Christmas Wishes

Give this Christmas a spiritual gift

This beautifully prepared calendars with
 the spiritual sayings of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria  may
be requested in the Philippines by calling  or writing to


Sr. Rorivic Israel, ASP  at
 Tel. Nos.: 948-4477; 941-2993
314 General Ordoñez Street, Marikina Heights
Marikina City, Philippines   1810

Relic of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria

A reflection of the Basilica's dome to signify

universality of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria's message

National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Lewiston , NY. USA, served by the Barnabite Fathers where is relic of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria, founder of the Barnabite Fathers, The Angelic Sisters, and Laity of St. Paul.

The Polish Publication about St. Anthony Zaccarian entitled "Inflamed a Fire of Faith" by Angelo Montonati

“Inflamed a Fire of Faith”

Something completely new.

Coming soon to your catholic store !

A new beatifully designed in Italy

holy card of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria

St. Anthony's Calendar sold at Our Lady's Gifts in San Diego, CA

In the Barnabite Fathers' Parish at Our Lady of Rosary in San Diego

is located the shop of Our Lady's Gift.

There Mary Anne Gleason warmly welcomes all.

Among many many beautiful religious articles and books you will find the calendar of St. Anthony Zaccaria, the Founder of the Barnabite Fathers, the Angelic Sisters, and the Laity of St. Paul.

If you are interested in finding a perfect gift for the special occasion

please give Mary Anne a call @ 619-234-4820 ext 313 or email her at ma@olrsd.org

or visit at their web @ www. ourladysgiftshop.org

God Bless.

So see you soon!

A Statute of St. Anthony at Our Lady of the Rosary in San Diego

The statute is located at the Barnabite Fathers' Parish at Our Lady of Rosary in San Diego

St. Anthony's Calendar sold in Abundant Graces in Bethlehem

CURRICULUM VITAE - of Fr. Giovanni Rizzi, CRSP

Fr. Giovanni Rizzi, a member of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (Barnabites), was ordained to the priesthood in 1975. He studied theology at the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome, and obtained the STD in Biblical Theology in Jerusalem with the thesis "Sermoni poetici geremiani sul pericolo proveniente dal nord" (Jeremiahn poetical sermons about the danger coming from the North), of which a selection has been published. His teaching experience has been from 1980 to 1997 at the PIME (Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions) in Milan, at the ISSRM (Superior Institute for Religious Sciences and Magisterium) in Monza, at the Vigevano Seminary of the archdiocese of Milan, and the Novitiate of the Salesian Sisters in Missaglia. From February 1997 he has been teaching at the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome, where at present he is professor of Sacred Scripture for the Old Testament, giving lectures at the Theology and Missiology departments; he has been an invited professor at the Marianum Theological Department in Rome, and at the "St. John the Evangelist" Theological Department of Sicily in Palermo, where he has given lectures and has participated in various international symposiums.

The ancient versions in Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Syrian, and Latin of the Old Testament are his specialization. He has published a series of studies on the Biblical Hermeneutics, and on the interdisciplinary relationship between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Paul of Tarsus: A Historical-literal Reexamination in the Post-biblical Tradition by Fr. Giovanni Rizzi, CRSP

ISBN 978-1-61623-752-3

Offering: $17.95 + shipping

e-mail: barnabitespiritualcenter@gmail.com

CONTENTS

Preface

1- The Life and Letters of Paul: A Summary

2. Paul in the Pauline Corpus

-Paul the Writer
-The literary genre of the letter in the New Testament
-Authenticity, pseudonymy, pseudepigraphy and the commission of a letter
-Epistolary Style and Authenticity in the Pauline Corpus
-Epistolaries in comparison
-Originality and Content of Paul the Writer
-The epicenter of Paul’s thought
-Jesus Christ the New Adam
-Gospel and Mission
-The Community
-In expectation of the return of the Lord

3. Paul’s Gospel

-The ‘gospel’ before Paul in the Jewish and Hellenistic world
-The Gospel which Paul received and transmitted
-To walk according to the Spirit

4. Paul in the Acts of the Apostles
-An established hermeneutic of the Acts of the Apostles
-Towards an hermeneutic more in harmony with the literary genre of the work
-The function of the figure of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles

5. The Anti-Pauline Polemic in the Tannaite Teacher’s
-Preliminary questions of hermeneutical perspectives
-Questions related to the dating of the intertestamental and rabbinical literature and of the bet- midrush
-Does there exist a literary genre of ant-Christian polemic?
-Traces of anti-Christian polemic in the Targums?
-Anti-Pauline polemical elements the Tannaite teachers and traditions.
-A different concept of ‘faith’
-Pauline antinomianism
-Biblical-Jewish anthropology
-Universalism and the true Israel
-The election of Israel
-Messianism, eschatology, redemption and Christology
-The Divine Name

