Passionist International Bulletin

PassionistInternationalBulletinSpecial EditionN. 3 - December 2003Seminaron theMemoriaPassionison theoccasionof the 90thBirthdayofFr. StanislasBreton

I N D E XSeminar on the Memoria PassionisIn honor of the 90th birthday of Fr. Stanislas Breton, C.P.Fr. Ottaviano D'EgidioPresentation: “Tribute to Fr. Breton” . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 3Fr. Fernando Taccone“The chronicles of an historical celebration” . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 7Fr. Stanislas Breton“Retrospective” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 9Fr. José Luis Quintero“The Memoria Passionis as a categoryof the Logos of the Cross” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 13Fr. Adolfo Lippi“La Passion du Christ et les Philosophies andthe developments in the theology of the cross” . . . . . .p. 16Fr. Maximiliano Anselmi“The Memory of the Messianic Passionfrom the perspective of spirituality” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 17Fr. Pablo Lorenzo“Nothingness: The principal attribute...” . . . . . . . . . .p. 19Fr. Ottaviano D’EgidioHomily for the Mass of Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 21Passionist Life25th Anniversary of the Pontificate of John Paul IIFr. Fabiano Giorgini“25 years of the Pontificate of John Paul II:the relationship of the Pope with the Passionists” . .p. 23General Consulta of 4 - 8 November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 26News from the Passionist Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 27Ordinations and Professions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 33Notitiae Obitus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 34New Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 35Passionist International BulletinN°3 - New Series - December 2003Special EditionEditorGeneral Curiaof the Congregation of the PassionGeneral Consultor forCommunicationsLuis Alberto Cano, C.P.Editing and Traslation of TextsMarco Albarella, C.P. (Italian)Luis Enrique Bernal, C.P. (Spanish)Lawrence Rywalt, C.P. (English)Collaborators for this issueAntonio Calabrese, C.P.Enzo del Brocco, C.P.John Baptist Ormechea, C.P.Federica FrancoPhotographsArthur Carrillo, C.P.Giovanni Cipriani, C.P.Jefferies Foale, C.P.Christopher Gibson, C.P.Gregor Lenzen, C.P.AddressCommunications OfficeCuria GeneraliziaPza. Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, 1300184 Roma – ITALIATel. 06-77.27.11Fax: 06.700.84.54Página Web: http://passiochristi.orgE-mail: commcuria@pcn.netGraphicsMarco AnimobonoCover logoLoretta LynchPrintingGrafica Animobono s.a.s.Via dell’Imbrecciato, 71a00149 Roma

seminar on the memoria passionisA SEMINAR ON THE MEMORIA PASSIONIS INSTANISLAS BRETON: TRIBUTE, RESEARCH AND REFLECTIONFr. Ottaviano D’Egidio, C.P.A life lived “in the significance of the cross,” thatof Fr. Stanislas Breton, religious of the PassionistCongregation since 1928, was born in 1912 inGironde, France. I want to say about Fr. Breton whathe himself wrote in, Le Verbe et la Croix (1981)Chapter III - “The crazy persons of Christ”- “They aremen who possess a living and devastating recollectionof an essential past dominated by the cross. From onhigh, from the top of the cross they look “at all thatwhich in our present existence we call reality”. Andthey lift their heads toward that Nothing that faith tellsthem is “worthy of being”, because it is in thisNothing and for this that they are what they are. Mendiscern that their folly is placed within a “metaphor”(in the etymological sense of the term), that continuallytransports them toward the Crucified One,because there is their treasure and it is there wheretheir heart rests.”Philosopher, theologian and poet of the MemoriaPassionis, he is among the great representatives ofcontemporary Christian thought. The vast scientificwork, 40 published books and 311 articles or contributionsto collected works and his academic teachinghave contributed to the deepening of the research onthe Verbum Crucis in a profitable dialog betweenfaith, reason and intuition. Furthermore, he hasenriched the understanding of the charism of thePassionist Congregation that St. Paul of the Crosssummarized in the words “promote grateful remembranceof the Passion of Our Lord.”The Passionist Congregation, wishing to initiatethe cathedra Gloria Crucis in the Pontifical LateranUniversity, could not have found a more opportuneoccasion than that of the 90 th birthday of StanislasBreton. In fact, Father Breton was one of the first, notonly in the Congregation, but in the entire Church tohave perceived the renewing power of the Cross andthe Passion within the intellectual field. Certainly heanticipated, with his studies, the revival of the theologiacrucis that has been confirmed in recent decadesin Protestant circles, then, also in Catholic sectors.When this was validated, however, Breton did notlimit himself to merely observing what they hadalready delineated, but, with scientific care and precision,he also revealed the shortcomings, without enteringinto arguments with anyone.Breton did not so much discover the pitfalls in thecritical stance that the Lutheran theologia crucisassumed with respect to the traditional categories ofFrom the Editors…This edition of the New PIB is entirely a “special edition”. In this issue we feature the joyful event of the celebration ofthe 90th birthday of Fr. Stanislas Breton and the Seminar of the “Memoria Passionis” that was held in Rome to celebratethis anniversary. Thus you will note that we slightly changed the format and the sections that were used in prior issues.In light of the impossibility, for lack of space, of offering all of the content of the Seminar, we chose instead to summarizesome aspects of the same. In addition to the chronicle of the event, you will find the complete text of the talks of Fr.General and one of the conferences of Fr. Breton; additionally there is a brief summary of each of the four major conferences.The complete text will be edited and published in the future by the General Curia.Also we could not ignore the celebration of the 25 th Anniversary of the Pontificate of John Paul II. Fr. Fabiano Giorginiprepared an article on this topic. Finally, we present a synopsis of the main news items of the Passionist Family during thisperiod.Your comments and suggestions are welcome concerning the New PIB, as well as your collaboration. You can send correspondencevia e-mail, fax or normal mail to the address that appears on page 2.A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of the Passionist Family!The Editors3

seminar on the memoria passionis4Christology. But more so, in the absence of the radicalismthat is demanded both by the formulation of thestaurological discourse of Paul the apostle, as well as bythe experiences of the mystics and scholars and thinkersbased on such experiences. Breton then positivelydeveloped his own theory that should be placed beyondthe limits of individual scholastic disciplines, a theorythat will be developed at least in summarized fashion inthis Seminar. This theory certainly does not presumeany exclusivity: I still believe that it can be an excellentpoint of departure and orientation for the cathedra thatis inaugurated today.Beyond assuming any ideological position, Bretontransmits in an authentic way the Catholic vision ofChristology and of soteriology. Within the parametersof this vision, he understands and uses the living andvital experience of the Christian mystics, in particularof Paul of the Cross and of the other mystics of thePassion.Furthermore Breton is never a mere theorist,enclosed within the concreteness of the ethical exigenciesof suffering humanity that seek redemption. In thestaurological passages of the first letter to theCorinthians there is a wisdom that, considered folly bythe world, distances itself from every other wisdom andestablishes a renewed critical optic, and in the secondchapter of the letter to the Philippians that witnesses tothe characteristic element of inclusive service of thekenosis of the Son of God, who called each of us toevaluate ourselves by our service toward the least ofsociety, toward the crucified of our world.It is my hope that the Passionist Congregation andin particular the Cathedra that is inaugurated today willmore clearly assume their specific mission, which consistsof guarding, even on the cultural level, the Word ofthe Cross, making every effort so thatthe world, and at times the Churchitself, does not render vain the cross ofChrist, according to the probing expressionof the Apostle. May this revelationand grace, within which are manifestedthe highest wisdom and the greatestpower of God himself, not be emptiedof meaning and effectiveness.I would now like to relate some pointsfrom the life of Breton.Stanislas Breton was born in 1912 inGironde, France. He was orphaned as achild, remaining in the care of his sisters.“When I was young I met the pastorof my home parish who made meone of the most faithful members of thechoir. I fervently sang the ‘Requiem’”.He was accepted into the seminary, andthen the pastor of the parish advisedhim to enter the Passionist student center, a 7Km distancefrom the parish.At the age of 15 he entered the novitiate; he madeprofession in 1928 and was ordained to the priesthoodin 1936. He was required to serve in the military, and hewas placed in charge of the library at the air force base.Subsequently his superiors assigned him to teach philosophy:“They believed that I had a capacity for thatmaterial, even if my spiritual director had once told me:You have more imagination than intelligence!” Herecalls having read “kilometers and kilometers ofscholastic prose.” He acknowledges that he was especiallyinfluenced by the work of Suarez, “DisputationesMetaphysicae”.He was sent to Rome to pursue a licentiate inscholastic philosophy, but because of the world war hewas recalled to France and enlisted in the military. Hewas assigned to a unit of the colonial infantry and thento work in an infirmary. In 1940 he was taken prisonerby the Germans. In his knapsack he had three philosophytexts: “Elementi di logica matematica” ofBochenski, “La modalità del giudizio” of Brunschvicgand “Gli elementi principali della rappresentazione” ofO. Hamelein, that he read when he could in the concentrationcamp. From there he was transferred to Troyesfor several weeks and then to Austria. On April 1, 1945,Easter Sunday, he arrived in Russia. After a march of500 km by foot, he arrived in the native city of Hitler.At the beginning of May he was returned to his countryand reintegrated in the community as a professor of theologyand philosophy. The superiors permitted him toreturn to Rome and he received his degree from theAngelicum University of Rome in 1947 with the thesis,“L’esse in et l’esse ad dans la métaphysique de la relation”.

