Eastern Christian Media

Written By Dick Russ PARMA - Feb. 9th, 2010 -

The city has two connections to the cause of possibly making the late TV evangelist, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a saint of the Catholic Church. Sheen's cause is being promoted during the month of February by the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of Parma, which is putting the finishing touches on a Sheen exhibit and will host a special meeting of Bishops and clergy this week. "We're hoping that people will realize that sainthood is not just for people of the early centuries," says Bishop John Kudrick, of the Eparch of Parma, "but, indeed, each of us is called to that as well." The Most Rev. Kudrick will host dozens of clergy and bishops from around the country on Wednesday, just prior to the public opening of an exhibit that chronicles the life and groundbreaking media evangelism of Fulton J. Sheen. "We realize that we must bring the message of the gospel to the 21st century, using the media that is available to us," Bishop Kudrick told WKYC. "Bishop Sheen's ability to take what God had given him and use it in his own way, should inspire all of us to use what we have, to carry the message." Bishops who will meet on Wednesday at the Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center in Parma will be updated on the cause of canonization of Bishop Sheen, and encouraged to promote the cause for his sainthood. Fulton J. Sheen has a special connection to the Eparchy of Parma. In 1955, the local bishop invited him to celebrate the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English. Vestments worn by Bishop Sheen and the sacred objects he used at such liturgies are part of the exhibit. A second Eastern Rite Catholic Church in Parma also has ties to efforts to recognize Fulton J. Sheen as a saint. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma was informed that a miracle attributed to Bishop Sheen had taken place in a parish under its jurisdiction. The purported miracle occurred several years ago. A Pittsburgh-area family with a critically ill baby prayed for the intercession of Bishop Sheen. The infant was said to have been miraculously cured. St. Josaphat in Parma did not have the manpower to conduct the extensive investigation required to verify the miracle, and the task was undertaken by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. One thousand pages of documentation of the possible miracle were sent to the Vatican's Congregation for Causes of Canonization. The postulator for Sheen's cause at the time said a "force superior to medical science intervened" in curing the baby. Enthusiasm for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's sainthood is shared by young members of the clergy, who admire the way Sheen was able to use the technology of his day, just as they strive to use today's modern tools, such as Facebook, blogs, and Twitter. "I think one of the exciting things about Sheen is that he shows us that it's possible to take what's happening in culture and use it in a way that promotes the gospel," says Fr. Richard Plishka, 28, Director of the Bishop Emil J. Mihalik Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center. "We're trying to do that now," says Fr. Plishka, "to bring our message not only to television and radio, but by blogging and working on websites to really get the message out there." © 2010 WKYC-TV

Pontiff Suggests Best Gift Children Can Get Notes Their Need to Be Loved by a Mom and Dad VATICAN CITY, FEB. 8, 2010

(Zenit.org).- The greatest help that can be given to children is a family where mother and father love them and each other, Benedict XVI says. The Pope made this affirmation today as he addressed the Pontifical Council for the Family, which is having its three-day plenary assembly through Wednesday. The Holy Father noted the theme of the assembly, "The Rights of Childhood," chosen with reference to the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. "In the course of the centuries, the Church, following the example of Christ, has promoted the protection of the dignity and of the rights of minors and, in many ways, has protected them," he said. "Unfortunately, in some cases, some of its members, acting in contrast to this commitment, have violated these rights: a conduct that the Church does not cease and will not cease to deplore and condemn." The Pontiff reflected on the consequences of Christ's teaching regarding children: that they are models "to imitate to enter the Kingdom of God." This "has always constituted a strong appeal to nourish profound respect and concern for [children]," he said. "Jesus' harsh words against those who scandalize one of these little ones commit all to never lower the level of this respect and love. That is why the Convention on the Rights of Children was also received favorably by the Holy See, in as much as it contains positive principles on adoption, health care, education, the protection of the disabled and of little ones against violence, abandonment and sexual and labor exploitation." Family values Benedict XVI noted how the U.N. convention points to the family as the "natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members, especially children." "Certainly," he said, "it is precisely the family, founded on marriage between a man and a woman, which is the greatest help that can be given to children. They want to be loved by a mother and a father who love one another, and they need to dwell, grow and live together with both parents, because the maternal and paternal figure are complementary in the education of children and in the construction of their personality and their identity. "Hence, it is important that everything possible is done to make them grow in a united and stable family." To protect this model of family, the Pope said, spouses must be encouraged "never to lose sight of the profound reasons and sacredness of the conjugal pact and to reinforce it with listening to the Word of God, prayer, constant dialogue, mutual acceptance and mutual forgiveness." "A family environment that is not serene, the division of the couple and, in particular, separation with divorce do not fail to have consequences for the children," the Bishop of Rome cautioned, "whereas supporting the family and promoting its good, its rights, its unity and stability, is the best way of protecting the rights and the genuine needs of minors."

Pope Lauds Work on a Marriage Prep Handbook Family Council to Offer Guide for 3 Stages of Preparation VATICAN CITY, FEB. 8, 2010 (Zenit.org)

.- Benedict XVI today told members of the Pontifical Council for the Family that their work on a marriage preparation handbook is an important task. The dicastery is having its three-day plenary assembly through Wednesday. In his address to the assembly, the Holy Father noted how Pope John Paul II affirmed marriage preparation is more necessary than ever, and defined three stages: remote, proximate and immediate. Benedict XVI noted how the pontifical council is endeavoring to follow this guideline and "delineate appropriately the physiognomy of the three stages of the itinerary for the formation of and response to the conjugal vocation." He offered his own reflection on these stages. The first, the Pontiff said, refers to children and young people. "It involves the family, the parish and the school, the places in which they are educated to understand life as a vocation to love, which is specified, later, in the modalities of marriage and of virginity for the Kingdom of Heaven. In this stage, moreover, the meaning should emerge gradually of sexuality as capacity of relationship and positive energy to be integrated in authentic love," the Pope said. Engaged couples enter into the stage of proximate preparation, he continued. This step "should be configured as an itinerary of Christian faith and life, which leads to a profound knowledge of the mystery of Christ and of the Church, of the meaning of grace and of the responsibility of marriage," the Holy Father proposed. He suggested that the length and style of preparation for engaged couples will vary from one situation to another. However, the Pope did propose a program that offers catechesis and experiences of the community, with the support of a priest and experts, Christian spouses, and couple and group dialogue, all combined in "a climate of friendship and prayer." Engagement should even be a time for couples to "relive their own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, especially by listening to the Word of God, approaching the sacraments and above all by participating in the Eucharist," he affirmed. "Only by putting Christ in the center of personal existence and of that of the couple is it possible to live authentic love and to give it to others." Prayerful retreat Finally, immediate preparation is for the final steps before marriage. "In addition to the examination of the engaged couple, provided by Canon Law, the latter [stage] could include a catechesis on the Rite of Marriage and on its meaning, a spiritual retreat and preparation so that the celebration of marriage is perceived by the faithful, and particularly by those preparing for it, as a gift for the whole Church, a gift that contributes to its spiritual growth," the Pope proposed. He further suggested that bishops promote an exchange of experiences and that they encourage "serious pastoral commitment" in this endeavor. The Holy Father asked his brother bishops to "show particular attention so that the vocation of the spouses becomes a richness for the whole Christian community and, especially in the present context, a missionary and prophetic testimony."