6. Relecture of the Figure of Paul in the Christian Apocryphal Literature
-Relecture of Paul in the patristic traditions
-Relectures of Paul in popular Christian traditions
-The apocryphal Christian literature
-The ancient catalogues of the Christian apocrypha
-The material of the apocryphal traditions relating to Paul of Tarsus
-The apocryphal traditions concerning Paul from the 2nd to the 3rd centuries
-The Letter to the Laodicaeans
-The Letter to the Alexandrians
-The Kerygma or Preaching of Paul
-The Kerygma Petrou
-The literary genre of apocalyptic
-The Gnostic Apocalypse of Paul
-The Acts of Peter
-The Acts of Paul
-The Apocalypse of Paul
-The apocryphal traditions about Paul in the fourth-fifth centuries
-The Correspondence between Seneca and Paul
-The Passion of Paul of pseudo-Linus
-The Acts of Peter and Paul of the pseudo-Marcellus
-Acts and Martyrdom of the Apostle St. Barnabas
-The Revelation of Stephen and the Epistle of Lucian
-Epistle of Titus, disciple of Paul, concerning the mode of living in the state of chastity
-Acts and martyrdom of Peter and Paul of the pseudo-Abdias
-The Dominical Letter
-The Apocalypse of Andrew and Paul
-The Acts of Andrew and Paul
-The Letter of James to Quadratus
-A proposal for a synthesis

New Publication on St. Paul of Tarsus by Fr. Giovanni Rizzi, CRSP

Preface

The author of this publication is the Barnabite priest, Fr. Giovanni Rizzi. Fr. Giovanni Rizzi is a professor of Sacred Scripture (Old Testament) at the Theology and Missiology Department of the Urbanian Pontifical University in Rome, a prestigious learning institution ran by the Congregation of "de Propaganda Fide," with 1,400 students coming from the different parts of the world, and oriented towards mission.

The text here presented is the fruit of a series of conferences given to the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (Barnabite Fathers) in September 2008 in Lewiston, New York (USA), on the occasion of the Pauline Year, as they celebrate their great patron saint, St. Paul the Apostle, after whose name they are named.

In reality this study does not have any celebrative character, but it is a profound rereading of the Apostle's figure as written in the canonical Christian literature, with an alert attention to the modern exegetical developments.

Let us say right away that this is a truly original research, very technical in its language, scientifically drafted with painstaking accuracy, very rich with bibliographical documentation, up-to-date with the latest professional studies, and therefore is not an easy reading for anyone who does not have a specific preparation in biblical studies.

After a comprehensive look at the present bibliography on St. Paul, including a revisit to his letters and his missionary journeys, the author dwells on the description of Paul in the "corpus paulinum" with particular attention to the writer, the literary genre of the correspondence, the problem of the authenticity of the individual letters and their style, the rhetoric figure used, as well as the analysis of the content. The epicentre of the Pauline thought is the discovery of the figure of Jesus Christ, which, solicited by varied experiences of evangelization and the handling of the Christian communities, includes the themes of the "justification by faith, the mystical union with Christ, the theology of the cross, the apocalyptic dimension of God's revelation in Christ."

Of true interest is the analysis of the term "Gospel" in St. Paul, studied in the Judaic tradition and the Hellenistic world, while it appears about sixty times in the "corpus paulinum," without any specification: the Apostle transmitted it the way he received it.

In the Acts of the Apostles the function of Paul's figure is explained through the specification of the literary genre of the work, starting from the well-established hermeneutics to reach a consonance with history, written in complex parts. Fr. Rizzi takes the scheme drafted by the modern exegetes of the Acts of the Apostles as the theology of the witness to Jesus Christ, from Jerusalem to the ends of the world.

With the same richness of documentation, the anti-Pauline polemics are recalled and described among the Tannaitic masters and traditions; for example, the different concepts of faith, the Pauline antinomies, the biblical anthropology of Judaism, the election of Israel, the Messianism, the eschatology, the redemption and Christology, and the Divine Names. These questions are well known among biblical scholars and critics, who deal with neo-testament and pre-testament Rabbinic literature and the beth midrash. These problems are certainly complicated and less appreciated by the secular and by those who are not adept to this kind of work.

We, at the most, record an extraordinary and complete rereading of Paul in the Christian apocryphal literature with more than 150 bibliographical notes and numerous references to the fundamental studies done by Mario Erbetta and Luigi Moraldi. There is a review of the ancient catalogues of Christian apocrypha, the traditions about Paul of the second and third centuries, and even of the fourth and fifth centuries (the correspondence between Seneca and Paul would have been a Christian legend on Seneca’s Christianity).

The dissertation concludes with a general proposal about the figure and the events of Paul in the apocryphal world. The Apocrypha are not canonical books, or are they heretical, but they have contributed in celebrating Paul’s memory through the centuries.

