January 17th 2025_Catholic Standard

VATICAN CITY (CNS) As Christian churches prepare to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will focus on affirming the Nicene Creed and its expression of the faith Christians share.

Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25 are prepared each year by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

Pope Francis is scheduled to close the week with an ecumenical prayer service at Rome

of St. Paul Outside the

25.

The pope and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch (please turn to page 8)

attend CEAMA Assembly prep meeting

Assembly of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), which takes place in August this year.

This week’s meeting brought together eight Bishops from the seven Episcopal conferences of the Amazon (Antilles, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela), six theologians, and the organizing commission of

The purpose of the meeting was to define the challenges for a synodal Church with an Amazonian face and to create a methodology for listening to all the Bishops of the Amazon (around 120 in total) during the 3rd Assembly of CEAMA in August.❖

Best gift a child can receive is faith, pope says at baptisms - p2

Gaza Catholics celebrate as Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire - p3

Pope injures arm in a fall - p3

A Christian Perspective on Social Issues - p4

Sunday Scripture - p5

Haiti bishop describes ‘suffocating’ chaos due to gangs - p6

Don’t lose hope, pope says as he opens Holy Door at Rome prison - p7

Cuba to release 553 prisoners for Jubilee at pope’s request - p7

Pope Francis' autobiography released in 80 countries - p8

Prayer for the Week for Christian Unity - p8

Children’s Page - p9

President Biden awards Pope Francis Medal of Freedom - p10

Baptism & First Communion at Fair View - p11

Consecration of new church at site of Jesus’ baptism called a sign of hope for region - p12

Jubilee 2025 Calendar of major events - p13

Diamond holds Jubilee Planning Meeting - p14

Saint of the Week - p14

Bishop’s Engagements

Sunday, January 19th to February 2ndRetreat for Bishops, Belo Horizante, Brazil

Monday, February 3rd - Return to Guyana

During my absence for the period January 12th to February 3rd all matters relating to the Diocese could be referred to my Office and Reverend Ronald Fernandes,SJ - Vicar General.

Dear Editor,

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

Mr. William Cox 's suggestion in your paper of January 10th of forming a Catholic Lay Movement so as to have a participatory Church is noteworthy. For sometime now and moreso since the pandemic, a large number of lay people have become 'Sunday Catholics', going to church faithfully every Sunday but that's where it ends. At the end of Mass or Service, we are blessed and sent forth to 'Glorify God with our Lives' or to 'Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.' However, as we smile our goodbyes and return home, we soon become immersed in the challenges of our daily lives, and Church goes on the back burner until Sunday comes again.

In light of this, it is very important for there to be cords to bind us together bind us together as one Church. Although there are not many active lay movements in the church in

The

A more participatory Church

Guyana now, it was not always like that. Let's look at the youth. A vibrant Youth Group working with a Spiritual Director is essential for every parish. As a teenager, I was a member of the Our Lady of Fatima Youth Group with Fr. Graham Clark SFM as Spiritual Director. On its formation, I joined the Green Light Organisation (GLO) with Fr. Andrew Morrison SJ as Spiritual Director. This was indeed a very vibrant youth organisation with groups in almost every parish in the country. There is always need for adult faith formation. As a child, I remember my father attending meetings of the Sword of the Spirit and the Blessed Sacrament Guild. In addition, the Cursillo - a wonderful experience that strengthens your Catholic faith - was once an active movement in our Diocese. With separate weekends for men and women, participants left with joy and enthusiasm to live and spread the good news of our faith. I was fortunate to be a part of this. Support for Marriages

My late husband Aubrey and I were

members of the Christian Family Movement (CFM) which met weekly in groups of around six couples at each others homes. We studied a scripture passage using it to 'See, Judge and Act' during the following week. This movement was the forerunner to the Catholic Marriage Encounter Movement in which Weekends are held for couples to enrich their marriages. Aubrey and I did our weekend in August 1980. Thankfully, the Marriage Encounter Weekend is still being offered in the Diocese. There are other movements like the Ladies of Charity and the St Vincent de Paul Society that are still active. There are active youth groups in some parishes, but most parishes have none.

Yes, there is a dire need for wider lay involvement in our Church, so can we as a Diocese work together as a family to bring this to fruition - a joyful family that listens to the voice of God.

Joan Collins (Mrs.)

Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

Centrepiece of our Lives

Dear Editor, Jesus promised “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst”. (MT. 18: V20).

This is particularly true when we the people of God gather to celebrate the Eucharist. The Spirit of Jesus is then present and active in the community, and is the source of our prayer and praise and the proclamation of God’s wonderful works. Jesus speaks to us in his word and gives

himself under the eucharistic signs of bread and wine to be the life and food of the community. When the priest greets us with the words “The Lord be with you,” he is stating a fact - the Lord is with us, his people as we gather to celebrate the Mass. The Mass is an act of worship, in which all present acknowledge and praise God. We obey the command of Jesus, given to his apostles at the Last Supper, to do this in his memory. In the Mass, Jesus offers himself to

the Father as the sacrificial lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, and with himself, He offers us in his sacrifice, who by the Holy Spirit are made into the one body of Christ a living sacrifice of praise. There are more than a billion Catholics in the world. People of all places and times, have found the Mass to be the life-transforming centrepiece of their Spiritual lives.

Leon Jeetlall

Best gift a child can receive is

Francis said before baptizing 21 infants in the Sistine Chapel.

“Let us ask the Lord that they grow in the faith, a true humanity (and) in the joy of family,” he said in his brief homily at Mass on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 12. Afterward, he led the recitation of the Angelus prayer with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Like last year, Pope Francis led the baptismal prayers and poured the water over the heads of the infants and was assisted in anointing the babies by Cardinals Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, and Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the commission governing Vatican City State. When an infant was accompanied by an older sibling, the pope would help the older child make the sign of the cross on the infant’s forehead after he and the parents performed the ritual. (please turn to page 4)

Gaza Catholics celebrate as Israel

(OSV News) After more than a year of war and thousands killed or wounded, negotiators representing Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal.

A six-week initial ceasefire phase and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip are included in the accord.

The agreement, announced Jan. 15 following several months of negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, also included a deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Although negotiators have reached an agreement, the deal has yet to be ratified by the Israeli parliament. As of publishing time, neither Israel or the Palestinian Authority had issued an official statement announcing the deal. Speaking at the Jan. 15 press briefing at the White House, President Joe Biden acknowledged that the deal has been a team effort of the outgoing and incoming administration.

“In these past few days, we’ve been speaking as one team,” Biden said.

“We’re handing off to the next team a real opportunity for a brighter future in the Middle East,” Biden says. “I hope they take it.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing the families of 98 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, welcomed news of the agreement “with overwhelming joy and relief.”

