Wishing all of the mothers out there a very blessed Mothers’ Day! Mothers are very special people in our lives and they are owed the utmost respect and love from us, their children. May your day be filled with much happiness, laughter and love.

For those mothers who find themselves away from their children today, please know that someone out there is praying for you.

For those mothers who are away serving their country, we thank you for your sacrifice and we ask our Almighty Father to especially bless you and protect you.

For those mothers who have lost a child, you have a very special guardian angel watching over you constantly. May your faith strengthen you and your family and friends comfort and support you.

For all mothers who have died, let us ask God to bring them into the joy of his eternal kingdom.

Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so you watch over your Church. Bless these women, that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

http://www.alwayscatholic.com

Twitter: @alwayscatholic

Catholic Media Promotion Day 2011 | Credit: CMPD 2011, Facebook

Today we celebrate Catholic Media Promotion Day 2011, a day when we recognize and embrace the diversity of the online Catholic community. This community, which brings people together from all parts of the world and all walks of life, comes together each day to spread the message of Jesus Christ to those in cyberspace.

In an address to the members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy Father stated: “It is not enough to use the media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church’s authentic teaching. It is also necessary to integrate that message into the ‘new culture’ created by modern communications.” The Catholics who have positively responded to the Holy Father’s call to bring Christ to the digital continent share their story and their faith with anyone and everyone. Each of them have taken a stand to proclaim the love and salvific message of Christ to all.

As part of the “festivities” of Catholic Media Promotion Day, Catholics who actively participate within the digital continent have been asked to share their favorite Catholic blogs, podcasts, etc. with their online family and friends in an effort to increase the awareness of the multitude of Catholic resources on the net. So, without further ado, here are my lists:

Favorite Catholic Blogs:

Whispers in the Loggia:

One of the “founding fathers” of the Catholic blogosphere, Rocco Palmo has been plugging away on Whispers in the Loggia since December 2004. In most, if not ALL Catholic circles, Rocco is the go-to-guy for information regarding, well, the church. Whispers is my number one source for Catholic info. In fact, every morning, after thanking God for another opportunity to breathe the fresh Florida air, I find myself turning on the computer and clicking on “WitL” (that’s how it appears on my RSS feed). Rock, as I have come to call him, does a fantastic job and Whispers in the Loggia will always be #1 in my book!

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com

For His Friends:

I could not get away without mentioning For His Friends: Thoughts and Reflections by Bishop Robert Lynch (Diocese of St. Petersburg). Because of the close proximity to my home diocese and the bishop’s coverage on the Catholic Church within the Ecclesial Province of Miami, For His Friends is a daily read for me, except when I know Bishop Lynch is away on one of his “gone fishin’” trips.

http://blogs.dosp.org/bishoplynch/

Christopher’s Apologies:

Fairly new among my list of favorite Catholic blogs, Christopher’s Apologies has been one of my most frequented over the last several months. Blogging since May 2010, Christopher, a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief and Iraq War vet, shares how his Catholic faith has shaped his experiences and understanding of life. It really is a great blog to check out.

http://christophersapologies.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention:

• One Billion Stories
• The Blog of the Courtier
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (Fr. Z)
• The Anglo-Catholic
• Il Blog di Andrea Tornielli: Even though I don’t understand everything he writes (sorry, I don’t speak Italian), I enjoy the challenge of deciphering the contents via Google Translator.

Favorite Catholic News Websites:

• ZENIT
• Catholic News Service
• Catholic News Agency
• Radio Vaticana (Vatican Radio)
• Rome Reports
  

Favorite Catholics on Twitter:

• @americanpapist
• @Opinionatedcath
• @nerdwriter
• @USCCB: They have been tremendously helpful with info over the last few months! They are all awesome!
• @AnnaArco
• @lukecoppen
• @RCWestminster
• @CatholicDrinkie
  

This list for my favorite Catholic tweeps could go on forever. My favorites know who they are!

My Own Projects:

Catechism in a Year: One of my main projects that has been continuing throughout the last few months has been the Catechism in a Year posts. Frequent visitors to my blog know that I post seven articles from the Catechism of the Catholic Church daily, in an attempt to increase an understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches. The Catechism truly is an amazing piece of writing. You may find yourself wrestling with some of the topics covered, which is perfectly alright. God knows I struggle comprehending and agreeing with some of the Church’s teaching. However, posting those articles daily has allowed me to grow in appreciation and understanding of where the Church is coming from on a lot of issues. Through prayer, I have come to accept the teachings within the Catechism, which I encourage everyone to read. In the end, it will only allow your faith to grow.