At the end of this course Paul's figure appears in its greatness and novelty, thanks to a severe hermeneutic approach, with the discussion and in-depth literary study of the texts and the accurate exegetic method.

In conclusion, I take the liberty of expressing one desire, that the eminent author may also take into consideration, at his level, the spiritual and pastoral context under the guidance of Paul. Nevertheless, I thank him for having accompanied us and enlightened us in this journey.

+ Andrea Maria Erba, barnabita
Bishop Emeritus of Velletri-Segni, Rome, Italy

Rome, October 15, 2008

St. Anthony's calendar now @ Hope Center of Claretian Publications, Philippines

Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, A.S.S.P. shares with us some pictures on the display of St. Anthony's calendar at Hope Center of Claretian Publications located in Quezon City (Metro Manila, Philippines)

Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, A.S.S.P. with Karen Visperas, one of the Hope Center's staff.

_________

Photos by Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, A.S.S.P.

Physician's Prayer

The prayer was composed by His Holiness Pius XII.

The Holy Father declared St. Anthony Zaccaria the Patron and Protector of the Physicians.

The Eucharist and St. Anthony Zaccaria - by Fr. Gabriel M. Patil, CRSP, S.T.L., S.S.L.

A talk given by Rev. Fr. Gabriel M. Patil, CRSP, S.T.L., S.S.L.

at the closing of the 40 Hour Adoration of

the Most Blessed Sacrament

at the Barnabite Spiritual Center in Bethlehem, PA on Sept 12, 2009

- Opening Remarks on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the First Thursday Group at the Barnabite Spiritual Center (audio)

The First Thursday of the Month Adoration Group
Happy twentieth birthday to the young women and men of the adoration group!With our St. Paul I say to you, "We, Barnabite Fathers, give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope" (1 Thes 1). Your endurance, your faithfulness, your perseverance, your dedication for these past 20 years are to be publicly acknowledged and gratefully commended.

Hearing that you have been praying for vocations for 20 years, people with a business mentality would probably ask, "How successful have you been?"

A story comes to my mind, the story of an elderly Jewish man who goes to pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem three times a day, every day, even when it rains or snows. He has done that for more than 30 years. When a news reporter asks him how he feels, he answers, "Like talking to a wall!" Considering the visible outcome of your praying for vocations, you would be fully justified in "feeling like talking to a wall." But you are persons of faith and in faith you know that the seed of vocation planted here through your prayers will produce fruit, if not in this field, in other fields, in far away fields, fruits that you may never see, fruits that nevertheless will grow and mature thanks to your prayer.

Another factor to consider is the possibility that God, who called you to worship and pray 20 years ago, might have had other purposes in mind in addition to your perceived purpose of fostering vocations. I’m thinking of another story in which God tell a man, "Push that big boulder." The man tries with all his energies all his life but is nor able to move the boulder the fraction of an inch. Frustrated and humbled, he apologized to God for failing. But God tells him, "I didn’t want you to move it, I wanted you to develop strong muscles. Look at the muscles on your arms and legs, how big and strong they are!" Have you failed? Who knows what was God’s true intent when he called you together 20 years ago! Look at your faith, your love of God and service to the Church…how great and lively they are!

- St. Anthony Zaccaria as a Reformer (audio)

- St. Anthony Zaccaria and the Development of the 40-Hour Devotion (audio)

Historians dispute about the origin of the 40-hour Devotion. Did it originate with St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria and the first Barnabites? Or the Augustinians?

The practice of private adoration of the Blessed Sacrament reposed in the tabernacle for a period of 40 consecutive hours, from Good Friday to Easter morning, existed before the time of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria.

What Anthony Mary Zaccaria and the early Barnabites did in 1534 – 475 years ago - was to ask the authorization the expose publicly and solemnly the Blessed Sacrament for 40 hours in the Cathedral of Milan and to repeat that solemn exposition in turn in all the churches of Milan. The authorization was granted in 1537 and the practice took place for the first time from March to October 1537.

- The Relationship between Eucharist and Vocation (audio)

There is a close relation between the Holy Eucharist and vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.

This relation is based on the fact that every vocation is a special grace from God, and the greatest source of grace we have is the Eucharist.

It is the living Lord who offers Himself in Holy Communion who inspires men and women to give themselves to Him in the service of their sisters and brothers. Persons who attend Mass and receive Communion obtain the light they need to discern God’s call and strength they need to respond to the call.

The Eucharist is also the best way to recognize vocations. Show me a man or woman devoted to the Eucharist and I will show you a person who is an apt subject for the priesthood or the religious life.

