Year of St. Paul
Tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI will light a votive lamp at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome to signal the beginning of a year-long celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul, the Apostle to the Nations. The Year of St. Paul runs from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009.
In our diocese, I am suggesting three special projects to celebrate the Year of St. Paul:
1. During Advent 2008, each parish offer a six-week Bible reflection using “1 Corinthians: Living as Christians,” by Kevin Perotta, Loyola Press. The book will be available from Loyola Press at a 30 percent discount by calling (800) 621-1008 and mentioning the Austin Diocese.
2. In Lent 2009, each parish offer a six-week Bible reflection on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians using “Philippians: A Letter to Friends,” by Kevin Perotta, Loyola Press. The book will be available from Loyola Press at a 30 percent discount by calling (800) 621-1008 and mentioning the Austin Diocese.
3. Encourage parishioners in the diocese to consider visiting churches under the patronage of St. Paul (St. Paul Parish, Austin; St. Paul Parish, Smithville; Sts. Peter and Paul Shrine, Kovar and St. Paul the Apostle, Horseshoe Bay) as a way of pilgrimage and to ask for the prayers of St. Paul that Catholics may grow in a deeper appreciation for God’s word and that our lives will bring the Word of God to others.
The links below provide background information on St. Paul.
Pope Benedict’s granting of Plenary Indulgence
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints." (CCC 1471)
The pope has granted the faithful Plenary Indulgences for the Year of St. Paul. The faithful can obtain the Plenary Indulgence by engaging in a pilgrimage to the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
The Plenary Indulgence may be obtained locally by completing the following:
• Celebrating sacramental Confession, and
• Celebrating sacramental Eucharist, and
• Reciting the Our Father, and
• Reciting the Creed, and
• Reciting prayers in keeping with the intentions of the pope, and
• Completely unattached to any form of sin, participating devotedly in a religious function or in a pious exercise held publicly in honor of St. Paul in holy places named for him or other designated places.
Masses celebrated in the following churches in the Diocese of Austin satisfy the requirement:
• St. Mary Cathedral Parish, Austin
• St. Paul Parish, Austin
• St. Paul Parish, Smithville
• Sts. Peter and Paul Shrine, Kovar
• St. Paul the Apostle, Horseshoe Bay
For more information about these parishes, including Mass times, use the link below.
Mass for Year of St. Paul
The Jan. 24, 2009 Pro-Life Mass at San José Parish in Austin, will include a special remembrance of St. Paul. The theme of the Mass will be life and St. Paul. The feast of the Conversion of St. Paul is Jan. 25; however, because it falls on Sunday, it is not officially observed in 2009.