Fantastic Friday

Friday was quite a busy day in the Church - both universal and local!  On the Local level we had the end of our first week of Holydays Camp.  Friday always has a Mass and then a talent show in the afternoon.  

Then Stephanie and I headed to COSTCO and we spent time getting supplies for the big Pure Praise concert and BBQ Saturday Night!  Then there was Adoration and after that - Checking out the Stage Set up for the concert!

In the Universal Church - Pope Francis was joined by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the Vatican Gardens as they blessed a new Statue of St. Michael the Archangel. This was the same day that The Encyclical "Lumen Fidei" (Light of Faith) was released.  While it is officially considered the first encyclical of Pope Francis - in fact he acknowledges that this is the work of "4 hands" - meaning the hands of Benedict and Francis - since it was begun by Benedict XVI for the Year of Faith, and completed by Francis. You can get the download at www.vatican.va

Then the reporters at the vatican were called back into the press gallery in the afternoon to learn that Francis Pope Francis had approved the cause for canonization of two of his venerable and much loved predecessors Blessed Pope John XXIII & Blessed Pope John Paul II. (Both have been TIME Magazine's "Man of the Year"!)

John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council which had its first session on October 11, 1962, and we are approaching the 50th Anniversary of the first Document of the Council: Sacrosanctum Concilium (on the Sacred Liturgy) on December 4, 1963.  
Pope John Paul II was elected Pope on the 22 of October 1978 - so we are approaching the 35th anniversary of his election as Pope! The date(s) for the Canonizations have not been set, but there are rumors of December 8th - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - while some are pushing for October to coincide with the Anniversaries of Vatican II and of JPII's election.

A Friday in July - Who would have thought it would be so busy!