CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Austria: the deacons highlight a “fraternal community” An authentic joint venture among the various activities promoted by parish churches, providing care to marginalized brackets, counseling and charity is the result of a seminar held by the deaconal diocesan community of St. Pölten, held past June 24 during the Day of Deacon priests at Austria’s Seitenstetten abbey. For the deacons it was fundamental to rediscover and expand the promotion of the commitment for the last, as a direct expression of central questions and responsibilities that are part of the calling to the priesthood. In the meeting coordinated by the leaders of the workshop, the deacons Thomas Resch and Josef Weiss, the “fraternal community” was established as a goal to expand pastoral action and “actively live the mission at local level”. In St. Pölten the deacons don’t want to limit themselves to be “near the priest” and the altar, rather, they prefer “to be present wherever there are people in situations of emergency”. Spiritual formation to deaconship takes into account the calling to pastoral service as well as the spousal function and relationship with the spouse in all those cases where a family has already been formed. The occasion to be hosted in the historical Benedictine abbey of Seitenstetten served as an opportunity for joint reflections on the community life of the monks, also in the light of the next four-year-period for preparation to the deaconship that will begin next fall. Spain: a Church “outside”, formation weekFrom July 7 to 10 will be celebrated the 67th Missiology Week in Burgos, Spain, whose theme will be “To go to the peripheries” (from “Evangelii Gaudium”). The week follows the proposal of Pope Francis to “go to the peripheries”. The initiative envisages a set of goals, as the organizers explain: “First of all, to offer an area of reflection on the new challenges of Evangelii Gaudium for the missionary activity of the Church. Second, to deepen the theological, ecclesial and social relevance of existential peripheries as new areas of mission, and enhance the service given to humanity by missionary men and women who donate their own lives to populations in need; finally, to promote the exchange of experiences among participants as operators of missionary activity of the Church at local level as well as in cultural and social environments. The Pope proposes a “Church outside”, “which does not mean to go out in unplanned ways, but as a precise response to God’s request. Every Christian and every community is invited to get out of their comforts and reach out to the peripheries that need the light of the Gospel”. Portugal: the New Evangelization in the limelight The National Secretariat for Christian Education (SNEC) announced the publication of the latest issue of the four-monthly magazine “Pastoral Catequética”, which specifically addresses the theme of the new evangelization. In the editorial for the presentation of the magazine, Snec chairman, Acácio Lopes, highlighted the importance of the content of the discussion, centered on the “ongoing reconstruction of the Church and the sustainability of the catechistic process”. “In reality, this constant problem continues being on the daily and future agenda of Christian life”, wrote the Secretariat delegate. The magazine features a contribution of the bishop of Oporto, Msgr. António Francisco dos Santos, ex president of the Bishops’ Commission of Christian Education and Doctrine of the faith, and on the participation of various international specialists, like Jesuit Fr André Fossion, author of an article on “New and unprecedented challenges for Christian faith”, and Fr Luca Bressan, who took part in the 13th General Assembly of the Bishops’ Synod on the New Evangelization. Slovakia: Certificate of Excellence for the dome of KosiceThe Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth in Kosice was awarded a Certificate of Excellence 2014 from one of the major tourist portals, visited monthly by 50 million people. The award for this gothic style Cathedral, is based on the “positive evaluations of the tourists”. For Mária Bartková from the non-profit organization Pearls of Gothic Route di Kosice, the certificate – along with the appreciation of the beauty and the historical and spiritual value of this ecclesial monument – is a recognition of the work of dozens of people committed in the preservation of the cathedral as a favorite tourist site. “We greatly appreciate this recognition”, said Maria Bartková, who pointed out that Pearls of Gothic Route was founded 10 years ago to fund the restoration of the Dome. At present, the renewal of precious frescos and stone decorations of interiors is under way.
