Rite of Beatification of John Paul II – Translated

May 1, 2011May 1, 2011 Sr_Lisa1 Comment

The Vatican made the Mass Booklet for the Beatification of John Paul II available online in PDF.

For those who do not understand Italian and/or Latin, I have translated the Rite of Beatification so you can enjoy following along on this great occasion. I did not translate the ordinary prayers and responses of the Mass, but focused on the Rite of Beatification – since it is for this reason we are celebrating today.

The Mass begins on p.69 of the booklet, beginning with the entrance antiphon from the Gospel of John 16:18-19:

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, 13 and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. 14 Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

The Refrain for the entrance hymn: “As newborn children, Alleluia, long only for spiritual milk. Alleluia.”

___

The Penitential rite:

You, who love us and free us from sin. Lord have mercy.

You, who have made of us a kingdom of priests for Your God and Father. Christ have mercy.
You, that are the Alpha and the Omega, he that is, that was, and that will come, Lord have mercy.
May the Almighty Lord have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to eternal life. Amen.

___

At this point, before the Gloria, the Rite of Beatification takes place. In the Mass Booklet (page 39):

The Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, approaches the chair of the Holy Father, with the Postulator, and asks that the he proceeds with the Beatification of the Servant of God, John Paul II:

“Most Holy Father, the Vicar General of Your Holiness for the Diocese of Rome humbly asks Your Holiness to include among the number of blessed the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II, Pope.”

Afterward, the reading of the Biography of the Servant of God (p.11 in Mass Booklet). Then all stand, and the Holy Father pronounces the Formula of Beatification (p.76):

“We, welcoming the desire of Our Brother Agostino Cardinale Vallini, Our Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, of many other Brothers in the Episcopate and of many of the faithful, after having had the review of Congregation of the Causes of the Saints, with Our Apostolic Authority we grant that the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II, Pope, from now on will be called Blessed and that his feast might be celebrated in the places according to the rules established by law, every year on the 22nd of October.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

The relics of now-Blessed John Paul II are brought to the Altar.

The Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome thanks the Holy Father:

“Most Blessed Father, the Vicar General of Your Holiness for the Diocese of Rome thanks Your Holiness for having today proclaimed Blessed the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II, Pope.” (At this point, we can officially refer to JPII as ‘Blessed’)

The Cardinal and the Postulator exchange an embrace of peace with the Holy Father.

___

The Gloria now takes place, and concludes with the collect (gathering prayer):

Let us pray.

“Eternal and merciful God, that, in the Paschal recurrence revive the faith of your people, increase in us the grace that you have given us, so that we comprehend the inestimable richness of Baptism that has purified us, of the Spirit that regenerates us, of the Blood that has redeemed us. For our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who is God, and lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Liturgy of the Word (the readings for the Day are here).

Homily by Pope Benedict XVI:

Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor’s entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed! (You can read the whole address at the Vatican Website.

The mass continues according to the ordo.

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Let us unite our prayers, that through Pope John Paul II’s intercession, the world may be open to a conversion of heart. God bless!

Remembering Pope John Paul II

April 30, 2011April 30, 2011 Sr_Lisa3 Comments

As people around the world prepare to welcome Pope John Paul II at the newest of the list of beatified, I find myself recalling two experiences which shaped my understanding of this man-pope and how much he had touched the world.

About a year before he died, I was fortunate to be able to meet him during one of his Wednesday audiences. It was a fluke that allowed me to approach him in the Paul VI Audience Hall, take his hand, kiss his ring and receive a blessing from the man who, for the majority of my life, had lead our Church. What does one say in a moment like this? I said nothing except ‘Thank you, Holy Father.”

I remember waiting to be introduced to the Pope, and as others went up, I noticed for the first time how truly tired this pilgrim pope had become. He was no longer the vibrant man of his early papacy, but truly, a man who had suffered much, and because of his illness in his last year or so, had very little energy to engage with those who came to meet him. And yet, beyond the look of age and wear and tear, there was a spark in his eyes, yes, even at the end of a two-hour audience. He greeted pilgrims and married couples, like he had done throughout his papacy. It is not for nothing that he was often referred to as the “People’s Pope”.

But the most touching moment for me of how dearly this man was loved came just a few days before his death. Our convent shared a dividing wall with a resident house of diocesan priests of CEI – Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (Italian Episcopal Conference) – in Rome, and often we Sisters would cross through a shared gate to go to the CEI chapel for morning Mass. One particular morning, just days before Pope John Paul II’s death, there in the small chapel was the residing Bishop and about fourteen priests concelebrating with him. In praying the Eucharistic Prayer, the Bishop had one of his brother priests pray the intercessory prayers. As I recall, the third eucaristic prayer was used that morning, with the words of intercession including:

“Lord, may this sacrifice, which has made our peace with you, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Strengthen in faith and love your pilgrim Church on earth; your servant, Pope {then- John Paul the Second}, our Bishop {name of local bishop}, and all the bishops, with the clergy and the entire people your Son has gained for you.”

As the assisting priest came to the prayers for the Pope, his face changed, his voice cracked, his eyes filled with tears, and he hardly was able to conclude the prayer. You could see the tenderness of what Pope John Paul II meant to this priest. I wondered if that priest was thinking, ‘would it be the last time while praying the Eucharistic Prayer that I will intercede for Pope John Paul?’ The priest had probably spent his entire priesthood praying for the Pope; he most likely came to his adulthood under John Paul’s reign. And now, he was having to say goodbye to words that have been a part of his daily act in the Sacrifice of the Mass.

A few days later, on the eve of the feast of the Divine Mercy in 2005, John Paul the Second went home to the Father. In the days and weeks that followed, pilgrims from all over the world, and of all different religions, poured into Rome to pay their last respects, for a Pope who traveled to them, and encouraged them, “Do not be afraid!” Each day, as I walked home from the Angelicum, I would pass pilgrims on the street, waiting in line across the Tiber, for their turn to pay last respects; to say their “thank you” to JPII.

So now, many pilgrims who said goodbye to this man-pope six years ago, return to Rome, to cheer the Pastor that had guided the Universal Church for twenty-six years, for his heroic virtue and inspiration to so many.