Tuesday, December 15
BLESSED MARIA FRANZISKA [Mary Frances] SCHERVIER (Germany, 1819-1875)
Born to a wealth family in Aachen, she was cured of asthma after a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
As a teenager, she ran the household when her mother died, and after losing two sisters to
tuberculosis, she became a lay Franciscan renowned for her generosity to the poor. In 1851,
she founded the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, which set up hospitals and homes for
the aged to serve the indigent. By 1858, the order had a branch in the United States, and
in 1863, Mother Mary Frances herself went to the US to help nurse Civil War wounded, making
a second trip to the order in 1868. By the time she died, her order had 2500 members in many
countries. She was beatified by Paul VI in 1974.
OR for 12/14-15/09:
At Sunday's Angelus, Benedict XVI calls on the faithful
to rediscover the sense of Christmas:
'The God at hand who is the heart of the world'
The double issue also contains coverage of the Pope's visit to a Rome hospice for terminally-ill patients (left
photo, below), and his audience for the Prime Minister of Montenegro yesterday. Page 1 also has a brief
editorial denouncing the unprecedented attack on Sunday that caused serious injuries to Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi; an agreement on democratic reforms for the Sudan to be put in place before the April general
elections; and Iran's Supreme Leader issues stern warnings to the political opposition to 'follow the right way'.
No events scheduled today for the Holy Father.
Two papal texts were released today:
- A Motu Proprio, Omnia in mentem, which modifies some provisions in the Code of Canon Law
regarding the function of deacons and aspects of matrimony.
- The Holy Father's message for the 2010 World Day of Peace next January 1.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 15/12/2009 14:10]