September 2010
Faithful
A CATHOLIC MAGAZINE FOR GIRLS
Contents Page 3 - Ask Miss Faithful Page 4 - Papal Visit to UK Page 6 - Saint Space Page 7 - Subscriber Spotlight Page 8 - Vocations Page 10 - Comics Page 11 - Prayer Card Page 12 - Holy Orders Page 14 - Fun Stuff Page 15 - Music Page 16 - The Devil’s Dirt Page 17 - Sacraments Quiz Page 18 - Answers
Wow, I can hardly believe that Faithful Magazine has now been going for 2 whole years! Yes, that’s right, I started this magazine in August 2008, back when I was 13. It seems like a long time ago now, but it also seems to have gone so quickly. Well, in this issue we have some information about the Papal Visit to the UK, articles on vocations and Holy Orders, plus much more! I’m currently working on redoing the site a bit so hopefully that will be up and ready soon! I hope you enjoy this issue and keep sending in submissions either through the website or to: faithfulmagazine@gmail.com. God Bless,
Anna
3 Ask Miss Faithful
Your questions answered I'm in 7th grade and most of my friends are dating already. I see dating as the reason to someday find a partner for life. How young do you think it would be ok to start dating?
Right now, none of my friends are serious or anything. They just do it for fun and experience. Your advice please? Thanks!
Dear Hanna,
way you can get to know them better before you try and start a relationship.
I started dating when I was ten, and I really regret it now, I think it was just too young. It caused me a lot of unnecessary upset and grief. It was just a game to some, but I tended to take it way too seriously a lot of the time. Even if you are not serious, perhaps the other person is and it’s not fun for them if you’re making a joke out of them. I would say that it’s better to wait until you are older and more mature, so you can make better dating choices, rather than rushing into dating just because a lot of your friends are. There are a lot of other things to enjoy in your school years instead of worrying and giving yourself the drama of dating. What a lot of people seem to say, is try to have boys as friends and that
Hanna
I always thought that this was very hard, as most of my friends were girls, but I have found that getting to know and having a few boys as friends can help a lot. I would suggest you talk to your parents (if you haven’t already) and ask them what they think as parents have often been through a lot of what you may be going through so can actually offer some really good advice. Plus your parents might not want you dating at the moment. Most importantly develop your relationship with God so you can build better relationships with others. God bless,
Miss Faithful
4 POPE BENEDICT XVI IN THE UK 16th - 19th September 2010
Pope Benedict XVI will visit England and Scotland on a four-day Papal visit from the 16th - 19th September 2010. This is the first time a Pope has visited the UK at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen, making this a State visit as well as a Papal visit. Pope Benedict willeucenical and inter-religious meeting s as well as presiding over specifically Catholic events.
The theme for the visit is:
Cor ad Cor Loquitur - Heart Speaks unto Heart These words were chosen by Cardinal John Henry Newman to go onto his coat of arms, so it’s very fitting that they should be used for this Papal visit as on the final day of his visit the Pope will beatify Cardinal Newman - the much-loved Victorian theologian.
More details, including a full timetable and a lot more information on the different locations and events, are available on the Papal Visit Website: http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/
5 Itinerary Thursday 16th September - Day 1
Saturday 18th September - Day 3
When Pope Benedict arrives in the UK, he will visit Scotland where he will be received by Her Majesty The Queen in Edinburgh.
On the third day of the visit, Pope Benedict will celebrate Mass in Westminster Cathedral.
The Pope will then travel to Glasgow where he will celebrate an open-air mass at Bellahouston Park during the evening.
Later in the day he will visit St Peter's Residential Home for the elderly in Vauxhall and then he will be present at an open air Vigil of prayer in London's Hyde Park.
Following this, the Pope will fly to London from Glasgow.
Sunday 19th September - Day 4
Friday 17th September - Day 2 On the second day the Pope will be going to St Mary's University College, Twickenham, London. The Holy Father will begin the day praying with representatives of religious congregations. He will then go and meet 3,000 young people - students - to celebrate Catholic education. From there he will then meet with religious leaders and people of religious faith in the Waldegrave Drawing Room. Later in the day, the Pope will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace.
