Diocese Will Observe Year of Saint Paul
Faithful in the Diocese of Scranton will
have the opportunity to join with Pope
Benedict XVI and the worldwide Christian
community on a special spiritual journey in
observance of the Year of Saint Paul.
The Holy Father has announced that a Plenary
Indulgence – that is, the complete remission
of temporal punishments due to sin – will be
granted to the faithful on the occasion of
the Opening Day of the Year of Saint Paul on
June 28.
Below is an excerpt from the Vatican
Information Service article which outlines
the means of obtaining the Plenary
Indulgence.
For the faithful who will make a pilgrimage
to the tomb of Saint Paul:
“All Christian faithful – truly repentant,
duly purified by the Sacrament of Penance
and restored with Holy Communion – who
undertake a pious visit in the form of a
pilgrimage to the papal basilica of St. Paul
on Rome’s Via Ostiense and pray in
accordance with the intentions of the
Supreme Pontiff, are granted and imparted
Plenary Indulgence for the temporal
punishment of their sins, once they have
obtained sacramental remission and
forgiveness for their shortcomings.
“A Plenary Indulgence may be gained by the
Christian faithful, either for themselves or
for the deceased, as many times as the
aforementioned acts are undertaken; it
remains the case, however, that Plenary
Indulgence may be obtained only once a day.
“In order that the prayers pronounced on
these holy visits may lead and draw the
souls of the faithful to a more intense
veneration of the memory of St. Paul, the
following conditions are laid down: the
faithful, apart from pronouncing their own
prayers before the altar of the Blessed
Sacrament, ... must go to the altar of the
Confession and pray the ‘Our Father’ and the
‘Creed,’ adding pious invocations in honor
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul; and
such acts of devotion must remain closely
linked to the memory of the Prince of the
Apostles St. Peter.”
For the faithful who are unable to make a
pilgrimage to Rome to the tomb of Saint
Paul:
“Christian faithful from the various local
Churches, under the usual conditions
(sacramental Confession, Eucharistic
communion, prayer in keeping with the
intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) and
completely unattached to any form of sin,
may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence if
they participate devotedly in a religious
function or in a pious exercise held
publicly in honor of the Apostle of the
Gentiles: on the days of the solemn opening
and closing of the Pauline Year in any place
of worship; on other days determined by the
local ordinary, in holy places named for St.
Paul and, for the good of the faithful, in
other places designated by the ordinary.”
The document concludes by recalling how the
faithful who, “through sickness or other
legitimate or important reason,” are unable
to leave their homes, may still obtain the
Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul
completely removed from attachment to any
form of sin and with the intention of
observing, as soon as they can, the usual
three conditions, “spiritually unite
themselves to a Jubilee celebration in honor
of St. Paul, offering their prayers and
suffering to God for the unity of
Christians.”
Diocesan Observance Begins June 28
In the Diocese of Scranton, the Year of
Saint Paul will begin on Saturday, June 28,
at 6:30 p.m. in St. Peter’s Cathedral with
the Rosary and Solemn Evening Prayer,
presided over by Bishop Martino. The Bishop
welcomes all the faithful of the Diocese to
participate in this most solemn occasion.
Those who attend this special service will
be able to obtain the Plenary Indulgence if
they meet the usual conditions cited above.
Those who are homebound will be able to
participate in this service by watching the
broadcast on CTV: Catholic Television of the
Diocese of Scranton.
While the Diocese will officially celebrate
the opening of the Year of Saint Paul at the
Cathedral, the faithful may obtain the
Plenary Indulgence on the Solemnity of
Saints Peter and Paul at any Church,
provided they meet the above-mentioned
conditions.
Pauline Resources for Parishes
The Office for Parish Life has prepared
catechetical resources to assist the
faithful to become more familiar with St.
Paul’s writings and to imitate him in his
personal call to holiness and missionary
activity.
These resources are now or will be available
to clergy, individuals and groups:
-
Praying with St. Paul: Daily Reflections
on the Letters of the Apostle Paul,
Magnificat, $4.95 each. Call 207-2213,
ext. 1105, to order.
-
Pamphlets on the life and writings of
St. Paul, including ways to celebrate
this holy year, prepared by the Office
for Parish Life.
-
Regular bulletin inserts which will be
made available through the monthly
pastors’ mailing.
-
Lesson plans to be used in religious
education classes will be made available
before the end of summer.
Beyond Damascus: Seeing with the Eyes of
Faith
is the theme for the annual Diocesan
Catechist Convocation to be held on Oct. 18.
Father Frederick Miller of Mount St.
Mary’s Seminary will present the keynote
address on “St. Paul: Teacher of Grace.”
Formation for Clergy
The next annual Convocation for Priests in
the spring of 2009 will focus on the
teaching of Saint Paul. Its theme is “Called
To Holiness and Mission: Saint Paul and
Ongoing Conversion in the Life of the
Parish.”
Priests and deacons are also being
encouraged to form reading groups to discuss
the theology and spirituality of Saint Paul.
It is suggested that the website for the
Little Rock Scripture Study (www.littlerockscripture.org)
and the following books would be beneficial
for personal reflection and for
faith-sharing:
Collins, Raymond F., Preaching the
Epistles, Paulist Press, 1996
Fitzmyer, S.J., Joseph A., Spiritual
Exercises Based on Paul’s Epistle to the
Romans, Eerdmans, 1995
Matera, Frank J., Strategies for
Preaching Paul, Liturgical Press, 2001.
Marrow S.J., Stanley B., Paul: His
Letters and his Theology, Paulist Press
,1986.
Pacwa, S.J., St. Paul: A Bible Study
Guide for Catholics, Jubilee Year of the
Apostle Paul edition. Our Sunday Visitor,
2008.
Witherup, S.S., Ronald D., Saint Paul:
Called to Conversion, a seven- day retreat,
St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007.
Witherup, S.S., Ronald D., Conversion in
the New Testament, Liturgical Press,
1997.
Witherup, S.S., Ronald D., 101 Questions
and Answers on Paul, Paulist Press,
2003.
Books can be ordered through the Guild
Studio.
