More News concerning the Order and our Parish

Dear Reader,

After selecting the Father Arnold Chrapkowski OSPPE, new Superior General of the Order of the St. Paul the First Hermit has elected a new board of the General Curia of the Order, called the Definitorium.

Pauline general's closest collaborators will be:

Vicar General (I Definitor) - Fr. Michael Lukoszek OSPPE  (former Rector of the Order's Seminary  in Cracow)

II Definitor - Fr. Mariusz Tabulski OSPPE

III Definitor - Fr. Richard Bortkiewicz OSPPE

IV Definitor - Fr. Kazimierz Maniecki OSPPE

Procurator General to the Holy See - Fr. Basil Degórski OSPPE

Administrator General - Fr. Jan Bednarz OSPPE

The Administrator and Procurator General are both incumbents.



Now onto some Local News.
Our Parish today celebrated its Dedication as did the church. The ancient church dating back to the twelfth century , and was dedicated to San Lorenzo only.  M. Armellini refers to a document from the Vatican, according to which:
" ... near Prima Porta in a meadow at the right hand there is a small abandoned church, in which It contains its annexed bell tower. Of this, reports Martinelli in his Triumph of the Cross, have been under the old title of s. Lorenzo. There was a hospital served by Oblates et oblate mention of which is found in the year 1243."

At the beginning of the seventeenth century , Pope Urban VIII had it restored and enlarged, and on this occasion it was also dedicated to St. Urban. The same pope established the parish with the decree "Creditam desuper nobis" of 7 March 1629 , incorporating it in the diocese of Porto Santa Rufina . When this diocese was abolished on January 5, 1945 the church was annexed to the Diocese of Rome .

On the front of the old church, there are two marble plaques both made ​​by Pius X in 1912 to commemorate the victory of Constantine against Maxentius of 312.

The interior of the oldest church was completely rebuilt in reinforced concrete beams.

The parish is the titular church of Saint's Urban and Lawrence in Prima Porta, Urbe.


Vale amicus... Till next time.

GOD BE PRAISED! WE HAVE A NEW FATHER GENERAL!!!!!!!

The New General of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit was elected: Fr. Arnold Chrapkowski OSPPE, former Vicar General of the Order.





The selection was made today , i.e. On Thursday, March 6th , during the meeting at Jasna Góra of the General Chapter of the Order.

Arnold Marek Chrapkowski is 46 years old, (SUPER SUPER YOUNG, the youngest in our entire history!!!!!) and was born on 28th April 1968 in the diocese of Pelplin .

Made his first religious profession on 8th September 1988 , and perpetual profession on July 30th, 1993. He was ordained June 18th, 1994 year. He is a doctor of canon law .

Fr. Chrapkowski is the 86th General of the Pauline Order. He replaced Fr Isidore Matuszewski OSPPE, who served as general since 2002, for two terms, i.e. for 12 years.

6 years ago, February 26th 2008, Father Arnold Chrapkowski was elected Vicar General of the Order. The Vicar serves as the closest collaborator of, and also the deputy to the General of the Order.

Fr. Chrapkowski, during this year's session of the General Chapter, was elected President of the Chapter, or a person who after passing the general office, prefered by the fathers and brothers, has full and supreme authority until a new general is elected.

Shortly after the election, in the historic Library of Jasna Góra, The Fathers and Brothers gathered to participate in the ceremony of his assumption into office as the new Master of the Order .

Then, at midday, the fathers and brothers gathered in the Chapel of Our Lady, to participate in prayer and entrusted new general to the B.V.M. After the announcement of the name of the new General of the Order, everyone sang as thanksgiving the 'Te Deum '. Then, the new Master of the Order, Fr. Chrapkowski spoke.

"Venerable Fathers and Brothers in our Pauline vocation , dear faithful of the Lord Jesus Christ who gathered in front of the Miraculous Image Of Mary of Częstochowa, yesterday we started our rite of the imposition of ashes, the time of Lent. Today, fathers and brothers gathered at the General Chapter commissioned me to the office of the supreme moderator of the Pauline Order. This selection, together with the ashes I accepted yesterday on my head . This office, which I accepted, not for my own glory , but to remember all the time that I am dust and to dust I shall return, and this is what I have been commissioned for, it is not for my own sake, but for the sake of the religious community, which I now head " .