The Eucharist is finally the infallible way of preserving one's vocation. Is it any wonder that saintly priests and religious over the centuries have been uncommonly devoted to the Blessed Sacrament? They know where to obtain the help they need to remain faithful to their vocations. It is from the same Christ Who called them and Who continues to sustain them in His consecrated service.

The best way to celebrate this 20th anniversary of our Adoration Group is to renew our commitment to continue to pray for the gift of new vocations and the gift of perseverance in one’s vocation by kneeling in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament professing our deep conviction that vocations begin with the Eucharist, are developed through the Eucharist, and are preserved by the Eucharist.

- Eucharist as a Sacrament of Transformation and Conversion (audio)

Why this emphasis on the Eucharist?

To appreciate the significance of Anthony Mary’s initiative, we should bear in mind the conditions surrounding the Eucharist at that time. Mass was celebrated on rare occasions. Holy Communion was a privilege denied, ordinarily, to the laity. Hence, the Blessed Sacrament was not kept, most of the time, at the main altar, but in the sacristy or in some dark church corner, even in a grimy wooden box where ants and other bugs could easily enter. Churches became places for anyone to stroll around, for lovers to meet, for people to hold conversations or games, or warehouses of sort for people to store household tools and goods. Against this background it is easier to understand the reason why St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria put so much emphasis on public and solemn display of devotion to the Eucharist.

For him the Eucharist is the crucified Lord alive and living among us. The two poles of his spirituality are the crucified Lord and the Eucharist and the two are obviously connected.

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria was a reformer, that is, a prominent figure of that 16th century spiritual revival movement known as the Catholic Reformation.

While Martin Luther sought to reform the Church as institution, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria and other reformers were convinced that reformation of the Church had to start with the individual person, with personal conversion, with commitment to radical "self-reform."

What does personal conversion imply? It implies the possibility of saying with St. Paul, "I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2, 20). What can effect this radical personal conversion, thin transformation into Christ? St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria has no doubts: the Eucharist; the Eucharist is the sacrament of conversion. In his Sermon 3 he writes, "You turn to God… by offering Him sacrifices: the sacrifice of your bodies kept under control by penance for the love of God, the sacrifice of your souls eager to unite themselves with Him, but above all the sacrifice par excellence, the most holy Eucharist. No wonder that people have grown lukewarm and turned into beasts, as it were. It is because they do not receive this sacrament. The surest proof, then, of your return to God is that you go back to receive this food. Go back, my friends, go back to receive this sacrament. Nothing can make you holier than this sacrament, for in it is the Holy of Holies. Remember that Augustine exhorts you to receive Holy Communion at least once a week." And following St. Augustine exhortation, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria prescribes in his Constitutions, "Let everybody, according to one's disposition, go to communion at least every Sunday and Holy Day of obligation" (Ch.1).

- How to Measure a Spiritual Effectiveness and How to Discover God's Purpose in One's life? (Audio)

40 Horas de Adoración Del Santisimo Sacramento

40 Horas de Adoración

Del Santísimo Sacramento

En Honor a San Antonio Maria Zaccaria

10 de Septiembre al 12 de Septiembre de 2009

  

Querido amigo de los Padres Barnabitas,

¡ Saludos con la paz de Cristo !

Nosotros en el Centro Espiritual Barnanbita llevaremos a cabo la Adoración de las 40 horas en honor a nuestro Santo Fundador, San Antonio María Zaccaria, empezando el 10 de Septiembre a las 7: 00 PM  y terminando el 12 de Septiembre de 2009 con la Santa   Misa a las 11: 00 AM. Esta será presidida por el Reverendo Gabriel M. Patil, CRSP. Cordialmente les invitamos a que vengan y se unan a nosotros.

Luego de la misa, todos están bienvenidos a compartir en fraternidad con Jesús, un almuerzo al estilo “ Potluck”.

Yo estoy muy contento de poder anunciar que este año nosotros celebramos el veinte aniversario de celebrar la Adoración del Santísimo el primer Jueves del més; por lo tanto esto le dá  doble significado a  esta celebración de las 40 horas de Adoración del Santísimo Sacramento.

Adjunto, está el programa de las 40 horas de Adoración  desde el 10 de Septiembre hasta el 12 de Septiembre. Por favor, llene la hora que  sea mas conveniente para usted poder venir y dedicar tiempo con Jesucristo de una manera mas espiritual y personal, y mándeme su contestación.

Yo estoy muy entusiasmado con esta celebración en la cual estaremos juntos rezando y adorando a nuestro Señor.

Sinceramente suyo en Cristo,

Padre Roberto B. Kosek, CRSP. Ph.D.

Superior

____________

 Barnabite Spiritual Center

4301 Hecktown Road

Bethlehem, PA 18020

Phone: 610-691-8648

E-mail. Barnabitespiritualcenter@gmail.com

40 Hours Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Honor of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria Sept 10-12

40 Hours Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in

Honor of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

September 10-12, 2009

Dear Friend of the Barnabite Fathers,

Greetings of Christ’s peace to you!