The final day of the visit will be focused very much on the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, and the Pope will celebrate that beatification in Cofton Park in Birmingham. The Holy Father will then make a visit to Oratory of St Philip Neri, Edgbaston, where he will be the first person to pray at the new shrine for the "Blessed" John Henry Newman as he will then be. Pope Benedict will conclude the day by meeting with the bishops of England, Scotland and Wales in Oscott College before returning to Rome from Birmingham Airport.
He has then been invited, as part of the State visit, to address British society. He will finish off the day with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Christian leaders at Westminster Abbey to celebrate Evening Prayer. The Holy Father will also pray at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and also at the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor.
I am pretty excited about this visit as I am going to have the opportunity of going to Twickenham on the 17th to attend the gathering of students. Each school can take about 6 or 7 students and my friend and I both got places. We have to be at school really early though!
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Saint Space St. Catherine of Sienna
St. Catherine was a philosopher and theologian. She worked to bring the Papacy back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. St. Catherine started having mystical experiences when she was only 6, seeing guardian angels as clearly as the people they protected. She became a tertiary of the Dominican order (i.e. Someone who does not necessarily live in a religious community, but can wear the habit and participate in the good works of the order.) when she was 16 and continued to have visions of Christ, Mary, and the saints. St. Catherine was one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day, although she never had any formal education. She died when she was only 33, and her body was found incorrupt in 1430. She was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970 and she is one of the two patron saints of Italy, along with St. Francis of Assisi.
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Subscriber Spotlight Name: Hanna Age: 13 Location: United States of America, Wisconsin Hobbies: ★ I LOVE reading books! ★ I write for a newspaper written by teens for other teens to read. ★ I love writing stories and I'm working on a couple right now. ★ I like school and see my education as a great way to learn new things. ★ I like hanging out with my friends. ★ I listen to pop and Christian music mostly, but I like all kinds. ★ I also play tenor saxophone and piano.
Siblings: I'm the oldest of 5 kids Other facts about me: ★ I attend a Catholic Middle school. ★ I just recently got interested in my faith. ★ I like to read the Bible. ★ I play Keyboard (piano) at church ★ I'm VERY pro-life ★ and I love Faithful magazine!
In each issue one subscriber/reader of the magazine gets the chance to be in the Spotlight. If you would like to be next issue’s subscriber in the spotlight please email me at faithfulmagazine@gmail.com & let me know!
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Vocations Have you ever wondered if God is calling you to a vocation? Well, the answer to that is yes! God is calling you, just as he calls every one of us. God loves you and has a purpose for your life, even if that doesn’t seem very clear to you at this time. So what are the different Christian vocations? Every person is different, we all have different personalities, likes and dislikes, and gifts. God calls different people to different ways of life, sometimes by putting a deep desire in their hearts or pulling them in a new, unexpected direction. Here are the different ‘states of life’ that God can call us to: Marriage - In marriage a husband and wide give themselves to eachother without holding anything back. They promise to love eachother faithfully, for the rest of their lives, sharing their joys and sufferings in whatever circumstances life brings them. For a Christian couple, the call to love eachother in this way is also a call to follow Christ and to give their lives in the same way to him. Consecrated life - Often called ‘religious life’, this life includes taking vows of poverty, chastity (or more precisely: lifelong celibacy) and obedience. These people dedicate their lives to the Lord by making these lifelong vows. They are responding to a call to live as Christ lived - poor, chaste and obedient - and therefore making their hearts more free for prayer and service. The consecrated life includes monks and nuns in enclosed communities, religious brothers and sisters in active communities, and also many others who live and work ‘in the world’ who have taken these three vows.
The single life - There are also many people who have made a personal commitment to single life, without taking any formal vows. This may have been a personal choice, in order to enable them to serve the Lord in a particular way or follow a particular path, or it may have been a process of coming to accept the single way of life through their circumstances or other decisions. Priesthood - All Christians are called to live a ‘priestly’ way of life, which means they offer their lives in prayer and service to God. This is our ‘baptismal’ priesthood. However, the ‘ministerial’ priest, through the sacrament of Holy Orders, shares in the priesthood of Christ in a very special way. The priest's very being is transfigured in this sacrament so that he can represent Christ for us. As well as offering his own life to God, as all Christians do, he also stands before the Church and ministers to us as Christ ‘in person’. In the Roman Catholic Church, only men may be ordained priests. Read more about the Sacrament of Holy Orders on page 12. The permanent diaconate - The diaconate is also the sacrament of Holy Orders. The permanent deacon, who can be married or single, dedicates his life to serving others. Their ordination brings a specific grace that allows their life of service to be consecrated in a special way. Also, in the Roman Catholic Church, only men may be ordained deacons. Each vocation is a call to follow Christ and a commitment to love in a certain way. Each vocation challenges us to live out our faith more deeply and to follow Christ more closely. Each vocation holds great value and it is important to appreciate the value of each other and to discover which one is right for you.