"I accept responsibility for the Order with a huge heritage and at this point I would like to embrace the memory and prayer all my religious brothers scattered around the world in 17 countries , in 71 monasteries and homes of our Order. What is outsourced to the General Chapter, it is not the only choice, but it is primarily a look. A look through the eyes of contemporary history and heritage of our Order. The Order does not create from now on, we assume the great history and we want to move in the present. The motto of our Chapter is fidelity to the heritage of Blessed John Paul II and the Servant of God, Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski . We want to listen to their voice, this voice heard on the new reality, always with the Miraculous Icon of the Virgin of Jasna Góra . In this image is typed the vocation of every Pauline, in the image we have entered our life and our ministry."

"I wish to express my profound gratitude to the Fathers of the previous generals , ranging from Fr George Tomzińskiego , by Father John Nalaskowskiego , Father Joseph Platek , Father Stanislaus Turek , to the Father Isidore Matuszewski . I am grateful to these men and pray for the good that each of them has inscribed in our Pauline Order and humbly ask you gathered here and my brother too, that we as Paulines, are always Faithful to this vocation. May she [B. V. M.] supports us and helps . All of you, pray for the General Chapter of the Order and for all, that we are able to give a relevant testimony to life and bring joy to other humans by being  (living???) the Gospel . God bless you . "

After the speech, Latin antiphon ' Monsters Te esse Matrem ' was sung in the presence of the miracoulus icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa- ' Show unto us Mother ' .

Remember, Man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return!

Dear Reader,


GO TO CONFESSION. I wanted to rant about fasting but am going to say this: let's be radical this Lent. Let's actually be penitential, give up stuff that you would never in a million years give up, Unless its will affect your study, work or spiritual life, give up a tone of stuff, take up works of mercy and more pray and contemplation. How about that?  Double check with your confessor or spiritual Advisor/ Father.


and try to go to mass more often too.






Vale amicus... Till next time.

Resurrexit sicut dixit, just not what you are thinking.

Dear Reader,


It’s been a long time between the proverbial drinks.

But here I am, here we are after a time. Much has happened and much is to be reported, but if you read this blog, then almost all the news is old hat.

First and fore most, I am only a little more than a year away from completing my seminary studies here in beautiful Rome. The weather is staring to clear (not meant to be a metaphor), the sun is shinning and thanks be to God the world keeps spinning.

So, before I entered into religious life, I lived in and grew up in Sydney, Australia. His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, was the Archbishop of this lovely little metropolitan see.  I can tell you that he will be missed by the Catholic community of Sydney and the nation as a whole. I am not gonna pretend that i know who would take his place in Sydney now that he is the Prefect for the Secretariat for the Economy, but who ever it will be will have huge shoes to fill (literally!)

The General Chapter of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit is taking place now in the monastery of Jasna Góra, Poland. We will have a New Father general in the next week perhaps, because now after his two 6 year terms, many things need to be accounted for and it will be very interesting to see who will “get up”. Of course, the fate of the order depends on who will be elected too!

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I have to say it feels weird not having been to mass in the morning and to have been “ashed”. This evening we will have a conventual mass and I will receive them then. Have I ranted about how much I do not like the masses in the evenings? No? Maybe in the next blog.

This piece of music is my dig right now.

But remember the first time I fell in love with classical music. The summer of 1999/2000 (southern hemisphere of course) two of my fav pieces ever was G.F. Handal’s Water Music and Der Tod und das Mädchen / Death and the Maiden by Schubert 4th movement: Presto: HERE http://youtu.be/z42GrmR4U2Y?t=30m23s till the end.

Yet my most favourite piece of classical music would have to be on of the last Greats. Could he even described as classic? But I believe a lot in the power of music and the way it tugs on the heart strings. Just as many of mass settings when chanted convy a certain atmosphere and spiritual message. The IX mass alwys leaves me in awe. Elgar. It sounds very Lenten!!!!!!

So I’m just touching base, I’m still alive!


Memento mori



Vale amicus... Till next time

Sorry. But I'm back now. This time for sure.

Dear Reader,

So yesterday, the Holy Father Consecrated the world to the BVM.

October the 13th was an importnat day for the appritions in Fátima 

Below is partly from the EWTN Website.

Enjoy.

oh, I was on vacation for my last few months. I am going to try and do something every chance I get, but every Sunday should be something here. This I promise. I have not forgotten the promises I made about certain documents... they will be coming.

