Tuesday, April 29, 2025

ANOTHER ARGENTINE

 

 

As we just bured our Holy Father Pope Francis, we have another young man from his native land. Amazingly, he comes fom the same area in Argentina as  Victor Schiavoni (past Blog).  SERVANT OF GOD CARLOS RODOLFO YARYEZ also was born in Paraná, earlier than Victor (1966) and both young men died of the same dread disease. He was the son of Clotilde Zunino and José Angel Yaryez, and brother of José Luis Yaryez. His parents and his only brother provided a Christian environment for his childhood, filled with mischief and games, but also with a marked spiritual tendency.

 Until he was 4 years old he spent his childhood in the village of Tabossi and, at the end of 1972, his parents moved permanently to the city of Paraná where he lived until his death.

He completed his primary education in Paraná, and his secondary education at Technical School No. 3 "Tte. Luis Candelaria"; then pursued a degree in Electromechanical Engineering at the National Technological University, Paraná Region.

At 16, he joined a study group on the Social Doctrine of the Church and later joined the ranks of Catholic Action Argentina at the Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, Cathedral of Paraná. He was an active member, serving as a junior youth delegate and later as diocesan vice president of the Catholic Action Youth until his death. He was a great educator of young people to whom he transmitted his Christian joy.

 His school friends comment that, at that age, his transformation was noticeable. From his slovenly style of dress and somewhat careless speech (which earned him the nickname "the Indian"), one could see a change in his taste for certain music, his improved academic performance, and his respect for elders and women. This change was so significant that his classmates were careful about their speech and behavior when Carlos was present.

Upon joining Catholic Action, he met his girlfriend, who shared his joy, pain, and illness. He dated her for almost six years, where prayer, the virtue of chastity, and purity kept them united until the end.

His spiritual life deepened through frequent Communion and adoration, as well as Ignatian retreats. He  had a great devotion to the Virgin Mother, especially  Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Mount Carmel and prayed the rosary daily. 

 He knew how to see Jesus Christ in his neighbor, and so he did not hesitate to come to their aid, with true charity and apostolic zeal.

 His reputation for holiness was deeply felt by all those who knew him and shared different moments in his life, when he shone with his sense of humor, his faithfulness as a friend, and his profound spirituality. So much so that a plaque bearing his name hangs in the Youth Room at the Archdiocesan Headquarters of Catholic Action, and another can also be seen at the San Martin Regional Hospital, at the entrance to the Hemotherapy and Immunohematology Section.

His trust in the Divine Will sustained him until his last breath. He passed away on October 30, 1990, in Gracia de Dios, surrounded by a priest and the love of his family, friends, and girlfriend.

He accepted his illness and his suffering with Faith. No one heard him complain. He knew that his suffering had meaning and that the Lord was giving him this opportunity to give himself, with love, for a greater good, which he didn't know about, but which he trusted would bear fruit at some time or place.


 

Sunday, April 27, 2025

DIVINE MERCY

 







                                                  Kataryna Shadrina- Ukraine


Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, presided over the solemn Mass for DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY held in St. Peter’s Square, highlighting the need for the Church to follow in Pope Francis’ footsteps as “instruments of mercy for humanity” in the world today. 

“Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred and violence: this is the great teaching of Pope Francis…

It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterized the Magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity.

Jesus comes to meet you where you are, to give you the courage to live, to share your experiences, your thoughts, your gifts, and your dreams. He comes to you in the face of those near or far, a brother and sister to love.”

"There is nothing that man needs more than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights of the holiness of God."

                                  —Shrine of Divine Mercy in Cracow, Poland on June 7, 1997


Saturday, April 26, 2025

THE POPE OF PEACE AND HOPE - BURIED

 

Cardinal Bychok, who leads the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy of Melbourne (Australia), said in a tribute to Pope Francis that reflects the thoughts of many as today we bury the Holy Father:  

 “Each Pontiff imparts his own personal character on the Church. The Holy Father Francis was a Pope for the marginalized and those on the periphery. He was a man of simple piety who strove to bring the Church closer to people. His gave freely of his gifts and had a unique personal approach to all he met.

 Pope Francis was a Pope of peace. In a world devastated by war he called for peace and justice… the Holy Father was a strong defender of life and the dignity of every person. He worked for the healing of divisions between East and West and for a greater understanding of other faiths, building on that which we have in common rather than our differences.

 Building on the work of his illustrious predecessor Benedict XVI of blessed memory, Pope Francis apologized to survivors of abuse and set in place simpler procedures to deal with perpetrators. He began to implement a culture of safeguarding for the most vulnerable. Work that must continue into the future.

