Septuagesima Sunday
Tu Bishvat-MARRIAGE
WEEK-PIZZA DAY-snow moon
Psalm 112, Verse 1
Hallelujah!
Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his
commands.
This psalm is
detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience
to the commandments. Among their blessings are children, wealth that enables
them to be magnanimous, and virtue by which they encourage others. The just
person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled.[1]
Hallelujah is a conjunction of two Hebrew words which
mean “Praise the Lord”. Yes, praise God for men who have Holy fear and follow
his commands for such person’s help to create a Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Hallelujah! If you know such people, follow and emulate them.
Three weeks prior to Ash Wednesday, on the day before
Septuagesima Sunday, a touching ceremony is held. A choir assembles, chants the
divine office and, afterwards, sings a bittersweet hymn bidding farewell to the
word
"Alleluia":
We do not now deserve to sing the Alleluia forever; Guilt forces us to
dismiss you, O Alleluia. For the time approaches in which we must weep for our
sins.
So important was Lent to both Eastern and Western
Christians that they actually had a separate season to prepare for it. Thus,
the day after Septuagesima Sunday, they would begin a period of voluntary fasting
that would grow more severe as it approached the full and obligatory fast of
Lent. The amount of food would be reduced, and the consumption of certain
items, such as butter, milk, eggs, and cheese, would gradually be abandoned.
Starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, this self-imposed asceticism
would culminate in abstinence from meat.
Thus, the name for this seven-day period before Ash
Wednesday is "Carnival," from the Latin carne levarium, meaning
"removal of meat." Finally, within the week of Carnival, the last
three days (the three days prior to Lent) would be reserved for going to
confession. This period was known as "Shrovetide," from the old
English word "to shrive," or to have one's sins forgiven through
absolution.
Voluntary Fasting
Goffine’s
1896 Devout Instructions
WHY is this Sunday traditionally called Septuagesima?
The word
means seventy. According to the First Council of Orleans, in the year A.D. 545,
many pious ecclesiastics and lay persons of the primitive Church used to fast
seventy days before Easter, and their fast was called, therefore, Septuagesima,
a name which was afterwards retained to distinguish this Sunday from others.
The same was the case with the three following Sundays; many Christians
beginning their fast sixty days before Easter, whence the name Sexagesima;
others fifty days, whence Quinquagesima; others forty days, whence
Quadragesima.
Why did the first Christians fast seventy days?
Alcuin and
Amakrius say that the captivity of the Jews in Babylon first suggested it; for
as the Jews were obliged to do penance seventy years, that they might thereby
merit to return into the promised land, so Christians sought to regain the
grace of God by fasting for seventy days.
Why does the Church,
from this Sunday until Easter, omit all joyful chants, as the Te Deum,
Alleluia, Gloria in Excelsis?
To
remind the sinner of the grievousness of his errors, and to exhort him to
penance. To incite us to sorrow for our sins, and to show us the necessity of
repentance, the Church at the Introit in the name of all nations unites her
prayers with David, saying, “The sorrows of death surrounded me, the sorrows of
hell encompassed me, and in my affliction,
I called upon the Lord, and He heard my voice from His holy temple. I
will love Thee! O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and
my deliverer.”
Prayer.
Graciously hear
the prayers of Thy people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we, who are justly
afflicted for our sins, may be mercifully delivered, for the glory of Thy name.
EPISTLE,
i. Cor. ix. 24 x. 5.
Brethren:
Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth
the prize? So run that you may obtain. And everyone that striveth for the
mastery refraineth himself from all things, and they indeed that they may
receive a corruptible crown: but we an incorruptible one. I therefore so run,
not as an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air: but I chastise
my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to
others, I myself should become a castaway. For I would not have you ignorant,
brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the
sea, and all in Moses were baptized, in the cloud, and in the sea: and did all
eat the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink (and they drank
of the spiritual rock that followed them; and the rock was Christ), but with
the most of them God was not well pleased.
NOTE--Reflect,
O Christian, what we poor sinners ought to be willing to do to gain heaven when
the great apostle suffered so much to obtain eternal life.
Prayer.
O
Jesus, assist me, that with Thy holy grace I may follow the example of St.
Paul, and endeavor to deny myself, to chastise my body, and, by continual
exercise of every virtue, to obtain perfection and everlasting life. Amen.
GOSPEL.
Matt. xx. 1-16.
