Cardinal Foley takes possession of a piece of history
It was standing room only on Rome’s Palatine Hill when Cardinal John P. Foley took possession of his “titular” church Tuesday evening. Every new cardinal gets one, to underline their new connection with the Diocese of Rome.
The Church of St. Sebastian stands on a historical piece of real estate, next to the ruins of imperial residences and just a stone’s throw from the Colosseum. But it’s tiny, and the mostly Philadelphia crowd that packed the pews may have had less leg room than on their flight back home the next day.
The church was built on the spot where, according to tradition, St. Sebastian was beaten to death by the Roman emperor’s soldiers and his body thrown into a sewer. Earlier, the saint had been shot full of arrows by imperial archers — an event depicted in hundreds of paintings – but was nursed back to health by a Christian widow.
Cardinal Foley spoke movingly about St. Sebastian and the meaning of martyrdom in the modern age. Then, in typical fashion, he lightened things up a little.
The cardinal recalled celebrating Mass for the Swiss Guards, one of whose patron saints is St. Sebastian. He told the guards they had an important role as the Vatican’s point of contact with visitors. They should always respond kindly, he said, even though it could be tiresome to answer the same questions over and over, including some that seem rather obvious, like: Where is St. Peter’s Basilica?
Cardinal Foley said he knew how they felt. He recalled standing in St. Peter’s Square one day when a woman approached him, asking where the Sistine Chapel was. The cardinal pointed to a roofline and told her that to reach it she had to walk all around the Vatican walls.
“But this is worth seeing,” he said, pointing to the basilica.
“It’s not on my list,” she said, and walked away.
Such questions, the cardinal concluded, are “like St. Sebastian’s arrows — annoying but not fatal.”
PHOTO: Cardinal John P. Foley celebrates Mass at the Church of St. Sebastian on the Palatine in Rome Nov. 27. The church was symbolically placed under his care as part of his elevation to cardinal. A titular church in Rome is designated for each new cardinal. (CNS photo/Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)
More on the cardinal and the camel
Yesterday, dotCommonweal had a nice post on last weekend’s consistory, including a link to our earlier piece on Cardinal John Foley, which recounted the story when the young priest-editor took a photo of his boss, Cardinal John Krol, astride a camel in Egypt. It should have been no surprise that the first question the post generated was, “Does anybody have the picture?”
Rocco over at Whispers posted one version last night, but here’s an even better version from the CNS files:
And here’s the caption that ran with it:
HE’D WALK A MILE … — Who’s that behind the sunglasses astride a mighty “ship of the desert?” Why it’s John of Philadelphia… Pa., that is. He’s better known as Cardinal John Krol, who has fun trying a native means of transportation during a break in his trip to the land of the pyramids and other places in the Mideast. (NC photo by Father John Foley) (8/8/75)
(For those of you too young to remember, we used to be known as National Catholic News Service, or NC News, until we changed the name to CNS in 1989.)
New TV series puts the brothers Dolan on air together
One is a Milwaukee radio and TV personality, the other is the local archbishop. And now the two brothers — Bob Dolan and Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan — are together on a weekly Saturday TV program in Milwaukee called “Living Our Faith.”
Milwaukee’s Catholic Herald has the story of the making of the program, including quotes from brother Bob, who’s apparently not just being nice when he says his brother the archbishop does an impressive job in front of the cameras. From the story:
“He’s an absolute natural on TV,” said Bob. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve worked in TV 25 years with people who make a living at it, and he’s better than they are. He’s so good he makes me nervous. I’m supposed to be the pro here, but the guy sitting next to me is doing it better than me.”
It’s all part of an evangelization effort by the Milwaukee Archdiocese. But the Herald story notes that TV wasn’t even in the original plan until pieces started falling into place.
Also worth noting …
Oldies but goodies from around clientland that have been piling up in my virtual inbox:
- Florida religious leaders urge peaceful resolution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Florida Catholic)
- Good, happy priests — best way to promote vocations (Long Island Catholic)
- Latin Mass appeals to youth (Catholic Register, Toronto)
‘08 election brings major shift in religious-political alignments (National Catholic Reporter)- Abbot puts love into making monks’ coffins (Arkansas Catholic)
- Utah parish bursting at the seams (Intermountain Catholic)
- Story of breviary that saved priest’s life sparks 50-year vocation (Florida Catholic)
- Take the Hawaii Catholic Herald’s church trivia quiz! (Hawaii Catholic Herald)
- Woman gets new lease on life thanks to adult stem-cell transplant (Michigan Catholic)
- Knights of Columbus thriving with younger members, college councils (St. Louis Review)
- Vocations discernment group help men’s decisions on priesthood (The Tidings, Los Angeles)
- Investment in vocations pays off big in Missouri diocese (Catholic Key)
- Nintendo Wii creates fun for the whole family (Catholic New York)
NAC scores first victory in Clericus Cup
The North American College scored its first victory of the 2007-08 Clericus Cup season with a 4-0 win over the French College. (Deja vu? See last season’s 4-0 win.) Even though the U.S. team’s seminarians and priests had been running all week hosting visiting cardinals and dignitaries for Saturday’s consistory, they had enough kicking power left on Sunday to give the French a little coup d’etat.