While hailing the deal as a significant step forward, the group acknowledged “deep anxiety and concerns” over the “possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind.”

“We urgently call for swift arrangements to ensure all phases of the deal are carried out,” the group said. “We will not rest until we see the last hostage back home,” they said as people were seen rejoicing on the streets of Tel Aviv, Reuters news agency reported. Celebrations erupt across Gaza SIR, the news service of the Italian bishops’ conference, reported celebrations also erupting in Gaza following news of the ceasefire.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, said that people were beginning “to nurture the hope of returning to their homes for those who still have them and understanding what is left and how to rebuild.”

“For everyone, it also means returning to live without the constant nightmare of planes, bombs, fighting, and violence,” he told SIR. “Everyone hopes the truce holds, although we know it will be a very long and complicated path.”

Father Romanelli said the parish will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving for the ceasefire and that the faithful will continue to pray “for all those working to provide relief to the people.”

In a statement published not long after news of the agreement, Biden, who will officially end his term Jan. 20, confirmed that he “laid out the precise contours of this plan” which was endorsed “unanimously by the UN Security Council.”

While he welcomed the news, the president remembered the lives of those killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the “many innocent people killed in the war that followed,” also referring to the suffering of Palestinians during his subsequent White House press briefing as “hell.”

“Too many innocent people have died; too many communities. have been destroyed,” Biden said.

World leaders continue to react

President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to be sworn in as president in less than a week, took to his social media platform, Truth Social, and seemingly took credit for the “EPIC ceasefire agreement.”

The deal, he said, “could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies.”

Trump said his upcoming administration would work closely with Israel to ensure that Gaza “NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven” and that “we will continue promoting PEACE

Supporters of Israeli hostages, who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 2023,

by

to a Gaza ceasefire deal as they attend a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 15, 2025, that was organized to demand a deal to bring every hostage home at once. (OSV News photo/Ronen Zvulun, Reuters)

THROUGH STRENGTH,” he said, capitalizing certain words.

“This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World,” Trump wrote. “We have achieved so much without even being in the White House.

”

Although the Vatican has yet to release a statement regarding the deal, the announcement comes after Pope Francis made multiple calls for an end to the conflict in the Holy Land, and in other parts of the world.

“Let us pray that the fighting will cease on every front, and that there will be a decisive effort for peace and reconciliation,” the pope said during his Angelus address Jan. 1, adding that “War is always a defeat,” and thanking those “in the many areas of conflict who work

for dialogue and negotiations.”

Following an event in Rome, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, who also serves as the pope’s special envoy for peace in Ukraine, reacted to news of the ceasefire, and expressed his hope that “it will serve to prevent further suffering.”

“Let us trust in peace,” the cardinal said, according to SIR. Hamas’ brutal attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killed 1,200 Israelis, with over 250 taken hostage, and a subsequent Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip killed 46,600 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas. Women, children and older people account for just over half of identified victims.❖

Pope injures arm in a fall, wears sling at audiences

With his right arm in a sling, Pope Francis uses his left hand to greet Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, chair of the Committee on World Food Security, during a meeting at the Vatican Jan. 16, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) Pope Francis was wearing his arm in a sling during his meetings and audiences Jan. 16 after hurting his right arm in a fall.

“This morning, due to a fall at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis suffered a contusion to his right forearm, without a fracture. The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure,” the Vatican press office said.

The note was published after Vatican Media had distributed photographs of the 88-year-old pontiff’s morning meetings in which he was wearing a sling that appeared to be made from an elastic bandage tied at his neck. While the photos showed shaking hands with his left hand, other photos showed him using his right hand to sign a document.

He also had fallen in early December, hitting his chin on his bedside table and sporting a significant bruise on the right side of his face when he created 21 new cardinals Dec. 7.

Pope Francis’ voice also has sounded hoarse for weeks. When he met Jan. 9 with ambassadors serving at the Vatican, Pope Francis read only the first paragraph of his prepared text. Explaining that he was “still suffering from a bit of a cold,” he asked an aide, Msgr. Filippo Ciampa, to read the rest of his text.

While his voice continued to sound rough, he had read his prepared texts himself since that audience.❖

A Christian Perspective on Social Issues

By GHK Lall

Jubilee Year 2025

(Part 1)

Prayers for a grace-filled 2025 to all who come into contact with these pages. May the Holy Spirit inspire to great works of faith and charity.

The Jubilee Year declared by Pope Francis is in its early days, gathering strength in its legs, readying to grow into some momentum. A Year of Hope; hope which involves so many areas of human life, covers such great distances in the human imagination. Our entire belief system is based on faith and hope. The two nurture each other, are strengthened by the other. Hope does not disappoint (Spes non confundit). Of course, it depends on where and in whom that hope is vested. Be insensible enough to place hope in mere man, and hard disappointment is usually an early visitor. There are two features to the disappointment, the first of which is a sense of being foolish and the prices that go with that misstep. The second is what now, as in where to for a fallback option. I shouldn’t have to educate anyone about where our hearts must be, and not as a last gasp Plan B to give us something on which to grasp. God is great! Good, too. God does not disappoint. His works are unseen, they do not follow the timeline that is preferred (Heb 11:1). But they open the door to a rich existence no matter how materially poor one may be. Hope is a richness by itself. Hope means that there is something to believe in, such as the great love of Almighty God. From that divine love flows the mercies without which there would be no spiritual existence of depth. From mercies received, mercies could be extended; from mercies anticipated and trusted in, a kindness could be shared. Even to the most reprehensible in our time, our environment, our midst. And even when exceptional wrongs have been committed against one’s dignity. Whose dignity could have been assaulted more than that of the carpenter’s son? These are a start for the essences of what a Jubilee is about at the core. For what is a Jubilee in the Old Testament scriptures, if not a clearing away of the old, and a clean slate, so that a fresh start could be

made. In some sense, it could be said that a man, a woman, is reborn. At least, he or she is free of the burden of old debts, which usually would have been an insurmountable reality, kept in a lifetime of bondage. What just couldn’t be overcome. Jubilee, therefore, was a divine provision of mercy and forgiveness, of that hand extended with an open palm of generosity.

Jubilee! How the world needs one. Look around, listen a bit. A rocking sound; it is of people arguing, showering one another with verbal sticks and stones. Lots of accumulated rage, even more quarreling and rebalancing the score. To suit one’s selfish program. We can’t go on like this.

