Albendorf - Schlesischer Jerusalem

A village of pilgrimage the "Silesian Jerusalem" (Church is based on the design of the Temple in Jerusalem)- with over 90 Chapels on the surrounding hills



The wooden statue of Our Lady, dating from the thirteenth century, was originally placed in a mighty linden tree located at this site. According to the legend a blind man regained his eyesight after praying before the statue. After that miracle a stone altar was erected in front of the tree. The first wooden chapel was built in 1263. A larger church was built in 1512 but was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. The present pilgrimage church 'Visitation of Our Lady' goes back to a church built in 1695–1710 following a design thought to resemble the Temple in Jerusalem. However, all but the mighty Renaissance façade had to be torn down already three years later because the structure had become unsafe. The fourth and present church in Baroque style was then built 1715–1723, and financed by the local nobleman and owner Count Franz Anton von Götzen. In 1936 the church received the status of a 'Basilica minor' from Pope Pius XI. Pope John Paul II awarded the Madonna of Wambierzyce the title of "Queen of Families" in 1980.





5 Anglican bishops resign to enter Catholic Church

From Zenit Today
Rome, Italy, November 8 (CNA/EWTN News) .- Five Anglican bishops announced their resignations from the Church of England today so that they can enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.


The decision to resign made by Bishops Andrew Burnham, Keith Newton, John Broadhurst, Edwin Barnes and David Silk was welcomed by Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Alan Hopes of Westminster in a message on Nov. 8.

Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams said that he accepted the resignations of Bishops Burnham and Newton with regret. Bishop Broadhurst had been serving as the head of Forward in Faith, a traditional coalition of Anglicans, while Bishops Barnes and Silk are retired bishops.

Bishop Hopes, the point man for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales on forming an Anglican jurisdiction, said that under the guidelines set forth by the Pope in "Anglicanorum Coetibus," the Church will establish an "Ordinariate for England and Wales" for those wishing to enter the Catholic Church.

Benedict XVI released the guidelines for the creation of ordinariates in Nov. 2009, after receiving inquiries from groups of Anglicans who were dismayed at the ordination of women and practicing homosexuals as bishops.

Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi said on Nov. 8, 2010 that the Vatican "can confirm that the constitution of a first Ordinariate is under study, according to the norms established by the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus,' and that any further decisions regarding this will be communicated at the proper moment."

He explained that because of their desire to become part of the Catholic Church, the bishops were "obliged by conscience" to step down from their posts within the Church of England.

The bishops themselves released a joint communique noting their discontent at a growing divide between Catholics and Anglicans and their distress at developments in the Anglican Church, which they find "incompatible" with its historic vocation and tradition.

The issue pushing the bishops to make the decision to "cross over" to Rome was the result of a vote during the Anglican General Synod last July. The majority of bishops voted to pass legislation allowing for the ordination of women. This was the breaking point for some of those who held closer to a traditional form of Anglicanism.

The five bishops, who are to step down entirely from their pastoral responsibilities on Dec. 31, 2010, called the Pope's ordinariate measure "both a generous response to various approaches to the Holy See for help and a bold, new ecumenical instrument in the search for the unity of Christians, the unity for which Christ himself prayed before his Passion and Death."

"It is a unity, we believe, which is possible only in Eucharistic communion with the successor of St Peter."

The five prelates invited those who share their perspective to follow them.

Bishop Hopes said the Catholic bishops of England and Wales will be exploring the creation of the first ordinariate during their plenary meetings next week. More information will follow their discussions, he said.

ORA PRO NOBIS

Pray to the Holy Martyrs of Bahgdad that their blood may not have been spilled in vane.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Fr Nicola Bux and Abbot Zielinski OSB Appointed as Consultors to the Congretation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments

Good news indeed for the Reform of the Reform!  Abbot Zeilinski's and indeed Fr Bux's views and comments on the state of church music and the sacred liturgy are not only erudite but among the best and boldest in the attempts to undo the agenda driven reforms of the Concilium in order to properly implement those willed by the Council Fathers.
NOMINA DI CONSULTORI DELLA CONGREGAZIONE PER IL CULTO DIVINO E LA DISCIPLINA DEI SACRAMENTI

