Tag: Christianity

Pope Francis has expressed deep reservations about the direction of the Catholic Church in Germany, warning that concrete steps currently being taken “threaten” to undermine unity with the universal Church.

The pope made his criticisms in a letter to four German Catholic laywomen that was published in the German newspaper Welt on Nov. 21.

“There are indeed numerous steps being taken by significant segments of this local Church that threaten to steer it increasingly away from the universal Church’s common path,” the pope wrote.

The letter, dated Nov. 10, was written in German and included the pope’s handwritten signature.

Chief among the pope’s concerns is a push to set up a permanent “Synodal Council,” a mixed body of laity and bishops that would govern the Catholic Church in Germany. Establishing this council is a top priority for the German Synodal Way, a controversial initiative that has demanded significant changes in Church structure and teaching.

In his letter, the pope underscored that this kind of “consultative and decision-making body” as currently proposed “is not in alignment with the sacramental structure of the Catholic Church.” He referenced a Jan. 16 letter from high-ranking Vatican officials to German bishops, which he specifically authorized, that explicitly prohibited the establishment of the Synodal Council.

A committee of Synodal Way leadership recently met on Nov. 10-11 in Essen to lay the groundwork for the Synodal Council, which they aim to establish no later than 2026.

Four German bishops voted in June to block funding for the preparatory committee, and a total of eight out of 27 German ordinaries were absent from the Nov. 10-11 meeting.

In his recent letter, Pope Francis proposed a different path forward for the Church in Germany.

Instead of seeking “salvation” in “constantly evolving committees” or “self-absorbed dialogues rehashing the same themes,” the pope underscored the need for the Catholic Church in Germany to be rooted in “prayer, penance, and adoration.”

He also called upon German Catholics to “engage with our brothers and sisters” on the margins, especially the sick, imprisoned, and those “at the thresholds of our church doors.”

“I firmly believe that in these places, the Lord will guide us,” Pope Francis wrote.

The letter was addressed to the theologians Katharina Westerhorstmann and Marianne Schlosser, journalist Dorothea Schmidt, and the religious philosopher Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz. The four German laywomen had previously been delegates to the Synodal Way but resigned in February in protest. They wrote to the pope on Nov. 6 expressing their concerns about the direction of the Catholic Church in Germany.

In his response, the pope urged the four women to pray for him and “for our common cause of unity.”

The German theologian Martin Brüske described the pope’s letter as a clear and forceful signal to halt the work of the synodal committee.

“The flagship of Peter has given the German Church a broadside across the bow,” said Brüske in a statement provided by New Beginning, a group of German Catholics critical of the Synodal Way. “Those who do not want to hear and see this will bear full responsibility if they ultimately disappear into the maelstrom of division.”

Leadership of the German Synodal Way has recently framed their push to establish the Synodal Council as consistent with Pope Francis’ emphasis on increased synodality in the Catholic Church, including the recent Synod on Synodality assembly at the Vatican.

In an Oct. 29 statement, Thomas Söding, vice president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), described the Vatican assembly as “a confirmation of the Synodal [Way] in Germany.” He added that German plans to establish a permanent Synodal Council were consistent with the October synod report’s call for greater decentralization.

The German Synodal Way, a joint effort of the German Bishops Conference and the ZdK, was launched in 2019. The noncanonical process concluded its initial stage in March, passing resolutions to not only move forward with establishing a Synodal Council but also to bless same-sex unions and push for women’s ordination at the level of the universal Church.

The pope’s letter to the four laywomen was not the first time he has commented on the Synodal Way. In January, he criticized the process as “elitist” and “neither helpful nor serious.” Before the start of the Synodal Way, he wrote a June 2019 letter to “the Pilgrim People of Germany,” calling for a focus on evangelization in the face of “growing erosion and deterioration of faith.”

Now that I’ve had a bit of time to readjust to my normal rhythm and to think through the rather extraordinary experience of the last month in Rome, I would like to share some impressions of the Synod on Synodality, even as I will endeavor not to violate the pope’s request that we refrain from talking about particular participants and votes. So, I will limit myself to commenting on the published document that the synod members approved and on my own interventions during the deliberations.

The summary statement very accurately expresses the fact that the overwhelming concern of the synod members was to listen to the voices of those who have, for a variety of reasons, felt marginalized from the life of the Church. This motif was the common denominator in all of the preliminary sessions leading up to the synod, and it was prominently featured in the working document that provided the basis for our discussions. Women, the laity in general, the LGBT community, those with disabilities, young people, men and women of color, etc. have felt unappreciated and, most importantly, excluded from the tables where decisions are taken that affect the whole life of the Church. I can assure everyone that their demand to be heard was heard, loud and clear at the synod. And I’m glad it was. The Church is meant to announce the Gospel to everyone (todos, todos, todos, as the pope rightly says) and to gather them into the Body of Christ. Therefore, if there are armies of Catholics who feel excluded or condescended to, that’s a major pastoral problem that must be addressed with humility and honesty. And I can say, as someone who has been a full-time ecclesiastical administrator for the past twelve years, I am delighted to receive the counsel of laity in regard to practically all aspects of my work. Expanding the number and diversity of those who might aid the bishops in their governance of the Church is all to the good, and bravo to the synod for exploring this possibility.

