In Memoriam Mons. Patrick H. King, SOAR

SAN FRANCISCO 7 April 2014 (ORCNS) - It is with great sadness that we recall the death of the Most Reverend Patrick H. King, SOAR. The Bishop died on January 7th of this year. Mons. King was known as a true priest and dedicated Bishop. He was the Western Regionary Bishop for the Old Roman Catholic Church in North America. Those who knew him spoke of his warmth, compassion, and devotion. He will be greatly missed.

Autism Awareness Fundraising a Success

PATRIARCHAL SEE 2 April 2014 (ACNS) - Blue was the color of the day today across the United States as many people got out to spread the word about autism. This often debilitating disease affects 1 out of every 68 children born in America now. Its causes are still a mystery. Fundraising and awareness efforts like those around the country today are key to improving the lives of the autistic and their families.

The Patriarch of Saint Stephen, Cardinal Johnson, who participated with others in fundraising efforts today, said, "This type of work is part of the very essence of our Patriarchate's mandate of mission, service, and charity. It was a great joy to meet with autistic children and parents and to help those who are working so hard to solve the puzzle of autism." Others interviewed praised the advances made in correctly identifying those with the condition and helping them to transition successfully into productive adult life as much as possible.

Blue balloons sporting the autism logo mark an event site.

Raising Money for Autism Awareness

PATRIARCHAL SEE 2 APRIL 2014 (ORCNS) - Today Cardinal Johnson joins many others in helping to raise money for Austism awareness and research. We rightly spend a lot of effort defending the right to life. However, 1 in 68 people who actually make it into this world in the US are born with some form of Autism. In some cases it is so profound that they cannot function. Some turn their disease into an asset. Programs that need funding are helping to help the autistic get to a point where they can "help themselves" and function in society.

Ash Wednesday Patriarchal Address

PATRIARCHAL SEE 5 MARCH 2014 (ORCNS) - The Patriarch of Saint Stephen, Old Holy Roman Church of the English Rite, gave his Ash Wednesday address to the members of the Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham today. Ash Wednesday is one of the five times that these formal addresses are given on topics including administration, pastoral matters, and world events. Excerpts from the transcript are provided below.

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On this day the faithful are reminded that we are all dust, and we shall all return to dust. It is a time to confront our own frail humanity, our own mortality, and our own weaknesses. The fallen state of mankind is so often exhibited in ways that also underscore our mortality. These include war and persecution, two prime examples of man’s inhumanity to man. As we speak, there is strife around the world, as it seems there always is. We need hardly mention that chief among these are the conflict in Syria and the tensions in the Ukraine. In Syria, while the leaders of the world pretend that nothing is going on, Christians are being killed, harmed, tortured, and persecuted. Some are forced to leave their ancient homeland in search of safety, for Syria is indeed one of the oldest areas in Christendom. In the Ukraine we see the results of revolution and the chaos it brings. More often than not, the anarchist revolutionaries that bring about such chaos profess to be overthrowing a bad government, only to institute a worse system when they themselves come to power. It is a vicious cycle that plagues much of the world. Indeed, I cannot say with certainty that the promises of liberty of the American republicanists in the 18th century are truly being realized. Such is the cyclical nature of mankind’s existence. Thus We ask that at least a portion of your Lenten sacrifices be dedicated to the intentions of those people around the world who are suffering from injustice, persecution, torment, and warfare.

Within Our See, We are pleased to announce a marked increase in vocations. We ever strive to have the highest level of clerics in the service of Christ and His Holy Church within the flock entrusted to Our pastoral care.

We also announce, in the spirit of this year’s liturgical theme of Chivalry and Service, a reiterated effort to the preservation of the history and traditions of the Holy Roman Empire. These traditions are kept and maintained in a living way within Our Particular Church, which was indeed born out of the Holy Roman Empire. That which was created under the authority of the Supreme Pontiff over one thousand years ago has not died.

As we begin Lent today, we look forward to the coming festivities of the Easter Season. That itself is reason enough to proclaim that Lent is not a time of sorrow or boredom or difficulty, but is itself a time of joy as we realize the full extent of Christ’s Sacrifice for us all. How can the faithful begin to appreciate what they experience on Easter without Lent? It would be similar to an athlete receiving an Olympic medal without first having gone through the experience of training and preliminary competition. How could that be appreciated at all? Truly there is no Easter without Good Friday. That might be an oft-used expression, but it is true. Too often in the world today, people demand the joys of Easter without the Sacrifice of the Cross. That cannot be. It cannot produce real results. It is entirely contrary to the laws of nature. Let us, then, as a collection of faithful in Christ, serve as an example to the world that the people everywhere may learn to engage in selfless sacrifice and service to others to put themselves in solidarity with Our Lord on the Cross.

