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Simple outreach to new residents increases young parishioners' involvement in parish activities
Benedict XVI is establishing a new pontifical council aimed at warding off secularization in nations with centuries-old Christian roots. The council, dedicated to a "renewed evangelization," will be the Roman Curia's 12th. There are also nine congregations. The Pope said that he decided to set up the council with an eye toward countries "which are going through a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God.'" A council president has yet to be named.
Every attempt to analyze the challenges facing the priest of the third millennium must start with a reflection about his own identity. This is a key point made by Father Luis Garza, L.C., writing in L'Osservatore Romano on the occasion of the Year for Priests. "Above all," he affirmed, "the priest should be seen, in his deepest meaning, as a gift and mystery…. God fixes his gaze on a man to configure him ontologically to his son Jesus Christ for all eternity in a totally free and unmerited way. The priesthood is a gift from God for the chosen man, and this chosen man -- the priest -- is a gift of God’s love for others."