The Apparition of 13 October 1917

During the night of 12-13 October it had rained throughout, soaking the ground and the pilgrims who make their way to Fátima from all directions by the thousands. By foot, by cart and even by car they came, entering the bowl of the Cova from the Fátima-Leiria road, which today still passes in front of the large square of the Basilica. From there they made their way down the gently slope to the place where a trestle had been erected over the little holm oak of the apparitions. Today on the site is the modern glass and steel Capelhina (little chapel), enclosing the first chapel built there and the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima where the holm oak had stood.

As for the children, they made their way to the Cova amid the adulation and skepticism which had followed them since May. When they arrived they found critics who questioned their veracity and the punctuality of the Lady, who had promised to arrive at noon. It was well passed noon by the official time of the country. However, when the sun arrived at its zenith the Lady appeared as she had said she would.

"What do you want of me?"

I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.

"Yes. Yes."

"Will you tell me your name?"

I am the Lady of the Rosary.

"I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them? "

Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended! 

"And is that all you have to ask?"

There is nothing more.

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver.

"Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs.

After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time  resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia would see the later, presaging her entrance into Carmel some years later.]

This would be the last of the apparitions of Fátima for Jacinta and Francisco. However, for Lucia Our Lady would return a seventh time, in 1920, as she had promised the previous May. At that time Lucia would be praying in the Cova before leaving Fátima for a girls boarding school. The Lady would come to urge her to dedicate herself wholly to God.

As the children viewed the various apparitions of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the crowd witnessed a different prodigy, the now famous miracle of the sun.

Among the witnesses there were the following:

O Seculo (a pro-government, anti-clerical, Lisbon paper):

From the road, where the vehicles were parked and where hundreds of people who had not dared to brave the mud were congregated, one could see the immense multitude turn toward the sun, which appeared free from clouds and in its zenith. It looked like a plaque of dull silver, and it was possible to look at it without the least discomfort. It might have been an eclipse which was taking place. But at that moment a great shout went up, and one could hear the spectators nearest at hand shouting: "A miracle! A miracle!

Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose aspect was biblical as they stood bareheaded, eagerly searching the sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws---the sun "danced" according to the typical expression of the people.

Standing at the step of an omnibus was an old man. With his face turned to the sun, he recited the Credo in a loud voice. I asked who he was and was told Senhor Joao da Cunha Vasconcelos. I saw him afterwards going up to those around him who still had their hats on, and vehemently imploring them to uncover before such an extraordinary demonstration of the existence of God.

Identical scenes were repeated elsewhere, and in one place a woman cried out: "How terrible! There are even men who do not uncover before such a stupendous miracle!"

People then began to ask each other what they had seen. The great majority admitted to having seen the trembling and the dancing of the sun; others affirmed that they saw the face of the Blessed Virgin; others, again, swore that the sun whirled on itself like a giant Catherine wheel and that it lowered itself to the earth as if to burn it in its rays. Some said they saw it change colors successively....

O Dia (another Lisbon daily, edition of 17 October 1917):

"At one o'clock in the afternoon, midday by the sun, the rain stopped. The sky, pearly grey in colour, illuminated the vast arid landscape with a strange light. The sun had a transparent gauzy veil so that the eyes could easily be fixed upon it. The grey mother-of-pearl tone turned into a sheet of silver which broke up as the clouds were torn apart and the silver sun, enveloped in the same gauzy grey light, was seen to whirl and turn in the circle of broken clouds. A cry went up from every mouth and people fell on their knees on the muddy ground....

The light turned a beautiful blue, as if it had come through the stained-glass windows of a cathedral, and spread itself over the people who knelt with outstretched hands. The blue faded slowly, and then the light seemed to pass through yellow glass. Yellow stains fell against white handkerchiefs, against the dark skirts of the women. They were repeated on the trees, on the stones and on the serra. People wept and prayed with uncovered heads, in the presence of a miracle they had awaited. The seconds seemed like hours, so vivid were they.

Immaculate Heart of Mary... Pray for Us.
Our Lady of the Rosary... Pray for Us.
Our Lady of  Fátima ... Pray for Us.

and while I mention it... Russia... Some incredible things have been happening there in recent years... one wonders if the conversion is finally coming about!?!?!?! 

Let us In that case Let us Pray for the People and Nation of Russia. 

Vale Amicus, Till Next time...!

HE FOUGHT WITH A CROSS!?!?!?!

Dear Reader,

This Sunday is the XVIth of Ordinary time but also today is the Feast of St. Lawrence of Brindisi. a brave Capuchin monk/friar/priest.