THE HOLY SEE WILL PARTICIPATE WITH A PAVILION AT EXPO MILAN 2015

Vatican City, 27 February 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office the protocol was presented for the participation of the Holy See at Expo Milan 2015. The general theme of the event will be “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, Commissioner General for the Holy See for Expo Milan 2015, and Giuseppe Sala, Sole Commissioner Delegate of the Italian Government for Expo Milan 2015, signed the Protocol this morning in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, and spoke at the press conference.

Expo Milan 2015 will begin on 1 May 2015 and will continue until 31 October; 140 countries will participate with their respective pavilions. The theme of the Holy See's pavilion will be “Not by bread alone”, and aims to “highlight, above all, the inner, religious and cultural dimension that affects both the person and his relationships at all levels. Inner nourishment is just as necessary as that which responds to more immediate needs”.

From the universal value of sharing and solidarity to the protection of the Earth's resources that must not be squandered or plundered, the Holy See's pavilion will promote profound reflection on the concept of “nourishment”, and will do so by presenting four areas.

The first is a garden to preserve, which relates to the protection of Creation, with all its resources, a gift given by the Creator to all humanity, and a patrimony that must not be wasted, plundered or destroyed. The second will be food to share; the Gospel account of the multiplication of bread will provide the guiding image and will underline the universal value of sharing and solidarity, expressed in the Christian context of the many institutions that have implemented this commandment of brotherly love. The third is a meal that educates, and emphasizes that education is fundamental for forming young generations in the context of a culture of human relations focused on the essentials and not on consumerist waste (of both goods and human beings); and the fourth is bread that makes God present in the world, based on the typically religious and Christian dimension of the Eucharist, the Word and Bread of life, the source and culmination of all Christian existence.

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History of the Empire: The Electorate of Trier

4 FEBRUARY 2014 (ORCNS) - The Electorate of Trier, located in modern-day Germany on the banks of the Moselle River, was an important state of the Holy Roman Empire. Trier itself was once a Roman provincial capital known as Augusta Treverorum. Already an episcopal seat during the time of the Merovingian Dynasty, Charlemagne granted the bishops of Trier independence from local secular government. It was also during the reign of Charlemagne that the See was raised to the dignity of Archdiocese.

Map by de Wit of the Electorate of Trier

The territory was founded as an Electorate in 898, giving the Archbishop a vote in electing the Holy Roman Emperor. The Prince Archbishop also held the high Imperial office of Arch-Chancellor of Gaul, giving him administrative authority in the name of the Emperor over those lands. Other Prince Archbishop Electors included Mainz, Salzburg, and Cologne.

Prince Clemens of Sazony, last reigning
Prince Archbishop of Trier

The State continued until 1801, when it was annexed by Napoleon as part of France. After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor, Trier was part of the Napoleonic Empire until it fall in 1815. Part of the electoral territory was also secularized and annexed in 1803 by the Princely County of Nassau-Weilburg. Today the Diocese of Trier is a spiritual See with no temporal or territorial jurisdiction. The titular Prince Archbishopric under the Holy Roman Empire continues as a part of the patrimony of the See of St. Stephen. The city of Trier itself remains peacefully in the Moselle River valley, about 15 km from the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Several ancient Roman ruins remain, and the city boasts several museums. It is also home to the University of Trier, founded in 1473.

New Cardinals to be Created in Rome

VATICAN CITY 2 November 2013 (ORCNS) - The Press Office of the Holy See announced that a public Consistory will be held February 2014 during which new Cardinals of the Roman Communion will be appointed. According to Rev. Federico Lombardi, SJ, head of the Press Office, Pope Francis indicated his intention to create new Cardinals earlier this month, The Consistory will take place on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, 22 February 2014.

The Holy Father has not yet announced who the new Cardinals will be. Father Lombardi also did not comment on this subject in his official statement. In previous Consistories, the names of the new Cardinals typically were made public a few weeks prior to the event.