We at the Barnabite Spiritual Center will hold a Forty-Hour Adoration in honor of our Holy Founder, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria beginning on September 10 at 7:00 p.m. and ending on September 12, 2009, with a Holy Mass at 11:00 a.m., to be presided by Rev. Fr. Gabriel M. Patil, CRSP. We cordially invite you to come and join us.

After the Mass, all are welcomed to share a "potluck" meal and continue to celebrate Jesus by breaking bread together.

I am glad to announce that this year we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of our First Thursday Adoration ministry; hence, the twofold significance of the Forty-Hour Adoration.

Attached herewith is the schedule of the Forty-Hour Adoration from September 10 to September 12. Please, fill in a time that is convenient for you to come and spend time with Christ in a very personal and spiritual way, and send your reply to me.

I look forward to this time when we will be praying and adoring the Lord together.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP, Ph.D.

Superior

You may contact us @

Barnabite Spiritual Center

4301 Hecktown Road

Bethlehem, PA 18020

Phone: 610-691-8648

E-mail. Barnabitespiritualcenter@gmail.com

Newest Polish publication on St. Anthony M. Zaccaria

Just this May, 2009 came out newest Polish translation

of  Andrea M. Erba, CRSP  and Antonio M. Gentili's, CRSP book entitled

Reformator - Święty Antoni Maria Zaccaria (1502-1539)

REFORMER - St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

The book is published by Wydawnictwo SALWATOR 2009   

Over 150 images of St. Anthony Zaccaria

Enjoy over 150 images of St. Anthony Zaccaria,

founder of the Clerics Regular of St. Pual -Barnabites

Angelic Sisters of St. Paul , and Laity of St. Paul

in  Power Point format prepared by Fr. Luigi Rusnati , CRSP 

and uploaded by Sr. Rorivic Ma. P. Israel, ASSP 

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria in the Philippines

St. Anthony Zaccaria’s perpetual calendar thanks to the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul is being distributed among the elementary and high school students of – Mother of Divine Providence School in the Philippine, Marikina Heights.

photo: Sr. Rorivic Ma. P. Israel, ASSP

Unknown painting of St. Anthony Zaccaria

Anonimo Veneziano, Sebastiano del Piombo (?)
S.Antonio M. Zaccaria 1537
Austin [ Texas,USA ], Blanton Museum 



Thanks to Fr. Michele P.Morgillo, a Barnabite 

Happy Feast Day of St. Anthony Zaccaria - July 5

May our Holy Father

bless each one of us

with the zeal and fervor of St. Paul.

May his spirit continue

to inspire us to spread

God's love and forgiveness

to those we serve in the world.

Happy Feast Day of St. Anthony Zaccaria

From Angelic Sisters of St. Paul and the Barnabite Farhers

Zaccarian Spirituality Lived Today - No. 3

2. How does the life and vocation of St. Anthony Zaccaria inspire priestly and religious vocations?

by. Sr. Rorivic Ma. P. Israel, ASSP

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria Left All for Christ

Behind and before him, lay a promising life. St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria left such a promising life for Christ.  
St. Anthony was a son of a noble family. His father, Lazzaro, died when he was only a boy, making him an heir of a patriarchal inheritance – but all this he relegated to another relative to possess, not wanting his soul to be catapulted by its appeal.

He obtained his degree in medicine at 22 years old (1524): certainly this educational feat – and at such a very young age – held for him surmounting possibilities and a bright future. But he left them all for Christ.

St. Anthony Mary felt the call of Christ in his heart while serving the sick in their homes and in the hospitals. He realized deep within that Christ’s call was not only for the "physically" sick, but for the "spiritually" sick as well.

Four years later (1528), St. Anthony Mary was ordained a priest. Anyone would notice the promptness of his yielding to Christ. "Not later", but "now" seemed to be his word.
The fervor of his youth was "wantonly" used for Christ: which would explain his death of exhaustion at a young age of 36. Yes, he exhausted all his physical and spiritual energy: serving, proclaiming, and accomplishing every task Christ Crucified called him to do.

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria proves to be an inspiration for anyone who wants to follow Christ. His example was: promptness and fervent service for Christ and His Kingdom.

______

St. Anthony Mary is the founder of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (Barnabites), the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, and the Laity of St. Paul.

