Friday, March 9, Second Week of Lent
Second from left, the saint's statue in the Founders' Corner at St. Peter's Basilica; extreme right: The Basilica of Santa Francesca Romana off the Roman Forum.
ST. FRANCESCA ROMANA (Rome, 1384-1440), Wife, Mother, Founder of the Olivetan Oblates of Mary
Born to a wealthy Roman family, she always wanted to enter the religious life, but at 13, she was made to marry Lorenzo, who was commander
of the papal troops in Rome and was often away at war. She came to love him and they had six children. He indulged her Christian devotion which
she shared with a sister-in-law, with whom she went around Rome helping the poor and the sick, inspiring other wealthy women to do the same.
When a plague struck Rome, two of their children died. By this time, they had lost most of their possessions because of Lorenzo's long absence
fighting the many anti-Pope wars. Francesca begged for alms to be able to keep helping the sick and the poor, and after her second child was
taken by the plague, she converted part of her house to a hospital. In 1425, she asked the Pope to be able to set up a women's religious community
without vows but following the Benedictine rule and dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. In 1433, she founded the order's first and only
convent in Tor di'Specchi. By this time, Lorenzo had come home, wounded, and Francesca nursed him until he died in 1436. Only after his death did
she move in with her community, where she died four years later. Miracles abounded after her death, but already in life, she was known to have had
mystic ecstasies, and after her first son died in the plague, an angel is said to have appeared to her to tell her that a daughter would also be taken
by God. Her remains are venerated in the 10th century church of Santa Maria Nova near the Colosseum. The Church was renamed after her when she was
canonized in 1608. During Lent in 2009, after a visit to Rome's City Hall, Benedict XVI visited her convent where he paid tribute to her as
'the most Roman of women saints'.
Readings for today's Mass: usccb.org/bible/readings/030912.cfm
AT THE VATICAN TODAY
The Holy Father began the official day by attending the first Lenten sermon by the Preacher of the Pontifical Household,
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, at the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, whose sermons this year are deidcated to the four great
doctors of the Eastern Church. Today, the sermon was on St. Athanasius, who defended the divinity of Christ against
popular heresies in his day.
Later, the Holy Father met with
- Eight bishops from Nebraska and Kansas on ad-limina visit.
- All bishops from north central USA who are completing their ad-limina visit. Address in English.
- Participants of the Internal Forum for priest confessors sponsored annually by the Apostolic Penoitentiary. Address in Italian.
The Vatican released statistics on the Church in Mexico and in Cuba, preparatory to the Pope's visit.
Pope mourns death of Filipino Cardinal Sanchez, 92,
former Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
The Vatican published the text of a telegram sent by the Holy Father today to Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, emeritus Archbishop of Cebu (Philippines), the senior living Filipino cardinal, for the death early today of Cardinal Jose T. Sanchez, 92, who was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, as well as president of the Pontifical Commission to administer the patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) from 1991-1996. Before that, he was secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 1985-1991.
The cardinal died in a Metropolitan Manila hospital a few weeks after suffering a heart infarct. The fifth Filipino to be named cardinal (1991), he was also the first and only Filipino so far to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia (actually, two dicasteries, simultaneously).
TO HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL RICARDO J. VIDAL
ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF CEBU
HAVING LEARNED WITH SADNESS OF THE DEATH OF CARDINAL JOSÉ T, SÁNCHEZ, PREFECT EMERITUS OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY, I OFFER MY CONDOLENCES TO YOU, THE MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY AND TO ALL THOSE WHO WILL JOIN YOU IN THE CELEBRATION OF THE MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL.
AS I RECALL WITH GRATITUDE THE LATE CARDINAL’S DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE LORD AS A PRIEST AND BISHOP IN HIS NATIVE COUNTRY, AS WELL AS OUR SERVICE TOGETHER IN THE ROMAN CURIA DURING THE PONTIFICATE OF BLESSED JOHN PAUL II, I WILLINGLY JOIN YOU IN COMMENDING HIS NOBLE SOUL TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.
I PRAY THAT HIS WITNESS WILL INSPIRE OTHERS TO DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO THE SERVICE OF THE LORD AND HIS HOLY CHURCH, ESPECIALLY IN THE PRIESTHOOD.
TO ALL WHO MOURN THE DEATH OF CARDINAL SÁNCHEZ IN THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION, I WILLINGLY IMPART MY APOSTOLIC BLESSING AS A PLEDGE OF CONSOLATION AND PEACE IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRISTI.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 10/03/2012 09:17]