Comments on: Catholic-Orthodox pilgrimage visits Rome

By: Christine Kimball

Christine Kimball — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:08:02 +0000

Your Eminence, thank you for sharing in words and images your amazing pilgrimage. Surely Christ smiles on your efforts at reconciliation, but how sad to be unable to receive Eucharist in one another’s churches. My favorite church was the exotic Church of the Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg–what a magnificent jewel! As a new Roman Catholic, joyfully received from the Episcopal Church this past August at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Lynnfield, I am also grateful for your site, which helps me to learn more and fall more deeply in love with the Catholic Church. May God continue to bless your ministry. Yours in Christ, Christine

By: C. David Burt

C. David Burt — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:17:26 +0000

Dear Cardinal Seán,

Congratulations on a wonderful joint Catholic/Orthodox pilgrimage; I think it will move Catholics and Orthodox closer to unity. Father Jim O’Driscoll and I are trying to promote interest in reviving the Fellowship of Saint Basil. We have set up a Yahoo Group to spark conversation. Perhaps some of the readers of your blog would be interested in joining.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SaintBasil/
C. David Burt

By: hoa duong

hoa duong — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:12:40 +0000

Thanks for your pictures. They are really wonderful. This is first time to visit your website by reading http://www.vietcatholic.com. I have enjoyed the pictures of catholic churchs which were get back and renewed. Hopefully read more subjects in next time. May God Bless you, always protect you and keep you safe. Please pray for Vietnamese and Chinese Catholic who those still suffer misarables because of Comunist…there are many catholic churchs were taken by them. It is unfair and ashamed.
Thank you Cardinal Sean

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:39:29 +0000

Eminence,

This is the single most moving blog entry you have ever done. Thank you for sharing this with us. The most profound part was the presentation of the chains of St. Paul by Abbot Edmund Power, OSB. I am a Benedictine Oblate and this pierced me to the core. Thank you!!!!!!!

By: Imelda

Imelda — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:17:09 +0000

Eminence
I really enjoyed your blog. First time to veiw it. Just stumbled on it. Glad I did it. I loved the photos of St Pauls chains. I never heard of them before. Braillant!
May God bless you, protect you and keep you safe always. Thank you

By: sharon

sharon — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:02:43 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,

It gives me pleasure to see your website and the comments left here. Between the lovely photos and simple explanations, the reason for its success is plain. Personally, however, I’d love some more details on the saints or special rites you allude to from time to time. While I can look them up on thru the website Catholic Encyclopedia, you do have some interesting comments, it would be nice to hear your version.

May God Bless you all on this pilgrimage and all those you visit that the goal of real brother-/sisterhood between Catholic/ Orthodox (and all Christian) faiths become more than a dream. May God’s love pour down into all our hearts, minds and being to allow us to come together in His Holy Spirit once more. And through this, may the peace of Christ come down into our world in an ever more deep and powerful way that World Peace become a lived reality of a faithful and committed world of believers in God’s love, mercy, help and goodness.

By: Oliver

Oliver — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:51:35 +0000

Your Eminence,

It was truly an inspiring gesture between Catholics and Orthodox having a joint pilgrimage. All the photos posted were very nice and beautiful. God bless you in your endeavour for christian unity!
Oliver Abasolo(Archdiocese of Sourhwark,United Kingdom)

By: Hugh McLoughlin

Hugh McLoughlin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:42:20 +0000

Eminence
I hope you don’t mind someone from the West of Scotland reading and comenting upon your blog, but I was interested to see the pics of your visit to the church of Saint Theodore on the Palatine as this beautiful church has a link to the Curch here in Scotland.

On 16 November 1959, Feast of St Margaret, Queen and Patroness of Scotland, it was announced that Msgr William Theodore Heard – a proud Scotsman despite having been ordained for a Sassenach diocese, Southwark – Dean of the Sacred Roman Rota and then aged 75 years, was to be created a cardinal by Blessed Pope John XXIII. Cardinal Heard was given St Theodore’s as, first, his diaconia and then later as his titular church pro hac vice.

Cardinal Heard encouraged one of my former parish priests at St Luke’s, Motherwell, Lanarkshire, to study for the qualification as Advocate of the Sacred Roman Rota. That good man later became His Eminence Thomas Joseph Cardinal Winning, Archbishop of Glasgow.

Orrabestorratime,

Hughie McLoughlin (parish of the Holy Family, Diocese of Motherwell)

By: Matthia

Matthia — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:46:10 +0000

Thank you for the stunning phos and the great and deep inspiration. I would like to work for such cause.

By: Anna McGrath

Anna McGrath — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 01:43:36 +0000

This visit is very promising.
However I have a question I would like to ask regarding the Conn Bishops agreeing to allow rape victims to take plan b at Catholic hospitals. Is this true? I thought the Catholic Church was against all abortion. Was this decision made due to pressure from Conn legislature?

