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Conferring sacred orders – both the inferior (ostiary, lector, exorcist, acolyte) and the superior ones (subdeacon, deacon, priest) – belonged to the sacral authority of bishop. The ordinations were of great importance for ecclesiastical administration of each diocese. In order to provide sufficient spiritual services for his diocese, every bishop had to timely replenish his clergy. Upon their ordination, the clerics would receive simply formulated certificates (littera formata/testimonialis) containing relevant data on their suitability; also, the date of their ordination, name of the ordaining bishop, information on the clerics‘ origin or home diocese – and, in case of friars, the affiliation to religious order. For the superior sacred orders, there was also information provided on the resources of revenue (titulus ordinationis) and all ordinations the cleric received up to then. Unfortunately, no lists of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary ordination candidates have been preserved; therefore, we entirely depend on litterae formatae, litt. dimisoriales or copies of these documents in manuscripts, usually discovered in collateral researches. Among such manuscripts, there is a code with theological and medical texts belonging to bishop of Pécs, Vít Hündler (1447 –1469): in this code, he recorded the transcripts form litt. formatae from dioceses of Esztergom and Pécs. Based on original sources found on the territory of medieval Hungary, in the papal curia, as well as in the coeval canon law and liturgical manuals or synod dispositions, it is possible to delineate the criteria the ordination candidates had to meet, the dates on which the ordinations took place and the specific way they were conferred.
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Among those who have studied church music, notation, and musical forms, a special place is occupied by musician hierarchs. This aspect can be encountered in all musical traditions of the Orthodox countries that have been under the direct influence of the Byzantine Empire. Romanian Principalities are meritoriously circumscribed by the rather large number of their hierarchs preoccupied with the world of sound. One of the first hierarchs with such musical training was Niceta of Remesiana, a prestigious exegete of religious singing and also a very good performer, the creator of the treatise De psalmodie bono after 413 AD, and a hierarch who introduced new vocabulary in the universal religious musicalanguage, such as canticum, cantio, cantare, chorus, and hymnus. Following the history timeline, we reach the end of the nineteenth century or rather, the beginning of the twentieth century, which was by far the most prolific period in terms of musical writings that emerged from the vast imagination of musician hierarchs. The most famous of these hierarchs, which are also outlined in this study, are Gherontie Nicolau, Nifon Niculescu and Evghenie Humulescu. Throughout this text, one can find biographical information, as well as a musical analysis of their creations, followed by elements of rhythmic and melodic structure, resulting in a fortunate inter-similarity within their works. This study also presents some unique musical examples found in various manuscripts originating from Gherontie Nicolau.
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The present study aims to highlight the concept of philanthropy in the writings of Saint Basil the Great, the manner in which it was materialized during the lifetime of the Great Cappadocian Father and its relevance for the mission of the Orthodox Church in contemporary society. The main themes which the sermons of Saint Basil the Great have approached refer to the man as a social being and philanthropy as a result of the communion of love, following the Trinitarian model. The study aims to show that the philanthropy-centered discourse of Saint Basil the Great would not have any impact if it weren’t reinforced by the personal example, when he shared to the poor all his own wealth and built a whole philanthropic complex on the outskirts of Caesarea. Regarding the importance of Saint Basil’s writings for the current life of the Church, the study points out that the great Father of the Church was actively involved in the social life and tried, with audacity and perseverance, to denounce and correct its inequalities. Acting in this way, he proved to be a leader of the Church whose spiritual, administrative and moral authority was so great that it could no longer be ignored or challenged by the authorities of the state.
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church in point 737 mentions the essential role of the Holy Spirit, who not only “prepares men” but also “goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ.” Therefore, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity plays an essential role for development of human faith. The above-mentioned issue was developed by Cardinal Marian Jaworski during his almost 18 years pastoral service in the Archdiocese of Lviv – Ukraine. This article presents the most important issues regarding the role of the Holy Spirit in developing human faith. The analysis of material made it possible to divide the references into two groups. The first concerns the Holy Spirit, who is “the Soul of the Church”. The second focuses on the concept of the Third Person of the Trinity, who is the source of knowing God.