Future Projects: One thing you will notice is missing from my list of favorites is Catholic podcasts. To be honest, I am not a big fan of those things in general. However, that may be changing within the next year or so because producing a podcast is on my list of possibilities for future projects.

Thanks for allowing me to share! Please feel free to add your favorite Catholic things on the net in the comments section below or by sending me a note on Twitter (@thomaspringle). I am always looking for new blogs, tweeps, etc. to follow.

I survived Roe v. Wade because my parents said “yes” to the life that God created.

Thirty-eight years ago today, the United States Supreme Court made its landmark ruling on Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion in our country. Since January 22, 1973, over 50 million babies have been murdered because their mothers were given the right to choose.

On this day, as the church commemorates the Roe v. Wade decision, dioceses throughout the United States are celebrating Masses of Peace and Justice. Let us continue to pray for the most vulnerable among us. Let us also continue the fight to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Source: C-SPAN

Source: Students for Life

And, for those who wish to read the speech, below is the full text:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Just when we thought we had heard the last of Father Alberto Cutié (a.k.a. “Father Oprah”), he makes his presence known once more in a rather desperate attempt to gain more than the typical 15 minutes of shame…I mean fame. Not surprisingly, he is coming out in defense of his own actions, but, then again, I guess that’s human nature and I shouldn’t be so critical. However, when, in your attempt to justify your actions, you attack someone or something else, that’s where I, and many others, take issue.

Before we get into what “Padre Alberto” is saying now, let’s review; shall we?

Father Alberto Cutié was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in 1995 for the Archdiocese of Miami. During his years of priestly service in the Catholic Church, Padre Alberto quickly became somewhat of a “rock star” as the host of several nationally and internationally syndicated television and radio programs. (Don’t worry, I’m not praising the accomplishments of the man here; it’s a simple fact.) His international reputation, in my humble opinion, definitely had a role in his demise as a Catholic priest.

You might recall: towards the beginning of summer 2009, pictures of Father Alberto were uncovered by a popular Mexican celebrity gossip magazine that caught him in a rather compromising position with a woman on the public beaches of Miami. Remember, as a Catholic priest, Cutié promised to carry out his ministry while living in a state of celibacy, which means not getting married and remaining chaste.

When Father Alberto was confronted by the Archdiocese, he did not deny the relationship with the woman. Instead, he professed his love for her and his desire to leave the priesthood. Now, if that was the case, that’s how we all should’ve left it! Cutié should’ve have quietly left the priesthood and prevented any further scandal for a local church that has, unfortunately, had its share of scandals over the years. But, that’s not how he left it.

A few days after his meeting with Archdiocesan officials—staying true to his name—Father Oprah made his rounds on the morning television shows. On the CBS Early Show back in May 2009, regarding celibacy, Cutié stated: “I think it’s a debate that’s going on in our society, and now I’ve become kind of a poster boy for it. But I don’t want to be that. I believe that celibacy is good, and that it’s a good commitment to God.”

Wow…maybe an ounce of humility does exist in Father Oprah. Oh, wait…maybe not. Jump to the present day.

Tomorrow, January 4, 2011, Father Alberto releases his new book, Dilemma: A Priest’s Struggle with Faith and Love. (He’s trying to make another buck off of his story. Is there a movie deal in the works too, because that would make him a rather large sum of money and cause an increase in fame?) I am not critical of him releasing a book. After all, it’s his life story and he can publish it if he wants. However, what I am being critical of is what he actually writes in the book about the Church, the priesthood, and celibacy.

{On a side note: I tend to reserve judgment on these kinds of things until the book is actually released and I can read the passages for myself, but this calls for an early response.}

In a recent article in the Miami Herald, it is explained that the book details exactly how Father Oprah feels about his decision to leave the Church: “Cutié vehemently defends his decision to leave the Catholic Church and shares his increasing disenchantment with it over 14 years as a priest.”

My response: Father, if you felt so disenchanted, why didn’t you take that to your spiritual director? As a former seminarian who studied in the Archdiocese of Miami, I know for a fact that spiritual direction is valued in that local church. If he was having such a problem, it was his responsibility to examine that in the spirit of prayer and reflection.

Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, though. If Cutié did take this issue to his spiritual director and no solution came from those talks, then he should have taken it to another priest—a brother whom he trusted and respected.

The article goes on to quote Cutié’s new book:

Secretly, Cutié writes in the book, he had come to doubt much of the church’s teachings as early as 2003, after several run-ins with church hierarchy and after a growing disillusion with ‘bishops too concerned with their own images’ during child sex-abuse crises.