At that time Jesus spoke to His
disciples this parable: The kingdom of heaven is like to a householder, who
went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And having
agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And
going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market-place
idle, and he said to them: Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you
what shall be just. And they went their way. And again, he went out about the
sixth and the ninth hour: and did in like manner. But about the eleventh hour
he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them: Why stand you here
all the day idle? They say to him: Because no man hath hired us. He saith to
them: Go you also into my vineyard. And when evening was come, the lord of the
vineyard saith to his steward: Call the laborers and pay them their hire,
beginning from the last even to the first. When therefore they were come that
came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the
first also came, they thought that they should receive more; and they also
received every man a penny. And receiving it, they murmured against the master
of the house, saying: These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made
them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats. But he
answering said to one of them: Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree
with me for a penny? Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to
this last even as to thee. Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is
thy eye evil because I am good? So shall the last be first, and the first last;
for many are called, but few chosen.
In these parables
what is to be understood by the master of a family, the vineyard, the laborers,
and the penny?
The master of a family is God, Who
calls all men as laborers to His vineyard of the true religion, or Church, and
to receive the promised penny, which is the divine grace and eternal salvation.
How and when does
God call men?
By the instruction of parents and
teachers, by preachers and confessors, by spiritual books, edifying
conversation, good examples and inspirations; in early youth, in manhood, and
in old age which stages of human life are also signified by the different hours
of the day.
Who are the
laborers in the vineyard?
Those who work, combat, and suffer
for God and His honor, for their own salvation and that of others, particularly
spiritual teachers.
How should we work
in the vineyard of the Lord?
As in a vineyard men must dig,
destroy the weeds, cut off what is useless and bad, manure, plant, and bind, in
like manner must we, in the spiritual vineyard of our souls, destroy the weeds
of vice by rooting out sinful inclinations and their causes, and by real
penance. In other words:
1. We
must hate every sin.
2. We
must produce in ourselves a fervent desire to destroy vice.
3. We
must earnestly beg God’s grace, without which we can do nothing.
4. We
must attend zealously at instructions, sermons, and catechism.
5. We
must often go to confession and communion, and follow our confessor’s
directions.
6.
Every morning we must make firm resolutions, and every night an examination of
conscience.
7. We
must read in some spiritual book, treating of the predominant sin which we have
to root out.
8. We
must venerate some saint who in life committed the same sin, as, for instance,
Mary Magdalen, who from being a great sinner became a great penitent.
9. We
must fast, give alms, and do other good works.
Why did the last
man, as mentioned in the gospel, receive as much as those who came first?
Because God does not reward men
according to the time of their labor, but according to the zeal, love,
fidelity, and humility with which they have concurred with His grace (Wis. iv.
7, 8, 11; n. Cor. ix. 6).
What is meant by “many are called,
but few chosen?”
It is as if Our Savior should say, do
not wonder that the last shall be first, and the first last, for many will not
be received at all. From among the Jews and gentiles He has called many, but
few only have followed Him, and of these again only few can be the chosen. How
many Christians are there who do not accept His calling, or who fail to live
according to their vocation, neither cooperating with His grace nor trying
forcibly to enter the kingdom of heaven!
Prayer.
O most merciful and benign Lord,
Who, without any merit of our own, hast called us, Thy unworthy servants, out
of mere mercy, into Thy vineyard the Church and commanded us to work therein,
grant us grace, we beseech Thee, never to be idle, but as faithful servants to
be always doing Thy holy will. Whatever we have heretofore left undone, we will
in future endeavor to do with persevering zeal, through the grace of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Things to Do[3]
·
Read
the more detailed, corresponding passage in Matthew 5:3-12 on the Beatitudes.
Choose a beatitude to focus on for the rest of this month. Write it in
conspicuous places throughout your house — desk, home altar, fridge, bathroom
mirror. Think of some small practical ways to put this beatitude into action in
your daily life. For some ideas on how to live the poverty and detachment
prescribed by the first beatitude (Blessed are the poor in spirit),
read this interview with spiritual
director and writer Fr. Dubay.
·
Read
a summary of St. Bernard's advice for living
the Beatitudes,
and the Holy Father's exhortation to the
youth
at Toronto's World Youth Day to be people of the Beatitudes.
Today is also the
Hebrew New Year for trees-One wonders if our Lady celebrated this with Christ
in happier times.