9 Discerning your vocation You may be wondering how you figure out what vocation God is calling you to. Although there is no exact fail-safe formula for discerning your vocation, here are several things that can help you:
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Trust that God wants you to discover your vocation, as much, or perhaps even more, than you do yourself. God has planted his call in your heart. Be honest about your innermost feelings and don’t be afraid of the vocation you feel attracted to.
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Look for clues in the things you feel attracted to. For example, if you enjoy being part of a community of people who want to live their lives for God? Then perhaps you should take a look at whether consecrated life is for you. Or perhaps you love being around children and cannot imagine not having children of your own? Then marriage is probably your vocation.
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Find ways in which to serve God right now in any way you can in the Church. For example, liturgical ministries (e.g. altar servers, eucharist ministers, lectors (readers), ushers etc.), teaching ministries (e.g leading Sunday school), or ministries or charity and social action (e.g. Justice and peace groups). These will help you discover your gifts and interests.
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Spend some time with people you admire. Find out what being a religious sister is about, what you have to do as a deacon, or how a married couple live out their faith together (your parents might be a good example of this.).
Even if you don’t know what your vocation is right now, we are all called to live well in the present. We have the Little Way shown to us by St. Thérèse of Lisieux - the importance of simply doing your duty, praying, loving your neighbour and bearing your sufferings; all with a glad and loving heart. It might not seem very dramatic, but it’s the secret to holiness and it reminds us that your vocation is not something far off in the future, waiting to be discovered, but is here and now, living the Christian life. Perhaps this is all God wants you to do at the moment.
A great little booklet I have is: ‘How to discover your vocation’ by Fr Stephen Wang. It’s published by the Catholic Truth Society and available, along with many other great Catholic booklets, from many Church or Catholic bookstalls or bookshops as well as from the CTS website: http://www.cts-online.org.uk.
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Comics
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God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can and Wisdom to know the difference
Holy Orders In the Sacrament of Holy Orders men are ordained, through prayer and the laying on of hands, to serve the Church as bishops, priests or deacons. The sacrament is called Holy Orders because it is a way of consecrating (designating and making Holy) people for the three orders (categories) of ministry in the Church: bishops, priests and deacons. The Rite of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is called ordination and those who have received the Sacrament are called ordained ministers or clergy.
layperson (i.e. an ordinary person) cannot carry out. The role of the clergy is to serve the Christian community These responsibilities fall into and to represent Christ in the three categories: teaching, divine worship (the liturgy), community. A Christ is the and church leadership (or head of the Church, this governance). means ordained ministers have a leader-ship role in the The bishop receives all of the liturgy and in the community. responsibilities of Holy The role that bishops, priests Orders. Through his ordination rite he becomes a and deacons play in the successor to the original community does not make Apostles and therefore takes them more important in the on all the responsibilities eyes of God, or any holier than any other persons. God Christ gave to them. With all the other bishops, he is calls us all to live holy lives. responsible for the leadership The ordained ministers are of the whole Church, given responsibilities that a alongside the Pope, but he is also individually responsible for his own diocese, which he has been given to lead. Only the bishop can ordain priests and the bishop is the ordinary minister for Confirmation. The bishop also blesses all the sacred oils that are used in all the Sacraments by all the parishes in the diocese. The bishop is the chief catechist (teacher) in the diocese and must ensure that the Catholic faith is taught correctly.
When a bishop ordains a priest he is extending a part of his apostolic authority to the priest. This makes the priest a coworker with the bishop of the diocese. The bishop assigns each priest to a particular parish and the priest is responsible for leading it. Priests can celebrate all the sacraments except Confirmation (except with special permission) and Holy Orders. The ministry of deacons is different to the ministry of priests. A deacon is ordained for works of service and liturgical ministry and they may or may not be assigned to a parish. The Church has transitional and permanent deacons. Transitional deacons are men who are on their way to being ordained priests. Permanent deacons can baptise, preach, witness marriages, preside at funerals and carry out works of service in the community after years or preparation and study. Permanent deacons may be either married or single.