Now in this Jubilee 2025, let it be a time of the purging of our hearts of all those old grudges, the malice that just wouldn’t let go. If we do not let go of past wrongs, regardless of how terrible, then where are the graces of mercy and forgiveness in us? Many in our church at different levels have grown very skilled at talking about love, mercy, and forgiveness, when such suits their interests. But when called upon to live all three, as in manifesting them in very concrete terms, they forget what is read, preached, or taught. Unless there is genuine interest and commitment at the individual level to live these teachings, the values and elements of what a Jubilee interval represents, then the consequences are twofold. First, the relationships that should be fostered inside the Roman Catholic Church falter: where there ought to be improvements based on love, there is the same old rancidness of backbiting and backstabbing, with God’s sanctuary the lesser for it. That is the best-case scenario, offered in the hope that things don’t deteriorate beyond where they have been in recent times. The second outcome is that the kind of virtuous relationship that should bind us to our Creator is just not where it should be, because it is lacking something. Jubilee Year or not, there is something that each one of us must bear in mind: our relationship with Our Maker is personal - we are obligated, we are committed, we are answerable.

We each, therefore, should conduct the kind of clean and thorough selfexamination to identify our weak spots and blind spots. Then, through prayers and appeals for the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit, begin our own Jubilee journey that fairly hums with love, mercy, forgiveness, and joy. Why joy? Because Almighty God in his mercy has opened the door to our reconciling with him. We are forgiven, our record scrubbed. Thus, none who stand before us must have a record that stands. We receive, we give; as

we give, we receive more. In this year of hope, let ours be boundless.

DEALERS IN ALL TYPES OF ELECTRICAL MATERIALS

POLLYDORE (DURBAN) ST, LODGE, G/TOWN TEL/FAX: 231-8430

Pope’s Intentions

January Monthly Intention: For the Right to an Education

Let us pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.❖

Best gift a faith (From

P2)

Light baptismal candle when there is difficulty

After the fathers lit their child’s candle from the Paschal candle during the Mass, the pope told the parents to always keep the candle in their homes as a reminder of the day.

“And when there is some kind of problem or difficulty, light the candle to ask the Lord for grace for your family,” he said.

Surrounded by Michaelangelo’s stunning frescoes in the chapel, the pope thanked the parents, who are Vatican employees, for bringing their children to be baptized. As he normally does at baptisms, the pope encouraged the parents to do what they had to to make sure the babies werecomfortable

“If they are hungry, nurse them, so they don’t cry. If they are too hot, change their clothes,” he said. What is important is that “they feel at ease because today they are in charge and we have to serve them with the sacrament, with prayers.”

In his Angelus address later, he told the crowd gathered in the square that “today’s feast makes us contemplate the face and the voice of God, which are manifested in Jesus’ humanity.”

“So, let us ask ourselves: do we feel loved? Do I feel loved and accompanied by God, or do I think that God is distant from me? Are we capable of recognizing his face in Jesus and in our brothers and sisters? And are we accustomed to listening to his voice?” the pope said.

Know the date of your baptism

He also asked Catholics who did not know or remember the date of their baptism to find out.

The date is important, he said, and it should be celebrated “as if it were a new birthday: that of our birth in the Spirit of God.”❖

Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests.

Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.

Set their souls on fire with love for your people.

Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.

Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.

Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.

Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen

Counselling Services at Brickdam Presbytery

Carmelite Sisters are available for counselling on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am to 12 noon and 1:00pm to 2:00 pm, at theCathedral Presbytery. They are also available by appointment. Persons are encouraged to avail themselves of these services. Kindly contact the Cathedral parish office on tel. no. 226-4631fordetails.

FIRST READING Isaiah 62:1-5

As the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.

About Zion I will not be silent, about Jerusalem I will not grow weary, until her integrity shines out like the dawn and her salvation flames like a torch.

The nations then will see your integrity all the kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, one which the mouth of the Lord will confer. You are to be a crown of splendour in the hand of the Lord, a princely diadem in the hand of your God; no longer are you to be named “Forsaken”, nor your land “Abandoned”, but you shall be called “My Delight” and your land “The Wedded”; for the Lord takes delight in you and your land will have its wedding. Like a young man marrying a virgin, so will the one who built you wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 95

Response: Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

1. O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name. Response

2. Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples. Resp.

3. Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and power, give the Lord the glory of his name. Response

4. Worship the Lord in his temple. O earth, tremble before him. Proclaim to the nations: “God is king.” He will judge the peoples in fairness. Response

Today’s Gospel reading from John recounts the familiar story of the wedding feast at Cana when Jesus

SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit. There are a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it the same God who is working in all to them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom given to him by the Spirit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit, another again the gift of healing, through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognising spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses.

launched His public ministry by performing His first miracle at his mother’s request.

In the midst of the feast, the Blessed Mother noticed that the wine had run out and pointed out the problem to Jesus. Then, she gave the servants instructions that are equally applicable to us modern-day stewards, saying, “Do whatever He tells you.” Jesus gives the servants a simple and seemingly mundane task, telling them to fill

Gospel Acclamation Jn 6: 63

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit and they are life: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!

or 2 Thess 2: 14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Through the Good News God called us to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 2:1-11

This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said, “Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. “Draw some out now” he told them “and take it to the steward.” They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from - only the servants who had drawn the water knew - the steward called the bridegroom and said, “People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.”

This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and the brothers, but they stayed there only a few days.❖

some stone jars with water. They did what He told them to do. And Jesus used their obedience in the accomplishment of that simple task to perform His first miracle, turning the water into the choicest wine.

Our Lord didn’t have to include those servants in order to perform this miracle He chose to. And today, 2,000 plus years later, He still chooses to include us in the performance of His miracles through our cooperation with

Him in using the gifts and talents He has given us. What a privilege! Let us take care to listen to our Blessed Mother: let’s examine our lives this week to see if we really are “doing whatever He tells us,” cooperating with God to make the best use of the gifts He has given us for the benefit of those around us. If we all take this call seriously, He will perform miracles in our families and our parishes.❖

[www.catholicsteward.com/blog/ ]

‘suffocating’ chaos due to gangs Gospel Reflection

Today’s Gospel presents us with the wonderful story of the first miracle Jesus worked. If we see this miracle as just one of the many amazing things Jesus did, we would be limiting its meaning. It is not just about changing water into wine. It tells of his power to bring about change in people’s lives. We see this as he goes about his public ministry. Everywhere he went the old was made new, tears turned to joy, selfishness was thrown aside in favour of generosity and despair changed into hope. He changed the lives of those who came into contact with him. He continues to do the same for those who believe in him and follow him.



Sooner or later the “wine” in every relationship runs out. The joy and enthusiasm weaken and the earlier hopes and dreams give way to routine, dullness and disappointment. We see this happening in marriages, careers and professions. For example, many teachers lose the enthusiasm and thrill after years on the job unless there is some way to keep the old spark alive. It will do us all well to always try to be aware of the “wine” that is running out in our lives, in our relationships, in our jobs. It could be the “wine” of forgiveness, tolerance, respect or unselfishness. A solid, growing relationship with Jesus has the power to change humans from inside and this change is reflected in our relationships with others. The water of selfishness can be changed to the wine of love.❖

[From: Journeying with the Word of God, The Religious Education Department, Diocese of Georgetown,Guyana ]

(Aleteia)

gangs in Haiti continues, the UN has reported that the killings of 2024 exceeded those of 2023 by about 20%.