Tu Bishvat (Hebrew: ט״ו בשבט,
literally: the 15th of the Lunar Month of Shevat) is the New Year for trees
(similar to Arbor Day). It falls in January or February each year,
typically when almond blossom is seen in Israel. It is one of the four
New Years in the Jewish Calendar. According to the Jewish Law (Halachah), the
'New Year for trees' defines the beginning of the year for separating tithes
for the poor and Levite. Tithes are 10% portions of a product, which are
allocated as charity
to either the Levites or the poor. Torah Law requires, that when the Holy
Temple was standing, these tithes would be removed from the produce, before it
was 'fit for consumption'. There was a seven-year cycle, culminating in the
Shimittah year, when fields lay fallow. After every seven seven-year cycles, a
Jubilee, 50th year was celebrated.
Tu
Bishvat Facts & Quotes
·
It
is customary on Tu Bishvat to eat fruits of the Land of Israel, particularly
those of the Biblical verse A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig
trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey (Deuteronomy 8:8).
The honey in this verse refers to date honey, according to tradition.
Another custom is to plant trees in Israel.
·
On
Tu Bishvat, we remember that Man is a Tree of the Field (Deuteronomy 20:19).
It explains that we may not cut down trees during the siege of a city.
The tree of the field is man's life to be used in and after the siege.
·
The
Code of Jewish Law states that on Tu B'Shevat fasting and eulogies are
forbidden, and all penitential prayers are omitted. One of the most important
authorities, the Magen Avraham, adds (131:16): It is the custom to eat many
different kinds of fruit. The Arizal suggested the eating of fifteen
kinds of fruit (on the fifteenth of the month).
·
It
should be noted that all Jewish holidays begin at sundown one the eve before
the Gregorian date specified for the holiday.
Tu
Bishvat Top Events and Things to Do
·
Make a Tu Bishvat Fruit Plate. Magen
Avraham, a leading Jewish authority suggested the eating of fifteen kinds of
fruit (on the fifteenth of the month).
·
Say Blessings for new Fruit. Two
blessings are said for new fruits (which have not yet been eaten that year),
namely the standard blessing for fruits ..Who created the fruits of the tree
and ..Who kept us alive, and sustained us and allowed us to reach this day.
·
Attend a Tu Bishvat tisch which is popular
in Hasidic communities. A Tisch is the Yiddish word for table. It
refers to a festive meal with Holy Land fruits, wine, bread, fish and other foods.
·
Sing a Tu Bishvat Song. There are
many songs
on YouTube about Tu Bishvat in both Hebrew and English.
Planting
Trillions of Trees will Cancel Out Decades of CO2 Emission say Scientists. There
is enough room in the world’s existing parks, forests, deserts and abandoned
land to plant trillions of additional trees, which would have the CO2 storage
capacity to cancel out decades of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new
analysis by ecologist Thomas Crowther and colleagues at ETH Zurich, a Swiss
university.
Trees
are “our most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change,” Crowther
told The Independent. Combining forest inventory data from 1.2 million
locations around the world and satellite images, the scientists estimate there
are 3 trillion trees on Earth — seven times more than previous estimates. and
they also found that there is abundant space to restore millions of acres of
additional forests, not counting urban and agricultural land.
“There’s
400 gigatons [of CO2 stored] now in the 3 trillion trees,” Crowther said. “If
we were to scale that up by Planting trillions of more trees now, because
that’s in the order of hundreds of gigatons captured from the atmosphere – and
anthropogenic emissions will completely be wiped out.”
Planting Trillions of Trees will Cancel Out a Decades of CO2 Emissions,
Scientists Find. How to erase 100 years of carbon emissions? Plant trees—lots of them.
and there are more than 2000 species of trees with edible fruits and nuts and
berries and olives and trees have medicinal properties.
The
Two Ends or Purposes of Marriage
Marriage has two fundamental ends or purposes towards
which it is oriented, namely, the good of the spouses as well as the
procreation of children. Thus, the Church teaches that marriage is both unitive
and procreative, and that it is inseparably both.