Il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha nominato Consultori della Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti i Reverendi: Mons. José Aparecido Gonçalves de ALMEIDA, Sotto-Segretario del Pontificio Consiglio per i Testi Legislativi; P. Dieter BÖHLER, S.I., docente presso la Facoltà Teologica Sankt-Georgen, Frankfurt (Germania); Sac. Nicola BUX, del clero dell'Arcidiocesi di Bari-Bitonto, docente presso l'Istituto di Teologia Ecumenico-Patristica Greco-Bizantina San Nicola, Bari (Italia); P. Joseph CAROLA, S.I., docente presso la Pontificia Università Gregoriana, Roma; Sac. José Manuel Garcia CORDEIRO, Rettore del Pontificio Collegio Portoghese e docente presso il Pontificio Istituto Liturgico, Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Roma; Sac. Renato DE ZAN, docente presso il Pontificio Istituto Liturgico, Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Roma; P. Cassian FOLSOM, O.S.B., Priore di Norcia (Italia), Professore Consociato del Pontificio Istituto Liturgico, Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Roma; Sac. Mauro GAGLIARDI, docente presso il Pontificio Ateneo "Regina Apostolorum", Roma; Sac. Aurelio GARCÍA MACÍAS, del clero dell'Arcidiocesi di Valladolid, Presidente dell'Associazione Spagnola dei Professori di Liturgia (Spagna); Mons. Angelo LAMERI, del clero della Diocesi di Crema (Italia), docente presso la Pontificia Università Lateranense, Roma; Sac. Dennis McMANUS, del clero dell'Arcidiocesi di Mobile, docente presso l'Università Cattolica d'America, Washington (Stati Uniti d'America); Sac. Juan José SILVESTRE, del clero della Prelatura personale dell'Opus Dei, docente presso la Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Roma; P. Ab. Michael John ZIELINSKI, O.S.B. Oliv., Vice Presidente della Pontificia Commissione per i Beni Culturali della Chiesa e della Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra; Mons. Markus WALSER, Vicario Generale

St Mary of the Cross - Diocesan "Mass" Tomorrow

ANOTHER WIN STADIUM EXTRAVAGANZA

Whilst I have enormous sympathy for the life and work of St Mary of the Cross, I have little or none for the current incarnation of her spiritual daughters the "Brown Joeys".  Sr Carmel Piltcher one of the liturgical luminaries subjected us to an excrusiating performance (liturgy) including, a pagan (aboriginal) rite of cleansing (evoking, God knows, what demons from the nether world) - then liturgical dance (of the seven veils) at the beatification and something along the same lines on the night before the canonisation in Rome - Not one drop of which is in any authentic sense liturgy but theatre.  It was perhaps scenes like this in recent years that lead one parishioner to comment after Mass the other day that he would be attending the Wollongong St Mary of the Cross Mass at Win Stadium for the spectacle or show which he said "afterall the Catholic Church does best".  No doubt.

Undoubtley, theatre is what will be happing at Win Stadium at strategic intervals during a Mass.  The populus will know doubt be moved by the popular tributes to St Mary and leave the event with a warm glow not dissimilar to that which one experiences after an excellent performance at the theatre or opera.  This "feeling" is as ephemeral as it deep - leaving no profound or lasting impression.  "Mary our ozzie saint walked our soil, knows our land and our ways" - so what!

The real St Mary of the Cross may well be kept hidden from the vast bulk of Australians - her writtings upon any close inspection are more like the views of Traditionalist Roman Catholics than sisters of the congregation she founded - perhaps we will see a Josephite reform group - I hope so.  I wait to hear news of the Win Stadium Makillop Extravaganza (or Josephites on Parade) - perhaps everyone will get a little blue scarf to take home with them to be united with the sisters in their new habit!

Wollongong Diocese Pastoral Plan

Third Plenary Session Cancelled! Because the Second one was so sucessful.  Well if I was synical I might have dismissed this as a cost cutting measure - On the optimistic side perhaps it will have the same kind of lasting success that the Renew Programme had!  There they go again mistaking the Church for a corporate business - plans, steering committees - statistics - where did the religion go?

I suppose by implicating the laity in the plan, it will be even harder to point the finger when the whole thing fails, as it will.  The question is how can we get them to do something really novel like just teaching the Catholic faith for a change - You know the hard stuff; Fasting, Penance, Mortal Sins, Purgatory, Contraception, Abortion, Hell to name but a few - remember those?

Unity and diversity and the Synod of the Eastern Churches

Suggestions that Easter should be celebrated on the same day across rites seems, in my humble opinion, to show a distinct lack of respect for tradition.  As to updating outmoded liturgical forms - such notions are really so passé - a transcendant liturgy stands outside of time and must be perennial not updated at a whim.

It seems the East has been busy looking at the lassitude of the West - We Latins however are not unaware of the corruptions which have already seriously erroded the traditions of the East - particularly the Maronites.