For more information you may write to:

Vocation Director

Clerics Regular of St. Paul
P.O. Box 167,
Youngstown, NY 14174-0167
USA
BarnabitesUSA@fatimashrine.com
Or visit:
www.catholic-church.org/barnabites
www.stanthonyzaccaria.blogspot.com

Vocation Directress
Angelic Sisters of St. Paul
770 Washington St.
Easton, PA, 18042
USA
Or visit:
www.angelicsistersofstpaul.blogspot.com

Zaccarian Spirituality Lived Today - No. 2

1. How does the life and example of St. Anthony Zaccaria help the average Catholic in living a more Catholic life?

by. Sr. Rorivic Ma. P. Israel, ASSP

A Saint for All Time

A reformer of the early 16th century, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, tracks the same path as St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Philip Neri. His pervasive and overriding entreaty was: "renew the Christian fervor" everywhere! And which generation would claim it never needed any renewal?

Any Catholic, living in this generation marked by secularism and an apparent decadence of moral values, can certainly look up to St. Anthony Mary, who in his life had shown a great example of how it is to "circumnavigate" the world without being subdued by its lure and oppressive mundane principles. St. Anthony Mary exemplifies a man, or a woman, who keeps his Catholic principles and beliefs despite the warring ideologies around him (one can go back to the history of Catholic counter-reformation), mindful only of doing what is right in God’s eyes and before his neighbor.

St. Anthony reformed "within" the Church, not "without." His way was "ordinary, done in an extraordinary way": as a young fellow, he was sensitive to the needs of his time and showed great kindness toward the poor and the disadvantaged; as a medical doctor, he served the sick with great care and compassion; as a priest, he preached with the fervor of St. Paul, longing only to save souls, and served the spiritual needs of those who came to him for confession and spiritual direction; as a Catholic, he was deeply devoted to the Eucharist: He "promoted devotion to the Eucharistic Christ in the form of the Forty Hours devotion, public and solemn adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by turn in various city churches, which he first celebrated in Milan in 1537," and also "promoted frequent Holy Communion." and to the Crucified Lord: "To promote devotion to Christ Crucified Anthony Mary instituted the practice of the tolling of church bells at 3 p.m. every Friday in remembrance of Christ's death on the cross."

St. Anthony Mary remained "Catholic," notwithstanding the barrage of protests his mother Church experienced in his days. St. Anthony Mary remained a true son – in his fervent and joyful service and love for God and neighbor.

May St. Anthony Mary renew in each one of us that "fervor" of a true Christian, of a true Catholic.

Zaccarian Spirituality Lived Today - No. 1

1. How does the life and example of St. Anthony Zaccaria help the average Catholic in living a more Catholic life?

by: Mary Gambino

The life and example of St. Anthony Zaccaria can help us to live a more authentic Catholic life in the midst of the modern world. By familiarizing ourselves with the life and times of this priest and doctor, we can apply his principals of holiness to our daily lives. These principals are clearly defined in St. Anthony Zaccaria's letters, famous sayings, sermons, constitutions and teaching on various topics. However, all the teaching in the world would be meaningless if the life did not reflect the writing. In the study of St. Anthony Zaccaria, we learn how he put his preaching into practice. His life is a concrete example of his teaching. In fact, it is sometimes difficult to determine which came first, the practice or the preaching.

As a young boy in Cremona, St. Anthony displayed a love for poverty and for the poor. He gave away his clothes and food to those less fortunate. He shunned the luxuries associated with the nobility into which he was born. In order to better serve the poor, he gave to his widowed mother his inheritance and requested from her only the basic necessities. He excelled at his studies and became a physician. In treating his patients, he realized their need for spiritual as well as physical healing. He answered the call to the priesthood and took for his inspiration and model the tireless Apostle Paul. In order to effectively treat the illness that surrounded him, he became a great reformer of the Church.

Pope Clement VII, in 1533, granted St. Anthony's request to form a congregation dedicated to the reform of the Church and of the people; the Clerics Regular of St. Paul. Because this congregation had as its "home" the Church of St. Barnabas, they became known as The Barnabites. He later founded the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, which proved to serve as an example for the reform of other monasteries, and also a Congregation of Laity of St. Paul. In all his undertakings, St. Anthony contemplated Christ Crucified. He spread Eucharistic Piety through the establishment of the Forty Hours Devotion. In short, St. Anthony employed all his strength in serving the Lord and His Church durning his short life. His writings serve as a reflection of his deeds.

In the midst of our everyday busy lives, we can look at St. Anthony's writings and reflect on his busy life as an inspiration to grow in holiness. When we consider his love for the poor, we can also listen to his advice: "If you are generous, you will learn to conduct yourselves with the law engraved in your hearts, rather than with external laws". In shunning luxuries we hear him tell us, "reflect and see what great harm is caused by seeking one's comfort......do not foolishly try to be equal to others by imitating their way of behaving and talking". In contemplating his excellence in his studies we hear him tell us, "While working, thinking, or planning, frequently lift up your mind to God".

