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From the Director's Desk
"Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God's people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!" - Pope Francis, Homily for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, March 19, 2013. Reading once again these words of Pope Francis from a year ago, why should it be a surprise to any of us what has transpired in the past year? His actions have matched his words. Much has been written about Pope Francis, most of it positive, although some of it not very nuanced. A soundbite, picture, or tweet does not fully capture who he is and what he is about. His actions, coupled with simple and direct words, does. They are the very concrete actions of Matthew 25 in which any of us can engage. They are a coupling of faith and charity. If each of us engaged in them following his example we would live in a transformed world. On this Solemnity of St. Joseph, we take example also from the "quiet man of Scripture" who utters not a single word, but does what is needed. Pope Francis offers him as an inspiration for us all, challenging us to "embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity." That "tender affection" is borne out of merciful and joyful witness of the Gospel though loving service to all we encounter. As we celebrate a year of experiencing the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis, may we be "Spirit-filled evangelizers" whose "primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him" (Evangelii Gaudium, 262 & 264). May the Charity of Christ urge us on! In God, the Infinite Love, Fr. Frank |
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A Year with Pope Francis
A Small Snapshot of the First Year of Pope Francis' Petrine Ministry
March 2013
 Pope Francis set the tone for his coming first year as pope when he said that "Authentic power is service" in his homily at the Papal Installation Mass on March 19th. Not to mention, he shocked the world with small works such as paying his hotel bill and collecting his own bags on the day following his election to the Chair of St. Peter.
April 2013
"Today we ask the Lord to become missionaries in the Church, apostles in the Church but in this spirit: a great magnanimmity and also a great humility."
Some of the Holy Father's best soundbites and tidbits of wit and wisdom are shared in his intimate daily homilies with the Vatican staff and those staying at the Casa Santa Marta guest house within the Vatican.
 May 2013
"Ask yourselves this question: How often is Jesus inside and knocking at the door to be let out, to come out? And we do not let him out because of our own need for security, because so often we are locked into ephemeral structures that serve solely to make us slaves and not free children of God."
June 2013
 The Vatican released Pope Francis' first encyclical entitled, Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith). Calling it the "work of four hands" the encyclical combined the writings of both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI.
"Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light" (57).
July 2013
 Millions of young people from across the world met in Rio de Janeiro to see the first Successor of St. Peter to be elected from the New World. Images of a packed Copacabana Beach spread throughout social meda, as millions around the world heard Pope Francis' encouragement to, "Go, do not be afraid, and serve."
August 2013
Throughout the course of three meetings this month, Pope Francis conducted an extensive interview with Jesuit priest, Fr. Antonio Spadaro, editor-in-chief of La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit Journal. The texts from these sessions were pieced together, translated into multiple languages, and published in September 2013.
"I see clearly that the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle." - Pope Francis in his interview with Fr. Spadaro
September 2013
 On September 7, Pope Francis asked all throughout the world to pray for peace in Syria as he led a prayer vigil in St. Peter's Square.
October 2013
 In a meeting with families in St. Peter's Square, a young boy wanted to stay by the side of Pope Francis throughout his talk. The image of this boy at the pope's side went viral within the following days and weeks.
November 2013
November saw the release of Pope Francis' first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). This exhortation contains Pope Francis' teaching on evangelization which includes significant aspects of last October's Synod on the New Evangelization.
"An evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral" (10).
December 2013
 Time Magazine names Pope Francis its 2013 Person of the Year, making him the third pontiff behind Popes (and soon to be saints) John Paul II and John XXIII to be awarded this honor. The Head of the Holy See's Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. responded by saying, "As for the Pope himself, he's not someone who seeks fame and success, because he has put his life at the service of announcing the Gospel of the love of God for mankind...And if this choice of 'Person of the Year' should mean that many people have understood this message - at least implicitly - the Pope is really happy about this."
January 2014
"...our witness has to be centered on the core of our faith: the proclamation of God's love made known in Christ his son. This gives us a great opportunity to grow in communion and unity by promoting that spiritual ecumenism which flows directly from the commandment of love given by Jesus to his disciples."
February 2014
 "The perfect family doesn't exist, nor is there a perfect husband or a perfect wife, and let's not talk about the perfect mother-in-law! It's just us sinners."
March 2014
Despite much excitement surrounding this first anniversary of his election to the pontificate, Pope Francis spent the day on retreat with his brother priests, bishops and cardinals. The only acknowledgement of this occasion that he gave was a simple message on Twitter that read, "Please pray for me."
We invite you to learn more about the Holy Father or to take the opportunity to read many of his published works by visiting our Pope Francis Portal. Click the "Learn More" button below to visit!
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Lenten Resources
 The Church provides us with many beautiful teachings in this Lenten season and we encourage you to learn more about them through our new Lenten Resource page. Complete with many different Lenten reflections, guides to the Sacrament of Penance, the Stations of the Cross and more, we hope that this provides you with a valuable resource for Lent!
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Habemus Papam!
 It had been a fairly normal March afternoon and I was at my computer working on my senior project, with a livestream of the Conclave playing in the background from Salt+Light TV. The anchors were discussing all the possibilities facing the Church, which of the "papabile" was the most likely candidate, and reflecting on the pontificate of Benedict XVI. Then I heard it, like a bell suddenly pealing out in the middle of the night:
"And it looks like we have black smoke again... Actually, it's looking a little greyish... Wait a minute... White smoke! WE HAVE WHITE SMOKE! The Cardinals have elected the next Pope!!"
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New Evangelization Resources
The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God's saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.
-Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 120
What is the New Evangelization? What does it look like? How can we work to implement the New Evangelization in our own lives and share it with others? The Catholic Apostolate Center has gathered together over 50 different resources from 3 Popes and many other Church leaders and organizations, all related to the New Evangelization. All of these can be found on the New Evangelization webpage on our website. Be sure to take a look at all of the many resources by clicking the link below.
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New Pope, New Evangelization - New Way of Being Church?
Join our Director, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C., for a conversation about Pope Francis, what he's telling us about the New Evangelization, and what it means to be a "missionary disciple."
 | | New Pope, New Evangelization- New Way of Being Church? |
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Being the Light of Faith - Lumen Fidei and the New Evangelization
Pope Francis' first encyclical is a shining example of the New Evangelization in action. It re-proposes what it means to be Catholic today and how Catholics are to be in the world - as witness, as leaven, and as servant. Joint our advisor, Donald McCrabb, D.Min., to explore the basic themes of Lumen Fidei and what they mean for young adults in the Church today.
 | | Being the Light of Faith - Lumen Fidei and the New Evangelization |
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Catholic Apostolate Center
A Ministry of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines) Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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