The number of people murdered in Haiti last year was over 5,600, while an additional 2,200 were injured and 1,500 were kidnapped. With no end to the anarchy in sight, many Christians who were excited for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope feel that they have little to hope for.

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Quesnel Alphonse of Fort-Liberté called it a “great shame” that the general outlook of the public is "despair," when his people have been “awaiting with hope” the Jubilee Year. He described the situation as “suffocating” or “drowning,” as daily life has become “increasingly difficult,” and the future is uncertain.

“The fact is that people feel very lost. People are beyond poor; they are living in misery. This affects the whole country. Despair is at a fever pitch, and when that is the case, anything can happen.” Bishop Alphonse added, “It’s about surviving.”

The problems Haiti faces are perhaps most exacerbated in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, where about onequarter of the country’s 12 million population have migrated since the crisis began. Many who live in the rural countryside have been forced to migrate to the city due to a lack of economic opportunity, a collapsed healthcare system, and closed schools. This has led to overcrowding in a city normally only equipped to house 1.3 million.

Bishop Alphones explained that in overcrowded conditions such as these, it is easy to organize armed gangs among those who are desperate. These gangs prey upon the citizenry, stealing from merchants traveling to the city to sell their goods, showing up at people’s homes and taking everything, or just taking the home itself and casting out the family within. That’s to say nothing of the rampant murder; the bishop described one weekend in December in which 184 people were killed.

Pope Francis spoke of the Haiti situation on Thursday in his annual address todiplomatsaccreditedtotheHolySee:

I think of Haiti, where I trust that the necessary steps can be taken as soon as possible to re-establish democratic order and put an end to the violence.

In order to escape the dangers and hardships, many are seeking refuge outside of the country, but this has caused many families to be split up. The bishop noted that the separation of families, “the pillar of society,” has led to more social instability:

“The father might be in the Dominican Republic, the mother in the Bahamas, and the children in the United States. Many Haitians are risking their lives at sea in search of a better life. However, they are not always welcomed in these countries, and they face discrimination.”

He also lamented that some Muslims have been attracting young people to convert to Islam by offering them about $100. He expressed his sadness that these young people are converting “out

of necessity, rather than conviction.” He also noted that the gangs recruit new members by similar means.

“Yesterday, I heard the witness of a young person who joined a gang. He said he was an orphan, that he didn’t have anybody, and because of that, his life was meaningless. The gangs give one a sense of belonging, and that is a danger. It’s not only a financial problem; it’s existential.”

The bishop acknowledged that when faced with an existential threat, people are willing to even kill for the sake of their own survival. This fact, however, has been exacerbated by the influence of drugs and addiction, which only makes those who are violent even more willing to take drastic measures.

“They lose their humanity, and they can go to extremes. The young people in the more troubled neighborhoods are completely lost.”

It will take a long time ...

Bishop Alphonse painted a dire picture of the state of Haiti, but he did express that he is hopeful of the future. He said that some of the internally displaced people have begun returning to their homes, but this is also a “traumatic experience,” as they return to homes that have been looted and left in disarray by those who were occupying them.

“It will take time, a long time, to be able to live again,” Bishop Alphonse said. “This shows how desperate the situation is. As I said, it is an existential crisis. It affects people totally.”❖

Don’t lose hope, pope says as he opens Holy Door at Rome prison Journeying with the Word of God

Pope Francis crosses the threshold of the Holy Door of the Church of Our Father at Rome's Rebibbia prison Dec. 26, 2024, before presiding over a Mass with inmates, prison staff and Italian government officials. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

ROME (CNS) Wearing red vestments for the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis knocked on the door of the church in Rome’s Rebibbia prison complex and walked over its threshold.

After reciting a formal prayer before opening the prison’s Holy Door Dec. 26, the pope took the microphone back to explain that he had inaugurated the Holy Year 2025 by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“I wanted the second Holy Door to be the one here, at a prison,” he said. “I wanted all of us, inside or out, to have an opportunity to throw open the doors of our hearts and understand that hope does not disappoint.”

Members of the penitentiary police band played the official hymn of the Holy Year 2025 when the pope arrived, while about 300

people waited inside the church; they included just over 100 women and men serving time at Rebibbia, some of their family members, volunteers, prison staff, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and officials of the Italian justice department.

The door of the prison’s Church of Our Father was decorated with a pine garland with white roses and silver-tinted pinecones. Inside the church, a manger with the baby Jesus sat in front of the altar. The inmates, with the help of volunteers, provided the music while a prisoner and a female guard did the readings.

The prayers of the faithful included a petition for governments to focus on rehabilitating and assisting all people, especially those who have made mistakes.

Seated in his wheelchair in front of the church door, Pope Francis

had prayed: “In the joy of Christmas, let us welcome the call of the Lord Jesus to follow him. He is the door of life, the hope that does not disappoint, the good news that saves.”

“May the opening of this Holy Door be for all of us a call to look to the future with hope,” he said. “Let us open our hearts to the mercy of God so as to celebrate with the whole church his unending love.”

The Vatican press office had distributed the text of the homily the pope prepared for the Mass, but the pope did not use it. Instead, Pope Francis spoke directly to the inmates. He told them that all Christians need to remind themselves that “hope does not disappoint, it never disappoints. I need to think about this, too, because in life’s difficult moments one thinks that everything is over, that nothing can be resolved. But hope never disappoints.”

MAKING THE WORD OF GOD YOUR OWN

Step 1: Lookattoday’sReadingsprayerfully.

“I like to think of hope being like an anchor on the shore, and we, holding the rope, are there, safe because our hope is like an anchor” hooked into the earth. “This is the message I want to give all of us,includingmyself:Don’tlosehope.”

At the end of Mass, before greeting and shaking hands with each of the 300 people present inside the church, Pope Francis repeated his message. He told inmates, “Now, don’t forget the two things we need to do with our hands: First, hang on to the rope of hope, hang on to the anchor by its rope, never let go; second, throw open your hearts, have an open heart.”❖

1st Reading: The Jewish people have returned from exile in Babylon and they face many problems. The prophet encourages them by giving them hope.

2nd Reading: Because of the many Spirit-given gifts found in the Christian community, it is an alive and vibrant group.

Gospel: At the wedding feast in Cana, Mary turns to Jesus with belief and confidence when disaster threatens. Jesus responds with the first of his great miracles.

Step 2: ApplyingthevaluesoftheReadings toyourdailylife.