seminar on the memoria passionisIn 1948, having just earned his degree, he wasnamed a professor at the Pontifical University of thePropagation of the Faith. During these years he begana relationship with great philosophers and mathematicians.In 1953 he began to study the topic: “ThePassion of Christ and philosophers”, “in which Isought to place the via crucis within a schema, objectifyingmy desolations of body and spirit.” This workwas published in 1954.In 1956 he left teaching at the Propaganda Fideiand returned to France: “Leaving Rome - he wrote - Ihad the impression of going from the infinite to thefinite.”He was named a professor at the CatholicInstitute, first in Lyon and later in Paris. He obtaineda doctorate at the civil university and wrote a thesis onN. Hartman, under the guidance of Prof. Rayon Aron.These, after having heard the defense of the thesis,said to him: “According to you, N. Harman would bethe last of the scholastic philosophers. Having heardyou it seems to me that it would be better to say thathe is the ‘next to last’!”In Paris he held the cathedra of Metaphysics and from1970 he was also professor at the teacher trainingschool. The activity of professor put him in contactwith many intellectuals, among whom he particularlyremembers Louis Althuser. Retiring from teaching, Fr.Breton continued his intellectual work in thePassionist community of Champigny, France.Father Breton lectured at the University of Lavaland of Montreal, and in recent years he participated invarious cultural meetings in Japan, Marocco, Tunisiaand Madagascar. In addition to his numerous articlesin international periodicals, he wrote: L’esse in etl’esse ad dans la métaphysique de la relation, 1951;La Passion du Christ et les philosophies, 1954;Situation de la philosophie contemporaine, 1959;Approches philosophiques de l’idée d’être, 1959;Mystique de la Passion, 1962; Du Principe, 1971;Ecriture et révélation, 1979; Le Verb et la Croix,1981; Mystique de la Passion. Etude sur la doctrinespirituelle de Saint Paul de la Croix, 1962; Marxismeet critique, 1979; Vers un Théologie de la croix, 1979;De Rome à Paris. Itinéraire philosophique, 1992;Philosophie et mystique, 1996; L’avenir duChristianisme, 1999.In the words of gratitude expressed on the occasion ofthe reception of his degree “honoris causa” from theUniversity of Louvain, Fr. Breton concluded: “Permitme to add that I have never hidden the fact that I am aChristian. Regarding this classification (Catholic) andI preached about this (membership) I have never madeit a reason for exclusivity or pride, never an opportunepretext for exceptional status; but I associate myselfwith it as a sign of contradiction, the cross of Christ,and it is this shadow that is cast on the sadness ofthings, on the beauty of the world, that iconoclasticaccomplices sometimes critically severe, but which isalso an intrepid stimulus that challenges our strengthsand which propels us beyond our hopes.” (Stauros,25-XI-1989).Fr. Breton assisted and still assists, with surprisingvitality, the Congregation and the world, to deepen itsunderstanding of the mystery of the Cross and of thePassion of Jesus. In the Congress “Sapienza dellaCroce” of 1975 with his conference, “La croce e il nonessere,” he reminds us that, “The cross in a Christiansetting is the sign and the source of contradiction thatis raised above the world. In a judgment that distancesit and draws it to itself, the strange power of the negativeis renewed in us. The nakedness of the Cross isdirected toward the nakedness of faith and by meansof it, to the nakedness of the soul.”Breton does not intend to make the Cross a philosophylesson. “But one must understand that sometimes extremes touch at their greatest point of inequality.The Cross divides the world in the sense of originaldivision and judgment that separates. It isinscribed in the radical nature of salvation and in theloss of being and of non-being. For some the Cross isfolly and for others the power of God. And it doesn’tlose its appearance of folly for those who are saved byhope. In whatever way that it is understood, it alwaysremains a paradox and folly.”The “crazy ones” of the Cross are the living paradoxesthat revitalize in their uniqueness the derision ofthe powers of this world, inaugurated by the Cross ofChrist. The Cross is concretized as a dynamic sense ofcommitment, as a place to sink roots. The Crossinvolves a transformation of the world, a new creation“ex nihilo crucis”. It defines the place where one livesand where it is good to dwell. It reduces or restructureseverything, in order to dispel prestige, by thejudgment of the Crucifed.Breton says that Paul of the Cross truly lived theCross: his name in this sense is an ontological name,which says exactly what he is, because it is preciselythere where his heart and joy are found. From this“nothing” he finds the spring to “proceed” apostolicallytoward a transformation of the world. But withoutmaking illusions to the results and the effectivenessof the work, he keeps his distance, and he submitshimself to the one that judges, who humbles himselfand who lets the shadow of useless service slipaway in ephemeral glory and in Ash Wednesday.The God of the Cross, Breton continues, is nothingthat is, nor even “the I Am who Am” of Exodus.5

seminar on the memoria passionis6Concerning parallelism, the nothingnessof God and nothingnessof the soul join in a “germennihil” of non-being. But theempty tomb and the Sign of theCross of Easter morningannounce the era of the newworld, the era of the resurrection.Then the becoming of the worldand the Reign of God hiddenwithin “this oblique earth” proceedby means of Christ on thecross “ex nihilo Dei et animae”.And it is at this point that Passionand resurrection are reunited. Thetwo moments are original inChristian becoming that demandnot so much being of the crossand passion, as being the “pneumatic”of the Resurrection.Additionally, we are reminded in the work LeVerbe e la Croix (1981) that “free being is being causeof itself”. The stupidity and the weakness of the crossforce us to overcome this system of self-determination.These tell us that we cannot control things, orpeople, or God, or, above all, ourselves. The crosswould therefore be the ultimate critique of privateproperty, in the broadest sense of the word “property”.The blessed or the “living beings” know that the worldof faith is a world turned upside down. All institutionsdeserve the invectives concerning these wanderers thatare powerful in their total devastation; they know thattheir weakness is the best argument against the powerful.They feel at ease and within their natural element,in the midst of the poor in every sense of the word, thatis, those “that don’t exist according to the world.” Thefolly of the cross tolerates with difficulty this means ofmeasurement. The critical function of the “crazy person”is to demolish “that which moves by its ownmeans”.And Fr. Breton raises a song and a poem to one ofthese “crazy-chosen ones” that we admire for theirwitness: Francis of Assisi.Francis of Assisi is one with the stigmata of Vernaand the canticle of the sun. The exceptional, in him, isso perfectly under control that one forgets that, assuch, under the appearances of a man, there movedamong us a flower of the fields. He moved so naturallyin the reign of nature and grace, which characterizeand distinguish him, causes him to be quickly dismissedas a common wanderer of our streets. Theextraordinary, that can only flower, takes its melodyfrom a song, in which the elements of water, air, fireand earth dance in an ethereal space so much so thatwe are not certain whether we are here or in heaven.That love that is not of this world,and which the Cross reduces to aninterrogative, thus respectful ofour decisions, dwells in the silenceof nakedness. Indescribable by ourwise discourses, he easily passesthrough our streets, merely a soul,inebriated by his presence, heloans him his dwelling and disappears.The little poor man barelyhas what he needs so that theinstrument doesn’t become anobstacle. Like Paul, “he wantsnothing else than to know ChristCrucified”. But this familiarity, sonatural, ignores the refinements of“wise ignorance”. It is because ofthe fact that he “bears the woundsin his body” of his Lord. This isenough for his happiness, if thisvery unworthy word still serves the Mediterraneanicon of the Beatitudes.Francis preaches to the birds as easily as he doesto people, as if he reads in the earth, and in the figuresof shadow and light, the universal transparency of thesign of contradiction. In the beauty of beings and intheir ephemeral consistence, he recognizes theNothing that gave them that face that he doesn’t have.As different from so many others, that proclaim theirpower, he avoids raising his voice. Doesn’t the necessaryand sufficient judgment come from that Cross bywhich he identifies himself, and which he no longerhas to put on his shoulders?Francis of Assisi, like Paul of the Cross remembersthat the Cross unites the “nothing of the soul”with the “Nothing by excess” that the Sign signifies.Those that have lived heroically are themselves signs:they indicate where ones needs to go to become thatwhich we are and that which “we should be”. Bretonfurther states that the mystical life which Paul of theCross allows us to glimpse is the union of spirituality,of the mystery of faith and metaphysics, exercisedmore than theorized and to see things and the world“from the height of the cross.”In restating our best wishes to Fr. Breton on his91th birthday, of which 75 were spent as a professedreligious, celebrating the 75th anniversary of his professionon October 10, 2003, it is my sincerest hopethat these two study days will help us to preserve theyouthful spirit of Fr. Breton and to always begin fromChrist and from Christ Crucified, in the witness of thebaptized, in the missionary endeavor of all, religiousand laity, for the hope of the world.

seminar on the memoria passionisTHE CHRONICLES OF AN HISTORICAL CELEBRATIONFr. Fernando Taccone, CPPartial view of the assembly during the SeminarThe Pius XI multimedia hall of the LateranUniversity of Rome was the site of an extraordinaryevent: the celebrations of the long and interesting life ofFr. Stanislas Breton, Passionist, characterized by hisoutstanding contributions to the field of philosophy,and the inauguration of serious and specific interdisciplinarystudy about the Passion of Christ.The Passionists and representatives of the internationalcommunity gathered around Fr. Breton andacknowledged him as a model of fidelity to the contemplationof Christ Crucified.Among the 40 works and 311 articles that composethe monumental literary work of Fr. Breton, the Crossrepresents the beginning point from which everythingoriginates and toward which everything converges.The cultural chronicles of the Passionists havealways noted the name of Fr. Breton, beginning withthe publication of the work, “La Passion du Christ etles Philosophies” in 1954. There has never been a studyseminar at which he has not been a speaker. The topicof the Passion and the Cross was studied in the Word, inthe mysticism of St.Paul of the Cross, in the non being,in the city of men, in the history of theology, in the actualityof the Passion, in the noise of the City and theSilence of the Cross, in the knowledge of the world andin the wisdom of the cross, in the mysticism and theesthetics of Paul of the Cross.Considering these themes, the celebration of the 90 thbirthday of Fr. Stanislas Breton was necessary andopportune. The Superior General, Fr. OttavianoD’Egidio, gave voice to the common sentiment of theCongregation with regard to Fr. Breton and was insistentthat this vital event be celebrated by the PassionistFamily.At the beginning of the millennium the invitation tostart again from Christ was addressedon all levels of the Church. The memoryof the strong staurological thought ofBreton must necessarily constitute themeans for a renewal and deepening ofthe charism and the presence of thePassionists in the Church and in society.It will serve as a challenge to respond toour charismatic identity, to be dedicatedto knowledge of the Passion of Christand all people.The well-attended Study Seminar onthe Memoria Passionis in the work ofStanislas Breton, on the occasion of his90 th birthday, took place on Wednesday,29 - 30 October. Those attendingreceived much matter for profound reflection providedby Breton, which he gives as an inheritance to allPassionists. The 143 participants (Passionists fromItaly, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Latin America,England, Ireland, Scotland, USA, Africans and Asians;Italian and Mexican female Passionists of the variousinstitutes; laity of the lay Passionist movement; studentsof theology and philosophy) were noted inL’Osservatore Romano of 29 October and by RadioVaticana referring to Breton. With the intention of makingthe name of Breton known to a wider audience,publicity was sent to all of the University Colleges ofRome, all higher Institutes of Religious Sciences ofItaly and all of the departments of Philosophy of thepontifical and state universities of Italy.Congratulatory letters and messages were receivedfrom the Cardinal of Vienna, Christoph Schonborn;from the Rector of the Pontifical Urban University,Msgr. Ambrosio Spreafico; from the Bulgarian ambassadorto the Holy See, Professor Vladimir Gradev, fromProfessor Giacomo Cannobiio, the ex-president of theItalian theological society, from the Passionist communityof Colonia Caroya, from the Passionist missionariesof Mozambique and from Fr. Antonio María Artola.We especially note the Municipio of Esine in theprovince of Brescia (Italy), where Fr. Breton visited fornearly fifty years, doing priestly ministry and buildinga fraternal and cultural relationship with the pastor DonGiovanni Antonioli.The Lateran University was represented by the Pro-Rector Professor Msgr. Ignacio Sanna and by the Deanof the Department of Philosophy, Prof. Msgr. AntonioLivi. For the inauguration of the Cathedra Gloria Crucisthe Vice-Dean of the department of Theology, Prof.Msgr. Piero Coda was present.7