A question that I raised several times in the small group conversations, however, was whether, in our enthusiasm to include people in the governance of the Church, we forget that the vocation of 99 percent of the Catholic laity is to sanctify the world, to bring Christ into the arenas of politics, the arts, entertainment, communication, business, medicine, etc., precisely where they have special competence. Generally speaking, I was worried that both the Instrumentum Laboris and the synod conversations were far more preoccupied with the ad intra than with the ad extra, and this despite the fact that Pope Francis has been consistently calling for a Church that goes out from itself. On a number of occasions during the synod, I proposed the Catholic Action model that was, in the preconciliar period, such an effective way to form the laity in their mission to the world.

Another principal theme of the synod discussions was the play or perceived tension between love and truth. On the one hand, we must welcome everyone, but lest this welcoming devolve into a form of cheap grace (to use Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s term), we at the same time must summon those we include to conversion, to live according to the truth. As you might suspect, this issue became concretized around the outreach to the LGBT community. Practically everyone at the synod held that those whose sexual lives are outside of the norm should be treated with love and respect, and, again, bravo to the synod for making this pastoral point so emphatically. But many synod participants also felt that the truth of the Church’s moral teaching in regard to sexuality ought never to be set aside. One of the interventions that I made to the plenary assembly was on this theme. I observed that, when the terms are rightly understood, there is no real tension between love and truth, for love is not a feeling but the act by which one wills the good of another. Therefore, one cannot authentically love someone else unless he has a truthful perception of what is really good for that person. There might, I argued, be a tension between welcoming and truth but not between authentic love and truth.

A third area of interest/concern for me centered around the notion of mission. The term “mission” was used constantly in the texts we considered and the conversations we had. That the Church is a mission, to use Pope St. Paul VI’s language, was taken for granted by the synod members, and this represents a significant and very encouraging appropriation of the teaching of Vatican II and of the postconciliar papal magisterium. Pope St. John Paul II’s indefatigable teaching on the New Evangelization has evidently worked its way into the heart and mind of the worldwide Church. But there was, at least to my mind, a fair amount of ambiguity around the meaning of the word itself. Judging from what we read in the Instrumentum Laboris, mission seemed, more often than not, to designate the Church’s work in favor of social justice and the betterment of the economic and political situation of the poor. Conspicuous by their absence in the texts on mission were references to sin, grace, redemption, cross, resurrection, eternal life, and salvation, and this represents a real danger. For in point of fact, the primary mission of the Church is to declare the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and to invite people to place themselves under his Lordship. This discipleship, to be sure, has implications for the way we live in the world, and it certainly should lead us to work for justice, but we must keep our priorities straight. The supernatural should never be reduced to the natural; rather, the natural order should be transfigured by its relationship to the supernatural order.

A final point—and here I find myself in frank disagreement with the final synodal report—has to do with the development of moral teaching in regard to sex. The suggestion is made that advances in our scientific understanding will require a rethinking of our sexual teaching, whose categories are, apparently, inadequate to describe the complexities of human sexuality. A first problem I have with this language is that it is so condescending to the richly articulate tradition of moral reflection in Catholicism, a prime example of which is the theology of the body developed by Pope St. John Paul II. To say that this multilayered, philosophically informed, theologically dense system is incapable of handling the subtleties of human sexuality is just absurd. But the deeper problem I have is that this manner of argumentation is based upon a category error—namely, that advances in the sciences, as such, require an evolution in moral teaching. Let us take the example of homosexuality. Evolutionary biology, anthropology, and chemistry might give us fresh insight into the etiology and physical dimension of same-sex attraction, but they will not tell us a thing about whether homosexual behavior is right or wrong. The entertaining of that question belongs to another mode of discourse. It is troubling to see that some of the members of the German bishops’ conference are already using the language of the synod report to justify major reformulations of the Church’s sexual teaching. This, it seems to me, must be resisted.

The very best part of the synod was, of course, coming into close contact with Catholic leaders from all over the world. In my various small groups—and during the very lively coffee breaks—I met bishops and laity from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lithuania, Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Austria, Australia, and on and on. The four weeks in Rome was a uniquely privileged opportunity to sense the catholicity of Christ’s Church—and like it or not, this kind of encounter changes you, compelling you to see that your vision of things is one perspective among many.

All of these ideas and experiences from the synod will continue in the coming year to percolate in the mind of the Church, in preparation for the second and final round next October. Might I invite everyone to continue to pray for the work that we synod members must do both in the interim and at the Vatican next year?

When Pope Francis visits Dubai in the United Arab Emirates Dec. 1-3 to address the opening of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, he will be the first pope ever to attend one of the global gatherings that began in 1995.

The visit marks yet another unique effort by this pope who — in honor of his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi — has made caring for creation a hallmark of his pontificate and has repeatedly reminded people that actions speak louder than words.

His presence, anticipated speech and private bilateral meetings at the 28th conference, known as COP28, will add further strength to his many urgent appeals that nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition swiftly to clean energy sources and compensate countries already harmed by the effects of climate change.

“We must move beyond the mentality of appearing to be concerned but not having the courage needed to produce substantial changes,” he wrote this year in “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”), a follow-up document to his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home.”

Pope Francis had timed the release of his 2015 encyclical on humanity’s responsibility to care for creation to coincide with final preparations for the COP21 conference in Paris. And a number of experts believe that document had a deep impact on the successful adoption of the landmark Paris Agreement, a binding agreement for nations to fight climate change and mitigate its effects.

