Tag Archives: Paul

Anniversary of the Foundation of the Congregation of the Passion

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Feast of the Presentation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in the Temple, Anniversary of the Foundation of the Congregation of the Passion

Since 1720, the Passionists around the world have observed the feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple as the anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation of the Passion.  For some time before, Paul Francis Danei had experienced spiritual promptings to establish a religious community under the title “The Poor of Jesus.”  According to the advice of the leadership of the Diocese of Allesandria, where he lived, Paul placed himself under the spiritual direction of Fr. Columban of Genoa, a Capuchin Religious.  Fr. Columban authenticated Paul’s mystical experiences, but could do nothing canonically to help establish the community.  All he could do was encourage the young man in his quest to fulfill the will of God by the foundation of such a congregation. The bishop of Allesandria, Francis Mary DiGattinara, was impressed by Paul’s story. Paul conveyed that he had seen himself in a black tunic with a type of badge over his heart. This vision took place in the Capuchin Church at Castellazo near Turin.  At his heart there was the imprint of the name of Jesus.

Paul felt this to be a call to be pure and simple of heart.  It was an invitation to repentance, not only for himself but for the Church Universal. The vision was repeated several times. Paul wished to fulfill the message of these mystical promptings. The bishop agreed to impose the habit publicly and to acknowledge Paul as a hermit in his diocese.  He even paid for the cloth which was cut into the black garment.  The bishop, however, did not allow Paul to publicly wear the white sign.  He felt that the Order had to grow and develop.  After all, an institution had to consist of more than one person.

On the 21st of November Paul had his head shaved at the home of his parents. He had supper with his family for the last time and then they all prayed the rosary.  With his father’s blessing, Paul left for Allesandria on the next day, November 22nd.  Originally it was projected that the reception of the habit would take place at Vespers but since the following day was a Friday, and since the focus of the new institute was to be the contemplation of the Passion of Jesus, Paul requested of Bishop DiGittinara that he receive the habit the following evening. Thus the memorial of the birth of the Passionists is, in fact, a two-day affair.

Paul of the Cross chose the feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple as the foundational feast because it is the primary feast of consecration, i.e., the call to holiness in the Church. As far back as the patristic era, the Church cherished the role of Mary in the Redemption story.  This feast anticipates that of the Immaculate Conception whereby Mary is both called and chosen to be a special figure in the inception of the Church.  It reminds us that Mary is our model and our icon for the following of Jesus Christ.  This is a feast of discipleship.

The image of the little girl led by her parents up the grand staircase of the Jerusalem Temple discloses her fidelity to the lifelong consecration to participate in the sufferings of Jesus and to mourn. Without knowing it in 1720, Paul’s desire to enter into the mystery of the Passion would be equally intense. He shares all of this with his disciples and with all who would come after him.

For all Passionists these two days are theologically comprehensive and historically rich with meaning.

- Fr. Jerome Vereb, C. P.

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How would St. Paul of the Cross feel about Vietnam?

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Rice Transport Mekong Delta

It is recorded that St. Paul of the cross once remarked that a certain tree-lined avenue looked like Aleppo. It seems nobody commented at the time, but later there was speculation that he might have visited Syria. He could have. There is a period in his youth not fully accounted for, when he could have taken a ship from Venice. But what if the ship had sailed to the far side of the world, to Vietnam? He would have found there a congregation of sisters, the Lovers of the Holy Cross, founded in 1670 by the saintly Bishop Lambert de la Motte, who taught each sister to direct her mind, heart, and life towards Jesus Christ crucified, the one and only object of her devotion. If Paul ever got to Vietnam, he must surely have thought to himself, “If they have been living such a life in Vietnam for 50 years already, even to the point of martyrdom, sisters holding the faithful together in times of persecution when all the clergy were killed or scattered, surely Italy needs the same way of life.”

