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November 2012 Year 17 — No. 9

Holy Cross Catholic Church NEWSLETTER

Paphos Gate, 1010 Nicosia; PO Box 21964, 1515 Nicosia, Cyprus

Tel. (357) 22 662132; Fax: (357) 22 660767; Email: [email protected]

Parish Priest: Fr. Evencio Herrera ofm; Assistant Priests: Fr. Andrew Arhin ofm, Fr. Vito Gabriele Scagliuso

Dear People of God: November is the month to pray for our beloved departed. In many churches the whole month is dedicated to praying for our passed away relatives and friends, but not only those, for we are called to pray for ALL the Souls in purgatory. It is at the end of 2 Machabees that this doctrine first appears: Judas Maccabeus asks the Jews to offer prayers and sacrifices for those fallen in battle, to free them from sin. The Com-munion of Saints tells us that those in heaven pray for us and that we pray for our beloved departed to find the eternal mercy of God. In our church community in Nicosia the tradition of praying for our faith-ful departed is strong. Many people pray for them and offer masses for their eternal rest. The best way to intercede for them is to offer the Holy Mass, the summit of our Christian liturgy. However our rosaries, litur-gies of the hours, penance, works of mercy and others, are also very good for them. Indeed, if someone for whom we are praying is already in heaven, another soul in purgatory will benefit from our prayer. I per-sonally have the devotion to pray for them everyday. Fr Evencio Herrera, ofm

How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

SUNDAY MASSES

8:00 am English

9:30 am English

11:00 am French: Every 1st Sunday of the month

11:00 am Tagalog: Every 2nd Sunday of the month

11:00 am Indian: Every 3rd Sunday of the month

11:00 am Sinhala: Every 4th Sunday of the month

6:30 pm English (Children and Family Liturgy)

7:00 am English Sri Lankan Sisters’ Chapel

7:00 am English

St. Joseph’s Sisters’

7:30 am Greek (Tuesdays) Devotion to St. Anthony

6:30 pm English

8.00 am English (Wednesdays)

4:00 pm Polish: Every 1st Saturday of the month

4:00 pm Spanish: Every 2nd Saturday of the month

6:30 pm English (Sunday Liturgy)

WEEKDAY MASSES

SATURDAY MASSES

Monday to Saturday at 5:20 pm or by appointment.

CONFESSIONS

November: All Saints and a New Life for our Parish This month starts with a great feast: the contemplation of all the Saints in Heaven. The Holy Church has intentionally put together this event with the Solemn Remembrance of the souls who have already preceded us into the House of God. The meaning of these Feasts is that the “communion of saints” in which we believe has no borders. All the living, all the deceased and all those we consider canonized Saints pass through the same Gates. In the sight of God there are no different categories of people: we are all his children and will be judged by our LOVE for him and for our brethren, all in the same way. It is the number of merits of each of the saints and of the deceased that makes the difference. The more we show our Love (the more good things we do), the more our glory reaches its fullness in Heaven. Saint Therese of Lisieux used to say that even the last converted human being - just a few minutes before his/her death - will have just as much right to share in God’s glory as other souls, though he/she cannot be filled with God as all others with more merits. This is why we must take care of what we fill ourselves with, so that we can merit more glory in heaven. Fr. Vito Scagliuso, sx

The Feast of St Francis at Holy Cross, October 2012 (photos by Fr. Vito)

CALENDAR NOVEMBER CELEBRATIONS

1/11 All Saints, Solemnity

2/11 All Souls, Feast

9/11 Dedication of St John Lateran Basilica Feast

10/11 St. Leo the Great, pope & doctor (5th C), Memorial

12/11 St. Josaphat, bishop & martyr (c. 1580-1623), Memorial

17/11 St Elizabeth of Hungary, religious (1207-1231) Memorial

21/11 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Memorial

22/11 St Cecilia, virgin & martyr (2nd- 3rd C), Memorial

24/11 St Andrew Dung-Lac, priest & martyr, and companions (martyred 1820-1862), Memorial

25/11 Christ the King, Solemnity

30/11 St Andrew, apostle, Feast

YEAR 2—CYCLE B

SAINT OF THE MONTH: ST ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY

The month of November fis dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory.

November 1st - All Saints’ Day

The Gospel we read on the Feast of All Saints is the Beatitudes, the beginning of the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7), which proclaims the Messianic Kingdom, at the start of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus unveils the spiritual foundations of that king-dom. The eight qualities mentioned in the Beati-tudes show the character of the true people of God, and of the blessings to look forward to. Taken together they give the picture of the perfect dis-ciple of Christ. The Beatitudes represent the happiness of the Saints, but also show us the road that they followed; there is no other that will lead us where they have gone.