seminar on the memoria passionis8The four conference speakers, individuals wellversedin the thought of Breton, offered the participantsa series of systematic studies on the work of Breton. Allfour agreed thatthe time allottedthem was insufficient,since muchmore could besaid aboutBreton.Mentionshould also bemade of the presenceof the nieceand friends of Fr.Breton, amongthem Dr. GabrielBrossard whocatalogued all ofthe works ofBreton. Thanks to him, the Fondo Breton of theCatholic Institute of Paris and of our General Archivesis a reality. The students, and young Passionists in general,received the necessary intellectual input to appreciatethe complete thought of Breton and to furtherdevelop it.The exhibition of the works of Breton in the multimediaroom of the university was greatly appreciatedby the professors, students and visitors. One frequentlyheard the remark: “He’s written so much!” to whichBreton responded: “I have written a lot!”. And the bestis yet to be written.October 30 was the day dedicated to Breton. Hisautobiographical Retrospective contained touchingmoments in the narration of his vocation and hisimprisonment during World War II. Several students ofthe department of philosophy participated in order tobetter understand Fr. Breton and the history of histhought.In the same room, from the podium, Fr. Breton cutthe ribbon inaugurating the cathedra Gloria Crucis.The solemn academic act was initiated by Msgr. Sannawho stated the objective and the activity of the cathedraaccording to the Convention which was signed onJune 13, 2003 by the Rector, Msgr. Fisichella and thepresident of the Conference of Italian Passionists, Fr.Luigi Vaninetti. Fr. Breton gave the official openingtalk about the Glory of the Cross. He called upon thecathedra to continue his work of investigation and heoffered some guidelines for the future.We note the distinguished Cathedra of Theology ofthe Cross of the Antonianum of Rome; it producedabundant literature on the Passion and had a martyrassociated with it, Fr. Flavio Di Bernardo, as noted byBishop Piergiorgio Nesti, the former director of the formercathedra.The discourse of Fr. Breton initiated the endeavorof the cathedra Gloria Crucis. It is not a permanentcathedra, but a project connected with different scientificfaculties topropose initiativesand activitiesof investigationabout thePassion of Christand about itsmeaning for thelife of the world.At the endof the Seminar,the SuperiorG e n e r a lexpressed hisconviction thatthe cathedrashould furtherstudy the original and profound thought of Breton. Upto the present, the thought and philosophical work ofBreton, which is not easily accessible, is known to onlya few; the Seminar has made it available to all. Thepreparation of the complete list of the works of Bretonfor the participants has made known the cultural depthand the profound philosophical quality of these works.The Pro-Rector, Msgr. Sanna, presented the medalof university in gratitude and esteem for Fr. Breton; theSuperior General presented him a hand-written parchment;the Italian Stauros Foundation a watercolorpainting of Dino Falconi entitled: “The To conclude theevents, a Mass was celebrated in the Basilica of Sts.John and Paul, at which Bishop Nesti presided, with theSuperior General preaching the homily in an atmospherecharacterized by simple and fraternal joy. At theconclusion of the Eucharist, Fr. Breton expressed sincereand heart-felt words to the Lord, to theCongregation and to his friends.This Seminar was only a seed. Now we need to proceedtoward new and broader horizons. Breton willalways remain as one of the shining cultural lights ofthe Passionist Family.The publication of the Acts of the Seminar will providea permanent record of these wonderful days inRome, 29-30 October 2003.Conferral of the citation document of the Passionist Congregation to Fr. BretonThe stage during one of the presentations

seminar on the memoria passionisRETROSPECTIVEIn this return to my past of reflection and of writingrelative to the Passion and to the Cross of Christ,I would especially like to recall their origins.Beginning with the various seminaries for which thevenerable pastor of my parish of origin believed thatI was destined, and considering the shortest road andthe impossibility of being elsewhere, he directed meto the theologate of the nearby Passionists inBordeaux. Then, when I was 15 years old, I went tothe novitiate that was then at Melay in Vendée. As faras I remember, from that tender age, I had a deepdevotion to the Passion of Jesus, and I would subsequentlychoose as the place par excellence for contemplation,the agony in the Garden of Olives. Thissource of inspiration nourished me until I was twentyyears old. Later, philosophical reflection that becamepersonal and solitary in the absence of qualifiedteachers, opened me to the horizon of new perspectives.The philosopher that I approached in this vastfield of questions, subsequently connected my writingsand teachings with pure philosophy, the Cross ofJesus. I hope, through this reflection, to transform intoauthentic thought that which overflowed, within theCongregation, with devotion and affection. The periodof my residence in the Generalate of Sts. John andPaul, following my captivity in Austria (1940-1945),offered me the inspiration for an intellectual endeavorin the form of a commission where I met FathersFr. Stanislas Breton, C.P.Sciarretta and Monsegu. To behonest, I must admit that a matterof this nature was cautiouslyaddressed in a prior letter of Fr.Kierkels the then Superior General.Around 1948, as far as Iremember, although suffering fromdepression caused by my situationas a prisoner of war, I wrote myfirst work entitled, “The Passion ofChrist and Philosophy” and I highlightedthe specific intention thatinspired it: to raise to the dignity ofa concept the sensitive data of anoteworthy practice, fairly commonin the Congregation of thatera. I didn’t reflect on the philosophersthat interested me concerningthis matter except for purposesof offering an example of a way ofthe cross of a speculative nature.Only later, toward 1959, in order tofulfill my obligation of meditationon the Cross, did I reflect on themysticism of Passion that was typicalof the spirituality of the Founder. The Mysticismof the Passion was the opportunity of making knownin France, and by competent means, a mystic whoseincontestable originality was found in the line ofTauler and of the tradition of Eckhart, also refocused,through the mediation of Diogenes the Areopagite,and the influence of the Neo-Platonism. It was a typeof preparation for a deeper appreciation of theChristian uniqueness that I developed in, The Wordand the Cross.The Word on the CrossFor a long time, if not always, the fundamentaltext of the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians hasbeen familiar to us. It has been read in such a way thatthere is the risk, after so many repetitions, of its beingunnoticed. My first concern was to analyze theextraordinary phraseology that is proposed therein.Above all, Paul presents a situation of anarchy thathas divided the faithful of Corinth. Partiality hasexploded in the declaration of belonging to the variousauthorities of whom they are boasting: “I belongto Paul”, “I, on the other hand, belong to Apollo”,“And I belong to Cephas”, “And I belong to Christ”.Ultimately, even Christ becomes a source of discord.It would be something unheard of for any one of themto divide the Community! Therefore, it is in view ofthis disunity created from the selfishness of each that9

seminar on the memoria passionis10causes the Pauline interrogatory explosion: “HasChrist perhaps been divided?” “Perhaps Paul was crucifiedfor you?” In the questions proposed thereemerges at the same time, the necessity of restoringthe lacking unity, the insuppressible beginning pointthat alone is able to reconstitute unity: Christ on thecross.In fact that which unites us, rather than dispersingus into factions, is the Word of the cross, the Word onthe cross, that is the essence of the new preaching thatgives rise to, we note, a new type of word on earth.Now this unpublished word isn’t disassociated from afundamental rupture. “The language of the cross(logos staurou), is foolishness for some, and the powerof God for others.” In this sense, it could be called a“coinciding of antagonists.” Paul states more explicitly:“The Jews ask for signs” (semeia) extraordinary:an exceptional people,because it is in the conceptof a unity, of divineelection, that they understoodit demands that thevery nature of this peopleis comprised ofexceptions. As for theGreeks, the other peoplethat are unique in theirown way, they don’t askfor anything; they lookfor (zetouysiri againstaitousin). Instead ofappeals, they interrogateand, interrogating, theyarrive, at the same time,at wisdom as a scienceand learning as a philosophy,that is to say,thought that reflects aknowledge that, in turn,is self-reflective.Therefore, a doublereaction could be anticipatedin light of the word of the cross and the word onthe cross. Compared with learning, the Greeks refer toit as pure folly and in comparison with the power ofmiracles that confound nature, the Jews call it scandal.In both situations, neither of them could recognize thisWord as the one, true God that they claim to be possibleand necessary.Paul, by means of these simple considerations,presents us, without attempting a phenomenology ofreligion, with the two unique possibilities that, in theMediterranean world of his era, established a true conceptof divinity.Today it could be said that the nature of God ischaracterized by power or learning, even both at thesame time. Now the word of the cross is rejected byone as well as by the other. In this sense, the sign of thecross, when it is expressed, could be only scandal andfolly. It can also be said “that there is a divine folly anda divine weakness” and that it is this “not-being follyand weakness” that energizes the revolution of theCross: the divine beyond being, not even the fullnessof being. It is this which proclaims to us the word ofthe cross and the word on the cross.I cannot separate the “kenosis” that is featured inthe well known hymn of the letter to the Philippians(2:7) from this Pauline hermeneutic of the Cross. It iswell known that the expression “ekénosen heautòn”has undergone numerous interpretations that insistedon an active renouncement of the same divinity, if notall, at least of a series of attributes of which learningand power constituted the divine essence in the fullnessof its bring. I cannot agree with this strange andSaint Thomas, Caravaggiosuicidal destruction. But, in order to be better understood,it would be good to remember the key questionthat tries to resolve the kenosis: if God is totally being,what is left to creatures if not pure and simple nothing?In order for a creature to exist and be truly itself, itneeds to create a place within itself for the divinity; itneeds in some way to withdraw from itself and thuscreate a space wherein the created, in order to realizethis separation, would enjoy an autonomy of being.The calm echo of this dramatic question can be heardin certain affirmations of atheism: if God is all, I amnothing; if I am somebody, God does not exist. I havethe conviction of believing that the essence of presentday atheism considers but doesn’t address the penetratingdepth of this enduring question.

