Quote
“It’s not enough to know how to pronounce the words correctly. To proclaim the word of God well, you must know what the words mean in an historical context and what the author is trying to say.” | Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, who has established the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, Calif., to help “reclaim the sense of the sacred” in liturgical expression at the parish level. It also will offer a deeper sense of formation to lay ministers such as lectors, music directors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, he said. (Catholic News Service)
Profile
Malu Kamanu
Coordinator of youth ministry at St. Ann Parish, Kaneohe
- Favorite saint: St. Francis of Assisi
- Movie: “The Sound of Music” and “Cool Runnings”
- Holiday: Christmas
- Parable: The Prodigal Son
- Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer
- Latest iPod download: Viber
- Five fantasy dinner guests: Jesus, Jacques Cousteau, the Dalai Lama, Ina Garten (“the Barefoot Contessa”) and Will Ferrell
- Breakfast this morning: Greek yogurt and a granola bar
Saints under 35
Precocious piety
St. John Berchmans’ deep and intense faith never wavered throughout his life, which was cut short by illness at age 22.
The young saint’s piety was evident early on: As a child he eagerly served several Masses a day and also embarked on pilgrimages, reciting the rosary as he made his way to the sanctuary of Montaigu near Diest, Brabant, where he was born in 1599. When he was a teenager he moved to the household of Canon John Froymont in Malines, working as a servant so he could continue his education.
St. John soon felt called to religious life with the Society of Jesus. He entered the new Jesuit college in Malines in 1615 and became a novice a year later. In 1618 he traveled to Rome and entered a college there, studying for several years. However, in 1621 he was stricken with a violent fever, which ultimately ended his life. He was canonized in 1888 and is the patron saint of altar servers. (newadvent.org, catholic.org)