Wednesday, December 1, First Week of Advent
BLESSED GIOVANNI (John) DA VERCELLI (Italy, 1205-1283), Dominican, Teacher, Preacher, Papal legate
A man of towering achievement who lived in an age of saints and Worked with many of them (e.g., Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Dominic,
St. Louis of France, Bernardine of Siena), he came close to being elected Pope at one time in his long career, and served two Popes but was not beatified
until 1903. A secular priest, he taught at the University of Paris and became a Dominican after his best students all joined the order. He went on to be the
sixth Dominican master-general, an office he held until his death. Gregory IX sent him to make peace among warring papal states and to settle a dispute
between France and Castile. He wrote the Schema for the second Council of Lyons in 1274, which was called to fight the Albigensian heresy, among other
things. He attended the Council with Bonaventure (Aquinas died on his way to the Council), and founded the Holy Name Society against blasphemy, perjury
and immorality. The male sodality continues to be active throughout the world today.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/nab/readings/120110.shtml
OR today.
In an editorial decision that does not surprise me, the OR chose to play up today
the news that starting in January, the weekly Italian edition of OR will come with
theSunday edition of the newspaper TEMPI. The two legitimate papal stories of the
day are mentioned in Page 1 teasers but found inside - the Pope's St. Andrew's Day
message to patriarch Bartholomew I, and his eulogy for Manuela Camagni. Other
Page 1 news: Growing alarm over Euro bailouts for debt-ridden countries; Germany
continues to take a dim view of the bailouts; North Korea presses on with its nuclear
arms program; and a 73-year-old French electrician reveals to the world that
before he died in 1973, Pablo Picasso left him 271 never-before known works done
between 1900-1932 (initial estimate is that they are now worth at least 60-million
euros). In the inside pages, two essays on the 40th anniversary of the successful
introduction into the Italian Parliament of a law to institutionalize divorce, and
Paul VI's prophetic reactions.
THE POPE'S DAY
General Audience - The Holy Father's catechesis was on St. Juliana of Norwich, a 15th century English mystic.
He also made a special appeal to the faithful of the world to pray for the Catholics of China, especially
their bishops.
After the audience, the Pope met with
- H.E. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea,
at the formal Reception Room of the Aula Paolo V.
The Holy Father has accepted the canonical resignation for age of the Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, and
has named Mons. David O'Connell to succeed him. O'Connell resigned a few months ago as president of the
Catholic University of America, and the Holy Father named him coadjutor bishop of Trenton.
The Vatican released the text of the address delivered by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone today at the two-day-summit
in Astana, Kazakhstan, of the European Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE).
THE POPE'S PRAYER INTENTIONS
FOR DECEMBER 2010
General Intention
That our personal experience of suffering may be an occasion for better understanding the situation of unease and pain
which is the lot of many people who are alone, sick or aged, and stir us all to give them generous help.
Missionary Intention
That the peoples of the earth may open their doors to Christ and to His Gospel of peace, brotherhood and justice.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 01/12/2010 21:03]