seminar on the memoria passionisDoes Paul, in the letter to the Philippians, assumingthat the hymn is his, share the main point of aquestion that is found in many religious traditions,including Judaism? More precisely, would it beunderstood in certain sects of Gnosticism, the probablesetting of these poignant questions?Born in Tarsus, the prestigious city where stoicismwas in fashion, Paul must have been, per se, moreaware of the stoic logos than of the relative Gnosticassaults pertaining to the radical genesis of things.Rightfully, one may still wonder if “the folly and theweakness” of the divine, as stated in the text to theCorinthians, don’t address an analogous restlessness,that is to say, the necessity to make place for the creaturewith a kind of interior void for the divinity, thatwould have rendered the negative expressions of follyand of weakness as a renouncing of the attributes oflearning and of power. The Cross could not be understoodthen except as a means of the recognition of arecurrent kenosis according to the spirit of that time.When I wrote The Word and the Cross, I was stillnot very moved by the questions that stir me today.Therefore I should raise the two following questionswhich seem to me to be most essential: A) What relationshipdoes kenosis have with the texts on the follyand on the weakness of the Cross? B) Do folly anddivine weakness present themselves as the reversal ofthe greater attributes of wisdom and power? Noweach reversal implies a simple transposition of a contraryin the other; be it, as Nietzsche imagined, a violentprotest against the values of creation that betraysa considerable lowering of the quality of life. Is thecross none other than subversion and masochism? Itseems to me that the questions that I pose have a currentinterest for a way of thinking that demands andthat questions what the Cross means. The theologiansand the philosophers that are concerned with the crossof the Christ can neither avoid it, a fortiori, nor dismissit with an arrogant smile. The hypothesis ofGnostic influence to explain the Pauline language ofkenosis seems to me as more useless that the indicationof another source that decidedly appears in thediscourse of Paul, or attributed to Paul, before theAreopagus of Athens. Traveling through the city toview its monuments, he found an altar with theinscription “to the unknown god.” He hastens to challengethis unknown god with the classic argument ofmonotheism (Acts 17:23 ff.).The explanations subsequent to the meeting matterless than the mere fact of having encountered thetradition of the “Theos Agnostos” that would adequatelycontest the challenge that Paul makes againstthis tradition. This is as much a challenge ofHellenism as well as of Judaism and would place itwithin a type discourse that is very distinctive.Nevertheless, it is true that Paul seems to depict asnegative the greater attributes of that time. But does itdeal with a classical procedure of reversal? A basicreflection on opposites would be useless in thisendeavor. It has been observed for some time thatopposites are, in the strict sense, correlatives. Thusone type of uninterrupted movement doesn’t impedethe one or the other. This strange destiny doesn’t preclude,however, a certain imbalance that favors thepositive over the negative. There is no doubt that Paulcomplies with this compulsion; I don’t know if its lawcould be eluded. Additionally it needs to be wellunderstood what “folly and weakness” might mean inPaul’s case. The two epithets don’t have the value ofattributes, because it is quickly understood that “thisweakness is stronger than men and that this folly iswiser than men.” It is advantageous therefore not toattribute to the epithets, which are alternately negativeand positive, the function of constitutive elementsof a transcendent being. They serve as simplebrackets to a movement of transcendence that, overcomingthe negative as well as the positive, offer aglimpse above and beyond our determinations thatare always too human and finite. For Paul, therefore,it does not deal with a systematic depreciation of valuesthat are positive, such as power and wisdom, andwhich are weakened on account of resentment or ofreduced vitality. Paul doesn’t shy away from thispower and from this wisdom that he practices andboasts of practicing when the opportunity presentsitself, but he knows well that this rich uraniumdeposit, as we would call it today, could not be thefinal word when it concerns this divine element thatovercomes and challenges every language. Thatwhich Paul alleges, due to the excessive tonality ofthe terms which he uses, symbolizes the zeal thatmust grasp us when we deal with that which isbeyond every name, every thought, and “that gives usthe impetus to always go beyond.” The Cross itselfinvites us to this overcoming of ourselves as well asof all that exists.Do we need to go further? I thought, at great risk,that the last word of this study could be suggested bythe scene of the final judgment (Mt. 25). The text isso well known that I only need to make a brief comment.In this scene, what is noteworthy is not a questionof religion and not even of belief or of rituals.What matters is daily service: “I was hungry, I wasthirsty, I was naked....” “Truly, I tell you: every timethat you did these things for one of my least brothers,you did it to me.” I am bewildered by these texts, bythis enigmatic presence of the I-Christ in every disadvantagedperson. How does one understand this presence?This is the question that I haven’t yet answered:the presence of Christ on the cross in the least of hisbrothers. The divine weakness and the divine follyfind in this sensible kenosis of the “son of man” amarvelous illustration, but also a pressing exhortationto effective action that it should engender.11

seminar on the memoria passionis12Thus the “word” or “the Word of the Cross” issummarized in the triad of its components: divinefolly and weakness, sensible kenosis in a paradoxicalpresence, practice of the Cross in daily service, that is:give to all, without distinction of social or ethnic origin,something to eat, to drink, to clothe oneself in thefreedom of the sons of God on our curved earth. Insummary, to do everything in such a way that manpossesses the double dignity of the son of man and theson of God: that is, it could be said, the divine“poetry” that consists not only in nicely saying“on the earth as it is in heaven”, but to do it ina way that this beauty is verified in the fleshand in the bones of our humanity.Recently I was questioned about theMemoria Passionis in the Passionist Institute.What I tried to do, even here, not only characterizesthe originality of being Christian, butalso that which could also be, in theCongregation, a memory, not only a duplicateof the past, but actively open to the future. It isthis dynamic use of memory that I read in thebiblical mandate: “Remember, Israel.”I don’t think there is any need to furtherdevelop these reflections. Having had the privilegeof being in contact with the Buddhistschool of Kyoto in Japan and in my contactswith the teacher, Nishitani, I have been able totalk with him about the relative questionsabout the void in its different aspects. On thistopic I have written a philosophical work that Ihave entitled: Le pensée dû rien. What mattersin these studies together with those who are“our distant neighbors,” is the issue of irreconcilabledifferences; a concern that, at the sametime, respects others and respects oneself. It isnecessary, in these delicate situations, to take,in relationship with others, responsibility fortheir questions and their answers. Thus I havebeen able to observe that, for Nishitani himself,the circumstantial attraction to the Crossas I have proposed it, could change the impressionof colonial totalitarianism that, accordingto the school of Kyoto, simultaneously characterizeChristianity and western science-technology.Here and there, it is believed, the samedesire for power exists. Christ on the cross isviewed from another perspective. Nishitaniwas certain about this.I wish to add a final word about this kind ofstudy that I have done from the point of viewof a philosopher. One may still wish to questionme about what I think about the point ofview of the theologian who studies the dogmaof the redemption. The only question that Iwould ask the theologian would be: today, howdoes one understand this Christian truth, withregard to the dark notions of original sin, ofsacrifice, of expiation-satisfaction and of merit? Themodest approach that I have taken doesn’t claim tohave clearly resolved the questions that have been putbefore me. For me the main point remains that of theenergy generated by the thought that unites me to thejoy of paying tribute to the Cross and Passion ofChrist.The Resurrection, El Greco

seminar on the memoria passionisTHEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONSREGARDING THE MEMORIA PASSIONISIN THE WORKS OF FR. STANISLAS BRETON, C.P.“The Memoria Passionis as a category of the Logos of the Cross,in which the loving kénosis of God is revealed.”Fr. José Luis Quintero, C.P.The thought, the work, and the life of Fr. Bretonhave sprung from the “fertile ground of the Cross,”in a motion “in”, “toward” and “at” the Cross[“‘dans’, ‘vers’ et ‘auprès’ la Croix”]. This hasbeen his constant dwelling space; from here he haslaunched out, and to it he has returned, bringingwith him renewed energy for further investigations.Whether directly or indirectly addressing theCross, the thought of Fr. Breton, taken from thisperspective, gives us entry into the category of the“Memoria Passionis” with a renewed and a disciplinedapproach.At least in European contemporary theology,the creation of the linguistic expression “MemoriaPassionis” suggests a narrative theology whichfinds expression in the political theology of J. B.Metz. Although he has used the expression onmany occasions, his reflections on the “logos of thecross” [‘logos tou staurou’] makes this category afertile horizon, the “context” or “ground” [ámbito’o ‘espacio’] which is the fruit of the staurologicalrevelation of God. In this understanding, itbecomes the “dwelling place” or the spirit bywhich and from which to grasp this revelation ofGod, without loosing its ineffable and non-circumscribedcharacter. This category is based on biblicalrevelation as empowered and explicated by philosophicalreflection.In the context of the category ‘MemoriaPassionis’, Fr. Breton’s understanding comes out ofhis reflections on the kerygma as framed by a seriesof biblical texts: 1 Cor. 1, 17-31; Phil. 2, 5-11; Mt.25, 31-46 1 . These biblical texts, in the light ofphilosophical reflection, and as they enlightenphilosophical reflection, will allow us to probe thetheological aspects of this category.I. The “component of the category.Logos-Moria-Dinamis. (1Cor.1:17-31)The Pauline text 1Cor.1:17-31 has been hisstarting point, The apostle Paul finds himself in adivided community, so he addresses it with a mostradical tenet, the foolishness and the weakness ofGod revealed in this ‘logos’, the “logos of theCross”. He is referring to two attitudes, Jewish andGreek, which have been overturned. The disjunctiveconjunction is negated, which is equivalent tothe junction of two negatives. “This double-negativeis emphasized by the repetition of the article,the logos, the logos of the Cross, which is morethan a demonstrative article; it expresses the identityof the two phrases.” This Pauline disjunctionwhich he characterizes as ‘weakness and foolishness’leads to a ‘Nothingness’ which is changedinto a sign, in the context of the Cross, a sign ofcontradiction, well beyond the reach of wisdomand power. Although it is neither wisdom norpower as they understand it, it makes those whoaccept it wiser and more powerful. This Paulinereference places us before the originality of the languageabout God which is engendered by the cross,in which it is revealed and from which it challengesus, while setting us apart.“Éauton ekénosen” in the hymn of the Letterto the Philippians 2:6-11“The Word of the Cross overtakes the Logosthrough the paradoxical figure of the Servant whois obedient unto death, a death on the Cross. TheCross is where the two extremes coincide: Thatwhich is beyond thought is also beyond volition,and his own will.”. “Faith is essentially related tothe Cross of Christ and to his kenosis.”This dramatic kenosis event obliges us to gobeyond the conceptual frameworks of an ontologywhich has seriously limited historical representationsof faith. Nevertheless, the kenosis cannot bethe substitution of some qualities of the Absolutefor others of an entirely different order. Weaknessand foolishness in the context of the kenosisenhance the distance between the God who manifestshimself on the Cross and all of our discourse.13

