Pius XII in World War II and calls him
'The Pope of charity'
Other page 1 stories: The tragic death of the President of Poland, his wife and dozens of Poland's
top officials in a plane crash in Russia, and the Pope's condolences to the Polish people; and an essay
on Christian faith in the Resurrection, as embodied in a rich man's wish to be buried above Marilyn
Monroe's crypt in Los Angeles! In the inside pages, excerpts from a lectio magistralis by the secretary
of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at an international symposium in Venice on Caritas
in veritate; two articles on Giotto, as an special exhibit on his frescoes opens today in the Basilica
of St. Francis in Assisi; and a report on Cardinal Bertone's fourth day in Chile on an 8-day visit to
bring the Holy Faheter's message of solidarity to the people struck by the recent earthquake.
THE POPE'S DAY
'Regina caeli' prayers - On this second Sunday in Easter, the Holy Father recalled that John Paul II also
designated it the Sunday of Divine Mercy to perpetuate the devotion initiated by St. Faustina Kowalska.
From today's Gospel about the risen Christ visiting his disciples at the Cenacle and imparting to them
the Holy Spirit in the fulfillment of their mission, he also urged all priests to follow the example of St. Jean
Vianney in being authentic witnesses of God's love to the world. After the prayer, he reiterated his sorrow
for the unprecedented tragedy that struck Poland; and referring to the newly-opened Exposition of the Holy
Shroud in Turin, he expressed the hope that its veneration would inspire the faithful to truly seek the
Face of God.
THIS NOVENA BEGINS TODAY!
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 11/04/2010 17:56]