When we consider his compassion on those who need physical healing, we can heed his advice to "Take great care of the sick and diligently look after them". In considering his ability as a doctor we can contemplate his thoughts on spiritual surgery: "Anyone willing to become a spiritual person begins a series of surgical operations in his soul. One day he removes this, another day he removes that, and relentlessly proceeds until he lays aside his old self".

In his love for Christ Crucified, St. Anthony shares the benefit he gains from this practice, "Enter into conversation with Jesus Crucified as familiarly as you would with me and discuss with Him all or just a few of your problems....if you practice this way of prayer, I can assure you that little by little you will derive from it both great spiritual profit and an ever-greater love relationship with Christ....Remember that Jesus Crucified has always been abundantly generous with you".
Lastly, St. Anthony's words and example encourage us to follow him in the path of saintliness which transcends time. "Do not think that my love for you or the good qualities you are endowed with may have me desire that you be just little saints. No, I greatly desire that you become great saints.....All that is required to become great saints is that you really mean to develop and give back to Jesus Christ Crucified the good qualities and graces He has given."

Zaccarian Spirituality Collection - No. 3

Click it to download

To commemorate the closing of Pauline Year ( June 29, 2009)

we present issue no 3 of the Zaccarian Spirituality Collection entitled:

In the Footsteps of St. Paul: The "Paulism" of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Most Faithful Follower of His Paul

I. St. Paul in the Life of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria
1. The Witnesses
2. Later Contribution
3. The ‘Vision of St. Paul’ Before His Death
4. Although Dead, He Still Speaks (Heb 11:4)
5. Similarity of Character

II. St. Paul in the Writings of St. Anthony Zaccaria
1. Preamble
2. Pauline Titles
3. Pauline Quotations
3.1. Number of the Quotations
3.2. The Way of Quoting
3.3. Source of the Quotations
3.4. Purpose of the Quotations
4. Pauline Doctrine
5. Reference to St. Paul’s Life
6. Comments to the Letters of St. Paul
7. Familiarity with the Apostle
8. Affinity in the Epistolary Style

III. The Origins of the Zaccarian Paulism

IV. Which Paul?
1. The Theologian
2. The Apostle
3. The Martyr
4. The Mystic

Conclusion: Anthony Alter Paul

Foreword to the NOVENA by Bishop Andrea M. Erba, CRSP

Novena to St. Anthony M. Zaccaria starts on June 26 and ends on July 4

(Click on the image to see the text of the novena)

In the first half of the fifteenth century in Italy shone the luminous figure of Anthony Mary Zaccaria. This young saint, full of passion for God’s love, was a great reformer of religious customs of the clergy and the Christian people. Above all, he was the founder of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (Barnabites), the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, and the Laity of St. Paul.

Anthony Mary Zaccaria, born in Cremona, Italy in 1502, was a student and graduate in medicine from the University of Padua; a doctor of body and soul in his native city; a fervent catechist and a zealous priest in Milan and elsewhere. For a decade his apostolate was characterized by an intense devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar (he was the promoter of the Forty Hours Devotion), and by a passionate love of the cross and the crucified Christ (he instituted the ringing of bells on Friday afternoon to commemorate Christ’s death). Anthony Mary was guided by an extraordinary zeal of St. Paul, chosen by him to be his master and model on earth, and his special patron in heaven.

Exhausted from his pastoral work, Anthony Mary died at only 36 years old, leaving behind admirable examples of penance and of spirituality.

In the novena here presented, his ascetic-mystic thought continuously emerges. This thought can be found in his six Sermons and eleven Letters, which remained as his testament and a mirror of his soul and his missionary call: in these writings resounds an unceasing appeal against vices, and toward holiness. Cardinal Ratzinger wrote: “I have to say that the image of this saint is dear to me because he is one of the great figures of Catholic reform… an authentic man of God and of the Church, a man burning with zeal, a demanding forger of consciences, a true leader able to convert and lead others to good.”

Like all the saints, Zaccaria is a figure of permanent relevance: an encounter with him symbolizes an invitation to return to a charism of a unique vocation, a return desired by the Second Vatican Council, as an indispensable element of true renewal. The Church venerates the saints and honors their images. Celebrating their names and their memory, she proclaims Christ’s marvels in his servants and proposes to the faithful examples to imitate (Sacrosantum Concilium, 11).