The NAC’s manager, coach and star player from Paterson, N.J., Daniel O’Mullane, netted 2 goals for the team, known as the Martyrs, while another goal was sealed after a “power play by two forwards,” NAC media master Greg Rannazzisi told Catholic News Service.
The fourth point could probably make Clericus history: NAC goalie Father Andy Roza of Omaha, Neb., (profiled by his archdiocesan newspaper last March), put his toe to the leather and slammed the ball down the field from the goalie box. The kick went far enough that all it took was a header by another player to tap it into the French goal. Voila!
Of the more than a dozen U.S. cardinals in Rome for the so-called “Red Storm,” retired D.C. archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was the only scarlet dignitary to make it up the hill and cheer on the home team for the first half.
Rannazzisi said the fan turnout was surprisingly good given that not only was it a Sunday, but the Rome rain clouds did nothing but drizzle the whole afternoon. “We used a lot of Catholic guilt” to get about 30 people up to the field and cheer on the U.S. from the sidelines, he said.
The Martyr’s next game is this Saturday when they go head to head against the College of St. Anselm, which lost 2-1 in its opening game Saturday against Rome’s Latin American College.
This week in Origins
Here’s the rundown for the latest edition of Origins: CNS Documentary Service dated Nov. 29:
- The U.S. bishops’ quadrennial statement on politics and elections, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States,” rejects politics based on “powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype” and calls for “a different kind of political engagement” shaped by the “moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good and the protection of the weak and vulnerable.” (Subscribers: Click here)
- The notion of the “common good” underlying much of Catholic thinking about politics, governance and policy can be a challenge for contemporary Americans used to thinking in terms of rights and interests, says political scientist Stephen Schneck. (Subscribers: Click here)
Yes, you can get the bishops’ political responsibility statement free of charge from the U.S. bishops’ conference. So why do we put it in Origins? Because Origins is more than just a place to read the latest church texts: It’s also an ongoing compendium and research tool, especially when you can subscribe to it online.
Besides, it’s still easier to read church documents in a print format like Origins, not to mention that as an Origins subscriber you don’t have to search all over the Internet for a past text when the editors of Origins already have done the research for you.
A professional pronounces on Cardinal Foley’s puns
Actor-comedian Henry Gibson said the puns and quips for which Cardinal John P. Foley is famous (or infamous) “are excellent. His mind never stops.”
The actor, known for his appearances on “Laugh-In” years ago and currently a frequent guest-star as Judge Clark Brown on “Boston Legal,” traveled to Rome for Saturday’s consistory to see his old friend Cardinal Foley receive his red hat.
But Gibson didn’t actually get inside St. Peter’s Basilica. “It was my fault,” he said. He left his ticket at his hotel and by the time he got back with it, the basilica was filled to overflowing. So, to the delight of many U.S. pilgrims also watching on big television screens set up in St. Peter’s Square, Gibson followed the ceremony with them al fresco.
But he did get into to the Sunday afternoon reception for the new cardinal at the Rome headquarters of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, which Cardinal Foley serves as grand master.
He claimed he and Cardinal Foley were part of a five-member “Rat Pack” at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia. “We’ve been solid friends since 1949,” he said.
“We were involved in all the school activities: drama, debate, anything to do with writing or literature,” he said. “The cardinal and I were in two stage productions together,” one a play called “Green Pastures” and the other an adaptation of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. Indicating how Cardinal Foley towers over his diminutive stature, he said, “We were Mutt and Jeff. He was a wonderful actor.”
And, Gibson said, Cardinal Foley has always been a kind friend and loving priest. When the cardinal was in Philadelphia last year for the funeral of one of the ”Rat Pack” members, “all of Philadelphia was flocking around him like always,” but he gently pushed them aside to greet Gibson and inquire about his wife, Lois, who was sick. “He took my hands right there and said, ‘Let’s pray for her.’” She died in May “and he sent the most beautiful letter from the Vatican,” Gibson said.
Consistory features pieces of liturgical tradition
Careful observers at Saturday’s consistory may have noticed the retro style of Pope Benedict’s gold-embroidered miter. In fact, the pope was wearing a piece of history: this particular miter belonged to Pope Pius IX, who reigned in the late 1800s.
The pope also used an antique, carved gilded throne during the consistory, instead of the plainer altar chair employed in most papal liturgies in recent years. This one was said to have been used by Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.
Some saw significance here. This was the first big liturgy overseen by Msgr. Guido Marini, the new master of pontifical liturgical celebrations, and Vatican-watchers were on the lookout for “traditionalist” touches.
The pope’s silk cope also caught people’s attention. The long golden cloak, so voluminous that it required two prelates to hold it during the entrance procession, incorporated 15th-century embroidered images of saints. In a sense, it was another historical artifact, although the Vatican said it had been worn by Pope John Paul II.
Perhaps the most traditional element of the consistory was that it was held in St. Peter’s Basilica. With bad weather forecast, officials decided to move the ceremony inside, leaving a choice: the basilica or the Vatican’s audience hall.
The audience hall seats many more people, and was used by Pope John Paul for consistories during inclement weather. But it’s not a church, and that seemed to be the determining factor this time around.
For the ring Mass with the new cardinals on Sunday, the older elements had disappeared. The pope wore a modern miter, and was back sitting on an upholstered throne.