1.The Gospel calls this incident “the first of the signs given by Jesus.” Why do you think those signs were important to the ministry of Jesus?

2.What would you say are some of the signs of God’s presence you have experienced in your life?

3.Why do you think people like to see ‘miracles’ done by preachers today? Would you say there is any danger in this?

VATICAN CITY (CNS) Taking up the spirit of the recently inaugurated Holy Year 2025, the Cuban government has announced the release of 553 people currently serving prison sentences.

Cuba said it would gradually release the prisoners “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 declared by His Holiness” following a “thorough analysis” of the legal and humanitarian avenues to enact their release, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcedinastatement Jan.14

The statement did not specify who would be among the 553 prisonersdesignatedtobereleased

That same day, the White House announced that it will no longer designate Cuba as a state sponsor ofterrorism andthat itwouldeliminatesomerestrictionsonCuba

The White House said the actions were steps “to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihoods of Cubans.” “We take these steps in apprecia-

tion of the Catholic Church’s efforts to facilitate Cuba to take its own, constructive measures to restore liberty to its citizens and enable conditions that improve the livelihood of Cubans,” the White House statement said.

Following the announcement, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, retired archbishop of Boston, said that for the last several years he had carried messages from Pope Francis to the presidents of the United States and Cuba “seeking the release of prisoners in Cuba and improved relationships between the two countries for the good of the Cuban people.” In the spirit of the Jubilee, which invites all people to foster forgiveness, reconciliation and various expressions of compassion, “I commend and welcome the decisions of the government of the United States and the government of Cuba to take steps that for years have seemed impossible,” the cardinal said Jan. 14 in a blog post.

The statement from Cuba’s foreign ministry made no mention of

the United States’ measures, but noted discussions between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban foreign minister and Pope Francis on international issues “with emphasis on the unjust nature and nefarious effect of the U.S.-Cuba policy.”

“His Holiness has given unequivocal proofs of his empathy and love for the Cuban people,” it added.

In his bull of indiction formally proclaiming the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis called on governments to implement “forms of amnesty or pardon” as well as “programs of reintegration” for prisoners. After inaugurating the Holy Year 2025 at the Vatican, the pope opened a Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia prison Dec. 26 as a symbol of hope for all incarcerated people.

The last major event of the Holy Year will be the “Jubilee of Prisoners” scheduled to take place in December 2025, during which prisoners will make a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass with the pope.❖

4.All of us are in ministry in one way or another either towards one another, in our families or in the wider community. What would you say is your ministry?

Step 3: Accepting the message of God’s Wordinyourlifeoffaith

With the coming of Jesus, God’s love, acceptance, forgiveness and peace came easily and freely into the world. They are now available to all those who are willing to change and to accept the invitation to believe. We need to recognise the presence of Jesus as he turns our attention to our empty water jars. With him in our lives our jars will never be empty.

Step 4: Somethingtothink&prayabout

1.Reflect on the gift(s) you think God has given to you. How can you use those gifts in ministry in your community?

2.Would you say you are sensitive to the plight of others? Do you feel you could be a person who cares enough to do something when you notice when things are going wrong? Why is this attitude necessary in today’s world?

3.Pray that you will be attentive to the needs of others in such a way that you will offer whatever you can, even if it is only your presence, to help them.❖

[From: Journeying with the Word of God, The Religious Education Department, Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana ]

Pope’s autobiography released in 80 countries

(ICN) - Pope Francis' widelyanticipated autobiography 'Hope' has been released Jan 14, in more than80countries,inseverallanguages, inprintandaudiobookformat

This first memoir published by a sitting pontiff, written by the Pope in collaboration with Italian writer Carlo Musso, took six years to complete. Originally it was intended to be published after the Pope's passing, but the announcement of the new Jubilee of Hope in 2025 inspired him to make this legacy available now.

"The book of my life is the story of a journey of hope, a journey that I cannot separate from the journey of my family, of my people, of all God's people. In every page, in every passage, it is also the book of those who have traveled with me, of those who came before, of those whowill follow," says Pope Francis.

"An autobiography is not our own private story, but rather the baggage we carry with us. And memory is not just what we recall, but what surrounds us. It doesn't speak only about what has been, but about what will be. It seems

like yesterday, and yet it's tomorrow. All is born to blossom in an eternal springtime. In the end, we will say only: I don't recall anything in which You are not there."

With a wealth of revelations and unpublished stories, moving and very human, poignant and dra-

matic, some very humorous, Francis's memoir begins in the early years of the twentieth century with the story of his Italian roots and his grandparents courageous emigration to Latin America. It moves on to his childhood, adolescence, choice of vocation, adult life, covering the whole of his papacy up to the present day.

Narrating his memories, the Holy Father addresses crucial moments of his papacy and various important and controversial questions of our present times, including wars plaguing the world, the future of the Church and religion, social policy, migration, the environmental crisis, women, technological developments, and sexuality

The publisher calls it "a touching moral and spiritual testament that will fascinate readers throughout the world and will be Pope Francis's legacy of hope for future generations."

The English language version of Hope is published by Random House. Italian publisher Mondadori is managing world rights.❖

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (From Page 1)

Francis greets Episcopalian Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee and Romanian Catholic Bishop John M. Botean of the Eparchy of St. George in Canton, Ohio, at the end of an ecumenical prayer service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in this file photos from Jan. 25, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Bartholomew of Constantinople also have expressed a hope to mark the anniversary together in May in Iznik, Turkey, the site of the ancient city of Nicaea. The theme chosen for the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, underlining the importance of making a profession of faith, is Jesus’ question to Martha of Bethany: “Do you believe this?” In the Gospel of John, Martha tells Jesus that if he had been there, her brother Lazarus would not have died. Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,” and then he asks if she believes. Martha responds with a declaration of faith: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

In the materials for the week, the Vatican and the World Council of Churches said the Nicaea anniversary “provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians, as expressed in the Creed formulated during this Council; a faith that remainsaliveandfruitfulinourdays.”

The history of the Nicene Creed The Creed was revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381, which is why many refer to it as theNicene-ConstantinopolitanCreed.

But the Creed, as recited by Eastern Christians and Christians in the West Catholics, Anglicans and Protestants has one important difference, which are the words, “and the Son,” a phrase known as the “filioque.”

Coming after a statement of belief in the Holy Spirit, “who

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN

UNITY

2025 JANUARY 18 - 25

Prayer for the Week

Lord our God, we confess together our faith in the mystery of your perfect unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one and only God.

We pray for the grace to grow in unity together as your Church.

By baptism, we profess this unity in the gift of your Holy Spirit, born again as your sinless children, yet we quickly surrender to the temptation of division.

proceeds from the Father,” the filioque was added to the Creed in the West in the sixth century to emphasize the divinity of Jesus and has been a point of disagreement ever since.

