Perpetual Adoration in England for vocations
St. Joseph’s Church, located in Stockport, England, was elevated to a Eucharistic Shrine of Perpetual Adoration on October 22, with the specific purpose of praying for new priestly vocations and the sanctification of the clergy.
The Mass to inaugurate the shrine was presided over by Bishop Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, who during his homily emphasized the importance of priests making the Eucharist the centre of their lives.
Tomb of St. Nicholas found
On the southern coast of Turkey, a team of archaeologists has found the tomb of St. Nicholas of Bari, the fourth-century bishop who, through his charity in the exercise of his ministry, became known throughout the world as the one who gives gifts to children on Christmas Eve.
Although it was known that the holy bishop had been buried in the church later dedicated to him in the city of Demre, in the Turkish province of Antalya, the exact site of his burial was unknown, since a large part of his remains were stolen in the 11th century and a new church was built over the original temple, submerged by a rise in the Mediterranean Sea.
Now investigators have discovered traces of the first building and the very ground on which St. Nicholas walked.
More than two million faithful participate in the Círio de Nazaré
Considered one of the largest religious festivals in Brazil and the world, and declared by UNESCO since 2014 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the procession of the Círio of Our Lady of Nazaré has not been held for two years because of Covid-19. Resumed this year on October 9, it brought together more than 2.5 million pilgrims, according to figures published by the Secretariat of Public Security of the State of Pará.
The procession started at the Cathedral of Belém, after the Mass celebrated by Metropolitan Archbishop Alberto Taveira Corrêa. For five hours, devotees walked the route of about 3.6 kilometres to reach the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Nazareth, erected on the site where the statue of this invocation was found in the year 1700.
The Body of Christ recreated using the Holy Shroud
On October 13, the exhibition The Mysterious Man opened in the Cathedral of Salamanca, Spain. It presents the impressive story and details about the Shroud of Turin, as well as pieces that recreate instruments used in the Passion and even settings related to it, such as the Holy Sepulchre.
The main exhibit piece is a figure of Our Lord Jesus Christ, recreated on the basis of studies on the Shroud. It is a representation of the Sacred Body of Jesus at the moment He was buried, on which some signs of the Passion can be seen, such as the two hundred and fifty wounds caused by the scourging, a dislocated shoulder, a leg contracted by the rupture of a tendon, the marks of the nails in the feet and wrists, the opening in the side made by Longinus’ lance, and the back of the head pierced by the crown of thorns.
French paratroopers pay homage to St. Michael
On October 15, dozens of French paratroopers, including war veterans, performed a march in defence of St. Michael in the town of Sables-d’Olonnes in western France. The soldiers gathered at the square dedicated to the Archangel and, in front of the statue that presides over it, paid homage to him and sang the paratrooper’s prayer, demonstrating by a peaceful protest their nonconformity with a court decision that has ordered the statue’s removal from the site.
In November 2021, the anti-clerical Federation of Free Thought requested this measure on the grounds that the presence of the statue of St. Michael in a public place violates the secularity of the state. The city mayor, Yannick Moreau, and a large part of the population oppose the decision, arguing, among other reasons, that the statue is part of the city’s historical and cultural heritage.
Seven million flowers for the Virgin of the Pillar
On October 12, thousands of devotees of Our Lady of the Pillar gathered in the square in front her basilica in Zaragoza, Spain, for the traditional floral offering to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This year, the statue was honoured with more than seven million flowers, including those dropped by the Spanish Air Force in a flyby over the site.
Devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar dates back to the year 40, when St. James the Greater preached the Gospel in Spanish lands. Coming in mortal flesh from Jerusalem, the Blessed Virgin appeared to the Apostle on a stone column, the same one that still stands today in the sanctuary, and asked him to build a church on the site, promising that She would remain there until the end of time to intercede for those who would have recourse to Her.
Children around the world unite to pray the Rosary
Eight hundred and forty thousand children from one hundred and forty countries signed up for the 17th edition of the One Million Children Pray the Rosary campaign, promoted by the Pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.
The children united in prayer on October 18, and the countries with the greatest participation were: Poland – with 30% of the enrolments –, Slovakia, Philippines, Australia and India. But the initiative was also supported by children from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Laos and Myanmar, where Christians are a minority or even suffer persecution.
Persecution of the clergy in Mexico
At least seventy priests, according to official figures, have been murdered in Mexico since 1990. In many cases, the bodies were found beheaded, mutilated and with signs of torture or satanic messages. During the same period, there has also been an increase in the number of desecrations of churches and the Blessed Sacrament. According to denunciations by local clergy, members of organized crime groups perpetrate such acts in order to be promoted within their internal ranks.
This growing persecution has turned Mexico into one of the most dangerous countries in the world for priests.
Five-hundredth anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, in partnership with the country’s Central Bank, issued coins commemorating the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in those lands. One side of the coin depicts the first Easter Mass celebrated in Limasawa Island, and on the other side the official logo of the anniversary.
The Catholic Faith was introduced to the Philippines in 1521, with the expedition of the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan. Decades later, with the arrival of the Spanish, Catholicism became the predominant religion in the country.
Hatred against Catholics increases by 260% in Canada
According to the Canadian government statistics agency, manifestations of hatred against the Catholic Church in the country increased by 260% in just one year. The study compared the years 2020 and 2021, counting the number of total or partial burnings of churches, oratories and chapels, acts of vandalism, desecrations and threats against clerics and faithful.
The increase in anti-Catholic acts came mainly after the biased and distorted reportage on the discovery of graves in boarding schools run by the Catholic Church in Canada.