Today Paul would recognize at a glance that Vietnam is a country with the Cross at its heart. He would feel at home. His missionary heart would recognize with love the face of his suffering God among the countless poor and marginalized. He would be quick to reach out, having no trouble finding “poor incommodious places” where the struggle to survive is brutal, and people suffer from ignorance, exploitation and persecution. A man who could boldly cross enemy lines to minister to souls would be fearless in the face of the things that make us timid and hesitant. We feel him urging us on to greater things, “Courage, my sons!”

Paul could not fail to respond to the deep faith of the people, and to the ready self-sacrifice of young people who give their lives to God. He would look with those deep eyes of his at the young who aspire to our life, and discern in their hearts a love for the crucified that would fill him with joy.

Paul’s lifelong yearning for the people of England and other lands shows his openness to the new. He would appreciate the challenge for today’s missionaries of the Cross. Like the great Jesuit missionary, Alexandre de Rhodes, he would appreciate the good side of the old tribal traditions that still reverence life in the trees, the rivers and the family. He would be impressed by aspects of the strong Confucian tradition, upholding order and respect, stressing hard work and study. He would value Buddhism’s stress on meditation and freedom from desire. Then again, he might be taken aback by the rapid disintegration of tradition, due to the effects of colonialism, endless wars, followed by communism, modernization and growing prosperity. He would need to ask our aspiring youth to explain their cell phones and computers.

His question for the Passionist venture in Vietnam could be, “What took you so long?”

- Fr. Jefferies Foale, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community in Vietnam.

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An Old Story-teller: SS John and Paul, Faith for a New Age (Part 3)

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Emperor Constantine

Once the Emperor Constantine embraced it, Christianity’s role in Roman society grew. Previously, Christians had been cautious because of persecution; now they advanced their faith boldly. Now, splendid churches, displacing their modest community centers or renovated houses, rivaled Rome’s great temples and shrines. To win over the powerful Roman majority, they promoted the Christian scriptures, freshly translated by St. Jerome, along with his learned commentaries. The new faith, St. Augustine argued in his City of God, far from causing the empire to fall (as its enemies claimed), was God’s providential gift to save it.

The Church of Saints John and Paul was a sign of this new Christian assertiveness. It was built in the “show” area of the imperial city, close to the Roman forum. Until then, new Christian building was confined to the city’s edge (the Lateran Basilica is an example) or to the shrines of martyrs outside the city, in order not to offend the Roman majority, many of whom resented the new faith. Saints John and Paul, however, was built near the heart of the city, next to the Roman temple of Claudius. It was a visual statement that Christianity had arrived.

St. Pammachius (340-410), Senator and Builder
Fittingly, Pammachius, a respected senator and one-time leader of the senate, was the builder of the Church of Saints John and Paul. He came from a patrician family linked to other noble families. His wife was Paolina, daughter of the influential noblewoman St. Paula, who accompanied St. Jerome to the Holy Land.

Clivo_di_Scauro

They had no children, and when Paolina died in 360 Pammachius dedicated himself to the spiritual life, promoting scripture study and caring generously for the poor. St. Jerome, his long-time friend and regular correspondent, admired the Roman nobleman’s deep faith and keen mind. Another friend, St. Paulinus of Nola, called Pammachius the “most generous patron the church could have.”

Early in the 5th century, the Roman senator built a Christian basilica on the hill slope in the shadow of an impressive temple dedicated to the Emperor Claudius. He used three existing buildings for its foundation, two of them 3rd century apartment houses facing the Clivus Scauri.

- Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P.

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An Old Story-teller: The Basilica of Saints John and Paul, (Part 1)

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The ancient Church of Saints John and Paul, one of Rome’s earliest Christian churches, has a treasury of stories to tell. It was built as the 5th century dawned, when Rome’s glory days were about to end. Then, barbarian warriors invaded the city, and Rome steadily declined. Today, the church sits placidly intact among the ruins of old imperial palaces and temples. For almost sixteen hundred years, it has been a witness to Rome’s changing fortunes and a faith that endures.