Unitive
Pope John Paul II ‘s theology of the body speaks of
the human body as having a spousal significance. This means that the human body
by its very nature signifies that we humans are directed to relationship—that we
are to seek union with others. For it is only in relationship that we achieve a
true wholeness as a communion of persons. Before Eve was created, Adam was
alone. His joy upon perceiving Eve indicated that with Eve he achieved
the―original unity that human nature seeks. God clearly made human beings to
love and to be loved, to be in relationships wherein the act of giving oneself
and receiving the other becomes complete. In this context, the word ―original
means not only that these experiences go back to the dawn of human history but,
more importantly, that they are key
to understanding our most basic human experiences. The experience of Adam and
Eve speaks powerfully to our search not only to understand ourselves but also
to love and be loved, to be in a relationship of love with a person of the
opposite sex. God established marriage so that man and woman could participate
in his love and thus selflessly give themselves to each other in love. A man
and a woman who by their act of consent are no longer two but one flesh (see Mt
19:6ff.) render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union
of their persons and of their actions.―My lover belongs to me and I to him
(Song 2:16; see Song6:3).With all the dignity and simplicity of poetry, the
Bride in the Song of Songs sings of the unitive meaning of married love.―You
have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride. . . . How beautiful is your love!
(Song 4:9-10). So responds the Bridegroom of the Song, overcome with the wonder
of conjugal love that is extended to him by the Bride. This is the love that is
strong as death (see Song 8:6b). Just as beautifully, Tobiah prays with his
wife, Sarah, on their wedding night, awestruck at the mercy of the God of their
fathers, that is, the God of the covenant, in bringing them together in a union
of true conjugal love: Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your
name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you
forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and
support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, ―It is not good
for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself. Now, Lord, you
know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble
purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her and allow us to live together to
a happy old age. (Tb 8:5-7) The love that is as strong as death is the love
that prays and praises, caught up into divine love.
Procreative
It is the nature of love to overflow, to be
life-giving. Thus, it is no surprise that marriage is ordained not only to
growing in love but to transmitting life: ―by its very nature the institution
of marriage and married love [is]ordered to the procreation and education of
the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory. Married love
itself is ordered to the procreation of children, for, after all, the first
command given to Adam and Eve is―be fertile and multiply (Gn 1:28). Tobiah ‘s
prayer, even as it asks for a happy and lifelong union, remembers that the
human race descended from Adam and Eve. His prayer for happiness certainly
includes, even if implicitly, a prayer for offspring. God indeed sends the
couple seven sons (Tb 14:3) and long life (Tb 14:14). Again, in the words of
the Second Vatican Council: Children are the supreme gift of marriage. . ..
Without intending to underestimate the other ends of marriage, it must be said
that true married love and the family life which flows from it have this end in
view: that the spouses would cooperate generously with the love of the Creator
and Savior, who through them will in due time increase and enrich his family.
Children are a gift in a myriad of ways. They bring joy even in the midst of
heartaches; they give added direction to the lives of their parents. Children,
who are the fruit of love and meaningful commitment, are a cause of love and
meaning. It is true that some marriages will not result in procreation due to
infertility, even though the couple is capable of the natural act by which
procreation takes place. Indeed, this situation often comes as a surprise and
can be a source of deep disappointment, anxiety, and even great suffering for a
husband and wife. When such tragedy affects a marriage, a couple may be tempted
to think that their union is not complete or truly blessed. This is not true.
The marital union of a man and a woman is a distinctive communion of persons.
An infertile couple continues to manifest this attribute. Even when their
child-bearing years have passed, a couple should continue to be life-affirming.
They can do this by staying involved in the lives of young people, and especially
their grandchildren, as spiritual mentors, teachers, and wisdom figures. They
can also continue to be nurturing through the exercise of care for those who
are needy, disabled, or pushed to the margins of society, and by their support
for or participation in works of charity and justice.
National Pizza Day is dedicated to appreciating pizza,
a baked flatbread that is topped with tomato sauce and cheese. Many
toppings and sauces can be added to pizzas, including vegetables, meats and
seafood. Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy around the 10th century, and
has since grown to become one of the most popular foods in America. In 1905, America’s
first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened in New York. Since then, pizza
consumption in America has increased greatly and many pizza chains, such as
Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s have emerged. The origin of National Pizza
Day is not well understood although accounts of National Pizza Day began to
emerge around the 2000s.
