Initiatives for the opening of the Pauline Year have been programmed on the level of the Pauline Family:
28 June 2008 Solemn opening of the Pauline Year. Mass in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires presided over by Bishop Joaquin Mariano Sucunza, Vicar General of the Archdiocese.
29 June 2008 Mass of thanksgiving in St. Pauls Church (Nazca), Buenos Aires, for the Golden Jubilees of religious consecration of the members of the Pauline Family. The Eucharistic Liturgy was followed by a musical performance featuring selections from the Acts of the Apostles by Carlos Abregu and Angel Malher.
On the apostolic level, the Pauline Family has programmed:
– a blog: www.sanpablohoy.com
– a triptych on the life of St. Paul
– a poster of St. Paul
– a holy card of St. Paul with a prayer on the back
Opening of the Pauline Year
The Pauline Year opened on 28 June 2008 with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires. In his homily the principal celebrant, Bishop Joaquin Sucunza, emphasized Pauls importance for the Church and for all Christians. The entire Eucharist unfolded in a Pauline atmosphere, beginning with a solemn procession of the Word of God, accompanied by hymns. Afterward, a picture of St. Paul was unveiled. All the members of the Pauline Family, together with a large crowd of people, joyfully participated in this significant Liturgy.
Bishop Joaquin Sucunza Buenos Aires Cathedral
The festivities continued the next day in the Church of St. Paul, where the Eucharistic Liturgy opening the Pauline Year was enriched by the celebration of the 50th anniversaries of religious consecration of various members of the Pauline Family. A sculpture of St. Paul next to the main altar and various pictures of him situated around the church underscored the Apostles life and mission.
Church of St. Paul, Nazca (Buenos Aires) Bishop Raul Martin
At the end of the Liturgy, the theatrical group BANUEV enacted several scenes from the Acts of the Apostles that had been set to music, to the warm appreciation of everyone. Because the people of God in Argentina are responding so enthusiastically to the Popes invitation to celebrate a year dedicated to the Apostle Paul, the Church of St. Paul has been designated a pilgrimage destination, where everyone can meet the great Apostle.
FSP 50th Anniversary of Relig. Consecration SSP 50th Anniversary of Relig. Consecration BANUEV Theatrical Group
In other cities all over the country, the Pauline Year was inaugurated with equal enthusiasm and participation on the part of both the Church and civil society. In Corrientes, Resistencia and Santa Fe, our sisters were interviewed by local TV stations.
The Pauline Year is a wonderful opportunity to help everyone get to know the Apostle and imitate his holiness and tireless efforts to reach all peoples with the Word of God. It is also a good chance for us to intensify our pastoral work for vocations.
St. Paul in Icons
In response to the invitation to take advantage of the Pauline Year to organize cultural events and other initiatives inspired by St. Paul, the FSP formation community of Argentina is offering parishes, schools, spirituality centers and other cultural group the Apostles message by means of 24 icons and five maps illustrating his conversion, witness of life, apostolic trips and martyrdom.
Each exposition of the icons involves:
a presentation of the FSPs and our charism in the Church
a presentation of the life, mission and message of St. Paul by Sr. Teresa Groselj, fsp, who painted the icons. In her talk, Sr. Teresa explains the significance of the symbols and colors depicted in each painting.
a display of material on St. Paul and related themes and the distribution of pictures of the Apostle and a vocation leaflet.
So far, the icons have been presented in the following places:
– 3 July: Senior citizens El Centavo Focolare group
– 5 July: St. Paul Parish, San Fernando (Buenos Aires)
– 5 July: St. Paul College
– 10 July: Santa Catalina, Buenos Aires
– 12 July: St. Bernard Parish, Buenos Aires
– 19 July: Catechetical Center
– 21 July: Guadalupe College
– 22 July: Guadalupe College
Permanent Display of the Icons
Our sisters have also set up a permanent display of the icons and the biblical texts that accompany them.
In August and September, the icons will be exhibited in the parish hall of the Buenos Aires Cathedral. In January 2009, they will be displayed in the auditorium of the Borges Cultural Center and perhaps also in the art salon of the Catholic University of Argentina.
The presentation of the icons, which combines visuals and testimonies of life, is meant to help people come to a deeper knowledge of Christ. It also enables our sisters follow in the footsteps of Paul by living their baptismal and missionary vocation with fresh enthusiasm.
Bible Month in Montevideo
To celebrate Bible Month, the Daughters of St. Paul of Montevideo, Uruguay organized a series of conferences for 17-18-19 September. Guest speakers for the occasion were Bible scholars Fr. Daniel Kerber, who spoke about the conversion of St. Paul; Fr. Daniel Martinez, who focused on the Apostles experiences; and Fr. Nelson Gonzalez, who presented Paul the evangelizer. About 80 people eager to get to know the Apostle of the Gentiles attended the conferences.
Our sisters also tell us that Sr. Teresa Groselj recently visited nine parishes and the Vicariate of Education, where she met a group of professors. She also guided a meeting in our book center for FSP collaborators and customers.
Celebrating the Pauline Year in Mendoza
During the month of August, the FSPs of Mendoza organized various encounters to introduce the public to St. Paul. Each gathering featured a conference, accompanied by a book display of titles on St. Paul and an exhibit of the 24 icons created by Sr. Tersa Groselj.
1-3 August: The encounter, held in the conference hall of the Undersecretary for Culture, was attended by about 75 people, who browsed through the book display and icon exhibit with great interest.
4 August: Encounter in San Miguel Parish, Mendoza, attended by about 80 people.
5 August: Encounter in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, attended by 40 catechists and students.
6 August: Encounter held at the Dominican-run Guaymalen school, attended by 25 teachers.
7 August: Visit to San Jose boarding school, where two conferences were held to accommo-date the large group of participants (300 students). Afterward, our sisters visited Nostra Sig-nora di Candelaria Parish, where their conference and display were attended by 140 people, including parish groups and catechism classes.
8 August: Icon exhibit in the Diocesan Seminary, visited by 25 seminarians and a number of lay people.
9 August: At the invitation of the pastor of St. Nicholas Parish, Sr. Teresa Groselj preached the homily of the Saturday evening Mass, commenting on the readings of the liturgy in the light of St. Paul.
Our sisters inform us with great joy that Archbishop José Maria Arancibia of Mendoza has notified the faithful of his diocese that our FSP chapel has been designated as one of the churches where Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence for the Pauline Year. In view of this, the chapel will be open to the public on the third and fourth Mondays of each month.
Artistic-Literary Contest To Celebrate the Pauline Year
Immaculate Conception School, run by the Ursuline Sisters in Gral. San Martin (Chaco), Argentina, recently held an Artistic-Literary Contest on the life of St. Paul to celebrate the bi-millennium of the Apostles birth. The contest began in June, which is not a vacation month in South America as it is in Europe and Africa, but part of the academic year. The project used videos and other instruments to propose activities in the areas of catechesis, language and design to help the children get to know the life of St. Paul and reflect on his works. The students were then invited to offer feedback through letters, poems, stories, interviews, pictures, etc.
All their creative efforts were displayed in various galleries around the school and were evaluated by a panel of judges, which made its decision on 21 October.
On 10 November the children who had won the contest each received a prize from the Daughters of St. Paul of Resistencia, the capital of Chaco Province.
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