The 1st church of the Heralds of the Gospel is now a Basilica
The first church of Heralds of the Gospel (in the International Seminary of the Heralds’ priestly branch, the Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right Virgo Flos Carmeli) has been made a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI. The Basilica is named Our Lady of the Rosary. If you look at the pictures, the exterior is not even completed and yet the Holy Father bestows this honor. Inside it some improvements are also in the works. Here follows an translated excerpt of the news reported by Gaudium Press:
“With the Supreme Apostolic power, perpetually, we elevate the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary to the rank and dignity of Minor Basilica”
These words read yesterday from Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Brief brought joy and hope for the institution of the Heralds of the Gospel.
The feast of Our Lady Help of Christians was doubly celebrated by the Heralds of the Gospel. In addition to the normal celebrations in praise and honor of the Holy Mother of God, Help of Christians, there was something very special to be celebrated: The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, in the Diocese of Bragança Paulista was elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica, just that day .
This church is part of a group of buildings which include the seminary of the Clerical Society Virgo Flos Carmeli and the House of Formation of the Heralds of the Gospel.
The ceremony of the presentation of the Apostolic Brief that raised the church to the status of Minor Basilica proceeded with great solemnity during the Mass celebrated by Bishop Sergio Aparecido Colombo , Bishop of Bragança Paulista, in São Paulo.
The Brief of His Holiness was presented to Msgr. João Clá Dias, founder and general president of the Heralds of the Gospel. Then the proclamation of the Holy Father’s words followed.
At the end of ceremony the unveiling of the symbols that identify a Minor Basilica, the Papal Coat of Arms, the Coat of Arms of the Bishop and the Papal Keys.
The Apostolic Brief
“Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, under the seal of the Fisherman, on April 21st in the year 2012, the eighth of Our Pontificate.”
Thus ends the Papal decree that was made known by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State of the Holy See.
In it “His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI — Ad perpetuam rei memoriam –” affirms “among the sacred temples of the Diocese of Bragança Paulista in Brazil, stands out, deservedly, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, erected in the city of Caieiras, to which the faithful of the region tend to go to implore the powerful help of She who is Full of Grace, to guide their existence according the precepts of the Gospel.
For this reason, since the Venerable Brother Sergio Aparecido Colombo, bishop of that See, with the letter of the 1st of March of this year, in the name of the clergy and also the people, requested that we should honor this temple with the diginity of Minor Basilica, We, wishing to give proof of our special benevolence, with supreme satisfaction of those ferverent prayers, judge that it should be granted.”
Thus it is that the Holy Father says still “fully met the requirements that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, with the powers granted by Us, established for this subject,With the Supreme Apostolic power, perpetually, we elevate the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary to the rank and dignity of Minor Basilica, conferred all the rights and liturgical concessions that properly belong to the sacred edifices honored with this title, observing what is determined by the Decree De titulo Basilicae Minoris, promulgated on the 9th of November, 1989.”
And the Supreme Pontiff continues: “We are confident that the honor given shall prompt the hearts of the faithful to venerate even more the Holy Mother of God and the Church. We desire that this letter take effect from now and for posterity, being revoked any provisions to contrary.”
no images were found
Our Lady of the Resurrection
Image of Our Lady of the Ressurection, the invocation of the original name of the House of Formation, Hermitage of Our Lady of the Resurrection
A detail of the living room lights
A community living room in the seminary of the Heralds
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE 44th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 44th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
“The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World:
New Media at the Service of the Word”
[Sunday, 16 May 2010]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The theme of this year’s World Communications Day – The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word – is meant to coincide with the Church’s celebration of the Year for Priests. It focuses attention on the important and sensitive pastoral area of digital communications, in which priests can discover new possibilities for carrying out their ministry to and for the Word of God. Church communities have always used the modern media for fostering communication, engagement with society, and, increasingly, for encouraging dialogue at a wider level. Yet the recent, explosive growth and greater social impact of these media make them all the more important for a fruitful priestly ministry.