The saints manifest the face and the presence of God in the world. They contribute to the spiritual life of the Church on earth, and form with us one mystical body. As friends and coheirs of Christ, they intercede for us. As our brothers and benefactors, they teach us the way to reach heaven. (Lumen Gentium, 49-50) Anthony Mary Zaccaria merits to be known and followed in his teachings: he counts among the category of priests, who in the course of centuries, have left a
splendid example of holiness. As a spiritual master, he continues to spread and proclaim the Word of God and to teach the “sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ” (Liturgy of July 5)

Bishop Andrea M. Erba, CRSP
Bishop Emeritus of Velletri-Segni,
Rome, 15 November 2008
Solemnity of Mother of Divine Providence

Anthony Alive

Published by The Clerics Regular of Saint Paul • BARNABITES
4301 Hecktown Road • Bethlehem, PA 18020 • USA
Director: Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP
Executive Editor: Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, ASP
Assistant Editors: Fran Stahlecker, Mary Grace
Design:

- Greg T. Gambino greggam@rcn.com

Volume I, Issue 1

INTRODUCTION by Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP
ST. ANTHONY’S DOCTRINE
• The Life of a Saint…
• The Spiritual Treasures
• The Teachings on PRAYER
• The Famous Sayings
• The Constitutions of 1539

REFLECTIONS & MEDITATIONS…
- Walking with St. Anthony by Fr. Tony Sarno
- You Could Have a Life… by Mary Grace
- Prayer and Suffering… by Fr. Anthony Bianco, CRSP
- Prayer Without Ceasing by Mary Gambino
- Anthony’s Lift to God by Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, ASP
- Make Your Home in Me… by Fr. Speranza
- Prayer Is Placing Oneself… by Fr. R. Delzingaro, CRSP
- Kids Page by Elizabeth, Peter, & Matthew Gambino

OUTSTANDING BARNABITES: A Servant of the Orphans: Fr. Giovanni Semeria, CRSP
- Peace and Peace by Fr. Giovanni M. Semeria, CRSP

OBLATES OF SAINT PAUL - St. James Parish, Oakville, Ont.

Volume I, Issue 2

INTRODUCTION by Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP

ST. ANTHONY’S DOCTRINE
- The Teachings on CHARITY
- The Famous Sayings
- Sermon IV on CHARITY

REFLECTIONS & MEDITATIONS
- Eucharist - The Bread of Life by Fr. Tony Sarno, CRSP
- The Most Holy Eucharist by Fr. L. Visconti, CRSP
- St. Anthony & The Forty Hours by Fr. Peter Bonardi, CRSP
- Our Spiritual Umbilical Cord by Mary Grace
- Awesome Wonder by Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, ASP
- SAMZ Rhyme by Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, ASP
- And the Bridge is Love by Fr. R. Delzingaro, CRSP
- My First Holy Communion by Elizabeth, Peter, & Matthew Gambino

OUTSTANDING BARNABITES - "Apostle of Corsica" Saint Alexander Sauli, Bishop
- The Little Flowers of Saint Alexander Sauli

OBLATES OF SAINT PAUL, (OSP)
- Love for the Eucharist… by Rosaire Johnson, OSP

Volume II, Issue 3

INTRODUCTION by Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP

ST. ANTHONY’S DOCTRINE
- The Famous Sayings on Penance

REFLECTIONS & MEDITATIONS

- Pauline Year: A Gift to the Church by His Holiness Benedict XVI
- On St. Anthony Zaccaria by His Holiness Benedict XVI
- In the Footsteps of St. Paul…by Fr. Giovanni Scalese, CRSP
- The Paulism of St. Anthony… by Fr. Mike M. Mancusi,CRSP
- Spiritual Writings by Angelica PaolaAntonia

OUTSTANDING BARNABITES - St. Francis Xavier Bianchi
- The Apostle of Naples… by Fr. Felix M. Sala, CRSP
- The Ascetical Writings of…

ANTHONY’S ANGELS
- Choices by E. Gambino & T. Marlin

SPONSORS

Hymn to St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

• Music: Federico Caudana
• Text: Fr. Luciano M. Visconti, CRSP
• Organ: Ms. Regina R. Reale
• Soloist: Mrs. Anna Marie Falcinelli-Ziemian

Hymn to St. Anthony M. Zaccaria

(the link to the Hymn of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria is located on right column)

Saint Anthony Mary, O model of virtues
Our glorious Protector, our homage accept.
As we celebrate you, in heavenly glory,
Our oath of allegiance to you we renew.
Our oath of allegiance to you we renew.

As standard you lifted, the Cross of salvation,
The faithful inviting to fight and to win:
To banish lukewarmness, the worst foe of Christians,
The Church making perfect, rejoicing in Christ.
The Church making perfect, rejoicing in Christ.

The Eucharist preaching, you lover of Jesus,
The means of perfection to souls back you gave.
Will you be more faithful to Christian perfection?
You told them: come, share in the breaking of bread.
You told them: come, share in the breaking of bread.

You took as a pattern Saint Paul, the Apostle,
The Doctor of Nations you followed and loved.
We also your children, with love and in study
Do promise to follow exemplar so great.
Do promise to follow exemplar so great.

Remember O Father, Saint Anthony Mary,
Your family grateful here kneeling in prayer.
Present as your children, to God of all Mercy;
May ever you lead us to heaven above.
May ever you lead us to heaven above.