Thanks you and God Bless

By: Vito Nicastro

Vito Nicastro — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:22:05 +0000

Your Eminence,
I agree with all the comments that this was a hope-giving and joyful week’s blog. To the other readers of the blog I say this: As someone who was on the Pilgrimage I found this blog gives an excellent view of the trip with the help of all the photos. Cardinal Sean, under your leadership in cooperation with our Greek Orthodox Sister Church, the Archdiocese of Boston has done another beautiful and historic thing.

By: Fr. Leonard Hindsley

Fr. Leonard Hindsley — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:23:47 +0000

What a joy it is to know that very practical and yet spiritual things can be shared among Catholics and Orthodox Christians. I pray that someday we may all be one in Christ at even a more profound level.

By: C Carrier

C Carrier — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:37:56 +0000

Disappointed that there were no pictures shown of the clergy gathering last week. It would have been nice to see such a large gathering of our priests.God bless them all.

By: John Riley,M.A.,M.Div.

John Riley,M.A.,M.Div. — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:35:55 +0000

Your Eminence,
My wife Emma and I have followed your
tour with you and the pilgrims. It is almost as if we were
with you. It was thoughtful of you to include so many
others through your blog.

John Riley,M.A.,M.Div.

By: Father Jan Sullivan

Father Jan Sullivan — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:13:07 +0000

Your Eminence;

Thank you for sharing with all of us your ministry each week and the spendid way you preach the Gospel with the example of your life. A stop at your blog is an anticipated part of my internet surfing.

I do have a question. The photo you have of Paul VI and an Orthodox bishop you identify as Athenagoras, are you certain of the Orthodox bishop’s identity? Perhaps I am mistaken, but it doesnt look like him from photos of Athenagoras I have seen.

Peace and blessing! Father Jan Sullivan.

By: Myriam Frias-Dox

Myriam Frias-Dox — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:36:45 +0000

Thank you so much Padre Sean for sharing with the whole world this wonderful visit to Rome. The photos are amazing and they bring back fond memories of the Consistory last year. May God bless you and be with you until you are safe back home in Boston.
Warm regards in Jesus & Mary.

By: paul leblanc

paul leblanc — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:21:13 +0000

I totally agree with all 6 commentators.

With the name of Paul, I was touched with the
reverence shown to his chains, and the Mass
at St. Paul’s outside the walls. Many thanks for
your weekly blog. It is my next best to EWTN

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:12:15 +0000

Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!!

Your Eminence,

Peace be with you! Thank you for sharing your photos. What a wonderful pilgrimage, underscored by not only prayer but also unity. Perhaps you will lead a similar pilgrimage for young Catholics and young Orthodox, from accross the nation.

With joy, from Philadelphia,
~Jake

By: Dan Hunter

Dan Hunter — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:52:43 +0000

Your Eminence,
Didn’t you just want to use that exquisite main altar at Santa Maria della Vittoria, to offer the Mass that had been offered there for hundreds of years: the Extraordinary Rite Mass?
This particular Rite had nourished the souls of many saints at YOUR titular church.
How important and beautiful that would be if you can do that in the near future.
You are a Cardinal.
You would fill countless souls with grace from on high if you do this.
I tell you your Eminence, If I where a priest I would feel humbled and full of joy if I could offer the Holy Sacrifice of Mass in the Extraordinary Form at that magnificent main altar.
God bless you and God Bless our Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI.
yours in the Crucified Christ,
Dan Hunter.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:52:59 +0000

These are fantastic- truly inspirational.

By: Mrs Jackie Parkes

Mrs Jackie Parkes — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:38:33 +0000

What amazing pictures..

By: Malaysian blogger

Malaysian blogger — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:38:10 +0000

Dear Cardinal Seán,
Very historical and spiritual indeed and one wonders how the buildings are constructed during those ancient times.

Warm regards as always

By: Brother Charles

Brother Charles — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:23:04 +0000

Thank you, your Eminence, for your work at unity of the apostolic churches–which we know is so close to the heart of our Holy Father!

It is good too to see the beautiful Santa Maria della Vittoria again!

By: Sheila Fisher

Sheila Fisher — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:03:08 +0000

Eminence,
Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos and description of your pilgrimage. I’m especially pleased to see the photos of the reliquaries and St. Paul’s chains.

By: Ron Gronowski

Ron Gronowski — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:01:21 +0000

Wonderful pictures, great commentary and supreme hope for Boston and the church in the U.S.A.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:36:14 +0000

Amazing, simply amazing set of photos and accompanying explanations. As an Eastern Catholic this initiative holds special significance for me. This is certainly a “blog” everyone should read assiduously.