seminar on the memoria passionis“Ineffable is His name.” “The new God is farbeyond master and slave, far beyond a despoticaffirmation or a humble negation. In order to avoidsectarian dogmatism, one ought not to correct oneexcess by another defect. The final meaning of thetext leaves us no other option than to give preferenceto the language of ‘serving’”.The “meontología” which the cross inauguratesand which the servant radicalizes has as its finalityis not so much to show us new attributes of God,but to make us remain in his nothing which givesrise to selfless commitment and service. The logicof the Cross would be incomplete if it were limitedto a syntax of the Pauline trio—logos, foolishness,weakness, or to a study of the semantics of thedivine names. “It should lead to a ‘pragmaticscheme’ which clarifies what is our action.”The Christological revelation of the “enigmaticSelf” who identifies himself with those whoare not. (Mt.25,31-46)Referring to the text of Mt.25, 31-46, Fr. Bretonaffirms: “I believe that Christian theology, in thelight of the theologia crucis, must take up the questionof the Final Judgment....I believe that the “I”of the Final Judgment is for me, in the light of theCross, the fundamental object of a new theology, ifit is in fact to have a fundamental object.” 2 “Thisreciprocity, which joins Christ with the poor person,changes our ‘image of God, of mankind, andof history’. It is impossible not to find in the essenceof the Final Judgment the well-recognized themesunderlying a ‘theology of the Cross’: foolishnessand weakness of God proclaimed in the messageof the Crucified One, kenosis or impoverishmentof Christ (cf, 1 Cor. 1 and Phil. 2).The nature of the periscope is very peculiar:“The Final Judgment, in the scene which Matthewlays out, is one way of conceiving the whole of thisworld and of history.” Secondly, what this judgmententails shows itself to be rather surprising.What is essential is not found in religiosity, or ingreat achievements of culture, but, rather, in thosethings that make up daily living: eating, drinking,dressing. Thirdly, the account of Matthew brings usto an unheard “revelation”: the surprising conjoiningof the anonymous multitude of the disinheritedand an enigmatic “I”, who is the Son of Man. Thiskenosis, which we see in the hymn of Philippians 2,is one of the key words for an interpretation ofChrist, of God, and of the world. The “I-Christ”crucified is absolutely the same “I-Christ” who recognizesthe kenosis in humanity’s weakness andsuffering.By means of this identification, Christ isbecoming, moving, on an exodus. The “I-Christ” ofMt. 25 is realized from two fronts: a divine principleon the one hand, and with a suffering humanityon the other. This identity draws from the excess ofNothingness because it is Absolute. Equally, it14From the movie “Jesus of Nazareth”of Franco Zeffirelli

seminar on the memoria passionisdraws from the desperation and from the nothingnessof all who are marginalized. The act of faith inthe service toward the poor does not stop being“transcendence in immanence”. This is why “liberationfrom suffering enters into our world, throughthe active presence of Christ in the historical comingof the very self-same being of God.”As a conclusion to this initial survey, one canstate: The “logos staurós” built on the Paulinekerygma and a Matthean reference is the content ofthe “Memoria Passionis”: A memory of the Crossand of the One Crucified as a locus for the givingof God in foolishness and weakness; a memory ofthe loving kenosis which gives rise to agape andservice as ways of being; recognition and commitmentwhich are called forth by the paradoxicalpresence of the “I-Christ” in history’s disinheritedmasses.II. “Concepts” used by Fr. Breton which helpus to grasp the nature of the category MemoriaPassionis, understood as “context” [‘ámbito’].The Christian creed and its living, as presentedby Fr. Breton, is profoundly dynamic. It is a “newway of being”; a new canon; a new configuration of“mentis et cordis”. The concepts, or dynamisms,which I list, might be called structures of humanreality, the dynamic elements of the human spirit,which are impregnated by the being and activity ofGod “on the Cross and in the One Crucified”. Someof these which help understand the categoryMemoria Passionis as ‘ámbito’ are: the concept of‘place’, ‘remaining’, perceiving mode, me-ontologicaldistance. To these are added the activities ofthe human spirit, in analogy with the ‘actions of theWord’ which we find in the Johannine works.Perspectives, in the manner of a conclusionIn a large part of contemporary theology,“Memoria Passionis” is the memory of the sorrowexperienced in the face of God, a praxis for thebuilding up of a world from the perspective of thevictims, so that the future reflects the memory of itspast sorrows and its unrealized hopes, as well as thenecessity of a “new way of talking about God”which is not alien to human suffering, but is ratheran expression of the cry of its victims, having as aprivileged place the “cry of the earth” whose clamorrises from the cries of the Holy Book.These perspectives are enriched by impregnatingthe category of “Memoria Passionis”, not onlyto be lived as the Passionist identity, but as a category,the “theological locus” in a broad sense, fromwhich to grasp the Mystery of God who is revealedand who gives himself up in the Pascal Mystery.The kerygma of the Cross, the staurological revelationof God, as Fr. Breton has studied and shown it,has these three introductory dimensions: revelationof God in ‘foolishness and weakness’; paradoxicalkenosis as an expression of self-giving and somethingnew but irreducible to discourse or announcement;the enigmatic presence in mystery of identificationof Jesus Christ in the historical reality,where he acquires the face of the face-less, who aresuch because of injustice.“Memoria Passionis” ought to be presentedfrom the “Logos of the Cross”, from faith in asmuch as it refers to the Crucified One and to hiskenosis, from the “meontological” dimensionwhich the Crucified One reveals and from the radicalconnection of God’s revelation to the unfathomablemystery of his agape in the “Nothingnessby excess” which is his nature, and which is beyondevery quality of pre-eminence or negation. This category,fruit of a staurological faith, will safeguardin it that undeniable moment of exodus whichbelongs to it and the identification with persons inneed, resulting in a creative moment in which thebeing of God appears in the history of humankind.It is the fruit of Christian faith, and at the sametime, a “space” where Christian faith can be madefruitful. Furthermore, this category will allow us toconfront today’s exigencies from the “single andspecific core” of Christian faith [“desde la ‘unicidadmínima especifica de la fe cristiana’”]: Areflection on the Absolute One, on monotheism, onChristian identity and uniqueness, and in that senseon the “interreligious space”, as Fr. Breton has donein some of his more recent works, and including theadequate contextualization the relationships whichhave sometimes strained Christian reflection in theexpressions “faith and work” and “faith and religion”.15

seminar on the memoria passionisTHE WORK: “LA PASSION DU CHRIST ET LE PHILOSOPHIES”AND SUCCESSIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS“In its essence, would not being as being be consubstantial with the cross?”Fr. Adolfo Lippi, C.P.16Published by the “Eco” Press at San Gabrieledell’Addolorata, this work, the fruit of the early years of theteaching of Breton in Roman universities, it is one of themost important of his early works. It anticipates what wouldbe the theme of the theology of the cross in Catholic theology,and which would be developed in the years followingVatican Council II.Above all, the work contains innovative aspects.Situating itself between philosophy and Christian revelation,it breaks down a certain artificial boundary between therespective fields, which were widely discussed during thosetimes: it is sufficient to consider Blondel and De Lubac. It isbelieved that there could be a relationship between philosophyand theology with regard to the concepts used in thestudy of the essence of God or of the Trinity and theIncarnation, but not about that which, since the time of theAreopagus, was considered scandalous thought, the cross.The Passion of Christ—says Breton—is not a philosophyand it cannot be rationalized, but it gives philosophy foodfor thought. Analyzing the profound reflections of Hegel, ofNietzsche, of Blondel of Simone Weil, of Alain and re-situatingthem in the Biblical and Greek (Plato, the tragedies)sources of western thought, Breton shows the extraordinaryimportance of meditation on the suffering of humanity andon the prospective of the cross. The study that Breton doesof Hegel goes beyond even that which the lay schools haddeveloped on this philosopher, revealing that it deals with atrue philosophy of the cross, which however doesn’t capturethe essence ofChristian revelationand thereforecannot becalled theologiacrucis.Under thetitle GradusPassionis, connectedwith awidespreaddevotion amongthe Passionists,Breton thenascends thestairway of the various philosophical interpretations of thecross. The central point is the concept that the cross touchesthe same definitiveness of Divinity. Here too, Breton anticipatesa topic that was highlighted by several Fathers of theSome of the most important philosophical works of BretonChurch, then forgotten, and which would be successivelydisseminated in theology with presentations, at times superficially,of the suffering of God as God, connected with thetopic of the mutability or immutability of God. He expressesthe very profound difficulty implicit in Christian revelationwith the question that I used as a subtitle for this conference:In its essence, would not being as being be consubstantialwith the cross? The theological reasonableness ofthis question is associated with the presentation that Bretonoffers on agape as constitutive of God according to the NewTestament and as the objective coincidence between agapeand the cross. It is important to observe that Breton does notlimit himself to proposing an identity between the eternalWord of God and the cross – a topic significantly present incurrent theology – but between being as such, being that isthe foundation of philosophy, the tò on è on, that fromAristotle up to Heidegger is the main theme of western philosophy.The final section of the work of Breton presents aphilosopher that looks upon the cross, an agnostic thatmediates on the cross. Above all, we return to severalthemes of Alain and of Simone Weil: the cross attracts, it issomething that kìnei os eròmenon, movet in quantum amatum,with regard to the power of weakness. What an error tohave turned it into a symbol of power and domination!Breton proceeds then on his own with the meditation on thecross from the point of view of philosophies and concludessaying that he believes that whoever believes feels invited toreflect and to take from the cross reasons for a new vision ofthe world; but if one is not moved by the Spirit, philosophyis not sufficient to reveal the cross.The present conference presents two important elementsof the work of Breton: that contained in the Theology of thethree days, of Han Urs von Balthasar and that of Eslin, in thecollected works originating in a meeting on Breton, at whichPaul Ricoeur also participated.The conference concludes by again focusing on a studyon Breton done by his friend Henri Duméry. This revealsthat the thought of Breton has drawn on various sources,from those of Thomism, phenomenology, idealism, andeven Marxism. Breton dialogued with Christians, Jews,Buddhists, and Marxists: at the root of everything there wasalways what Duméry calls le passioniste, the Passionistquality of Breton. He is an external witness, very importantfor us Passionists. In the mysticism of the Passion – saysDuméry – Breton discovers a richness that is able to nourishall the philosophies of the world.