All priests have as their primary duty the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, and the communication of his saving grace in the sacraments. Gathered and called by the Word, the Church is the sign and instrument of the communion that God creates with all people, and every priest is called to build up this communion, in Christ and with Christ. Such is the lofty dignity and beauty of the mission of the priest, which responds in a special way to the challenge raised by the Apostle Paul: “The Scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame … everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? (Rom 10:11, 13-15).
Responding adequately to this challenge amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communications technologies. The world of digital communication, with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16) The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts. Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.
The spread of multimedia communications and its rich “menu of options” might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web, or to see it only as a space to be filled. Yet priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel, exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different “voices” provided by the digital marketplace. Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis.
Using new communication technologies, priests can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ. They will best achieve this aim if they learn, from the time of their formation, how to use these technologies in a competent and appropriate way, shaped by sound theological insights and reflecting a strong priestly spirituality grounded in constant dialogue with the Lord. Yet priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ. This will not only enliven their pastoral outreach, but also will give a “soul” to the fabric of communications that makes up the “Web”.
God’s loving care for all people in Christ must be expressed in the digital world not simply as an artifact from the past, or a learned theory, but as something concrete, present and engaging. Our pastoral presence in that world must thus serve to show our contemporaries, especially the many people in our day who experience uncertainty and confusion, “that God is near; that in Christ we all belong to one another” (Benedict XVI, Address to the Roman Curia, 21 December 2009).
Who better than a priest, as a man of God, can develop and put into practice, by his competence in current digital technology, a pastoral outreach capable of making God concretely present in today’s world and presenting the religious wisdom of the past as a treasure which can inspire our efforts to live in the present with dignity while building a better future? Consecrated men and women working in the media have a special responsibility for opening the door to new forms of encounter, maintaining the quality of human interaction, and showing concern for individuals and their genuine spiritual needs. They can thus help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord’s presence, to grow in expectation and hope, and to draw near to the Word of God which offers salvation and fosters an integral human development. In this way the Word can traverse the many crossroads created by the intersection of all the different “highways” that form “cyberspace”, and show that God has his rightful place in every age, including our own. Thanks to the new communications media, the Lord can walk the streets of our cities and, stopping before the threshold of our homes and our hearts, say once more: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).
In my Message last year, I encouraged leaders in the world of communications to promote a culture of respect for the dignity and value of the human person. This is one of the ways in which the Church is called to exercise a “diaconia of culture” on today’s “digital continent”. With the Gospels in our hands and in our hearts, we must reaffirm the need to continue preparing ways that lead to the Word of God, while being at the same time constantly attentive to those who continue to seek; indeed, we should encourage their seeking as a first step of evangelization. A pastoral presence in the world of digital communications, precisely because it brings us into contact with the followers of other religions, non-believers and people of every culture, requires sensitivity to those who do not believe, the disheartened and those who have a deep, unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute. Just as the prophet Isaiah envisioned a house of prayer for all peoples (cf. Is 56:7), can we not see the web as also offering a space – like the “Court of the Gentiles” of the Temple of Jerusalem – for those who have not yet come to know God?
The development of the new technologies and the larger digital world represents a great resource for humanity as a whole and for every individual, and it can act as a stimulus to encounter and dialogue. But this development likewise represents a great opportunity for believers. No door can or should be closed to those who, in the name of the risen Christ, are committed to drawing near to others. To priests in particular the new media offer ever new and far-reaching pastoral possibilities, encouraging them to embody the universality of the Church’s mission, to build a vast and real fellowship, and to testify in today’s world to the new life which comes from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, the eternal Son who came among us for our salvation. At the same time, priests must always bear in mind that the ultimate fruitfulness of their ministry comes from Christ himself, encountered and listened to in prayer; proclaimed in preaching and lived witness; and known, loved and celebrated in the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.
To my dear brother priests, then, I renew the invitation to make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications. May the Lord make all of you enthusiastic heralds of the Gospel in the new “agorà” which the current media are opening up.
With this confidence, I invoke upon you the protection of the Mother of God and of the Holy Curè of Ars and, with affection, I impart to each of you my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 24 January 2010, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales.
BENEDICTUS XVI