The pope, likewise, timed the release of “Laudate Deum,” which presented an even stronger critique of global inaction and indifference, ahead of the climate conference in Dubai, saying the meeting “can represent a change of direction, showing that everything done since 1992 (with the adoption of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change) was in fact serious and worth the effort, or else it will be a great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far.”

Some Catholic advocacy organizations that have been pushing for global action for years believe the pope’s participation at COP28 is going to help convince leaders to make stronger commitments.

Lindlyn Moma, advocacy director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, told Catholic News Service Nov. 20, that “Pope Francis really recognizes that we are in a climate crisis and he is going to COP to make sure that everyone hears this message,” which is the same message in “Laudato Si’” eight years ago, but “not enough people have heeded to that call.”

What needs to be done at COP28, Moma said, is “an agreement that is very clear on the phase out of fossil fuels.”

The intergovernmental International Energy Agency “has released countless reports since two years ago saying that we can have no more investments in oil and gas, in any fossil fuels, if we need to meet the targets of remaining at 1.5 degrees, which by the way, is being threatened,” she said. The Paris Agreement set the goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

COP28 in Dubai could mark a watershed moment for some kind of promise to end fossil fuel exploration and expansion, and to phase out existing production.

The United Arab Emirates is a major producer and exporter of oil, producing at least 4 million barrels per day. The president-designate of COP28 is Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who wears multiple hats: UAE minister for industry and advanced technology; its special envoy for climate; chairman of the renewable energy company, Masdar; and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Al-Jaber met with the pope Oct. 11, just one week after “Laudate Deum” was released with its pointed mention that “gas and oil companies are planning new projects” in the UAE, and its clear call for “decisive acceleration” in transitioning to clean energy sources.

“The fact that (al-Jaber) went to meet him, immediately after ‘Laudate Deum’ was released, it really says that his message came out strong and clear,” Moma said.

Vatican News reported that during that visit, al-Jaber expressed the United Arab Emirates’ appreciation for Pope Francis’ “unwavering advocacy for positive climate change to advance human progress,” and they discussed the crucial role faith communities can play in addressing climate change.

COP28 will co-host a “Faith Pavilion,” which Pope Francis will help inaugurate Dec. 3. It is the first-ever pavilion of its kind at a COP event and will host events Nov. 30-Dec. 12 with religious leaders, faith-based organizations, scientists, political leaders, youths and Indigenous people.

The pavilion will also showcase the “Abu Dhabi Interfaith Statement for COP28,” which was signed by 28 faith leaders, including Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, at the end of a special summit there Nov. 6-7.

The statement called for “inclusive dialogue, during and beyond COPs, with faith leaders, vulnerable groups, youth, women’s organizations and the scientific community to forge alliances that strengthen sustainable development,” and it “demands transformative action to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach and serve affected and vulnerable communities.”

Pope Francis and Egyptian Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar, are expected to sign the same statement at the COP28 summit.

“The interfaith pavilion at COP28 signifies the recognition of the crucial role that religious communities can play in addressing climate change,” Musamba Mubanga told CNS. She is Caritas Internationalis’ senior advocacy officer for food security and climate change and will be part of the Holy See delegation at COP28.

“This inclusive approach acknowledges the multifaceted nature of climate challenges, incorporating ethical, moral and cultural considerations alongside scientific and political dimensions,” she said.

And, she added, the hope is that “this collaboration will translate into tangible actions, motivating parties to adopt climate-conscious actions and contribute actively to climate change mitigation.”

Pope Francis made his hopes for COP28 clear in “Laudate Deum”: “May those taking part in the conference be strategists capable of considering the common good and the future of their children, more than the short-term interests of certain countries or businesses. In this way, may they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame.”

As the Procession of Ancestors made its way down the center aisle at St. Odilia Church in Los Angeles, volunteers walked with candles illuminating the photo of a departed community member.

One by one the soul’s names were called out, each punctuated by the ringing of a bell. Tearful family members watched as the candles were placed on the altar.

This solemn march was the signature moment of the 14th annual African American Ancestral Mass held Nov. 11. The event celebrates the contributions of Black Catholics, their triumphs over adversity, and the sacred connection between generations.

“It was beautiful,” said Lisa Baxter, the daughter of “modern ancestor” John Coleman II, as she came with her husband and son. “My father was a man of faith, a man of virtue. He was definitely God’s disciple. … I wanted my son to understand he comes from a legacy of love.”

The other honorees were Lola Loudd, Sister Marianna Halsmer, SSS, and Stanley LeSassier. All were recognized for their work in ministry and dedication to their community.

The Mass, hosted by the African American Catholic Center for Evangelization (AACCFE) and partnering with the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, occurs every November during Black Catholic History Month. 

Monica Lewis, a second cousin of LeSassier, was galvanized by the event. She came to the Mass for the celebration but left with a mission.

“That means to me to continue to fight the good fight, to fight for a seat at the table,” said Lewis, co-chair of African American Cultural Awareness Ministry at Holy Name of Jesus. “There’s been a shift toward multiculturalism, but Black Catholics tend to get lost in that concept. 

“I believe we have a place here in the archdiocese and in our parishes.”

During the Ancestral Mass, a portrait of St. Peter Claver, “Apostle of Slaves,” was gifted to the church by the AACCFE. The Knights of St. Peter Claver was launched in 1909 when other Catholic apostolic groups didn’t accept Black members. 