13 There are three different Ordination rites corresponding to the three ordained ministries.
the powers they have received. So, for example, if a priest is released from his responsibilities and vows and is free to marry, he can give The bishop is the ordinary the Sacrament of Anointing of minister for all three rites, and the Sick to a dying person in the main symbol for all three an emergency if there is no rites is the bishop’s laying on other priest available. of hands and prayer that they will receive the gifts of the The Catholic Church only Holy Spirit he needs for his ordains baptised men ministry. because Jesus only chose men, and not women, to be When a bishop is ordained he his Apostles and then the also received the book of Apostles went on to do the Gospels as a sign of his same when they chose authority to tach the truth, a people to carry on their ring which signifies his ministry. The Magisterium of marriage to the Church, a the Church has always upheld miter to represent authority, that this is is part of the and a shepherds staff to show Tradition that has been his role as following in Christ's revealed by God and so footsteps as shepherd to the cannot be changed by human people. beings. When a priest is ordained, he The Roman Catholic Church is clothed in the special also has the discipline of vestments of his office, his priestly celibacy. This means hands are anointed with oil that bishops and priests and he is presented with a promise never to marry so paten and chalice as a sign of they can be free to focus all his role in the Eucharist. their time and energy on their The ordination of a deacon also includes being clothed in special vestments and receiving the book of gospels to show his ministry of preaching. Ordination can never be repeated because, like Baptism and Confirmation, the Sacrament of Holy Orders puts a permanent mark onto a person's soul. Also, an ordained person never loses
ministry in the Church. Priestly celibacy is a human law, put in place because it makes a lot of sense, but it is not required by God. I know someone whose Dad is a permanent deacon and they complain of the strain on their Dad’s time and attention, so consider how much worse it might be for the family of a priest.
For more information about the different sacraments check out the past issues of Faithful Magazine, available from the website.
Did you know? There are actually two kinds of priests. Most parish priests are diocesan priests, who make vows of celibacy and obedience to their bishop and who serve the Church within a particular diocese. They cannot leave their diocese to serve in another diocese without special permission, but may be moved around within their diocese. Other priests are members of religious communities like Benedictines, Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans. They take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to their religious superior. Religious priests may be involved in ministries across the world an often live a very simple lifestyle in community. Some of them also serve as parish priests with the permission of the local bishop, but they also serve in other ministries according to their religious community.
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S U O I G I L E R O C A S Z P Q N L D Q G J S V O U S W I A Y U S E X Y K N C A P I O Z V W V R T V M L O E G Z N V D V S O E A D Y P I D K B G Z X U R U D R H Q A T N M W L T B V I S R C J W X A J S L E U X T B J O E D I S C E R N M E N T I G Y S F M H O T C X V F M Y S N L N O M H V N O C A E D Q H J O O Y S K E N O C C F C E O Q H C Q A W B B D M T I B E P H N X P R I E S T V L L K N T N E M T I M M O C G F E N D E G A I R R A M Z P S U I A X
bishop commitment consecrated deacon discernment holy orders life marriage priest religious single vocations vows
Books of the Bible Unscramble 1. zkeeiel
6. ulasme
11.osramn
2. cihinnasrot
7. gahaig
12.iohmtyt
3. tmweaht
8. haiczhera
13.rhut
4. xoueds
9. tmsatnnealoi
14.oenchscilr
5. munsrbe
10.cscalieteesc
15.spmlsa
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c i s Mu Adam Bitter “Adam Bitter is the main leader, and he has a band. They sing lots of catholic/christian awesome rock songs, and some slower ones too. Check him out at www.adambitter.com or listen to some of his music on Youtube. Some of his songs are Overwhelm me, Hold my hand, Lead the way, and other ones that I LOVE!” - Hanna
The Light Meets the Dark - Tenth Avenue North
For Those Who Wait - Fireflight
I especially like the first track- Healing Begins.
I love the high powered rock feel of the first few tracks.