seminar on the memoria passionisTHE MEMORY OF THE MESSIANIC PASSION FROM THE PERSPECTIVEOF THE SPIRITUALITY AND RESEARCH OF STANISLAS BRETONFr. Max Anselmi, C.P.The sources for understanding the thought of Bretonon the PassionWhoever wishes to understand the passiologicalthought of Breton in its central elements, cannot limithimself to only one of his works, because it would not besufficient; rather, one needs to consider at least the principalpublications that substantially correspond to thevarious decisive moments of his life and the history of histhought and that can also be considered representative ofthe others.Up until the mid 1990’s, scholars refer to two works:“La passione di Cristo e le filosofie “ of 1954 (cf. trad. it.Ed. Stauros, Pescara 1982) and “ Il verbo e la croce “ of1981 (cf. trad.it. Ed. Stauros, Pescara 1983). Howeverwhat is not cited is the volume that deals with the doctrinalthought of St. Paul of the Cross: “La mistica dellapassione. Studio sulla dottrina spirituale di S. Paolo dellaCroce “ of 1962 (trad. it. Ed. Stauros, Pescara 1986) andwhich, together with two others, form a trilogy by thesame author (Cf. Stanislas Breton, Vers une théologie dela Croix, San Gabriele (TE) 1981, p. 7. Cf. also: ClaudeRoyon, Dieu, l’homme et la croix. Stanislas Breton etErhard Jüngel, Paris 1998, p. 15). The scant acquaintancewith the volume may be attributed to its title, making onethink that “The mysticism of the Passion” may be aresearch of pure and simple spirituality, while in reality, itis truly a unique work that expresses the philosophicalthought of Breton regarding the cross. There is no doubtabout the fact that “La mistica della Passione “ may beand remains a kind of general proof of the application ofphilosophy or of a type of passiological philosophy.Whoever wishes to understand the philosophical thoughtof Breton concerning the cross cannot bypass “The mysticismof the Passion”, because, amidst its passiologicaltexts, it is, even today, one of the principal ones andremains even now, one of the most essential.Modernity and “passion-ism”Given the insistence and theimportance accorded by Breton tothe passiological element for makingpossible thought that is demandingand critical and contemporaneouslycurrent in comparison withthe world and modern times, hisefforts become classified as “passionism”(Cf. Claude Royon, Dieu,l’homme et la croix. StanislasBreton et Erhard Jüngel, p. 32.) Forthis reason, in order to characterizehis thought on the passion, scholarshave preferred to focus their attentionin this endeavor by referring back to Breton and havemoved almost exclusively to recent publications and theconstant and prevailing references that are concentratedin the following works: “Unicité et Monothéisme”(1981), “De Rome à Paris. Itinéraire philosophique”(1992), “Philosophie et mystique” (1996) Cf. StanislasBreton, Philosophie et mystique. Existence et surexistence,Edidions Jérôme Millon, Grenoble 1996, pp. 187)and, finally, “L’avenir du christianisme” (1999), thatseem to constitute the organic, summarized and completere-elaboration of the other three works just mentioned.The history of his philosophical and cultural endeavorsDuring 1971, Breton produced a substantial number ofarticles both published and unpublished, entitled: “Foi etraison logique,” where he takes various viewpoints onthe rational demands of faith that is aware of its ownspecificity. In this collection, perhaps necessitated byexternal factors, saying that he had to do it “under pain oflife or death”, he presents us with a “small history” of histhought (cf. Postface, in: Foi et raison logique, p. 267-280). The summary is important because we learn, in asingle image, the various connections among his diverseresearch topics, beginning with his thesis: “L’esse in etl’esse ad dans la métaphysique de la relation”, up to thedevelopment of Hussite phenomenology, later abandoned,because it did not further the argument; howeverthe others that are mentioned, the project of the philosophic“quasi-trilogy”, whose initial study should takeinto consideration thought in keeping with his principles;secondly, thought with regard to the world and, finally,thirdly, the thought that takes into account power and alsoweakness. The first of these three fundamental operationsof thought was confronted by Breton in “Du Principe” of1971, the second in the work, “”Etre, monde, imaginar-17

seminar on the memoria passionis18ie” of 1976, the third anticipated in the title,“Philosophie et Discours absolu” that is sparsely found,in fragments, in various publications.In this “brief history” of his thought, Breton explainshow to understand the relationship between theology andphilosophy and to elucidate the value that the mystery ofthe cross, understood as the orderly and organic entity ofthe three functions of thought, has for philosophy andtheology.The study of the cross in various thematic and linguisticconceptsNow we want to devote our attention to the centralpoints of Breton on the notion of the cross. Among thevarious options we choose the following groups or centralpoints of thought by characterizing them by means ofsome key concepts: Memoria Passionis; Sharing in thenaked suffering; “Meontology” and the future ofChristianity; Christic life; Passion-ism; Thought andpractice in the light of the cross.The topic of the future of Christianity deserves attentionbecause it is closely connected to passion-ism and itconstitutes the primary and principal concern of Breton.After the presentation of these more significant theoreticalor speculative essentials and innovations on thestudy of the cross, we will focus attention on its preciseand relevant practice: this matter will constitute thenucleus of its central characteristics and will draw it toconclusion. (For all these points please consult the conferencewhich will be printed in the “Acts of theSeminar”.)Me-ontology and “Christic” LifeThe word “me-ontology” seeks to rediscover and restatethat which Paul the Apostle affirmed with respect tothe cross of Jesus the Messiah in the first letter to theCorinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 1: 28): “God chose (...) that whichis nothing to reduce to nothing those that are something.”In Greek “that which is nothing” is expressed as”τα µηϖντα”. Thus, “me-onto-logy” means the science of “nonbeing,”of “that which is not,” of the “nothing.”Me-ontology is a discovery of the revelation of God,not through learning, as preferred by the Greeks, and noteven through power, dear to the Hebrews, and not eventhrough the synthesis of these two means, but in the“beyond” learning and power that is exactly the space of“nothing” in all of this. The theology of the cross in termsof the “non-being” is a relational theology, and the relationshipdoesn’t add anything to the being to which itrelates, nor does it impact upon it. We recall the thesis ofBreton on metaphysics, according to which relationshipis a “minimum.”The “me-ontological” theology of the cross is not to beunderstood in the sense of negative theology, but like amoving up to a different level, a “beyond,” that is totallydifferent or indifferent because it negates without negating.It is interested only in transferring itself to a differentlevel; it implies not negation but overcoming. The theologyof the cross in terms of the “non-being” is a relationaltheology, and the relationship doesn’t add anything tothe being to which it relates, nor does it impact upon it.The critical function of the cross for faith consists of takingseriously the analogy and the relationship that it bearsand especially the “emptiness” that each relationship andaffirmation leaves open. The “emptiness” (kenosis) is notso much understood in relationship to things, seen in theirlimitations, but in reference to the cross itself. In this casethe “emptiness” of the cross is none other than the “spaceof liberty,” the taking of a critical stance.In summary, me-ontology is, in a certain sense, theway of mercy because thorough it one seeks to believe inthe presence of God, in that I-Christ (cf.Mt.25:31-46),hidden in every person, but immolated, annihilated, madeto be almost “nothing”, in order to enable us to exist, tomake possible our creative response of love, our donation…The practice of me-ontology is the place where wetake seriously what happened to the Messiah on the crossin relationship to God and to humanity, who became“nothing” to make us “capable of being”. And this is theway we should be in relationship to others: make ourselvescapable of “being” for others. From this point ofview the judgment of the cross corresponds to the finaljudgment.Death and Resurrection“Me-ontology” reveals the kenosis of the cross, whilethe “Christic life” reveals the messianic resurrection, andeven more that which accompanied the resurrection, i.e.the universal salvation.The passiological discourse of Breton, a point aroundwhich everything is focused on the future of Christianityin the world, is the search for space that makes inter-religiousdialog possible. The space cannot be other than thekenosis of the cross, that is a “nothing” space, where ona different level, beyond power and wisdom, it will bepossible to know God and to be able to experience him inthe other who is my neighbor.Speculative and practical thought on the crossBreton’s thinking on the cross is substantially, from thespeculative point of view, in the “Christic life”, the definitiveword: it constitutes the substance of spirituality.However, in order to completely present his thinking itis necessary to remember, apart from other developments,even in the practical realm, that which for him is of noless importance than the speculative.Breton fully agrees with the words of his great friend,Fr. Giovanni Antonioli (+1992), with whom he sharedmany mountain climbs: “The paths that we tread help us toput a bit of heaven under our feet.” (Cf. Franco Frassine,Don Giovanni Antonioli. I discorsi della montagna. Unabiografia tra testimonianze e ricordi, p. 311.) Naturally,that which is of most value is the way of the cross.The scope of thought concerning the cross that is bothspeculative and practical can, in conclusion, be formulatedas: “To become my neighbor, is my heaven here onearth. More precisely, to make heaven descend into thisworld that is ever more a desert." (Cf. Franco Frassine,Don Giovanni Antonioli. I discorsi della montagna. Unabiografia tra testimonianze e ricordi, pp. 204-206.)

seminar on the memoria passionis“NOTHINGNESS”: THE PRINCIPAL ATTRIBUTEFr. Pablo Lorenzo, C.P.Up to this point we must underline the exceptional importanceof this very necessary connection between “nothingness”in which the Most High is hidden and the “nothingness”which reveals him down here.(S. Breton, “La Mystique de la Passion du Christ”)Man annihilated, hung on the Cross, spoken inthe Beginning, spoken by God.He, in reality, either is the suggestion of theBeginning or he is the image of God. Thus we findhim amidst Philosophy and Theology, amidst metaphysicalthought and the thought of believers, in“Du Principe” (1971) e “La Mystique de la Passiondu Christ” (1962), two works of Breton of appreciableintellectual depth.The Beginning of everything can be consideredeither ontologically or me-ontologically: either asbeing or non-being. Either as being something thatproceeds from it or as being “nothing” that proceedsfrom it. Therefore, it can be considered eitheras a means of causality, participation and analogy orby means of a radical negation, i.e. according to anundefined relationship originating from usual categoriesof worldly thought and human language.If one considers it to be the Supreme Being, itbecomes the Eminent-Beginning, the culminatingpoint of the hierarchy of beings, consisting of all therich, ontological perfections that we call exclusivelyhis and which, however, are nothing other thanour matters and our projections.It would be truer to its nature if it is thought ofas not having a nature. This is “nothingness”.Nothing of that which proceeds from it. It is nothinguncreated. Indetermination par excellence.Things exist not only with regard to what proceedsfrom the Beginning but with regard to whatreturns to it. The ascent toward the Beginning consistsof the difficult ascent of overcoming everydetermination and every form of this world. Thesoul exists for the Beginning. In fact, it does notFrom the movie “Jesus of Nazareth”of Zeffirelli19