St. Odilia parishioners like the late Julius Pratt Sr. are credited for bringing the service order to California. Members were a strong presence at the Mass featuring pews full of men in black suits with blue sashes and women in white suits with matching fezzes. Pratt’s relatives — including his grandson, who is the current Grand Knight of Council 87 — were also in attendance.

“There’s a little bit of pressure because of the weight his name carries in the organization,” said Ryan Pratt. “I knew him as a wonderful loving grandfather. … He never judged anyone or had a harsh word. He tried to see the best in people.”

Black-and-white photos of mid-century parishioners were on display near the altar. Many of them were familiar faces to Cheryl Burnett, who recalled for Massgoers the days when St. Odilia was a hub for the Black Catholic community.

“It was a vibrant atmosphere, a lot of zeal and enthusiasm about building the Church, building the faith. I’ll never forget that,” Burnett said. “We had fashion shows, teas, and talent shows. Everybody had something to do in this parish, adults and children alike. I hope those ancestors are smiling down on what we’re doing.”

Before St. Odilia was founded in 1926, church life was not always so pleasant, said AACCFE Director Anderson Shaw. An influx of Black Southerners came West during the 1920s and found themselves unwelcome in some Catholic parishes.

“In many cases, they were forced to sit in the choir loft or the back of the church,” Shaw said. “They could not receive Communion before any white person.

“When St. Odilia was established as the ‘Negro National Church,’ people came from as far as San Bernardino and San Diego counties so they could worship in their own way while still being authentically Catholic.”

That comfort and support is still the goal of the AACCFE today. The organization serves 22 parishes in the archdiocese with predominantly African American and native African parishioners. While advancements have been made, Shaw acknowledged America’s 3 million Black Catholics still encounter racism. 

A report released from the first session of the Synod of Bishops suggests the same. The report said “systems within the Church that create or maintain racial injustices need to be identified” and all Catholics should work to “eradicate the sin of racism.”

To further bolster the community, congregants would like to see the Black Catholics known as the “Holy Six” become saints. Venerables Pierre Toussaint, Henriette Delille, Augustus Tolton, and Servants of God Mary Lange, Julia Greeley, and Thea Bowman are still being considered for canonization. In honor of Black Catholic History Month, Holy Name of Jesus Church in Los Angeles is praying the Black Catholic History Rosary each week, which follows the traditional method of prayer but the Mysteries are dedicated to those up for sainthood.

At the close of the Ancestral Mass, the AACCFE Choir led a rousing version of “When The Saints Go Marching In.” Parishioners then attended a luncheon allowing old friends to catch up. Lola McAlpin-Grant and Sir Knight Elmer Pratt were part of the first graduating class of St. Odilia Catholic School and reminisced about class picnics and parties.

 “With all those wonderful fond memories, I had to be here today,” said McAlpin-Grant with a wide grin. “This Mass is so special.”

It had never even occurred to me to pray to Archangel Michael before. I constantly pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Seraphim of Sarov, other saints, and first of all, to the Swift Defender and Queen of Heaven, the Most Holy Theotokos. I constantly pray for help in every matter and ask for protection in difficult life situations. They are people, they will understand and help. We all pray to our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, and to whom else should we entrust our souls and lives, if not to the Heavenly Father?! But to pray, to ask for something from Archangel Michael, the Archangel of the entire Heavenly Host, who has cast Satan into the abyss of hell… Does he, the radiant Angel, who is “uncompromising toward evil,” care about us sinful people? He has a very different agenda. So I thought, until on November 21 last year I heard an amazing “Sermon delivered by the Very Reverend Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria on the feast of the Miracle of Archangel Michael, proclaiming the great mercy bestowed by God on men,” read to the parishioners before the Sacrament of Communion by Archpriest Grigory Grigoriyev, rector of the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Yukki. This sermon turned my ideas about archangels upside down, and “gave” me another heavenly intercessor.

“May the peace of God come upon you, brothers. I will tell you what happened to me, Timothy, a servant of Jesus Christ. One day I went to the Holy Life-giving Cross and the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord and to all the holy places through which our Lord Jesus Christ passed. I went to the house of St. Procorus, the beloved disciple of the evangelist John the Theologian. Here I found a book written by St. Procorus. In this wonderful book I read the following great consolation by John the Theologian.

“’One day I was accompanied by an Angel of God, who revealed to me Heavenly mysteries about people. And then I heard a noise like that of many waters falling from a great height. When the Angel and I came closer, I saw a huge lake and the horrible punishment of unrepentant sinners. I asked my guide, and he explained to me what this terrible abyss was. We saw great flames coming from this underworld, with a cloud of great smoke above it. The flames raged and noisily rose 300 meters high. Vile worms, the size of vipers, crawled over the bodies of sinners in this lake-abyss. “O John, friend of God, the torment that we have seen now is more terrible than all other punishments. This lake of fire can contain the whole world. Its depth is infinite. The worm-snakes that gnaw the bodies of sinners cause them to rise up.” John wept bitterly over the death of human souls. “Do not cry, John, friend of God, do not cry. Soon you will see great joy. The Lord in great favor the Archangel of God, Michael.”

