Pope Francis’ visit to Singapore ‘has revived the faith of our people,’ cardinal says

Manila, Philippines, Jan 9, 2019 / 10:42 am (CNA).- Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila told pilgrims at a popular annual procession in the Philippines to take caution against becoming “fanatics,” stressing that true devotion is about how one lives one’s whole life, not a single day.

“A fanatic does not love,” the cardinal told thousands gathered at midnight Mass on Wednesday. “Fanatics hold on to who gives importance to them. But a devotee … is devoted because of love, and that is what Jesus showed us.”

“Devotion is a daily act…. In every kind of love, loyalty, and union, it must be daily,” he said, according to UCA News.

The cardinal gave a homily at a Mass to kick off the annual Black Nazarene procession. Known as the traslacion, the 19-hour procession through the streets of Manila takes place each year on Jan. 9. Millions of pilgrims take part in the 7-kilometer procession; this year’s crowds were expected to top 5 million.

The statue of the Black Nazarene is a kneeling Christ cloaked in a maroon robe and crowned with thorns. The life-sized statue bears a cross.

It was brought to the Philippines by Augustinian missionary priests in 1606. The statue is believed to have acquired its black color after being partially burnt when the ship carrying it caught fire on a voyage from Mexico.

Since then it has survived fires that destroyed its host church twice, two earthquakes, floods from numerous typhoons and bombings during World War II. The image is normally enshrined in Manila’s famous Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, popularly known as the Quiapo Church. Many miracles have been reported in connection with veneration of the statue.

The traslacion tradition is deeply beloved in the country, where some 80 percent of the population is Catholic. However, it is also controversial. Barefoot pilgrims eager to touch the Black Nazarene statue shove and climb over one another, resulting each year in injuries and sometimes deaths.

By midmorning Jan. 9, the Philippine Red Cross said they had treated more than 600 people for bruises, fainting, breathing problems, and other conditions. At least three people had been hospitalized, the BBC reported.

In 2012, Msgr. Clemente Ignacio, rector of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, acknowledged the problem of fanaticism among pilgrims.

“We admit that there were elements or excess of fanaticism that needs to be corrected,” he said, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“It’s our task to slowly form and educate the faithful about their devotion and the right way of expressing such devotion that will not harm themselves and others.”

Local priest Fr. Danichi Hui told UCA News he expected this year’s procession to be more orderly than normal, as participants were asked to take a “Devotee’s Pledge” that promised to follow the rules of the event.

Some 7,000 police officers were deployed to secure the procession, and soldiers were on stand-by, local news outlets reported.

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Pope Francis meets with members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on June 27, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 27, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis received on June 27 the members and advisers … […]

Father Joseph Cao, assisted by Deacon Clarence McDavid, blesses the parts of the church affected by an Aug. 30 break-in, during a Mass of reparation at Curé d’Ars Catholic Church in Denver, Colo., Sept. 1, 2021. / Jonah McKeown/CNA.

Denver, Colo., Sep 1, 2021 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

A historically African-American parish in Denver was robbed Monday night of a number of valuables, most notably the tabernacle and several consecrated hosts.

Thieves plundered Curé d’Ars Catholic Church and made off with all the church’s vessels used for Mass from the vestry, which they accessed by kicking in a wooden door. They also took a laptop used for livestreaming Masses, and a sound board used to connect to the church’s microphones. 

Father Joseph Cao, the church’s pastor, said he has no idea who could have carried out the robbery, which took place sometime during the night of Aug. 30-31. This is the first break-in the church has had, he said. 

The assailants also tore out four security cameras throughout the sanctuary, ensuring they would not be caught on video. They also cut all the copper piping off of the building’s furnace downstairs and from a stairwell on the building’s exterior, flooding the church basement with water. 

Around 8:40am on Aug. 31, Father Cao discovered that the church’s outer door had been pried open. He found an upturned chair and several unconsecrated hosts on the ground when he entered the sanctuary. He then saw that the tabernacle was gone, and found the flood in the basement. 

“My heart just sank. I felt so helpless,” he said. “We pray for a safe return of the Eucharist.”

Insurance will likely cover most of the stolen items, but of course, the Body of Christ is priceless. 

“As you can imagine, this is very devastating for the entire community,” Deacon Clarence McDavid told CNA. 

“We have people who have been here probably since the mid-60s…I’ve been a deacon here for 34 years.”

Curé d’Ars parish dates to 1952, and its name honors St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests who had care of souls in Ars, France, in the nineteenth century.

By the 1970s, thanks mainly to changing demographics in the area, Curé d’Ars served approximately 200 predominantly black families. 

The sanctuary was blessed and rededicated as a sacred space Aug. 31. 

Father Cao celebrated a Mass of reparation Sept. 1 to atone for the sins of those who stole the tabernacle. He and Deacon McDavid processed throughout the church, blessing and sprinkling with Holy Water the areas most affected by the robbery. 

“Those [other items] can be replaced, but the Blessed Sacrament is such a precious gift, and that cannot be replaced,” Father  Cao said during the homily. 

“Evil seems to win; but we know God will win in the end, we truly believe that. Because God is much stronger than evil,” Father Cao said. 

At the end of the Mass, several parishioners asked the priest and deacon if they could bless and pray over them, as well. 

The current church building was dedicated in 1978 under pastor Fr. Robert Kinkel. The parish later welcomed Charlie Bright as the first African-American deacon in the Denver archdiocese.

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