seminar on the memoria passionis20have a determined nature. It is “nothing” that it canbecome. It can become anything and it can transcendanything it becomes. And it is precisely intranscending every thing that it arrives at its End,which is the Beginning.The Crucified One, in his “non-entity”, preciselyseems to indicate this: the Nothing that is theBeginning. In its particularity and determination,however, it seems to also indicate the necessity –theologically problematic – of its overcoming. Infact, he too is, above all, a particular form, onaccount of which we ask ourselves, precisely, if itisn’t transcended, surpassed.In any case, no less problematic would be theidentification of the Beginning – essentially rational,metaphysical – with God – essentially revealed,biblical. If Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, isto be associated with the Beginning then he couldnot be, in the likeness of the consubstantial Image(Col. 1:15, Heb. 1:3) and Primordial Sacrament, thefulfilled and defined historical Revelation of Godwhich Christians believe him to be. If instead he isto be fully revealed as the Triune God – not as fromthe outside but from the inside, he himself beingone of the Three; therefore, not as a simple manwho is to point to God from below but as God himselfwho from above wishes to positively allow manto know that He is (became) – then from theBeginning He could not be the “image”, the onlypossible manifestation of himself, that theBeginning recognizes as his own, given that theBeginning does not have and isn’t any nature andtherefore can never be “seen” or recognized as“revealed” in something analogous to that fromwhich it is derived. Any reflection whatsoever saysnothing more about its nature except a nature thatanother would talk about, elevated or less elevated,that is imagined within the interior of the ontologicalscale of beings or the me-ontological scale ofnon-beings.The Beginning, being neither the Being nor thecreator of the being, is not, consequently, capable ofparticipation nor conceivable nor decipherable inanalogical terms. Completely lacking of a naturethat one would want to attribute to him, he does nothave a personal face, he does not conclusively projectwithin the world and he does not contain in himselfin any way the essences of the things thatderive from him. It is useless to think that, althoughattempting a revelation, he would be truly and properlycapable of being revealed. The discussion thatconcerns him cannot be analogical – analogy instigatessuspicion – but it is a purely negative discussion,of pure “ineffability”. Nor can one expect toomany negations. The Absolute which is theBeginning is no hidden Absolute— eventually discernable—but the bottomless Abyss, indeterminateand, as such, incomprehensible, unattainable, ineffable.At this point in the nothingness down here –Christ Crucified – we can say little or nothing aboutthe absolute Origin of everything, this included—and here it deals with the most profound truth inthis regard: that it is, in fact, “nothing” of everythingwhich we spontaneously attribute to it: thetitle of Eminent Beginning, Excellent, Supreme,source of every absolute, transcendental perfection,overflowing and abundant with every “infinitedetermination” – an expression, that is speculativelyquestionable.How then can the Beginning that is presumablyGod be the Trinity? In order to be the Trinity, Godcannot be the Beginning (in-distinct, ineffable). Inorder to be the Beginning, God cannot be anyTrinity (personal, revealed), except perhaps “relationally,”relatively that which the world hasderived from that which it is not. Otherwise, relatively,not intrinsically, God would be “Agape”.Fr. Breton has thought about this. Untiringresearcher and also rigorous in Foundation andimpassioned believer in the Crucified One, he is notinclined to deal with divine things lightly and presumptuously,whether from the conceptual as wellas from the linguistic perspective, even imposingupon his readers a particular ascetic and he inviteseveryone to always go beyond themselves inthought and heart. We should never be satisfiedwith prior accomplishments, attentive to the gravetemptation to convert the Absolute into the mostnoble of the idols forged by us.

seminar on the memoria passionisHOMILY FOR THE MASS OF THANKSGIVINGON THE OCCASION OF THE 91ST BIRTHDAY OF STANISLAS BRETON, C.P.AND HIS 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONFr. Ottaviano D’Egidio, C.P.Scripture texts: Isaiah 61:1-3; Matthew 25: 31-41We sing a canticle of praise to God who continuallymakes all things new and who today permits us tocelebrate another Passover of the Lord. A mystery oflove, of communion, of sacrifice and of profoundunity he allows us to share with Him, through Him,and in Him, his own death and resurrection. It is theforetaste of the eternal Easter! God receives us as sacrificeand pleasing fragrance. Also, to Him be praise,glory and thanksgiving for the gift of Fr. StanislasBreton to the Congregation, to the Church and to theworld and for his presence in our midst during thesetwo days of the Seminar and for his 91 years of lifeand 75 years of Passionist Religious Profession.In a conference that he gave a number of yearsago, Fr. Breton wrote that: “at the root of so manyvocation crises the fact remains that somethingstopped singing or nothing ever sang. Religious lifemust be dreamed, before it can truly be lived.” And Fr.Breton has been faithful to that dream and he has sungfrom his soul, his “magnificat” at the top of his voiceas he did as a child, when he sang the ‘Requiem’ in hisparish church of Gironde. But he is not embarrassedby this because he knows that “you have not chosenme, but I have chosen you that you may bear muchfruit” (Jn.15:16). A vocation is as fragile and decisiveas a question mark and it requires vigilant care andperseverance.In the first reading from Isaiah we read: “The spiritof the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointedme; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to thelowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty tothe captives and release to the prisoners, To announcea year of favor from the Lord…” (Is.61:1) Jesus, in theGospel of Luke applies this same verse of Isaiah tohimself: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”(Lk. 4:21)Jesus, consecrated and sent by the Father, willbring the joyful news to the poor by assuming theirpoverty; he will bind up the wounds of their hearts byhis own wounds and with his own heart, pierced bythe soldier’s lance (“They will look upon him whomthey have thrust through”) Jn. 19:37; he will proclaimliberty for those in slavery and freedom for prisoners,by being imprisoned with nails on the cross, the cry ofthe slaves; he proclaimed a year of mercy from theLord with his extreme solitude on Calvary: “My God,my God, why have you abandoned me? and by thesarcasm of those who wanted him killed: “come downand we will believe”, far from any mercy!He took our faults upon himself, he carried oursins, thousands of sins pierced his heart. He took ourplace in condemnation, “He became one of us” andhis death has given uslife. And this is the greatestmystery of the love ofGod and of his mercy,“the miracle of miraclesof love”, as St. Paul of theCross refers to thePassion of Jesus. Even onthe cross Jesus is notenclosed within his suffering,nor distant in hispain. Even in thatmoment he forgets abouthimself and he openshimself to hope and certainty:“Today you will bewith me in paradise” (Lk.23:43). In the folly oflove he believes that hisdeath is a plan for life.21

seminar on the memoria passionisSt. Paul of the Cross understoodthat the only remedy for the evil ofthe world was the Passion of Jesus inits completeness and he associatesthe Passion of the Son with that ofthe Mother in a single Passion. Infact he compares the suffering ofMary with the sea, saying that “inthe Passion of Jesus there were twoseas of love, one of the son and theother of the mother.”22It is a suffering that is so distinctone from the other that it cannot beidentified, nor can the two becomeone, even so intimately bound thatthere is no discernable distancebetween them. Death of the heartwithout the shedding of blood, thatof the Mother and the death by theshedding of blood, that is entered bythe “narrow gate” just opened by thenails, by the scourging and by the head surrounded bya crown of thorns, that of the Son. Pensive and strong,she stood beneath the cross, her face, barely pallid,while Jerusalem pierced her heart. And now, they areeven wounded by the same pain that they share witheach other and with every living thing in absolutenakedness and poverty.For them, we are the “pearl of great price” and the“treasure hidden in the field” of the gospel parable(Mt. 13: 44-45) for which one must sell everything—reputation, suffering and even life—in order toacquire it. And now the judgment of Matthew 25: 31-41, that was just proclaimed, can be understood andidentified: “every time that you did this for one ofthese least of my brothers you did it to me.”(Mt.25:40) Fr. Breton says that “it is a way of being,that is, of bearing one’s own body, which for lack ofsomething better can be called staurological. This supplementarybody that Christ assumes in his faithful isprecisely a crucified body for which the cross remainsthe exemplar.” It is right to underline the exemplarynature of Christ who takes the initiative to tell usabout what should be the law of love to the point thatone can and one must love.Giving up his spirit, Jesus breaths upon us thewind whose origin and whose finality is unknown (Jn.3:8). We must hear that wind in absolute silence inorder to be able to feel the breeze as did Elijah at themouth of the cave on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:9 ff).God reveals himself in Christ who died crucified. Andhis is a revelation of love and fatherhood. He knowsthat by imitation of the Son, the cross has pardoned usThe Southern Crossof every thing and every system and it is as if we livein a continual exodus of life, without end. But we trustin his mercy, which is like a fountain at the foot of thecross. It takes into account our negativity that doesn’tdisappear, as the wounds of the Crucified One didn’tdisappear after the resurrection.I conclude with a memory of Breton taken from hisconference, “La croce del non essere” (the cross ofnon-being) given at the Spienza della Croce Congress:“This is how I read from the height of the cross,without apologetic illusions of immanence, the dispersedfragments of our pulverized world. I read themas a diaspora that the cross must reunite.It has been three years now since, in the immensityof Australia, in the almost total desert, alone, I celebratedmy first Mass for the world. In the magnificentsouthern sky, the constellation called the “southerncross” brilliantly shined as in no other place of theconstellation: the cosmic cross of my holy Mass.After the consecration I asked myself: What doesthis sign in the sky, sign and source of contradiction,say to me and to the world?I then remembered the ancient legend according towhich the first born of every generation is a questionmark.I then asked myself: Is the cross of my love and ofmy faith, perhaps this question mark, inserted for everin the fiber of the universe?”

John Paul II’s PontificateTRIBUTE TO JOHN PAUL IION THE OCCASION OF THE 25 THANNIVERSARY OF HIS PONTIFICATEFr. Fabiano Giorgini, C.P.On the occasion of the 25 th Anniversary of thePontificate of Pope John Paul II we recall some ofthe more significant aspects of his benevolent relationshipwith the Passionist Congregation so that wemay gratefully commit ourselves to put into practicethe teaching which he gave us and to faithfully collaboratein his apostolic ministry.His encounters with the Passionists took placeduring several papal audiences of groups of religiousin particular circumstances such as GeneralChapters, the Itinerant Missionary Congresses of1981 and “The Wisdom of the Cross Today”, in1984; visits to the Shrine of St. Maria Goretti inNettuno, in September of 1979 and to the Shrine ofSt. Gabriel at Gran Sasso in 1985 and theMonastery-Shrine of St. Gemma in Lucca on 23September 1989 and the Shrine of the Madonnadella Cività, Itri, in 1990. In addition to theseplanned visits he also added a brief, surprise visit tothe mother house of the Institute: the retreat of thePresentation on Monte Argentario on the evening of12 December 2000 as a “jubilee pilgrim in the footstepsof St. Paul of the Cross”, as he amiably said tothe religious. 1Special gifts to the Congregation were the canonizationof St. Inocenio Canoura Arnau, on 21November 1999, and also the eight beatifications 2 ,and the fourteen declarations of heroic virtue of 10Passionists 3 , of the co-foundress of the Passionistnuns, Maria Crocifissa Costantini, 17/12/1982; ofthe foundress of the Mexican Passionist Sisters,Dolores Medina Zepeda, 03/07/1998; of thePassionist Sister, Antonietta Farani, 13/06/1993; ofthe laywoman and virgin, Lucia Burlini, associatedwith Passionist spirituality, 23/10/1987; and of anUrsuline Sister, Lucia Mangano, 01/07/1994, whosespiritual director was a Passionist.The beatifications and the declarations of heroicvirtue of these servants of God have filled the membersof the Passionist family with joy and haveexalted before the entire Church the spirituality andfidelity to the charism of these religious whom thePope proposes as models to assist men and womenPassionists of today to walk along the same path ofsanctity.The Pope has demonstrated great benevolenceand faith in the Congregation by calling 13 religiousto cooperate in the episcopal hierarchy 4 . On 13November 1996 he named Bishop Nesti, alreadyarchbishop of Camerino since 1993, Secretary ofthe Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Lifeand Societies of Apostolic Life. In 1996 he assignedFr. Ciro Benedettini to the Press Office of the HolySee in the capacity of Vice-director, which positionhe held for one year as “assistant to the Director” 5 ,while Fr. Diego Di Odoardo continues his service atthe Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Lifeand Societies of Apostolic Life, presently in thecapacity of Department Head (Capo Ufficio). Fr.Antonio Calabrese continues his service at theSecretariat of State. In 1979 the Holy Father designatedthe then Superior General, Paul M. Boyle,Consultor for the Congregation of Propaganda Fideby a letter which reads: “this pontifical appointmentis obviously a sign of honor toward your belovedCongregation whose members, by their consecratedlife of prayer and apostolate, do so much for themissions...” 6In 1982 the Pope wished to honor theCongregation naming five Passionists as consultorsof the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. 7In homilies or messages on the occasions ofbeatifications or of the reading of decrees of heroicvirtue, the Pope drew attention to various aspects ofPassionist spirituality. Following the beatification ofBl. Isidore he highlighted the urgency for thePassionists to embrace “the universal Christian witnessof the Blessed: to make the Cross be the “saltof the earth”: that which truly “gives flavor” to thislife and which orientates all events toward the definitivegoal of heaven.” 8But it is in the speeches or in the letters sent tothe Chapters that he shows greater attention to thecharism of the memory of the Passion of Jesus andvigorously calls the religious to the responsibilitythat they have to preserve, develop and make to bearfruit in today’s world this spirituality by their communityand apostolic life: “The Holy Father praysthat by means of the Paschal mystery, the belovedPassionist Congregation be sustained in its joyful23