“ ‘At that time, I saw with wondrous beauty the Archangel Michael himself, who, in a beautiful boat of cherubim and seraphim, accompanied by many angels, saints, prophets and martyrs, was approaching the lake of fire. They were all clothed with beauty beyond description. Soon the angels approached the sinners who were being put to death. Immediately the fire went out, the abyss stopped smoking, the hideous animals disappeared. When everything calmed down, Archangel Michael plunged his snow-white wing into the lake, brought out many human souls and brought them to the shore. Then he lowered the same right wing a second time and brought even more souls out of the lake than the first time. Then the cherubim and seraphim prostrated themselves before him and began to ask him to immerse the wing for the third time. Archangel Michael turned his kind, supplicating gaze to the Lord and offered up fervent heartfelt prayers for the salvation of those suffering for their sins. Then again, he plunged the snow-white wing into the lake and brought out countless new souls. Then the angels and saints, having received these souls with great joy, washed them with the water of Grace, anointed them with the fragrance of joy and set them before the face of God. At that hour a voice came out of the veil of the Lord: “Through the intercession of Archangel Michael and My Mother, the Blessed Virgin, and all My angels and chosen ones who have fulfilled the will of My Father on earth, lead these souls into Paradise of bliss, eternity and peace. Amen.” At this awesome and holy deed, St. John marveled at the compassion of Michael the Archangel.

“ ‘The angel said: “Know this, John, friend of God, that the miracle that you saw is repeated every year on September 6/19, in honor of the feast day of the leader of the Heavenly Host, for the great victory that he won over the forces of Satan. When the Jews mercilessly nailed the Savior to the Cross, Michael the Archangel was in such grief that heaven and earth faded, unable to bear it. When our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the tomb, it was Michael the Archangel who rolled away the stone and brought the good news to the Myrrh-bearing Women. He held Satan in Hell and took away everything he had. God has given Archangel Michael great power and authority to save those who are in torment. The Lord has referred to him the ranks of the Heavenly Bodiless Powers, and every year on September 6/19 and November 8/21, He allows him, accompanied by angels and saints, to approach souls condemned to torment.

Photo: etsy.com “ ‘Archangel Michael helps those who have given alms in his name, as well as in the name of martyrs and saints, to be saved. Archangel Michael intercedes for them, for the saints have endured sorrow and suffering in the name of the Lord. He forever frees from execution those for whom sacrifices and prayers are offered. Archangel Michael never ceases to do God’s mercy every year on September 6/19 and on his day on November 8/21, which will continue until the end of time. On these momentous days, he falls to his knees before the veil of God, prostrates himself and prays for the souls in the terrible torments of hell, until God is pleased to have mercy on those people for whom Christians especially diligently pray on earth, giving generous alms for them. He also prays for everyone living on earth. On his holy feasts, all the angels gather around the Archangel Michael at the veil of God.

“ ‘With the blessing of God, Archangel Michael approaches, clothed in the robes of goodness and mercy, and proclaims to everyone that God has once again had mercy on the world. You have seen now, John, that everyone who does a work of mercy in the name of the Archangel Michael, or who takes the trouble to copy this book, where this description is found, and reads it to others, will not be forgotten by God. Neither will anyone who places a candle, or lights a lamp, or incense, or makes any honest offering in the name of the Archangel Michael. He will not forget the worshipper and will reward his piety. If someone shows mercy to the poor within his means, and after death, because of a sinful life, he is thrown into hell, the Lord will not forget his goodness and will save him through the intercession of the Archangel Michael. If anyone wishes to write down these words, the written words should be kept at home with reverence. No bullet, no serpent, no enemy force can harm that person or his house. No worm, no locust, no reptile can harm his garden or orchard. This list will serve him as a weapon and a shield of protection in all troubles. For the power of these words is great and wonderful. May the Lord and Archangel Michael protect you.’ That’s what the holy Angel of God told me. Then he took me to the Mount of Olives, and then left me, soaring into heaven. I marveled much and glorified God and Archangel Michael.”

On Nov. 21, the Church remembers the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple. All young Jewish girls at the time were traditionally left in the care of the temple for a period of time, where they received education and faith formation. 

This feast day originated in the Orient, around the seventh century, and is a recognized festival in the constitution of Manuel Commenus in 1166. The Western Church adopted the feast day in the 14th century. 

    

For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways
Psalm 90:11

The On Names and Angels. The Day of Archangel Michael“There is no one like God”—in this is expressed all of the great Archangel’s knowledge of his God. He doesn’t describe Him, nor does he explain—he stands and witnesses.

“>Archangel Michael, whose feast falls on November 8/21, is especially honored In the Orthodox Church. Since ancient times prayers have been offered up to him. There are many testimonies about the Archangel Michael’s intercessions for ordinary people. St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of ThessalonicaEndowed with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. The emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. But Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316.”>St. Gregory Palamas called the Angels “secondary lights”. According to St. Gregory the Theologian, “God is the supreme Light… The secondary Light is the Angels—a certain stream or communion from the primary Light; they find their transformation in striving for the primary Light and service to It” (Homily for Holy Baptism).

The name of each Angel can have several meanings. Thus, “Michael” translates as “God is one” and “there is no one like God.” Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh summarizes these meanings and says that we must worship the Almighty. This is the meaning of the name of the Archangel Michael. When we open the Holy Scriptures, we find many references to the holy Archangel Michael. The Greek word “archangelos” means “chief angel”. The word “archangel” is not used to describe Michael in the Old Testament, but another angel calls him one of the chief princes (Dan. 10:13).

The name of the Archangel Michael is often mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee (Jude 1:9). In the Book of Revelation the holy Apostle John sees a great battle in Heaven: And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12:7–9).

The celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and all the Heavenly HostsAccording to the Holy Scriptures, the angels, human beings, and all nature were created by God. With the words, ”In the beginning God created Heaven and earth” (Gen. 1:1), we have the first indication that God created the spiritual world. Here, in contrast to earth, a substantial world, this world of spirits is called Heaven. The angels were already present during the creation of the starry skies, which is evidenced by the words of God spoken to Job, ”When the stars were created, all My angels sang praises to Me” (Job 38:7).

“>Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Heavenly Powers was established in the fourth century at the local Council of Laodicea, which was assembled a few years before the First Ecumenical Council (or in 360).

Since ancient times the Archangel Michael has been famous for his miracles in Russia. In the Volokolamsk Paterikon the story of St. Paphnuty of Borovsk is given from the words of the Tatar Baskaks about the miraculous salvation of the city of Veliky Novgorod: “He went to the Lithuanian cities, came to Kiev, saw the great Archangel Michael painted above the door at the stone church, and said to his princes, pointing with his finger: ‘This one forbade me to go to Veliky Novgorod.’”

The intercessions of the Most Holy Theotokos for Russian cities have always been carried out by Her appearances with the Heavenly Host under the leadership of the Archangel. Grateful Russia sang of the Most Pure Theotokos and the Archangel Michael in church hymns. Monasteries and numerous churches are dedicated to the Archangel. There was no city in Russia where there was no church or chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

For centuries people have turned to the Archangel Michael and the Heavenly Host for help—and the Heavenly Powers have never forsaken those who needed help. Therefore, we must as often as possible turn to the Heavenly helpers, including the Guardian Angel given to each one of us. They are always near and always ready to help. We are only required to pray with pure hearts and thank the Lord for everything.

As Catholic schools struggle to reach pre-pandemic student enrollment levels, Catholic home education appears to be enjoying a small renaissance, in keeping with trends showing an ongoing spike in homeschooling across the U.S.

The Washington Post last month reported that homeschooling is by far the “fastest-growing form of education” in the United States, with double-digit increases in home-school enrollment seen in a majority of U.S. states over roughly the past five years.

That increase crosses “every measurable line of politics, geography, and demographics,” the Post said, with the paper estimating “between 1.9 million and 2.7 million home-schooled children in the United States.”

“By comparison,” the paper said, “there are fewer than 1.7 million in Catholic schools, according to the National Catholic Educational Association” (NCEA).

Catholic school enrollment today

Margaret Kaplow, a spokeswoman for the NCEA, told CNA that the organization has “been seeing a two-year uptick in Catholic school enrollment, so we aren’t seeing a drop.” But data from the organization show Catholic schools still falling short of enrollment numbers that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaplow shared the NCEA’s latest data brief, one that stated that “although 60 of the 175 Catholic school dioceses saw an increase of 1.0% or greater in enrollment since 2019-2020, nationwide Catholic school enrollment is still 2.6% lower than pre-pandemic levels.”

The organization’s data show nearly 1.8 million Catholic school students in the 2018-2019 school year, which plummeted to about 1.6 million in the 2020-2021 year amid the start of the COVID-19 crisis, before rebounding slightly to just under 1.7 million this year.

Kaplow said 2023-2024 data, currently gathered from about a third of dioceses, indicate “a less than 1% decrease in enrollment.”

“Without a separate study, we can’t know the reasons for this,” she said, “but [we] likely are seeing a post-COVID shrinkage in enrollment.”

The NCEA’s brief noted that Catholic education enrollment “has varied widely since the pandemic, with Southeast region’s enrollment up 1.7% and Mideast region down 7.5% from 2019-2020.”

Mary Pat Donoghue, the executive director for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Catholic Education, told CNA in a phone interview that Catholic schools “​​have lost enrollment really for the last five or six decades.”

“That has been a long-term trend,” she said. “The pandemic was very devastating, as it was to many, many organizations, especially for schools that were sort of on the margins. So we lost a lot of schools all at once, to the tune of around 6.4% of enrollment.”

The uptick in enrollment after the pandemic, Donoghue said, was due in part to “the fact that Catholic schools prioritized a safe reopening.”

“There was a priority to get kids back on campus and back in class,” she said. “I think that’s why you saw such a strong rebound.”

“We hope it stabilizes,” Donoghue said of enrollment numbers. “I think long-term, what Catholic schools really need to recognize is the important role they play in forming people — children who will then be adults, with a Catholic worldview.”

“I think that’s where our opportunity lies,” she said. “I think we need to dig into our own tradition, our treasury of culture, of art, of scientific discoveries, and work to strengthen that, so that when this generation of kids ages into adulthood they will have a sense of vocation and a sense of calling.”

Catholic homeschooling on the rise

The COVID-19 crisis disrupted nearly the entirety of the U.S. education system, with most schools throughout the country shutting down in the early spring of 2020 and reopening with either fully remote or “hybrid” learning setups for many months.

Amid the protracted chaos of closures and reopenings, many families opted for homeschooling, which, according to the Post, “remains elevated well above pre-pandemic levels.”

A growing number of families, meanwhile, are opting to take up specifically Catholic home education programs. Everett Buyarski, the academic services director for the Catholic home school organization Kolbe Academy, said the company has seen “an 11% growth in families this year over last year.”