 I ask all Catholics and people of good will to pray for the eternal repose of the late Holy Father giving thanks for his life and the gifts that he freely shared.”

In another tribute, Father Arturo Sosa, SJ, superior general of the Society of Jesus, reflected on the first Jesuit pope, saying Pope Francis “did not seek to please everyone” or to measure himself by a popularity index. Once he chose to be a disciple of Jesus, his deep motivation in life was to put God’s will into practice…. He was “a man of prayer, who asked for prayers to make decisions according to the will of God.”

 “Pope Francis helped put the difference of positions on the table. I don’t think of Pope Francis as a reformer. I think of him as someone who continued the reform that the Church has always carried out.”

 “Pope Francis’ most urgent legacy for today will be his calls for peace. I think Pope Francis has shouted in every moment, on every occasion, about peace. The world needs peace and peace is built by us. Peace means to put aside any other priority than people and the dignity of people. And peace means justice with the poor. I think the constant prayer and the constant argument about peace by Pope Francis is a very important message for today.”

It is not a coincidence that Pope Francis died part way through 2025, in the year he had proclaimed a Jubilee of HOPE, for many have called him the pope of Hope.

In his own words, the Holy Father written:  “In times like the ones we are living, in which the Third World War being fought ‘piecemeal’ that is unfolding before our eyes can lead us to assume attitudes of gloomy discouragement and ill-concealed cynicism.”

Hope is “the hinge on which the world remains standing, despite all the wickedness and nefariousness caused by our sins as men and women.

To hope, then, is to welcome this gift that God offers us every day. To hope is to savor the wonder of being loved, sought, desired by a God who has not shut Himself away in His impenetrable heavens but has made Himself flesh and blood, history and days, to share our lot.”

Friday, April 25, 2025

RISEN WITH CHRIST

 

As we get ready to bury our Argentinian Pope, we consider several young people from Argentina who are being considered for canonization The youngest, VICTOR SCHIAVONI was born on Nov. 24, 1977, in the Argentine district of Nogoyá, the oldest of five boys.

From an early age he showed a natural inclination towards the things of the Lord, he served as an altar boy at Mass and participated in parish activities. He attended primary school at the “Castro Barrios San José” College of the Franciscan Missionary Tertiary Sisters with good results.

Feeling the call to the priesthood from an early age, after much prayer, he entered the Minor Seminary of Paraná in 1991. In the three years he spent in the seminary he matured both in his studies and in his spirituality. He proved to be a wise young man, capable of working on his own defects to conform himself more and more to Christ, the only love of his life.

 He strove, following the instructions of his superiors, to resemble Jesus in everything, from the simplicity of his clothing to the most difficult virtue of forgiveness, which he always offered even when grave wrongs were done to him.

Victor was also very devoted to the Virgin Mary and, during a visit to the Virgin of Luján, on May 8, 1995, the first symptoms of the disease appeared. At first he did not pay attention to them, thinking they were something temporary, but as the pain persisted, he has some tests done, which at first yielded nothing.

 He was then diagnosed with leukemia, necessitating frequent hospitalizations at the San Martín de Paraná Hospital for radiation and chemotherapy sessions and for blood transfusions. His sanctity was not hidden from those close to him and his superiors themselves were strongly convinced of it.

Victor endured the disease with great heroism, never complaining, even when he returned from radiotherapy sessions and could not even stand up, remaining calm, offering his suffering to the Lord. Even when his illness worsened, he continued to live his suffering with great faith, instilling peace in all those around him, so much so that he aroused the admiration of the doctors and the staff who treated him.

Victor died on September 7, 1995 on the eve of the Nativity of Mary. Brought back to his hometown, after the solemn funeral, he was buried in the local cemetery, where the tomb is often visited by people, who entrust their prayers to the young man.

On March 28, 2023, with a rescript of the Holy See, the Nihil Obstat was granted for the opening of the Beatification Process.

Victor wanted to become a priest, but he did not succeed but in his short life, made up of ordinary things, yet he demonstrated a life which conformed to Christ, giving his whole heart to Him. Such a rare life in today's world.

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

THE TIME OF LOVE

 


 


Spring bursts today,
For Christ is risen and all the earth’s at play.

Flash forth, thou Sun,
The rain is over and gone, its work is done.

Winter is past,
Sweet Spring is come at last, is come at last.

Bud, Fig and Vine,
Bud, Olive, fat with fruit and oil and wine.