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The documents of the post-Vaticanum II Church make it clear that preaching the word of God is a priority among bishops’ duties. Besides preaching the truths of the faith, an important duty of theirs is interpreting the contemporary reality in the perspective of the Gospel. The documents on the pastoral office of bishops present a pastoral letter as a basic form of preaching, besides a homily, and specify that pastoral letters ought to be published in situations of extraordinary circumstances for the Church. Seemingly, the coronavirus epidemic causing the COVID-19 disease has been such a special situation for the Church. A search of official Internet pages of dioceses has shown that from March to the end of June 2020 among 41 diocesan bishops of the Latin rite in Poland only 12 have released letters dedicated (entirely or partially) to the issues concerning the epidemic. Only 3 of the letters presented attempts of a theological interpretation, including biblical models. Similarly, only 3 bishops have discussed the issue of interpreting the epidemic in terms of a supernatural evil. In other letters a pedagogical model of teaching prevailed. The authors wrote of the epidemic as a time of trial, a chance and opportunity to change ones ways and repent. The bishops did not take the opportunity to present a deeper theological reflection of the epidemic sub specie aeternitatis.
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Even today, in a society strongly marked by secularism and globalization, the Church is sent to proclaim the faith in Jesus Christ and his saving act. The resurrected Jesus himself entrusted this task to the Church before his ascension: “So go, teach all nations and baptize them” (Mt 28, 19). The proclamation of the Gospel is at the beginning of all the apostolic activity of the Church. She can never give up this eminent role because she would cease to be the authentic Church of Christ. The proclamation involves two levels: content and formal. In this paper, we will focus on the content level, specifically the existential issues of human existence. We start from the assumption of a general human desire for meaning. The search for meaning in psychology and psychotherapy was developed by Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), when after a horrible personal experience from the Auschwitz concentration camp, he developed his own therapeutic method, the so-called logotherapy. In the following text we will focus on the application of some principles of logotherapy in practical preaching activities. The topic is also relevant in connection with the global pandemic, which unexpectedly and dramatically “forced” humanity to abandon its existing certainties and look for new ones.
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The Book of Ezekiel is one of the scriptures, that is not often read in the liturgy of the Mass. The message of the scripture is not however secondary. The book was written during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC. The writing refers to the intricate history of Israel: the breaking of the covenant with Yahweh, and the consequences of these events. Israel has been called a rebel people (Ez 2; 3). The nation was burdened with sins that extended to all of the past of the nation (Ez 16; 20; 23). Ezekiel was called to explain to the exiles the current state of Israel in Babylon. The prophet foretells judgment, but after that judgment will follow the restoration of the nation. The structure of the book includes the following parts: introduction (Ez 1:1-3:15), oracles against Israel (Ez 3:16-24:27), oracles against foreign nations (Ez 25:1-32:32), oracles about salvation (Ez 33:1-48:35). The text of Ezekiel 40-48 has the special character (the second vision of the temple). The writing is not a catastrophic work (although it contains such pictures), it is a book of the hope. It was the experience of Ezekiel who shared his thoughts not only with his compatriots, but with the every person of the world.
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St. Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894) was a Russian ascetic, recluse, and at the same time a bishop and theologian. In his sermons, as well as in his numerous correspondence, he encouraged the use of spiritual guidance given to the faithful by monks, nuns and priests. He also gave advices to spiritual guides on how to carry out the ministry they had been called to. Referring to the tradition of the Church, he proclaimed that the relationship between the elder and his disciples should be based on a close and cordial frienship. If someone is unable to find an experienced spiritual father, his friends may be helpful on the path to eternity.
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In 19th and 20th century sermons to men were generally mentioned within the theory of missions and parish retreat. The problem was widerly presented by Rev. Szczepan Sobalkowski and Rev. Ferdynand Machay. Those homilets pointed the need of showing men’s duties, stressing their positive and negative attributes – showing at the same time the methods the priests may use preaching to this group of listeners. The author of the article emphasizevs that man devoted to Chistian life should pray and strive for perfection. Then he presents man’s devotion to life in marriage and family – stressing the love significance and concern for life. Next, there are indications concerning elderly and alone men. In the end, such circumstances of proclamation of the word of God as missions and retreat, Sundays and festivities, pastoral days of different professions, pilgrimages have been presented. It is advisable to develop reflection over man’s part in family, nation and in the Church.
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The content of the article answers the question of how celebrating the Eucharist can become a space for fulfilling the call to new evangelization. In answering this question, the possibilities of implementing such elements in the new evangelization, such as new enthusiasm, new means of expression, and kerygmatic and missionary methods were presented for celebrating the Eucharist. It has been shown that a new fervor can take the form of a celebration with renewed faith and the naturalness of experiencing God’s presence. This new way of expressing fervor should be integrated into the adaptive possibilities of the liturgical celebration without violating the holiness and mystery of the Eucharist. The motive for applying the kerygmatic method is Christ’s Passover event, which is made present in the Eucharist and is the kerygma’s content source in the strict sense. The missionary method, on the other hand, can be manifested, for example, in the Mass homily opening up to the problems and desires of de-Christianized people.