National
Pizza Day Facts & Quotes
·
According
to a study done in 2013 by food delivery provider Foodler, 37% of North
American consumers order plain cheese pizza, 52% order meat toppings and the
three most ordered pizza toppings are: pepperoni, mushrooms and onions.
o According to gross sales earned by
pizza chains, the top five American pizzerias are:
1) Pizza Hut, gross sales of $13.4 Billion
2) Domino’s, gross sales of $8.9 Billion
3) Little Caesars, gross sales of $3.4 Billion
4) Papa John’s, gross sales of $3.3 Billion
5) Papa Murphy's, gross sales of $7.85 Million
1) Pizza Hut, gross sales of $13.4 Billion
2) Domino’s, gross sales of $8.9 Billion
3) Little Caesars, gross sales of $3.4 Billion
4) Papa John’s, gross sales of $3.3 Billion
5) Papa Murphy's, gross sales of $7.85 Million
·
If
I could eat whatever I wanted every day, I would have Domino's pizza with pasta
carbonara inside every slice. And at night, I would have Neapolitan ice cream
until I felt absolutely toxic. And then I would drift off telling myself, 'It's
going to be O.K... It's going to be O.K. you're going to train in the morning'.
- Robert Downey, Jr., Actor
National
Pizza Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Visit
your favorite pizzeria. Most pizzerias will offer discounts and specials
to celebrate National Pizza Day.
·
Attend
a pizza festival! Here are some of our favorites to consider:
1) Cleveland Pizza Fest
3) Pizza Festival - Los Angeles
4) Chicago Pizza Fest
5) Pizza Fest Seattle: Annual Punk Festival+Pizza-Eating Contest
1) Cleveland Pizza Fest
3) Pizza Festival - Los Angeles
4) Chicago Pizza Fest
5) Pizza Fest Seattle: Annual Punk Festival+Pizza-Eating Contest
·
Make
your own pizza at home from scratch. Make the dough, perhaps gluten-free or
whole wheat, make the sauce using tomatoes and spices, grate the cheese and
finally cover it up with all of your favorite toppings.
·
Try
a pizza with unique toppings. Here are some of our favorites:
1) Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza
2) Beer Battered Fried Calamari Pizza
3) Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza
4) Fried Chicken Pizza
5) Brown Butter Lobster and Spinach Pizza with Bacon and Fontina
1) Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza
2) Beer Battered Fried Calamari Pizza
3) Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza
4) Fried Chicken Pizza
5) Brown Butter Lobster and Spinach Pizza with Bacon and Fontina
·
Make
it a pizza and a movie kind of night. Watch the Academy Award nominees for
‘Best Picture’ (2020):
o 1917
o Ford v Ferrari
o Joker
o Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
o Parasite
o The Irishman
o Little Women
o Jojo Rabbit
o Marriage Story
What faith
teaches about the dignity of the human person, about the sacredness of every
human life, and about humanity's strengths and weaknesses helps us see more
clearly the same truths that also come to us through the gift of human reason.
At the center of these truths is respect for the dignity of every person. This
is the core of Catholic moral and social teaching. Because we are people of
both faith and reason, it is appropriate and necessary for us to bring this
essential truth about human life and dignity to the public square. We are
called to practice Christ's commandment to "love one another" (Jn
13:34). We are also called to promote the well-being of all, to share our
blessings with those most in need, to defend marriage, and to protect the lives
and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless. In his
first encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI explained
that "charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and
therefore also their political activity, lived as 'social charity'" (no.
29).
Full Snow Moon
According
to the almanac today we are having a Full Snow Moon. Plan to have a day to take
your children or your grandchildren out to play in the snow and talk a little
with them about your love and faith in God and make snow angels.
Our Lady of the Snows[9]
Improbable as it is for snow to fall during August, history tells
of a snowfall that seemed more impossible, namely in Rome, Italy. August 5,
352, snow fell during the night in Rome.
There lived in the Eternal City a nobleman, John and his childless
wife, who had been blessed with much of this world’s goods. They chose the
Mother of God as the heir to their fortune, and at the suggestion of Pope
Liberius, prayed that she might make known to them how to do this by a
particular sign. In answer, the Virgin Mother during the night of August 5,
appeared to John and his wife and also to the Holy Father, Pope Liberius,
directing them to build a church in her honor on the crown of the Esquiline
Hill. And what would be the sign that John and his wife had requested?
“Snow will cover the crest of the hill.”
Snow rarely falls in Rome, but the flakes fell silently during
that night, blanketing the peak of the historic hill. In the morning the news
quickly spread, and crowds gathered to throng up the hill and behold the white
splendor. The snow had fallen in a particular pattern, showing the outline of
the future church. When it became known that the snow was a sign from Mary, the
people spontaneously added another to her long list of titles, Our Lady of the
Snows.