Break forth this morn
In roses, thou but yesterday a Thorn.

Uplift thy head,
O pure white Lily through the Winter dead.

Beside your dams
Leap and rejoice, you merry-making Lambs.

All Herds and Flocks
Rejoice, all Beasts of thickets and of rocks.

Sing, Creatures, sing,
Angels and Men and Birds and everything.

All notes of Doves
Fill all our world: this is the time of loves.

                Christina Rossetti

                        Artist:  Ivanka Demchuck- Ukraine


Tuesday, April 22, 2025

ANOTHER MODEL FOR YOUTH

 

SERVANT of GOD HELENA AGNIESZKA KMIEC was a young Polish missionary born in 1991 in Krakow and raised in a home of deep faith. She was related to Bishop Jan Zając, who was the brother of her grandfather. Helena's parents, father Jan from Libiąż and mother Agnieszka from Kraków, met while building a church in Olcza, Zakopane. Agnieszka died when Helena was six weeks old. She and her older sister were raised by their stepmother, Barbara.

She graduated from the High School of the Catholic Association of Educators in Libiąż. She was a scholarship holder of the Leweston School in Sherborne, England where she obtained her high school diploma, at the same time pursuing an individual course of study in her high school, from which she graduated in 2009.

In 2014, she obtained a master's degree in engineering at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Silesian University of Technology, where she studied technology and chemical engineering in English. After graduating, she worked as a flight attendant for an airline

  From a young age, she showed a strong love for Jesus, attending Mass almost daily and devoting herself to service. Helena’s life was centered around the Eucharist.  She was known for her joyful spirit and relatability and her social media showed her as an ordinary yet virtuous young woman. Her sister, Teresa, testified  to Helena’s living fully in the love of God while engaging actively in the world, highlighting that a close relationship with God brings happiness both on earth and in heaven.

 During her university studies at the Silesia University of Technology, she joined the Salvator Missionary Volunteer Service, serving in missions in Hungary, Zambia, and Romania. She especially dedicated herself to children and young people in vulnerable situations. 

 On 8 January 2017, together with Anita Szuwald, she went on a mission to Bolivia, where she planned to help the Servant Sisters of Dębica in an orphanage in Cochabamba until June.

She died on the night of 24–25 January, 2017, stabbed during an assault on the facility. She was only 26 years old. In March 2018, a Bolivian court sentenced her killer, Romualdo Mamio dos Santos, to 30 years in prison.

The Holy Mass preceding the funeral was presided over by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz.

 By the decision of the President of Poland in February, 2017, she was posthumously awarded the Gold Cross of Merit for her charitable and social activities and her commitment to people in need of help.

 After her death, her reputation for holiness became more well known, inspired by her life of dedication to God and her missionary service. In April 2024, the archbishop of Krakow announced the opening of her cause for beatification after receiving approval from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

 Currently, the Church is investigating her life and witness in the process that could lead to her being declared blessed.

In May 2017, the Society of the Divine Savior established the Helena Kmieć Foundation to promote help children and youth in mission countries.

 On 18 August 2017, during a ceremonial session of the Libiąż City Council, a unanimous decision was made to posthumously grant Helena Kmieć the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Libiąż. A motion to rename Kościelna Street to Helena Kmieć Street was also unanimously approved.

 In January 2020, she became patron of the Catholic Primary School in Warsaw.

Monday, April 21, 2025

HANGING OUT THE ALLELUIAS

 


In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene.


 The tomb, the tomb, that

Was her core and care, her one sore.

The light had hardly scarleted the dark

Or the first bird sung when Mary came in sight

With eager feet. Grief, like last night’s frost,

Whitened her face and tightened all her tears.

It was there, then, there at the blinding turn

Of the bare future that she met her past.

She only heard his Angel tell her how

The holding stone broke open and gave birth

To her dear Lord, and how his shadow ran

To meet him like a dog.

And as the sun

Burns through the simmering muslins of the mist,

Slowly his darkened voice, that seemed like doubt,

Morninged into noon; the summering bees

Mounted and boiled over in the bell-flowers.

‘Come out of your jail, Mary,’ he said, ‘the doors are open

And joy has its ear cocked for your coming.

Earth now is no place to mope in. So throw away

Your doubt, cast every clout of care,

Hang all your hallelujahs out

This airy day.’

from “Resurrection: An Easter Sequence” by the Irish poet, W. R. Rodgers, 1952

Art work:  Donald Jackson (British), St. John's Bible