ENJOY

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, O.F.M. Cap. (July 22, 1559 – July 22, 1619) was born Giulio Cesare Russo, was a priest and a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Giulio was born in Brindisi, Kingdom of Naples, to a family of Venetian merchants. He was educated at Saint Mark's College in Venice, and joined the Capuchins in Verona as Brother Lawrence. He received further instruction from the University of Padua.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, O.F.M. Cap.

An accomplished linguist, Lawrence spoke most European and Semitic languages fluently. He was appointed definitor general to Rome for the Capuchins in 1596; Pope Clement VIII assigned him the task of converting the Jews in the city. Beginning in 1599, Lawrence established Capuchin monasteries in modern Germany and Austria, furthering the Counter-Reformation and bringing many Protestants back to the Catholic faith. St. Lawrence of Brindisi ofm. Cap. In 1601, he served as the imperial chaplain for the army of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, and successfully recruited Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur to help fight against the Ottoman Turks.

He then led the army during the capture of Székesfehérvár in Hungary from the Ottoman Empire, armed only with a crucifix. In 1602, he was elected vicar general of the Capuchin friars, at that time the highest office in the Order. He was elected again in 1605, but refused the office. He entered the service of the Holy See, becoming papal nuncio to Bavaria. After serving as nuncio to Spain, he retired to a monastery in 1618. He was recalled as a special envoy to the King of Spain regarding the actions of the Viceroy of Naples in 1619, and after finishing his mission, died on his birthday in Lisbon.

He was beatified in 1783 by Pope Pius VI, canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII, and declared a doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959. His feast day is July 21, in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms.

What a Boss. We had a very similar Father in our Order at Jasna Gora during the Swedish invasion of Poland, Fr. Augustyn Kordecki O.S.P.P.E. Which I would like to write about more in the future. he would process around the battlements with the Blessed Sacrament. What a legend.

Our Blessed Father Augustine Kordecki O.S.P.P.E.

But, as we should let us finish with a prayer.

Almighty and Ever living God, for the glory of Your Name and the salvation of souls, You conferred upon St. Lawrence, the spirits of counsel and fortitude. Grant us, in the same Spirit, to know what we are to do, and through his prayers, to do what we have come to know. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


and a Quote:

"God is love, and all his operations proceed from love. Once he wills to manifest that goodness by sharing his love outside himself, then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation of his goodness and love and glory. So, Christ was intended before all other creatures and for his own sake. For him all things were created and to him all things must be subject, and God loves all creatures in and because of Christ. Christ is the first-born of every creature, and the whole of humanity as well as the created world finds its foundation and meaning in him. Moreover, this would have been the case even if Adam had not sinned.
 ~ St. Lawrence of Brindisi


Vale Amicus, till next time...

In Christo facta sunt omnia nova

Dear Reader,

Well, the unexpected has occurred. It would appear that I was re-transplanted back into my homeland. That's right, I have reached the Antipodes. Back to 'ol Botany Bay. The Land Down Under etc. Sydney, Australia.

And boy, can I say it is good to be back

ALL FOR ME!!!

So Far I have been in Residency in a Suburban Church in Sydney not far from my family Home and am with with a very interesting Priest. Msgr. had his Holidays and offered that I stay with this foreign priest. Father Provincial was very generous and acquiesced to it. :) I will update the post if he allows me to publish his name. A Pole from the Catholic University of Lublin in Poland and well Published too! we have been having many interesting Conversations and have been ARGUING and JUSTIFYING our positions.... over the nicest glasses of McLaren Red. but it is in the spirit of academic freedom and finally I have met a priest that says Thomas Aquinas has many good points but should not be used for everything. okay so i am a in a Thomist institution but luckily the good Doctor and Saint is not rammed down our throat as perhaps in some institutions.

enough of that.

so it looks like I shall be sent from one end of the country to the other. In Fact I believe that the Tuesday after this Post will see me off to the Sunshine State and our Monastery and Shrine of Marian Valley.

Then Only God Knows... and perhaps the Provincial, so I should ring him again and try to collect those dates again.

I pray for my readers, so please pray for me. I understand that my Readers are not such a big base, but having at last check 759 individual hits, it is not bad, and hey, you need to start some where right?

I will do my best to update You on my Adventures, and I know this was my promise last year but now I have a better camera!

Okay I have written enough, BASTA!

I will try to do a PAULINE BLOG SERIES interspersed with other posts. It should be about ten posts long.

God Bless you.

Vale Amicus, Till next time...