This holy place recalls an age when Christians were persecuted by the state. Before the present church was built, a community of Christians met here in a house – as other believers throughout the city did. Tradition says two soldier martyrs – John and Paul – are buried here.

After the persecutions ended and Christianity received imperial support, prominent Christians of the Coelian Hill led by the Roman Senator Pammachius, built a beautiful church here in the “show area” of the city, as a symbol of their faith’s new standing. They were sure their belief could breathe new life into Rome’s tottering institutions.

Since the 18th century, the Passionists have been in charge of the church and the buildings attached to it. The world-wide religious community has its headquarters here.

Like an old story-teller, the church holds centuries of memories. It reminds us of generations of believers who kept their faith in good times and in bad, of martyrs old and new who shed their blood for what they believed. Why not listen to its story?

Let’s study the facade.

  • Extreme right, bell tower (12th-13th century) built over the travertine foundations of the Temple of Claudius and the Claudianum (1st century). The large sunken door to the left of the bell tower on the piazza leads to an ancient street before the Claudianum.
  • To the left of the bell tower are 11th-12th century buildings of the Monastery of Saints John and Paul, begun by Cardinal Theobald. Its original entrance, now enclosed, is seen to the right of the narthex (or porch at the entrance to the basilica) on the piazza. The double-arched windows above the door to the Claudianum marks the room where St.Paul of the Cross died. (October 18,1775)
  • The narthex was constructed by Cardinal di Sutri in the middle of the 12th century. Above it is the 13th century gallery, built by Cardinal Savelli, who became Pope Honorius III.
  • The five large arches and columns on the upper façade of the basilica are from the original 5th century basilica.The large round dome to the right of façade was constructed in the 19th century as part of the shrine to St.Paul of the Cross.
  • On the left hand side of the basilica is the ancient street, Clivus Scauri, connecting the Coelian Hill to the Palatine Hill. Spanned by seven brick arches that buttress the 5th century church, the road runs past the 3rd century apartment houses, parts of which can be seen in the church’s foundations.
- Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P.

 

 

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Interment of Father Theodore Foley, CP

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The remains of Father Theodore Foley, CP (1913-1974), former Superior General of the Passionist Congregation, were received at St. Paul of the Cross Monastery Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on April 28, 2010.

Father Theodore’s cause for beatification and canonization was opened in Rome on May 8,2008.  He was once rector at St. Paul’s Monastery, Pittsburgh.

Most Reverend William J. Winter, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, presided at the reception. Very Reverend Joseph Jones, CP, provincial of St. Paul of the Cross represented the Passionist community, along with Very Reverend Gerald Laba, CP, the rector of St. Paul’s Monastery. A number of guests attended.

Father Theodore’s remains rest under a Crucifixion scene in the rear of the monastery church.

At the service a litany of prayers honored the Passionist Saints:

St. Paul of the Cross, St. Gabriel, St. Gemma, Holy Servant of God, Fr. Theodore. Intercede for us.

You lived the Passion of Jesus and the Sorrows of Mary. Teach us to do the same.

St. Paul, by your example of prayer, penance and preaching the Passion and Resurrection, teach us how to keep the sufferings, death and glory of Jesus alive in our hearts and in the hearts of others.

St. Gabriel, by the way you did ordinary things with extraordinary fidelity to God, and by imitating the life and sentiments of our Blessed Lady, the Mother of Sorrows, teach us the way to respond to the crucified of today who are all around us.

St. Gemma, marked by the wounds of Christ in your own body, lead us to accept our personal and family sufferings, and so fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of his Body, the Church.

Holy Servant of God, Fr.Theodore, by your benevolence, steadfast faith, prayerful heart, personal discipline and spirit of zeal, help us to be like you, an instrument of peace.

All Holy Saints of the Passion, we thank you and ask you to continue to encourage us, and to willingly inspire us to follow Christ prayerfully and willingly. Amen.

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