16 THE DEVIL’S DIRT By Hanna, age 13. We are always being taught about God, how good he is, how much he loves us, and so on. Then we're told the Devil is mean, hates us, and wants us to hate God. We learn that Hell is a bad thing, and we are sometime afraid to talk about the Devil or Hell. The Devil is the one who is always tempting you, daring you to do wrong. He is the master of hell, the one persuading you to do bad things. I'm sure you know that we all have Guardian Angels. They are one of God's angels assigned to us since before we were conceived. They stand by us all the time, protecting us and encouraging us to do the right thing. You can also refer to them as your "conscience", the one little voice in your head who bugs you about something you're going to do or have already done that was wrong. But did you know that the Devil has assigned to you a fallen angel that stays by you and is always tempting you? I just recently learned this, and truthfully it kind of scared me, knowing that the Devil has assigned ME one of his evil doers to be by my side at all times. So you have a good angel and a bad angel with you all the time! The devil can put images into your head. When you’re have nightmares, or think about doing bad things, maybe some concerning relationships with boyfriends, that’s him working through you. The Devil hates the name "Jesus" and he hates when we wear a Scapular. A Scapular is a sort of necklace, and if you are wearing it when you die you will for sure go to Heaven. If you are being tempted to do something, I've learned to say "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus"
and the tempting will probably stop because the Devil hates that name so much. I hate sinning because then I am telling the Devil that he has won me over and he has gotten his way, since I have sinned. The Devil also works through you when you are distracted. If you are in Church and can't concentrate, that’s him. If you are not paying attention in school, it's him. So, when you're distracted and can't concentrate, start praying for the distraction subject. If you're in church and you can't stop thinking about your friends, homework, school, chores, etc. then say "Jesus, help my friends to become closer to Jesus, help me to do my best on my homework, help me to do well in school..." and so on. If you blame yourself for something that you think you could’ve prevented, or done differently, that’s the Devil. Don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t help. The Devil wants us to hate God, to do wrong, and to sin. Don’t give him the satisfaction! The Devil hates all living things, since God created us and he hates God. Even if we do sin and do everything to please the Devil, he’ll still hate us no matter what. He especially hates girls and women because we have the ability to bear precious life in our womb and to give birth to humans. He will always hold a grudges against women specifically, because we are so special in God’s eyes. So, my sisters in Christ, stay strong and don’t be afraid! Remember: God is on your side and he loves you more than you can imagine! Pray for the people who don’t know his love and who only know evil. I will pray that you all stay strong in your faith and love God! And never be afraid. Amen!
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Sacraments Quiz 1. How many sacraments of the Catholic Church are there? a) 8 b) 7 c) 6 d) 3 2. What are the three sacraments of initiation? a) Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation b) Baptism, Eucharist, and Reconciliation c) Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders d) Baptism, Eucharist, and Holy Orders 3. Which sacrament does not use anointing oils? a) Baptism b) Confirmation c) Holy Orders d) Marriage 4. Who is the ordinary minister of Confirmation? a) The Pope b) The bishop c) A priest d) A deacon 5. How many sacraments leave an indelible mark on one's soul according to the Catholic Church? a) 3 b) 4 c) 2 d) 7
Answers on Page 18.
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Answers Sacraments Quiz Answers: 1. b 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. a
Wordsearch Solution
S U O I G I L E R O C A S Z P Q N L D Q G J S V O U S W I A Y U S E X Y K N C A P I O Z V W V R T V M L O E G Z N V D V S O E A D Y P I D K B G Z X U R U D R H Q A T N M W L T B V I S R C J W X A J S L E U X T B J O E D I S C E R N M E N T I G Y S F M H O T C X V F M Y S N L N O M H V N O C A E D Q H J O O Y S K E N O C C F C E O Q H C Q A W B B D M T I B E P H N X P R I E S T V L L K N T N E M T I M M O C G F E N D E G A I R R A M Z P S U I A X
Books of the Bible Unscramble Answers: 1.
EZEKIEL
2.
CORINTHIANS
3.
MATTHEW
4.
EXODUS
5.
NUMBERS
6.
SAMUEL
7.
HAGGAI
8.
ZECHARIAH
9.
LAMENTATIONS
10. ECCLESIASTES 11. ROMANS 12. TIMOTHY 13. RUTH 14. CHRONICLES 15. PSALMS