Hmm, that’s an interesting comparison from someone who was plastered all over the Spanish language television stations while he was a priest. After all, you don’t get a name like Father Oprah from your parishioners. If Cutié had issues with certain teachings of the Church, should he have continued on in ministry? As a priest, it is his role not to object to the teachings of the Church, but to believe and teach them through the eyes of faith. However, we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit (CCC 179).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

180: “Believing” is a human act, conscious and free, corresponding to the dignity of the human person.

181: “Believing” is an ecclesial act. The Church’s faith precedes, engenders, supports, and nourishes our faith. The Church is the mother of all believers. “No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.” (St. Cyprian)

182: We believe all “that which is contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed.” (Paul VI | Credo of the People of God §20)

As Catholics, we believe that the Holy Spirit began guiding the Church on the Feast of Pentecost. Therefore, everything handed down from the Apostles and bishops since then has been divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, it isn’t our place to object to the teachings of the Church because we simply disagree with them; objecting to those beliefs means objecting to the role of the Holy Spirit. (Granted, I am no theologian, just sharing information from the Catechism.)

According to the Herald article, Cutié then goes on to make his most erroneous claim in the book. He cites celibacy and the recent clergy sex abuse scandals as the reasons for the dwindling number of vocations in the church. Okay, stop right there! This is where I have my biggest issue with Fr. Alberto.

In the last several years, the number of young men studying at the Archdiocese’s St. John Vianney College Seminary and at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach has been extraordinary! Last year, SJVCS saw numbers it had not seen in 35 years! That’s after the revelations of clergy sexual abuse and with knowledge of the requirement of clerical celibacy. How do I know this?? I was one of the nearly 80 men studying there.

The young men—and sometimes not so young men—who are studying to be priests are in the seminary because they want to make a difference in the world. They want to give everything they have to the Lord. When a young man enters the seminary, he doesn’t know he is going to be a priest. (I’m a perfect example of that.) Young men go to the seminary because they feel a tug on their hearts that they cannot ignore; they desire to serve the Church.

As I have stated before, celibacy is a way to make the Kingdom of God present here on earth. If you read Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, you will see that those who choose celibacy for the Kingdom share the same vocations to love as those who marry, but manifest this vocation in a different manner. Furthermore, celibacy is not a rejection of sexuality, but a living out of the deepest meaning of sexuality–union with Christ and his Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).

In order for a young man to first discern a call to the priesthood, he must first discern a call to celibacy. If celibacy is something that the Lord is OFFERING as a GIFT and the young man is WILLING to ACCEPT, (notice my words here) then the priesthood may be for him. That is the bottom line. I would ask Father Cutié to refrain from making judgments on something he couldn’t handle or accept.

When he entered the seminary some 22 years ago, Father Alberto knew what the requirements were for priestly ministry. He obviously had no problem with those requirements then, nor did he take issue with them during the first years of his priesthood. The minute he began having doubts about celibacy should have been a sign for him to have a serious chat with his spiritual director.

Another claim that Cutié makes in Dilemma regards the sexual orientation of many Catholic priests and bishops: “There are so many homosexuals, both active and celibate, at all levels of clergy and Church hierarchy that the church would never be able to function if they were really to exclude all of them from ministry.”

Are you seriously making that claim, Father? This just goes to show how disenchanted Cutié became with the Church. The big question, which I have no answer for, is why?

Ultimately, we are going to have to wait to read the exact claims and explanations made by Father Alberto in his new book. Needless to say, though, you won’t find me running to the bookstore to buy a copy of it tomorrow. It is my belief that Father Alberto saw his name slipping from the limelight and couldn’t handle that. This book is just another desperate attempt for him to get additional attention and cause further scandal for the Church.

Grow up, Padre Alberto! Your 15 minutes of fame are over!

Note from TP:

If anyone thinks I have been a little overly critical or judgmental of Fr. Alberto, I do apologize. While I do respect Father Alberto as a human being and as a Catholic priest, I do not respect the choices he made. The opinions and thoughts I share above are my frustrations with someone’s total disregard for the Church. That’s where I take issue with Father Alberto.

If, by chance, Father Alberto is reading this, I wish to tell him that he is in my prayers.

May God bless all of you and may He continue to send the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen the Church and each one of us.

As the new year has finally arrived, I again want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for allowing me to share my journey of faith. It has been an exciting year filled with many unforgettable experiences for this young Catholic. I thank you for helping me out through all of the changes and for your prayers as I transitioned to a bit of a new life.

Happy New Year to you and yours. May the peace and love of Christ dwell within your hearts as we journey through 2011. Along the way, if the occasions of joy and happiness turn into fear and sadness remember to stay close to Him. Please be assured of my constant prayers for you. If you would, please remember to say a prayer or two for me. Thanks again! May God bless you and your families.