In preparing the week of prayer, the Vatican and the World Council of Churches suggested that the filioque be dropped from the Creed when it is recited at ecumenical celebrations.

“While the filioque clause remains part of the liturgical tradition of the Latin and some other Western Churches, Bishops of Rome omit it when reciting the Creed in ecumenical encounters with leaders of Eastern Churches,” the materials said.

The material also provided background on the Council of Nicaea, which was convoked by Emperor Constantine.

“The Church, having just emerged from hiding and persecution, was beginning to experience how difficult it was to share the same faith in the different cultural and political contexts of the time,” the material said. “Agreement on the text of the Creed was a matter of defining the essential common foundations on which to build local communities that recognized each other as sister churches, each respecting the diversity of the other.”

The council, it said, attempted to resolve several differences, including: “the nature of Christ in relation to the Father; the question of a single date to celebrate Easter and its relationship with the Jewish Passover; opposition to theological opinions considered heretical; and how to reintegrate believers who had abandoned the faith during the persecutions in earlier years.”❖

Forgive us this sin and lead us to the miracle of being reconciled by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sin and division lead to death and destruction.

In Jesus, who conquered death forever by his supreme act of love, we are empowered in this world to build his kingdom of forgiveness and peace.

We pray, heavenly One, to you as our Father, that we truly believe and trust in the promise of the Gospel, “that they all may be one.”

We ask this through Jesus Christ, our brother and Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Dear Girls and Boys,

One day, Jesus went to a wedding. His mother was there and so were his disciples. Everyone was having a good time until the wedding host ran out of wine. The party was about to be ruined when Jesus' mother went to him and asked him to help. Then she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do.

Nearby there were six stone water jars, each holding about twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so the servants filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did as they were told, and when the master of the banquet tasted the water, it had been turned into wine. Not only that it was the very best wine he had tasted all evening.

The master of the banquet called the bridegroom aside and said to him, "Most people serve the best wine first and then serve cheap wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best until the last."

This was the first of Jesus' miracles on the earth, but it wasn't his last. When we walk with Jesus every day, we become accustomed to the miracles he performs. He does so many great and wonderful things for us. He supplies what we need a roof over our head, and a nice warm bed. We have clothes to wear and food to eat. Oh yes, he is so good, but do you know what? He is saving the best for last. What is it? Eternal life. If we put our trust in Jesus as our Saviour, we will live forever in heaven with him. Now, that's what we call "saving the best for last!"

Dear Father, we thank you for all of the good things which you provide each and every day, but most of all, we thank you for eternal life which we have in Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. ❖

President Biden awards Pope Francis Medal of Freedom

(ICN)

Biden has awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the United States' highest civilian honour. Biden announced this directly to the Pope, in a telephone call on Saturday, 11 January. The two were due to meet in person on 10 January at the Vatican, for a private audience, as part of Biden's trip to Italy, the last international trip before the end of his mandate. However, the emergency

caused by the fires in Los Angeles

The President had an earlier call with Pope Francis on 20 December during which it is reported that among the various topics discussed, the issue of human rights had occupied a central place, linked to the Pope's concern for prisoners sentenced to death in federal prisons in the United States.

In fact, that conversation came after Biden's decision to commute the death

sentences to life imprisonment for 37 inmates, men and women. A White House statement reported that Biden "thanked the Pope for his continued commitment to alleviating global suffering, including his work to promote human rights and protect religious freedoms."

Essentially, these are the reasons that led President Biden to choose the Pope as the recipient of the Medal. This honour was already awarded a week ago to 19 political, sports and artistic personalities who "have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, to world peace or to other important social, public or private endeavours."

Some observers had noted that the number of laureates was not the usual 20. Biden was evidently saving the surprise for his visit to Rome.

The Washington statement says: "As a young man, Jorge Bergoglio sought a scientific career before faith led him to a life with the Jesuits. For decades, he served the voiceless and vulnerable throughout Argentina. As Pope Francis, his mission of service to the poor has never ceased. A loving shepherd, he

about God. An inspiring teacher, he charges us to strive for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths. Pope Francis, the first Pope from the southern hemisphere, is unlike anyone who has come before. Above all, he is the people's Pope: a light of faith, hope and love that shines brightly throughout the world."

Biden presented the award to the papal nuncio to the US, Cardinal Christoph Pierre, as seen in a post on his X account. (pictured) The image is accompanied by a post from the president, which reads: 'Pope Francis, your humility and your grace are beyond words, and your love for all is unparalleled. As the People's Pope, you are a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world. Today, it was my honor to award His Holiness Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.'

This is not the first time that a pontiff has received this honour from the American presidency: on 4 June 2004, then-President George W Bush awarded the Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II, during one of his visits to the

Pope preaches value of hope, kindness on popular BBC program

VATICAN CITY (CNS) Speaking on one of the United Kingdom’s most popular radio programs, Pope Francis encouraged millions of listeners to reject pessimism, treat others with kindness and look to the future with hope.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s “Thought for the Day” segment, the pope said that “a world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world.”

“A society that looks to the future with confidence and treats people with respect andempathyismorehumane,” hesaid “Thought for the Day” airs each morning Monday to Saturday as part of the BBC’s “Today” program, which boasts an estimated average weekly audience of about 6 million listeners.

While the pope gave his message in Italian, the BBC added the English translation with a voice-over for the Dec. 28 broadcast.

A message of hope in the Jubilee Year Pope Francis tied his message to the Holy Year 2025, calling all people to

“become pilgrims of hope.” The Jubilee Year began Dec. 24 and will run through Jan. 6, 2026.

“Even though we do not know what tomorrow may hold for us, we should not look to the future with pessimism and resignation,” the pope said. “Wars, social injustices and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us towardskepticismanddiscouragement.”

Instead, Pope Francis said, people should “choose love,” which “makes our hearts fervent and hopeful.”

“Those who love, even if they find themselves in uncertain situations, always view the world with a gentle gaze of hope,” he said.

However, the pope cautioned against reducing kindness to “a diplomatic strategy,” emphasizing that it is not a “set of rules to ensure social harmony or to obtain other advantages.”

Kindness leads to humility

Rather, “kindness is a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps

said. Humility lends itself to dialogue, helps to overcome misunderstandings and generates gratitude.”

Quoting the British Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton, Pope Francis also spoke about the importance of “taking the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted.”

“I hope that during this Jubilee we can practice kindness as a form of love to

the pope said, praying that 2025 would bring peace, fellowship and gratitude.”