November 2nd - Commemoration of the Faithful Departed Prayer - Daily acceptance of death: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I accept from your hands, whatever kind of death it may please you to send me today, with all its pains, penalties and sorrows, in reparation for my sins, for the souls in purgatory, for the conversion of sinners, for all those who will die today, and for your greater glory. Amen.

Last Sunday of Ordinary Time: Christ the King

The title ‘Christ the King’ is based on several passages of the Scriptures: e.g. King (John 18:36-37), King eter-nal (1 Tim. 1:17), King of the Jews by Romans and Magi (Mt. 2:2, Mt. 27:11), King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev. 19:16), King of the ages (Rev. 15:3), etc. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to re-mind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiri-tual ruler in heaven and not to earthly supremacy. The Pontiff notes that Jesus' kingship is not obtained by violence: “Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped but his by essence and by nature.”

Other Highlights of the Month (Optional memorials) St. Martin de Porres (3/11), St. Albert the Great (15/11), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (16/11), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (23/11). The feasts of St. Charles Borromeo (4/11) and St. Martin of Tours (11/11) are super-seded by the Sunday Liturgy. The feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria (25/11) is super-seded by the Solemnity of Christ the King.


St Elizabeth (1207-1231) was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. She was married at the age of 14 to Louis IV, the landgrave of Thuringia, by whom she had three children. The marriage appears to have been happy. She performed many charitable acts, with the support of her husband. In 1223, Franciscan friars arrived in Germany: Elizabeth learned about the ideals of Francis of Assisi and started to live them.

After her husband’s death during the 6th crusade in 1227 (led by Emperor Frederick II), there were bitter arguments over the disposal of her dowry. Elizabeth had to leave the court at Wartburg and moved to Marburg in Hesse. She resigned her official position and re-nounced all royal dignities in order to serve God more freely. She was received into the Third Order of St. Francis in 1228.With the resources still belonging to her, she built a hos-pital for the sick and the outcasts, where she and her companions cared for them. She lived in a small mud house and obtained the few things she needed by spinning. She was only twenty-four years old when she died.

Let her prayers help us to recognise and honour Christ in the poor of this world.

Note: The texts on this page are based on the Catholic Encyclopedia and the Catholic Culture website.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary,

Patroness of the Secular Franciscan

Order

PARISH UPDATES, NOTICES, NEWS, ETC.

Holy Cross Parish Council News & Messages The Parish Council met on Saturday, 20 October 2012. On the Agenda were various issues to be discussed, including the com-ments after the launch of the Holy Cross Parish Website on 4 October (Feast of St Francis of Assisi), the Parish Register, the catechesis for adults, the Advent Pilgrimage and the Holy Cross 2013 Calendar. It was noted that Holy Cross Church’s new website was very well advertised and received, that many parishioners use it already (2 weeks from its launch it had more than 1500 visitors!). Now it has to be well maintained and updated, and various points were raised to this effect. Re-garding the Parish Register, advice about appropriate software is being sought and in the meantime the forms are being re-viewed and action is being taken on the requests made. The 2013 Calendar will be dedicated to the Year of Faith which the Pope opened on 11 October, and the Advent Pilgrimage for the whole Parish will also have Faith as its theme; this will take place on Saturday 15 December and more details will be available soon. Finally, the proposal to launch, from November 2012,

the HOLY CROSS MOVIE NIGHTS as a catechesis for the whole parish, was met with excitement. The Movie Nights will be every first Friday of the month and will be dedicated to the lives of the Saints. The first will take place on Friday 2 November, after the evening mass (at about 7.15pm) in St Francis Hall and it will feature a movie on the life of St Francis of Assisi. The Parish Council meeting ended with prayer seeking the mercy and the blessing of the Lord for each one of us in our Parish. Akis HjiIossif (Chairman)

THURSDAY COFFEE MORNINGTHURSDAY COFFEE MORNINGTHURSDAY COFFEE MORNINGTHURSDAY COFFEE MORNING IN THE LIBRARYIN THE LIBRARYIN THE LIBRARYIN THE LIBRARY

Every third Thursday of the month, 10.00-12.00.

Next : 15 November Everybody is welcome. Contact: Rosemarie (99216007) or Monique (99795207)

THE HOLY FATHER’S INTENTIONS for the month of November

General: That bishops, priests, and all minis-ters of the Gospel may bear the courageous witness of fidelity to the crucified and risen Lord. Missionary: That the pilgrim Church on earth may shine as a light to the nations.


Invitation The Divine Mercy Prayer Group celebrates its 3rd year anniversary on

Nov. 25, 2012. High Holy Mass at 8.00 am with Fr. Evencio Hererra and concelebrants

We all invite you to join us.

