3239 Postnovitiate celebrates 'Pope's Day'
austraLasia #3239

 

Postnovitiate celebrates 'Pope's Day'
by Bro. Daniel Gonzales I sdb

CANLUBANG: 2 July 2013 -- June 29, 2013, in the Postnovitiate Community at Don Bosco Canlubang, the Salesians celebrated the Pope’s day on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul as the tradition suggests.

Decorations were made. Flags of yellow and white – the papal colors – were hanging all around. In the morning during the solemn Eucharistic celebration, the coadjutor brothers carried Pope Francis’ portrait into procession and enthroned it at the altar. Fr. Charles Manlangit, the rector, highlighted Don Bosco’s immeasurable love for the Pope who is a spiritual father of humanity and a sure guide to a life of holiness, to a life focused on God. After the homily, stampitas (holy pictures) of the Pope were distributed. A moment of silence was given for the community to pray for the Pontiff. At the end of the mass, another brother hung the portrait in front of the rector’s office signifying our filial love and devotion to Pope Francis.

Don Bosco urges us to love the pope not because of his own merits but because he is the Vicar of Jesus our Lord, the chosen one to lead His Church. For us Salesians, love for the Pope is a remarkable and indispensable element of our spirituality. Here in the Postnovitiate, as a community, we profess our love for the Pope, we pray for him, for his good health and intentions and that he may steer the barque of Peter towards the perfection of charity. Long live Pope Francis!

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And from Yahoo to the Huffington Post, to the Philippine Star, they all seem to be using the same script - and the same photo, except for the terser Vatican Information Service! The Pope, who is still at the Vatican and does not plan to 'head fort he hills', but remain in town with a reduced schedule, is about to release his first encyclical, which will follow in the series begun by Pope Benedict on the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. Lumen Fidei. The Vatican Information Service. offers the very briefest of paragraphs on the fact (not the contents, other than that  the encyclical 'is not very extensive').

On Monday 8 July the Pope is heading for Lampedusa to pray for and with migrants who have arrived by boat from African shores. He is profoundly moved by the tragedies, including the most recent, of lives lost at sea as a result of this migration. It would be an issue that no doubt a number of other governments throughout the world, including Asia and Oceania should be watching, and learning from, though the visit is described by VIS as to be 'discreet'.