• Nancy Pelosi
• Doug Kmeic
• Joe Biden
• National Catholic Reporter
• America Magazine

Voting is here.

Thanks to Fr. Z for the info.

Bringing in the New Year Rome Style! | Source: WDTPRS

Good afternoon and welcome to December!! Here in Florida, the last month of the year  has rolled in with a vengeance. It’s freezing down here and by freezing I mean highs in the mid-60s. What can I say? As a native Floridian anything below 75 degrees makes me put on a jacket. Nonetheless, it is definitely a beautiful way to begin preparing for Christmas.

Over the last few days, I have been running an idea by my fellow tweeps about doing a series of posts on the top Catholic stories of 2010. However, I realize that many of you are not on that Twitter contraption. Nonetheless, I wanted to get your insights and ideas. What have been the most intriguing, inspiring, or controversial Catholic stories of the year in your opinion?? Feel free to email me at tom@thomaspringle.com with your thoughts. You can also leave a comment below.

I am looking forward to receiving your insights. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Saint Charles Borromeo | Credit: SQPN

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo, patron saint of seminarians and catechists [he also happens to be my FAVORITE saint]. However, this is no ordinary feast day for Charles; today marks the 400th anniversary of his canonization by Pope Paul V.

Saint Charles Borromeo was born on October 2, 1534 in the Castle of Arona to Giberto Borromeo and Margaret de Medici. When Charles was 12 years old, he received the tonsure and was sent to study at the archabbey of SS. Gratian and Felinus in Milan.

In 1559, Charles’ uncle, Cardinal Gian-Angelo de Medici, was elected in conclave as Pope Pius IV. During the early stages of the Pontificate of Pius IV, Charles was named the Vatican Secretary of State, Archbishop of Milan, and Protector of the orders of St. Francis, the Carmelites, the Knights of Malta, and the Knights of the Holy Cross of Christ.

In 1562, Charles played an instrumental role in convincing Pius IV to have the Council of Trent reconvened because of the great need for reform in the Church. When the Council ended in 1563, the Reformer, as he would come to be known, oversaw the compilation of the Catechism, the missal, and the breviary. In 1556, Charles finally moved back to Milan, taking the helm of the Archdiocese, and overseeing many drastic reforms. These reforms made the Archdiocese of Milan a model for the rest of the Church.

Throughout his time as Archbishop, Borromeo instituted reforms in the fields of the morals and ethics of clergy and established seminaries to educate future priests. In 1578, Charles founded the Oblates of St. Ambrose, which was later changed to the Oblates of St. Charles. Throughout his time as a Cardinal Archbishop, Charles called for multiple synods, preached the Gospel fervently, opposed the gains of Protestantism, and brought many former Catholics back to the Church.

Charles Borromeo died on November 3, 1584 in Milan. He was canonized a saint by Pope Paul V on November 4, 1610 and is the patron of catechists, seminarians, spiritual directors, bishops, and catechumens.

St. Charles Borromeo introduced to the Church multiple reforms that were desperately needed to combat the growing tide of Protestantism. For the modern world, Charles can teach us to always remain faithful to our values and to always act in a moral, ethical way. Charles can also teach us to always persevere in carrying out actions that we believe are ethical because he instituted so many reforms for the Church, something that was opposed by so many.

Credit: Reuters

Throughout the last several days, chatter has picked up quite considerably about an announcement regarding a November 20th consistory that would result in the elevation of new cardinals. That announcement is expected to be made tomorrow during the Holy Father’s weekly General Audience.

According to Andrea Tornielli, among the batch of twenty voting-age cardinals are Americans Archbishop Raymond Burke (Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura) and Archbishop Donald Wuerl (Archbishop of Washington). Some other notable Cardinal-designates are: Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz, Warsaw; Archbishop Thomas Collins, Toronto; Archbishop Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation of Saints; and Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. This consistory will be the third called during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

Vatican Radio will be streaming tomorrow’s general audience. For those folks brave enough to be up early, set your alarms for 4:00 a.m. ET; coverage begins at 4:15 a.m. ET.

UPDATE: It’s official…this morning, Pope Benedict XVI elevated Archbishop Raymond Burke and Archbishop Donal Wuerl to the rank of Cardinal. The Cardinal-designates will be officially elevated during a November 20th consistory and given their rings on November 21st. More to come in a bit.

Remembering September 11th

O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and
Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives
with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.

Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.

Pope Benedict XVI–Prayer at Ground Zero | April 20, 2008