All Souls’ Day—November 2nd Holy Mass will be celebrated at 11:00am in both cemeteries, in the Buffer Zone and in Tseri. If you wish to attend, please write your name on the list in the sacristy so that transportation can be arranged in advance. There will be a bus to go to the Buffer Zone Cemetery, departing at 9:45am.

The Year of Faith

On Thursday 11th of October we started the “Year of Faith”, which will last until the 24th of November, 2013. During this pe-riod, we will celebrate our faith and go deeper into it. You will find a summary of the Holy Father’s apostolic letter Porta fidei on the news boards at the entrance of the church. We invite you to read the letter, get more information about it and participate in the activities we will offer you during this special time. Let us grow in our Christian Faith!

Children and Families

On Saturday 10th November there will be a retreat for families at St Catherine’s Church, Limassol, from 10 am until approximately 3 pm. All families and children are welcome! For more information please contact Helen – 99763978 [email protected].

ADVENT ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES: Come and join us to have fun, to learn and to pray, preparing our hearts for Christmas! Every Saturday morning, starting 1 December, from 10 to 12, in the garden of Holy Cross Church and St Francis Hall. Contact Bérangère [email protected] or Helen [email protected].

New Parish WebsiteNew Parish WebsiteNew Parish WebsiteNew Parish Website Visit us online Visit us online Visit us online Visit us online

www.holywww.holywww.holywww.holy----crosscrosscrosscross----nicosia.comnicosia.comnicosia.comnicosia.com


MORE PARISH NOTICES YEAR OF FAITH

NOTICES, CONTRIBUTIONS, etc. FOR THE PARISH NEWSLETTER Please send your notices and other contributions for the next newslet-ter to Monique [[email protected]], or leave them in an envelope on the Church Library desk, or see Monique. Deadline for submissions: 24 Nov

You can receive the You can receive the You can receive the You can receive the Parish newsletter Parish newsletter Parish newsletter Parish newsletter

electronically.electronically.electronically.electronically. Go to http://groupspaces.com/

HCNewsletter/

Click on “JOIN GROUP” and follow the instructions.

If you have any suggestions and comments for our parish please send them to the Parish Council's email address [email protected]

REFLECTION

THE QUEEN WHO SERVES

A Queen at the service of humanity who walks besides us every day, who loves us, listens to us and intercedes for us.

From the catechesis of Pope Benedict XVI [22 August 2012]

Let us ask ourselves: what does “Mary Queen” mean? It means that she is united to the Son of God, that she is in heaven, in communion with God; she shares in God’s responsibility and love for the world. The royalty and kingship of Christ, Mary’s Son, is interwoven with humility, service and love. Jesus on the Cross was pro-claimed king, by suffering with us and for us, by loving to the end, and in this way governing and creating truth, love and justice. Let us also think of the Last Supper where he bows down to wash the feet of his followers. He is a King who serves his servants; he demonstrated this throughout his life; and the same is true of Mary. She is Queen in her service to God for humanity, she is a Queen of love who lives the gift of herself to God so as to enter into the plan of man’s salvation. She is Queen precisely by loving us, by helping us in our every need. Mary exercise this queenship by watching over us, her children, who turn to her in prayer, to thank her or to ask her for her motherly protection and her heavenly help, perhaps after having lost our way, or when we are op-pressed by suffering or anguish because of the sorrowful and harrowing vicissitudes of life. The title “Queen” is thus a title of trust, joy and love. The devotion to Our Lady is an important element of spiritual life. In our prayers let us not fail to address her with trust. Mary will not fail to intercede for us with her Son. Looking at her, let us imitate her faith, her full availability to God’s plan of love, her generous acceptance of Jesus. Let us learn how to live from Mary. Mary is the Queen of Heaven who is close to God but she is also the Mother who is close to each one of us…

prepared/adapted by Loris Kasapis

The 13th Ordinary Assembly of Bishops of the Catholic Church met in Rome from 7 to 28 October 2012. The theme discussed by the Pope and the Bishops was The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter, Porta Fidei (‘the door of the faith’) declared that a Year of Faith would begin on October 11, 2012, and conclude on November 24, 2013, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King. The date October 11, 2012

coincides with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council by Pope John XIII and with the 20 th anniversary of the release of the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Bl. John Paul II. Both of these events are important moments in the faith life of Catholics.

Pope Benedict XVI has asked the faithful to study and reflect on the docu-ments of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the truths of our faith that Jesus revealed.

The purpose of the Year of Faith is to renew our faith so that we will be credi-ble witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world today, capable of leading others to faith. We are encouraged to participate in pilgrimages, to support and participate in ecumenical initiatives, to participate in parish missions designed to renew commitment to being witness to our faith, to make more personal efforts to com-municate our experience of faith to others.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11.1

Subscribe to the Parish Register in order to benefit from it. Ask one

of the priests for the yellow Registration form.

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