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Symbols, using the form of sign, image, drawing or an idea, are meant to bring difficult and abstract notions closer to people. The Church uses holy symbols to teach what is true but difficult to understand and conceive.
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The author had the detection of the exact version of the troparion to Achillius of Larissa as his initial idea, as he noticed that the modern singing of this hymn in the church in Arilje was not correct. Following this course he briefly presents the results obtained by previous researchers, including those of Tatjana Subotin Golubović. Recognizing the original text of the troparion in the service of the author Nikodim from the 14th or 15th century, he pointed out the perceived differences and published the contemporary Serbian translation on the basis of that version, aided by Zoran Ranković, a professor of the Theological Faculty in Belgrade. The study outlines the fact that the church in Arilje is missing a significant historical document known as The Rules of St. Achillius containing Saint’s service in Church Slavonic originating from 1850. The document was copied by Đorđe Jovanović in the Monastery Blagoveštenje, and could surely be found in Arilje before 2000. Finally, prompted by the realization that there is no fully adequate and complete service to Saint Achillius that could be used during the celebration of the saint to whom the church in Arilje is dedicated, the author recommends possible solutions which go towards the creation of a modern liturgical artifact.
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There is a strong relationship between the celebration of the Eucharist and social engagement of Christians. Christ, whose real presence in the Eucharist is the very same Christ who is present in the personhood of poor and oppressed, and for which he came into the world. The entire biblical and patristic tradition confirms the strong correlation of worship and social service. In many of the New Testament texts and within the early Fathers, the term „liturgy“ refers to early Christian worship, as well as to the obligation of satisfying the material needs of the community. The author proposes some concrete steps towards restoring full understanding of the Liturgy as a social act par excellence.
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Social issues have played an important role in the overall teaching of Pope Benedict XVI. Being aware of the existence of many disturbing threats to social life in all its dimensions, the Pope tried to indicate the direction of the solutions to some growing dilemmas. Trying to remedy evil, he pointed to Christ, who strengthens human hearts to overcome threats, inspired by the action of an evil spirit. In his teachings, the Pope raised awareness that a man following Christ is a hope for solving urgent social problems. His goal was not to consider the problems theoretically, but to shape the moral consciousness of a man and constantly appeal to his conscience. In this way, the teaching of Benedict XVI is an expression of the prophetic mission of the Church; is a call to repair the social life.
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This article is about experiencing the Paschal Triduum in the Church and families during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Based on the orders of the Church authorities and Polish customs, it shows how the individual days of the Paschal Triduum were lived from the Mass of the Lordʼs Supper to Easter morning. It also deals with the problem of domestic liturgy.
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In 1967, Sr. Maria Helena Ostrogórska, a Discalced Carmelite, gave rise to a charismatic prayer group called “Worshipers of the Holy Spirit – Penitential Fires”. The members, hidden from the world, undertake voluntary penance for their own sins, for the sins of the Polish nation and for all humanity. Thus, they respond to the message of Our Lady of Fatima, calling for repentance and prayer. She is the author of numerous theological and ascetic writings.
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The specific perspective from which the Italian Church moves its reflection on mental health germinates and flourishes within the National Office of Health Pastoral Care of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) and through the concrete commitment of Caritas. The various themes that will follow have as a common matrix the Conferences of the last fifty years launched by this office, dedicated to the theme “The Italian Church and mental health”. The starting point is that, according to the WHO, the extent of mental suffering is an increasing phenomenon everywhere. An approximate calculation of the incidence of mental distress certifies remarkable figures: about one billion people are currently in a state of mental distress. The National Office for Health Pastoral Care of the CEI in 2017, after years of research and studies, also inaugurated the “National Table on Mental Health” made up of professionals from the world of health, pastoral care and more. The anthropology and the experience of the Church, with regard to the right to health, aims to assume a different and higher vision of rights and teaches that the commitment to promote the life of every man comes before economic and political interests or simply utilitarian that make life “slave”. Starting from the Italian social context, we will try to clarify some fundamental aspects to which the Church is trying to give answers, through pastoral paths that are difficult to implement.
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