Kolbe offers what it says is an “authentically Catholic, classical home education” program, giving enrollees access to an “orthodox curriculum and faithful faculty and staff.” Buyarski said a review of its recent spike in enrollment indicates “about a quarter of those came to us from Catholic schools.”

“The largest portion are homeschoolers choosing to enroll with us who hadn’t previously, about 60%, while 15% came to us from public schools,” he said.

Buyarski said finances are often a “contributing factor” for a family’s decision to take up or leave homeschooling, either for families who leave Catholic school to home-school or when a home-schooling parent has to return to work.

“It can also be the case that families have found that the local Catholic school wasn’t a good fit for their family’s needs, for a variety of reasons,” he said.

“The most common reasons we hear for families leaving public school are due to concerns with what is being taught at the school, or due to bullying or other behavioral/environmental considerations.”

Maureen Whittmann, the co-founder and co-director of the Catholic curriculum provider Homeschool Connections, told CNA that her organization is enjoying a long stretch of growth even after the upheaval of the pandemic cooled off.

“During the pandemic, of course, we saw a huge spike,” she said. “Post-pandemic we expected to see a big drop. We figured people would stay, but many would go back. But we continue to grow. We did not see a drop after the pandemic. Our numbers held steady and we’re continuing to see growth post-pandemic.”

Whittmann said “disenchantment” with both public and, in some cases, Catholic schools is a large part of what’s driving new families to their program.

“Once [families] get into homeschooling they’re discovering they really love it,” she said. “They’re drawn into the family life.”

The pandemic, she said, “also made a lot of people realize that they could home-school.”

“We saw at the start of the pandemic, parents who had been thinking about homeschooling for a while and the pandemic forced them into it and they realized, ‘I can do this!’” she said.

Recovering from the post-pandemic slump

Though enrollment numbers in 2023 were still markedly lower than before the pandemic, Catholic schools still enjoyed a slight recovery in student numbers between the pandemic crash and now.

An EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research poll of Catholic voters last year suggested that dissatisfaction with several aspects of public education could help explain that bump.

The poll found that 74% of Catholic voters were concerned about children suffering from an educational “COVID deficit” caused by the shift to online learning during the pandemic.

In its data brief, the NCEA pointed out that Catholic schools “have innovated in order to meet the needs of their communities.” Lincoln Snyder, the president and CEO of the NCEA, told CNA earlier this year that Catholic schools “work very hard to stay affordable.”

“I think that parochial schools in general across the country have done a really good job of trying to keep tuition into that range of essentially a car payment,” he said. “I mean, a lot of people are surprised that they can afford a Catholic school.”

Snyder told CNA that Catholic schools “always have to be vigilant in guarding a strong Catholic ethos at the school” and that “protecting that identity always has to be first and foremost for our schools.”

In its latest data brief, meanwhile, the NCEA said Catholic schools must maintain high levels of innovation and support in order to continue their recovery from the post-pandemic slump.

“They will need to continue to support their students and communities in the future to maintain the positive enrollment trend” observed over the past two years, the NCEA said.

Donoghue, meanwhile, said that Catholic schools as an overall institution “are fundamentally strong in this one sense: At a time when there’s been a lot of distrust in institutions, Catholic schools remain very well regarded.”

“This is a great strength,” she said, “and it’s a great credit to the mission-driven people that have led them and staffed them for so long.”

The material, cultural and spiritual poverties that exist in the world are a “scandal” that Christians are called to address by putting their God-given capacity for charity and love into action, Pope Francis said.

The poor, whether “the oppressed, fatigued, marginalized, victims of war,” migrants, the hungry, those without work or left without hope, “are not one, two, or three, they are a multitude,” the pope said during a Mass celebrated for World Day of the Poor Nov. 19 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“And thinking of this immense multitude of the poor, the message of the Gospel is clear: let us not bury the wealth of the Lord. Let us spread charity, share our bread, multiply love,” he said. “Poverty is a scandal.”

Among the 5,000 who filled the basilica for Mass were homeless persons and other people in need who were seated in the front rows near Pope Francis. After celebrating Mass and praying the Angelus, the pope ate lunch in the Vatican audience hall with some 1,250 people, continuing a tradition he began on the first World Day of the Poor in 2017.

Seated at a central table, the pope prayed that God would bless the food and “this moment of friendship, all together.” On the three-course menu were ricotta cheese-filled pasta tubes, meatballs and tiramisu for dessert.

This year’s World Day of the Poor, the seventh edition, drew its theme from the Book of Tobit: “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor.” In the week leading up to the world day, the Vatican extended the hours and operations of a medical clinic it runs near St. Peter’s Square dedicated to caring for anyone in need.

In his homily at the Mass, Pope Francis said that Christians “have received from the Lord the gift of his love and we are called to become a gift to others.” Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican organizer of the world day, was the main celebrant at the altar.

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew, in which Jesus tells the parable of a man who buries the money given to him by his master rather than seek to multiply it, the pope lamented the many “buried Christians” who hide their gifts and talents underground.

Mercy, compassion, joy and hope, he said, “are goods that we cannot keep only for ourselves.”

“We can multiply all that we have received, making life an offering of love for others,” the pope said, “or we can be blocked by a false image of God and because of fear hide underground the treasure we have received, thinking only of ourselves, without becoming passionate about anything other than our own comforts and interests.”