It’s
hard to imagine that, 60 million years ago, Antarctica was teeming with
dinosaurs languishing in the sweltering, subtropical heat typical of the “White
Continent” at the time. Now, it’s home only to seals, penguins, walruses and
humans who insist they don’t mind the frigid temperatures. The first official
nod to Christianity on Antarctica came from Capt. Aeneas Mackintosh, who
erected a large memorial cross on Wind Vane Hill on Cape Evans in honor of
three members of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic
Expedition party who died in 1916.
Priests Down South
Father
William Menster (1913-2007), a priest in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, and
U.S. Navy chaplain, wrote in his 1949 book Strong Men South about his
Antarctic expedition in 1946 and 1947, “The highlight of my life was the
celebration of Mass at and blessing the Antarctic continent.” This first Mass
on the continent was celebrated in a temporary tent on an altar oriented
eastward — or what passes for eastward when you’re at the bottom of the planet.
The first Jesuit stationed in Antarctica was seismologist Jesuit Father Henry
Birkenhauer, in 1957-58, earning him the nickname “The Polar Priest.” Jesuit
Father Daniel Linehan was a scientist and explorer who made two expeditions to
Antarctica in 1954-55 and 1955-56. The Linehan Glacier is named after him.
Vatican astronomer Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno visited Antarctica in 1996 and
discovered a number of meteorites. (The climate aside, it’s easy hunting for
such rocks, as they stand in clear contrast to the continent’s snowy fields.)
Jesuit geophysicists Edward Bradley and J. Joseph Lynch also did extensive
research in Antarctica.
Cool Chapels
There
are currently nearly 90 science stations in Antarctica, half of which are only
used in summer months, when the days are long. Most research stations have a small
multipurpose room that serves as an ad hoc chapel. However, several bases and
settlements have their own dedicated chapels, including:
1.
Notre-Dame des Vents (Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen Island)
Interestingly,
Capt. James Cook discovered this uninhabited island on Christmas Day 1776, an
auspiciously appropriate day for what would subsequently become the
southernmost French-Catholic church in the world. French for Our Lady of the
Winds, the chapel is located in Port-aux-Français, the capital settlement of
the Kerguelen Islands, territory of the French Southern and Antarctic lands in
the south Indian Ocean. The concrete chapel was built in the 1950s, and its
proportions are based on the “Golden Ratio” — the ratio of the building’s
dimensions is the same as the ratio of the sum of the larger of the chapel’s
two quantities. This is a fancy mathematical way of saying the chapel is
exquisitely beautiful and exceptionally pleasing mathematically, aesthetically
and emotionally. This chapel serves as the parish church for the Falkland
Islands, South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territory. A statue of Our
Lady of the Winds stands vigil between the chapel and the Golfe du Morbihan,
welcoming congregants while assuring them of her love and prayers.
2.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Punta Arenas)
The
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (El Sagrado Corazón) in Punta Arenas, on
the southern tip of South America, serves the Chilean Antarctic Territory.
Punta Arenas is the southernmost diocese in the entire Catholic world. Its
parish, Nuestra Señora del Carmen, in Puerto Williams on Navarino Island
is the southernmost Catholic parish on the planet. Though not “technically” on
Antarctica, it’s practically there; and the Vatican has given it its specific
mission of serving the faithful who temporarily call Antarctica home.
3.
The Ice Cave Catholic Chapel at Belgrano II Base (Coat’s Island)
Argentina’s
Belgrano II Base at Coat’s Island is the southernmost house of worship — of any
religion — and is entirely made of ice blocks. Built in 1955, it’s used
year-round by the scientists, soldiers and staff of the Argentine military base
and research station on the island. A wedding was conducted in the chapel on
January 29, 2007, for two researchers, a Chilean and a Russian.
3.
Notre Dame de l’Ocean (Amsterdam Island)
Our
Lady of the Ocean Chapel serves the scientists of French-administered Amsterdam
Island. This squarish, cozy chapel is immediately adjacent to the researcher’s
quarters and hosts Mass every Sunday. The chapel offers a magnificent view of
the Antarctic Ocean.
4.
