From August 25th through the 27th, the Diocese of Orlando hosted the tenth biannual Orlando Liturgical Conference. This year’s theme was “Ever Ancient, Ever New,” reflecting the much anticipated implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

During the three day conference, faithful Catholics from throughout the Diocese who remain involved in some form of liturgical or catechetical ministry were invited to learn about the ways in which their ministry would be affected by the approaching changes to the Mass.

One of the main presenters of OLC 2011 was Reverend Paul Turner, pastor of St. Munchin and St. Aloysius Catholic Churches in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. We were very blessed and fortunate to have World Library Publications sponsor Fr. Paul for the conference this year as he gave all of us some valuable insights into the new translation. During his talks, Fr. Paul discussed various methods of catechesis for the upcoming changes to people’s Mass parts.

• Pastors should begin mentioning the forthcoming changes to the Mass during the homily so that members of the parish who are oblivious about the new translation of the Roman Missal can become informed.
• Diocesan officials should begin preparing bulletin inserts for the parishes within their regions in an effort to explain the reasoning for the changes. (To be honest, if this hasn’t been done yet, we’re in trouble.)
• Parishes should provide Catholics with valuable and insightful links to websites and other online multimedia to assist in the preparation.
• In order to be somewhat prepared by the First Sunday of Advent, parish music ministries should begin teaching the new musical settings to parishioners several weeks before. (This should have been taking place weeks ago, in my opinion.)

Throughout his sessions, Fr. Paul also made it a point to make the conference a catechetical opportunity. As many of us within the Catholic blogosphere have been learning over the last several months, the changes to the Mass parts are pretty extensive. Here are some of the examples Fr. Paul mentioned (these include scripture verses):

Today, we, as a nation, have paused to remember the most devastating terrorist attacks on the United States. Ten years ago today, we all remember where we were when news of the attacks reached us. We will all remember those devastating pictures of airplanes being flown into the towers of the World Trade Center, the explosion at the Pentagon, as well as the extraordinary acts of heroism from ordinary citizens on United 93 and from the first responders in New York and Washington.

On September 11, 2001, I was in the second month of 8th grade. As we were sitting in Pre-Algebra class reviewing our previous night’s homework, the P.E. coach walked into the room and asked the teacher to step out into the hallway. When our teacher came back in, he immediately turned the television on and told us that two airplanes had apparently been hijacked and flown into the World Trade Centers. As we saw the WTC towers burning, ABC News went to a picture of the Pentagon and we began to try to understand what was happening.

As the morning went on and classes changed, every middle school teacher had the television on in their classrooms. During that time, we all witnessed individuals jumping from buildings, escaping a living hell. At that point, it became too much for most of us.

September 11, 2001 changed the United States and the rest of the world. No longer did we view acts of terrorism as a simple crime; we now view terrorism as an act of war. The manner in which we go about our daily lives has changed as well. No longer do we believe in the notion of invincibility in America. The U.S. is increasingly vulnerable to future terrorist attacks and we will be forever vigilant.

Many may ask, doesn’t that mean the terrorists have won in a sense? To be perfectly honest, the terrorists HAVE won a partial victory in the War on Terror because our way of life has changed drastically as a result of the events of that day. However, even though they may have won a battle, the terrorists will never win the war because the American spirit and our unending pursuit of freedom will continue forever!

As we go about this day, let us remember those innocent civilians who lost their lives in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the fields of Pennsylvania. Let us also remember the men and women who responded to the scenes, who risked their own lives to save others. We also remember the men and women who continue to spread the cause of freedom abroad.

As we remember the somber events of this day ten years ago, let us be unified in our unending defense of freedom and unshaken in our resolve to bring the love of Christ to all. After all, it will be love that brings an end to acts of hate and violence throughout the world.

Catholica Omnia is in the running for Most Informative Blog in this year’s Catholic New Media Awards. All are invited to go to the CNMA website and vote for their favorite blogs. Voting is open until Friday, August 26, 2011. Click here to vote: http://www.catholicnewmediaawards.com/ballot.

Special thank you to all who nominated the blog for this year’s awards!! All of you, readers new and old, are greatly appreciated!

Diocese of Orlando

Bishop John Noonan and the Diocese of Orlando have announced the following round of appointments:

Effective August 1, 2011:

• Rev. Longin Buhake is appointed as Parochial Vicar of St. Timothy

Effective August 9, 2011:

• Father Jesus Arroyave is appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Ann Catholic Church in Haines City
• Father Juan Daniel Petrino is appointed Parochial Vicar of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Orlando

Effective August 20, 2011:

• Father Eugeiusz Grytner, SDS is appointed Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Bartow

Effective September 1, 2011:

• Father Jean Aland, CICM is appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Teresa Catholic Church in Titusville
• Father Augusto Cadavid is appointed Parochial Vicar of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Clermont and will tend to the Spanish community of Santo Toribio Romo Mission
• Father Ralph Duwell is appointed parochial administrator of Nativity Catholic Church in Longwood
• Father John Kudiyiruppil, M.S.T. is appointed Parochial Vicar of Nativity Catholic Church in Longwood

Today at 2 p.m. EST (8 p.m. in Spain), the events of World Youth Day 2011 will officially kick off with an opening Mass in Madrid´s Cibeles Square. The Mass will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Madrid, Archbishop Antonio Rouco Varela.

In August 2010, Pope Benedict–who is expected to be in Madrid on Thursday–sent the following message to all the faithful planning to be in attendance for (or planning to follow) this year’s WYD events:

Dear Friends,

I often think back on the World Youth Day held in Sydney in 2008. There we had an experience of a great festival of faith in which the Spirit of God was actively at work, building deep communion among the participants who had come from all over the world. That gathering, like those on previous occasions, bore rich fruit in the lives of many young people and in the life of the whole Church. Now we are looking forward to the next World Youth Day, to be held in Madrid in August 2011. Back in 1989, several months before the historic fall of the Berlin Wall, this pilgrimage of young people halted in Spain, in Santiago de Compostela. Now, at a time when Europe greatly needs to rediscover its Christian roots, our meeting will take place in Madrid with the theme: “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). I encourage you to take part in this event, which is so important for the Church in Europe and for the universal Church. I would like all young people – those who share our faith in Jesus Christ, but also those who are wavering or uncertain, or who do not believe in him – to share this experience, which can prove decisive for their lives. It is an experience of the Lord Jesus, risen and alive, and of his love for each of us.

1. At the source of your deepest aspirations