Pope Francis said that just as the master in the Gospel reading returned to his servants to “settle his accounts” with them, people must prepare for Jesus’ coming at the end of time in which he “settles the accounts of history and introduces us to the joy of eternal life.”

“We must ask ourselves, then: How will the Lord find me when I return?” he said. The pope referenced the writings of St. Ambrose, who wrote that upon his return Jesus will ask, “Why did you allow so many of the poor to die of hunger when you possessed gold to buy food for them?”

The pope also urged people to be mindful of poverty’s “modesty,” noting that “poverty is discreet, it hides. It must be us to go look for it, with courage.”

“Let us pray that each of us, according to the gift we have received and the mission entrusted to us, may strive to make charity bear fruit and draw near to a poor person,” he said.

This reflection about the martyred Fr. Daniel Sysoev, Priest, Missionary, and MartyrFr. Daniel was on fire with love for God from an early age, and maintained this ardent faith unremittingly until his death.

“>Fr. Daniel Sysoev was first published the day after he died, on November 21, 2009.

Photo: classicalchristianity.com Such news seeps in viscously and persistently: First you can’t understand what you’re reading. It slips away the second and third time; you pull the name from your memory, hoping it doesn’t match; then you grasp at every news hook, spending the night going from one news site to another, not in search of a journalistic error or refutation, but out of helplessness and disarray.

It was strange looking at people in the metro in the morning—they’re hurrying off somewhere, immersed in their own business, and Fr. Daniel was killed—today, right nearby. It’s terrible for us who have been orphaned to look at how life goes on, boiling, seething, when, in the words of the Patriarch, a “challenge to God’s law” has been cast.

Fr. Daniel was known for his active missionary work among Muslims, his conversion of Tatars to Orthodoxy, discussions about creationism, debates with Muslims, an extensive polemic online about patriotism and “uranopolitism.”¹ This is how he might be remembered by those who didn’t know him personally: fiery and argumentative, with often polemical opinions not always shared by his brethren.

But one entry flashed in the news feed and became the most important, illuminating everything. It was about a debate between the Orthodox and Muslims. In this snippet, the words, quotes, names, or gestures weren’t important. Why couldn’t this priest live peacefully? Why not just the services, Sacraments, Sunday School once a week, weekends, wife, children, their problems, restoring a church? What drew him to the debate; why go to faraway Kyrgyzstan; why found a school for street missionaries? Why, in the end, did he have to stay at church so late on that terrible Thursday? Why not go home and rest from the labors of the day?

He was talking about Christ. He wasn’t the kind of person for whom Christianity is regulated in time and space. He was entirely occupied with preaching Christ, salvation, life after death. His last book was about death. So great was his need to missionize, to reach out to people with a word about Christ, to preach on the street, in church, in missionary groups, to Muslims, that he wasn’t deterred by the critical reception of some of his generalizations or by threats. He wasn’t afraid and wrote much about martyrdom as the highest blessedness: “Everything’s in God’s hands. And if it happens, you go immediately to Paradise, without passing through the toll houses—how wonderful!”

Those people running around in the metro aren’t some abstract and impious “they”—they’re all of us. The only difference is that this news struck some of us for a few minutes, others for a few days. What unites us is much more important—we don’t remember what we live for. Fr. Daniel knew it with his whole life, when his name was called out,² going out to meet a man with a gun that had already been fired once. The life of the young priest was fulfilled at that moment, having reached the final earthly point and the highest fullness.

“The path of service to Christ and His Church is always connected with confession and even martyrdom,” the Patriarch said. How fearful is this word “always.” Such Christianity frightens us; we understand a Christianity with church once a week, fasts four times a year (oh, and it’s very healthy), church friends, round tables and conferences, Orthodox forums and shops, lovely books, silk prayer ropes, and pilgrimage tours. What would we say if an armed man asked us about our faith in Christ? Those whom Fr. Daniel couldn’t reach during his lifetime might wake up a little thanks to his tragic and glorious death. We have to wake up from this deaf vacuum, from which it’s not easy to escape.

Every time a priest is killed, we all feel it sincerely and deeply; we repost about it, we forward the message, we tell friends, we even weep. But how many times Fr. Daniel wrote about threats in his Live Journal, and none of us took any of these entries seriously. We’re completely immersed in the information flow and information vacuum, with the “one thing needful” disappearing into its abyss. We skimmed over his lines about threats with the same empty eyes that we saw today in that morning crowd, we shrugged our shoulders and went off to argue about the salvation of the unbaptized and uranopolitism. There’s not a single comment on Fr. Daniel’s entries about threats that offer any help, or at least ask about it—just wishes of God’s help and salvation.

These wishes came true. Fr. Daniel was killed on the Patriarch’s birthday, on the eve of the feast of the Archangel Michael and All the Heavenly Bodiless Powers, when we read the following Gospel passage in church: Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God (Lk. 12:4-9). The best confirmation that the death of Fr. Daniel was without shame and that his answer before the Lord was good was the demonic frenzy of the atheist communities online…

Who will continue Fr. Daniel’s work today? It’s not just a question of teaching in a missionary school or talking about faith. We, who couldn’t and probably didn’t want to intercede, are now responsible for continuing this work, and having broken out of the information vacuum—for remembering the purpose of life, remembering Christ. We have to learn to walk before the eyes of God, so as to give an answer for every word; so as not to utter a formal, “Help me, Lord,” where help is needed; so our lives might not be silent about Christ; so it might not be fearful to stand before the Lord.