Pope Francis previously appeared on “Thought for the Day” in 2021 ahead of the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was the first pontiff featured on the program, delivering a pre-recorded message on Christmas Eve in 2010.❖

Baptism and First Holy Communion at Fair View

Dramatic weekend events lead to temporary

Catholic priests in a troubled Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic archdiocese have called off a four-day protest after an assurance of dialogue to resolve their demands amid a decades-old liturgy dispute on the rubrics of Mass.

The temporary truce within the SyroMalabar Church, based in southern Kerala state, was reached Jan. 13 after a dramatic weekend of turbulence, which included police involvement and rebel priests ending up with injuries, followed by protests of angry faithful and other priests and religious.

The protesting priests were hoping for a settlement of the liturgy dispute at the synod of bishops, which was held from Jan. 6 to 11.

The disagreement stems from a 2021 synod decision mandating a uniform style of Mass, where the celebrant faces the altar during the eucharistic prayer, which has been met with resistance

in the Archdiocese of ErnakulamAngamaly, where the faithful want to continue with their traditional Mass, during which the celebrant faces the congregation throughout.

On Jan. 9, some 21 priests entered Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil’s house to press their demands. However, the police evicted them Jan. 11 and moved them to the adjacent compound of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica.

“The protest was called off after the new vicar, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry, agreed to consider our demands and hold a dialogue to resolve them,” said Father Kuriakose Mundadan, the presbytery council secretary of the troubled Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.

Archbishop Pamplany was appointed vicar of Ernakulam-Angamaly by Major Archbishop Thattil, the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, at the just concluded synod. Archbishop

Pamplany has headed the Tellicherry Archdiocese since Jan. 15, 2022.

Nearly 12 priests sustained injuries, including fractures, in the police action, leading to public protests by priests, nuns and laypeople in the archdiocese on Jan. 12.

“They demanded action against police officials for their barbaric actions,” Father Mundadan told UCA News Jan. 13. When the situation escalated, the district’s top government official, known as the district collector, convened a meeting with church officials and the protesters late on Jan. 12.

Church authorities assigned Father Jacob G. Palakkappilly, to date vicar general of Ernakulam-Angamaly, to attend the meeting, but the protesters refused to speak to him, saying he did not have the mandate to make a decision. Instead, they insisted on holding talks in the presence of Archbishop Pamplany.

The district collector contacted Archbishop Pamplany, who was traveling but was asked to abort his journey. He joined the talks around 10:30 p.m.

The discussions continued until 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, when Archbishop Pamplany agreed in writing to consider the protesting priests’ demands, which included setting up canonical bodies in the archdiocese, considering the appointment of new curia and halting all disciplinary actions initiated against them.

The prelate also agreed to begin a dialogue with the priests and lay leaders regarding all the pending issues, including the liturgy dispute, starting Jan. 20.

Father Antony Vadakkekara, the SyroMalabar Church’s spokesperson, confirmed that a temporary truce had been reached at the meeting.

“The protest is called off, and dialogue will be held to resolve all pending issues in the archdiocese,” the Vincentian priest told UCA News.

Archbishop Pamplany’s appointment as vicar was announced after the resignation of Bishop Bosco Puthur, who had run the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese as its apostolic administrator since December 2023.

The priests and laity boycotted Bishop Puthur and his curia as differences widened over the liturgy dispute in the last year.

An official release said the archdiocese will continue to be controlled by the pontifical delegate, Archbishop Cyril Vasil.

Archbishop Vasil is a Slovak Jesuit who has served as eparch of Košice in the Slovak Greek Catholic Church since June 2021.

“The prelate (Archbishop Pamplany) has assured us that the archbishop’s house will be opened to the general public before Jan. 20 and a police presence there will be withdrawn,” said Riju Kanjookaran, spokesperson for the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency, a body of priests, religious and laity which is spearheading the protest against the synod-approved uniform mode of Mass.

The archdiocese is the seat of power of the head of the Syro-Malabar Church’s and the church’s biggest diocese, with close to 10% of the church’s over 5 million followers worldwide.

The synod in 2021 told its 35 dioceses in India and abroad to adopt the synod -approved Mass for more uniformity in the church and ordered them to comply beginning in November of that year.

All but the Archdiocese of ErnakulamAngamaly complied with the order after some initial protests. The archdiocese’s warring priests and laity continue to defy the synod decree.

This report was written and published originally in UCA News, an independent Catholic news service covering East, South and Southeast Asia. OSV News contributed to thisreport ❖

Consecration of new Catholic church at site of Jesus’ baptism called a sign of hope for region

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, speaks in front of the Church of the Baptism of the Lord at Al-Mughtas, Jordan, Jan. 10, 2025, before the consecration and inauguration of the church in the presence of papal representative, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. (OSV News photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, Jordan (OSV News) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told thousands of faithful that Pope Francis sent him to preside over the inauguration and consecration of a new Catholic church at the banks of the Jordan River as a sign of the universal church’s closeness to all Christians in the Middle East.

It is officially recognized by the church as the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

Representing Pope Francis, Cardinal Parolin inaugurated and consecrated the Church of the Baptism of the Lord at Al-Maghtas, known in the Bible as Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on Jan. 10 in Jordan.

“I am delighted to be here with you on this historic occasion,” Cardinal Parolin told the enthusiastic crowd of Jordanians, Palestinians and other Arabs together with foreign dignitaries.

During the Mass, Cardinal Parolin delivered a homily, read on his behalf in Arabic by Father Jihad Shweihat.

“Today we give thanks to God not only for the gift of this church that is being consecrated to him. Everything starts with the path that God became man and dwelt among us in this particular part of the world, this Holy Land,” said Cardinal Parolin.

“Here, we are at the lowest point of the earth, but it is precisely here that God came to meet us, as if to gather into his embrace also those from afar,” he said.

“At a time in history when this region is experiencing serious upheaval, it is important that Christians also make their contribution to the building of a

just and peaceful society,” he said. “I would turn my gaze beyond the Jordan and call for a ceasefire, the release of prisoners and hostages, and respect for humanitarian law,” he added, voicing an urgent call regarding the unresolved crisis in Gaza. “May the hearts of the leaders of nations be moved to seek peace and harmonious coexistence between peoples.”

Cardinal Parolin celebrated Mass, accompanied by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on the 25th, or silver, anniversary of the Catholic Church’s annual pilgrimage to Jesus’ baptismal site.

The ceremony underscores Jordan’s enduring importance as a Christian pilgrimage destination.

During the ceremony, an altar was anointed and dedicated, and relics of St. John Paul II and the recently canonized Holy Martyrs of Damascus and others were placed there.

Three popes have visited this holy site on the banks of the Jordan River: John Paul in 2000, Benedict XVI in 2009, when he blessed the church’s cornerstone, and Francis in 2014. Pope Paul VI first visited Jordan in 1964, making Jordan the only country to have been visited by four popes.