Chapel of the Snows (Ross Island)
The
Chapel of the Snows is located at McMurdo Science Station on Ross Island and
was constructed in 1956. The chapel was rebuilt after a fire in 1978 and was
re-consecrated in 1989. It later opened its doors to Protestants, Mormons,
Bahais and Buddhists so that they might conduct their own services. The chapel
serves 200 researchers and support personnel, but it can host up to 1,000
visitors. It contains a stained-glass window depicting Antarctica.
5.
Notre Dame des Oiseaux Chapel, Possession Island
This
tiny French-administered island in the Crozet Archipelago has a chapel
dedicated to Our Lady of the Birds. The chapel is located near Alfred Faure
Base and was built in 1984.
6.
Trinity Church (Bellingshausen, King George Island)
This
Russian Orthodox chapel warmly, pun intended, welcomes Catholics to celebrate
Mass there. The quaint structure is made of pressurized Siberian pine treated
to withstand the subzero temperature of the southernmost continent. It can hold
30 worshippers at any given moment. Two Russian monks’ man this remote chapel,
committing to a year’s service. Defying the destructive power of the polar
winds, the wooden structure with Russian carvings stands 15 meters (49 feet)
tall, and Mass is generally celebrated in either Spanish or English.
7.
San Francisco de Assisi Chapel (Hope Bay)
A
chapel dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi is appropriately located at Esperanza
(Spanish for “hope”) Station in Antarctica’s Hope Bay. This is one of
Argentina’s 13 research bases in Antarctica. Catholic babies are routinely
baptized here.
8.
Chilean Chapel of Santa Maria Reina de la Paz (Villa Las Estrellas,
South Shetland Islands)
This
humble and utilitarian church is made out of repurposed shipping containers
stacked side by side and can fit up to 36 congregants. The local population,
aside from the penguins, can be up to 120 people, making it the largest
civilian settlement in Antarctica. Located on the Chilean military base of King
George’s Island, Villa las Estrellas (Spanish: “The Village of Stars”), it’s
not uncommon for personnel to bring their families, with children, to live on
the base for up to two years at a time, necessitating religious services and
catechetical instruction.
9.
Chapel of the Santisima Virgen de Lujan at Marambio Base
The
Chapel of the Most Holy Virgin serves Argentina’s permanent, year-round base.
On Jan. 3, 2013, during the 44th Overwintering Campaign, Father Marcelo Lopez
and the team of researchers consecrated the entire base to the Virgin Mary.
10.
St. Ivan Rilski Chapel, Livingston Island
This
Orthodox church was built on Bulgaria’s St. Kliment Ohridski expeditionary base
in 1988.
11.
Stella Maris Chapel, Cape Horn Island
Next
to the lighthouse on Cape Horn Island lies a tiny wooden chapel dedicated to
the Blessed Virgin Mary. It serves the sacramental needs of the researchers and
staff at this station, which lies between South America’s Tierra de Fuego
and the Antarctic continent. The first Catholic, let alone human being, to
visit the area was Ferdinand Magellan on his round-the-world-trip across the
straits that still bear his name. Oddly, the 90 researchers and support staff
of the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay don’t have a permanent
chapel, despite lay Italian Catholics offering to build one for free. In fact,
a German shipping company offered to transport the prefab chapel to Terra Nova
Bay gratis. Despite this, the Italian government is dragging its feet, to the
detriment of the devout scientists and staff on the base. The Worldwide
Antarctic Program (WAP) is spearheading the construction of a Catholic chapel
at the base. So far, the plan is on ice.
In 1913 the renowned Harry Emerich Fosdick wrote
a 12-week study on the Manhood of Jesus Christ. Fosdick writes, “This work is
not a portrait of the life of the Master or a study of his teaching. It is an
endeavor to understand and appreciate the quality of his character. Neither,
this this work an attempted to contribution to the theology; it is an endeavor,
rather, to get back behind the thoughts of the centuries about him, and to see
the Man Christ Jesus himself as he lives in the pages of the gospels.
During the Lenten period we will utilize the
work to come closer to Christ’s manhood using this source as fruit for a study
of Christ. Hopefully our study will help us rise with Christ and become true
sons of Mary and the Church.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving
your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after SUNSET ON SATURDAY till
Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
[2] http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/septlent.html
[4]http://www.wincalendar.com/Tu-Bishvat
[5]https://www.christianforums.com/threads/trump-says-we-will-plant-trillions-of-trees-now-because.8147047/
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