During the Mass, Cardinal Parolin thanked Jordan’s ruler, King Abdullah II, and his Hashemite royal household. The complex, built on land donated by King Abdullah II of Jordan, includes a church-shrine, two monasteries for friars and nuns, gardens, a visitor center, parking, a walkway and the Hill of the Cross, which offers views of the Jerusalem Mountains. A Jordanian Catholic, Nadim Muasher, designed and funded the structure. The Hungar-

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, speaks during the consecration and inauguration of the Church of the Baptism of the Lord at AlMughtas, Jordan, Jan. 10, 2025. (OSV News photo/courtesy of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan)

visit, his fourth to the Middle East kingdom.

Before the Mass, Cardinal Pizzaballa told a press conference that Jordan is safe and he hopes to see groups of pilgrims visit. He said that separate male and female religious communities are on the site “to keep the place alive for pilgrimage, retreat, visits, and to welcome people. So, it is a living place.”

“Hope is quite challenging today, but we need to be optimistic about hope, Cardinal Pizzaballa said, saying he lifts up prayers “for the restoration of the ceasefire and security in Gaza and the rest of Palestine,” and also for Syria with new Islamist rulers and for Lebanon with its new president, Joseph Aoun, inaugurated Jan. 9 after going more than two years without one.

Jordanian Father Rifat Bader of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said this newest church joins other historic and important Catholic churches in the Holy Land; namely, the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

“We hope that as the Church of the Nativity has drawn people from all around the world to celebrate Christmas, that this Church of the Baptism of the Lord will bring many pilgrims and visitors to one of the most sacred places on earth for spiritual renewal and to experience our annual commemoration of Jesus’ baptism on the banks of the eternal Jordan River,” Father Bader, director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, told OSV News.

The Church of the Baptism of the Lord, a large 2,200 square meter structure adorned with a huge painting of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist and stained-glass windows depicting Jesus’ ministry, has also been adopted as a pilgrimage destination for the faithful to receive a plenary indulgence during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. UNESCO designated Al-Maghtas as a World Heritage Site in 2015.

Cardinal Parolin held meetings with Jordan’s ruler, King Abdullah II, and with local Catholic churches and other denominations during his three-day

His visit also coincided with the announcement of a new Jordanian exhibition in collaboration with the Vatican showcasing the Middle Eastern nation’s pivotal role at the very start of Christianity to be debuted at the Vatican in February.

The exhibit, “Jordan: Dawn of Christianity,” offers an immersive journey through 90 exquisite artifacts recounting the story of Christianity from its very beginning to present day curated from more than 30 archeological sites in the country.

Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Lina Annab told reporters Jan. 9 that this cooperative effort commemorates 30 years of diplomatic ties between Jordan and the Holy See, and coincides with the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year of hope and the 60th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s visit to Jordan in 1964.

“This exhibition celebrates and sheds light on the origins and heritage as well as the enduring legacy and presence of Christianity in Jordan. It also shows the exceptional cultural wealth of Christianity in Jordan,” Annab said, adding that the exhibit will travel to various European countries after it debuts at the Vatican.

Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, the apostolic nuncio to Jordan, told reporters that Christianity has a rich history in Jordan where Jesus was not only baptized, but he preached there. It’s where the Old Testament prophet Elijah was born and sought refuge, and Moses saw the Promised Land from the heights of Jordan’s Mount Nebo.

“We have here (Jordan), in fact, the roots of Christianity. When I came to Jordan and began to travel to different places. I said, ‘Ah ha, I read that in the Bible. But now I can see that myself,” Archbishop Dal Toso told the press conference of his personal encounters. “I hope that our people can come and have the same experience I had seeing the places and also understanding the message,” Archbishop Dal Toso said. “I see this exhibition not just as a cultural event, but for us, it is a spiritual event because it can bring people nearer to the roots of our faith.”❖

Diamond holds Jubilee Planning Meeting Saint of the Week

St. Joseph Husband of Mary Parish, Little Diamond, EBD, held a Jubilee Planning Meeting last Saturday, January 11th. With Pope Francis declaring open the Jubilee Year, last held in 2000, Parish Priest Fr. Ronald Fernandes SJ, Assistant Parish Priest Fr. Santiago Felipe Lantigua Santana SJ and Chairman of the Parish Council Mr. Ryan Sampson, together with Council members of the seven communities which constitute the parish, namely: Ss. Peter & Paul, St. Joseph, St. Jerome, Little Flower, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Catherine, St. Michael and some of the sisters from the Missionaries of Charity, met to plan activities for the Jubilee Year.

The session started with a reflective prayer session led by Fr. Ronnie, asking the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and to inspire our creative minds, as we plan our activities for St. Joseph’s Parish. Just as the Pope opened the Holy Doors for the Jubilee, we prayed

for the Holy Spirit to open our thoughts and minds to new beginnings as Pilgrims of Hope, and as a parish with great hope.

Some activities that were discussed were: pilgrimages within the parish and possibly to other parishes, which would give witness in the communities; encouraging families to pray at home and assisting in how this can be done; having more reconciliation services, especially during Lent and Advent; Outreach programmes by having our Eucharistic Ministers visiting hospitals, the prisons and shut-ins more frequently; Parish Retreats; Devotions to Mary; acts of mercy such as feeding the poor and providing clothing; resuscitating the Lectio Divina weekly sessions and bible sessions; and the holding of a Hispanic mass at the regular time to support our Hispanic community in prayer. The Council thinks that all these acts will assist the parishioners as they journey as “Pilgrims of

January 21st: St Agnes (d. c. 258)

Almost nothing is known of this saint except that she was very young 12 or 13 when she was martyred in the last half of the third century. Various modes of death have been suggested beheading, burning, strangling. Legend has it that Agnes was a beautiful girl whom many young men wanted to marry. Among those she refused, one reported her to the authorities for being a Christian. She was arrested and confined to a house of prostitution. The legend continues that a man who looked upon her lustfully lost his sight and had it restored by her prayer. Agnes was condemned, executed, and buried near Rome in a catacomb that eventually was named after her. The daughter of Constantine built a

Hope”, obtaining hope themselves and giving hope to others.

The Vatican had launched a mascot name “Luce”, Italian for “Light”. This is intended to engage the younger members in our church. It is mainly to invigorate the youths of our church who can identify with it. The Pope emphasised that we engage our youths as they are the leaders of the future church. The Council embraces the idea of youth involvement in the management of the communities and will be working closely with our youths during the year. The Parish Council will be meeting in early February to strategize their Jubilee Year plan.

Pope Francis declared the beginning of the Jubilee Year on 24th December 2024, and will end the Jubilee Year on January 6th, 2026 with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Joseph Parish plans on being an example of Pilgrims of Hope to many. ❖