John Paul II’s Pontificate24fidelity to Jesus Christ and to His redeeming mission.”9In 1981 he reminded the participants of the firstcongress on the “Missions for the 80’s” of their taskof continuing this means of evangelization, howevermaking a special effort to sincerely understandthe spiritual reality of those to whom they are ministeringin order to enlighten their minds in a secureand comprehensible way and to paternally encouragethe listeners to turn to God, trust in his love andlive lives reconciled to one another. 10To the capitulars of 1988 he recalled the “relativelyhigh number of men of outstanding staturewho, faithful to the example of the Founder enjoyand have reached the honors of the altar”. Heexhorted them not to lose their “personality as contemplativesand apostles of the Crucified.” 11 To theparticipants of the Congress, “The Wisdom of theCross for Today”, in 1984, he manifested his appreciationfor the effort that the Congregation is makingto reflect on the topic of “the only true salvationthat comes from Christ”, but he exhorted them tolive ascetically “as a fundamental obligation ofexpiation directed toward redeeming” as is requiredby “a Justice that is transformed in Mercy.” 12The Pope, while bishop in Poland spoke to thePassionists about their Founder, St. Paul of theCross, and in that homily he said, among otherthings: “In St. Paul of the Cross contemplation ofthe Passion does not consist in becoming engrossedin its object, but in subjective participation in it. Inhis experience St. Paul participated in the reality ofGethsemane and Calvary. This was for him the participationin the Passion. It was merely passion forthe Divine Patient. Moreover, the soul of our Saintwas opened to a mysterious force – potential oboedientialis– to the divine action and he received inhimself a special likeness to God for which, out oflove, he ‘gave himself’. To give of oneself, this isthe most important element of the spirituality of St.Paul, in his contemplation as well as in his preaching.”13The Pope wished to honor by means of a letterthe third centenary of the birth of St. Paul of theCross, in which “he centered all of his life and hisapostolate” on the Passion of Jesus, “making it fromthe beginning a mystical experience and thenannouncing it to others by means of preaching aswell as by spiritual direction.” He exhorted the religiousto remain faithful to the charism of Paul, recognizedby the Church, “whether in spiritualresearch, personal and communitarian, and in theapostolate specifically directed toward people.” Buthe reminded them: “this presupposes profound listeningto God, a task that St. Paul of the Cross, in hisspiritual testament, makes every effort to safeguardand to care for by means of poverty, solitude andprayer. It is precisely by listening to God that listeningto others is possible, their sufferings, and theirhunger for God and for justice.” 14

John Paul II’s Pontificate1Magazine “Il Crocifisso” 81, 2001, p. 4-6.2Isidore De Loor, 30/09/1984; Pio Campidelli,17/11/1985; Bernardo Silvestrelli, 16/10/1988;Charles (of Mt. Argus) Houben, 16/10/1988;Niceforo e 26 Companion martyrs, 01/10/1989;Lorenzo Salvi, 01/10/1989; GrimoaldoSantamaria, 29/01/1995; Eugene Bossilkov,15/03/1998.He encouraged the Congregation to work at promotingspirituality among the laity. In 1994 heblessed the “torch of hope” that remained lightedduring the days of the Tendopoli, 23-27 August1994, at St. Gabriel’s. 15 In 2001 he sent another letterto the same youth of the Tendopoli encouragingthem to be the leaven of Christian life in their context.In the message to the General Chapter of 2000he stated that sharing the Passionist charism withthe laity is “a sign of ecclesial life that encouragesacceptance and development”, but he recalled theresponsibility of the Passionists to be “capableguides in order to form them in an authenticPassionist spirituality.”In the same message he asked the Passionists “tocontinue to be teachers of prayer and special witnessesto Christ Crucified” and he invited them todraw on the “energy of the Eucharist so that all lifebecomes a memorial and a following of theCrucified”. He encouraged them to draw strength“from the mystery of the Cross in order to generouslycultivate the passion for life, above all bymeans of dialog and sharing.” And he affirmed that“the Crucified one has loved us ‘to the end’(Jn.13:1), beyond the measure and the possibilitiesof human love. This then is the spring from whichthe Passionist, in a special way, should draw hisown spirituality: to love where it is most difficult tolove; to love where there is a need for love. Ourpresent day society offers infinite scope for this specialapostolate.” 16The Superior General, in a telegram of16/10/2003, expressed to the Pope “joyful gratitudefor your extraordinary and constant pastoral ministrywhich is a source of inspiration and peace forall humanity.” The Secretary of State on06/11/2003, expressed the gratitude of the Pope whoexhorted us “to contemplate with Mary the face ofChrist, in order to remain in Him and to bear copiousfruit of fraternal communion and joyful hope;he invokes heavenly favors and willingly sends toYou and to your religious the Apostolic Blessingthat you implore, a pledge of spiritual fervor on theway of evangelical perfection.”3Galileo Nicolini, 27/11/1981; Giovanni Bruni,09/06/1983; Nazareno Santolini, 07/09/1989;Giacomo Gianiel, 21/12/1989; Gerardo Segarduy,21/12/1991; Fortunato De Gruttis, 11/07/1992;Giuseppe Pesci, 06/07/1993; Norberto Cassinelli,15/12/1994; Germano Ruoppolo, 11/07/1995;Egidio Malacarne, 26/93/1999.4Etheridge in Papua New Guinea in 1980, retiredfor reasons of health in 1989; Norbert Dorsey,10/01/1986; Washington Cruz, 10/02/1987;William Kenney, 15/08/1987; GiulioMencuccini,22/01/1990; Paul M. Boyle,09/07/1991; José Luis Astigarraga Lizarralde,26/11/1991; Iñaki Mallona Txertudi, 14/12/1991;Piergiorgio Nesti, 23/07/1993; José R. IztuetaMendizabal 30/05/1998; Tommaso Cascianelli,05/02/2000; José Pereira Bastos, 05/07/2000;Alfonso Fioreze, Nov. 2003.5PIB 1996, 6.6PIB, 1979, 23.7PIB, 1982, 128: Barnabas Ahern (+ 09/01/1995);Carmelo Naselli (+ 16/09/1989) Natale Cavatassi(+ 13/08/1999); still in service are InnocenzoCavaglià, Fabiano Giorgini.8PIB, 1985, 6.9PIB, 1979, 13.10PIB, 1989, 48-51.11PIB, 1988, 212-214.12PIB, 1984, 190-194.13Magazine “La Sapienza della Croce”,XVI, 2001, 239-240.14PIB, 1994.15PIB, 1994, 90.1644th General Chapter: the Passion ofJesus Christ, the Passion for life, Itaci2000, p.5.25

Passionist LifeMEETING OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL,NOVEMBER 2003Fr. Umberto Palmerini, C.P.26From the 4 th to the 8 th of November, 2003, the fullGeneral Council was at Sts. John and Paul for theGeneral Council Meeting. The primary item of theagenda was the preparation for the 11 th General Synodof the Congregation which will be held in Mexico fromthe 19 th to the 29 th of September, 2004. The Councilagenda also included an overview of life in theCongregation and a number of particular issues.The Superior General announced that the HolyFather had named Fr. Afonso Fiorese as coadjutor bishopof the diocese of Luziânia, Brasile. Fr. Afonso wasborn in 1942 at Rio Branco do Sul, PA, Brazil. At thetime of his appointment on November 5, he was FirstConsultor of his Province (CALV), and pastor at Portodas Caixas. The General Council was quite pleased withthis appointment.Fr. General gave a report on the Assembly of theAsia/Pacific Regional Conference (PASPAC). TheAssembly was held at Madang, Papua New Guinea,from September 28 to October 3, 2003. Fr. General wasthe president of the Assembly. Forty religious from theConference Provinces, Vice-Provinces, and Vicariatesshared their reflections on the theme “PassionistsProclaim the Word of the Cross: Formation forSolidarity in the Service of Justice”. It was a beautifuland lively experience of fraternity among the religiousof the diverse nations which make up this young andpromising area of the Congregation.The General and Council reviewed the “Seminar onthe Memoria Crucis in Honor of the 90th Birthday of Fr.Stanislas Breton”. They judged the seminar, held at theLateran University on the 29th and 30th of October, agreat and joyful learning experience, and an experienceof the fraternity in the Passionist Family. The Councilexpresses its gratitude to the organizing committee, thepresenters, the translators, and to the community of Sts.John and Paul for its generous hospitality to visitors andguests.A short report was given on the recent FraternalVisit to the communities of Holy Spirit Province inview of their Provincial Chapter, held at the beginningof October. The Provincial Chapter, with Fr. General aspresident, dealt with the issues of restructuring, inaccord with the plan approved by the previousProvincial Chapter, four years ago. Fr. General underscoredthe tranquility, the fraternity, and the pastoralendeavors of the Province.Fr. Luis Alberto Cano, First Consultor, reported onhis visits to the four monasteries of Passionist Nuns inSpain. In response to the suggestion of theCongregation for Religious, they are moving towardgreater collaboration in view of an eventual federation.He also reported on the formation program for novicesof the Iberian Conference of Passionists (CII). There areseven novices presently in this interprovincial novitiate.Fr. Luigi Vaninetti reported on several items. First,the national novitiate at Monte Argentario. There aretwelve novices, eight from Italy, two from Indonesia(CFIXI), and two from France (MICH). He continuedwith the Interprovincial Theologate (STIP), where thirteenstudents from four provinces are studying. Hespoke of the specific orientation of the new “Cathedra”dedicated to study of the “Gloria Crucis” just begun atthe Lateran University. He mentioned the need for additionalpersonnel to serve in the Mission in Bulgaria.And finally, on the subject of “restructuring,” whichwill be studied by the Italian Conference of Passionists(CIPI) at their next annual Assembly.Fr. Vital Otshudialokoka reported on his visit to“Kisima” (International Theologate for Passionists inAfrica, in Nairobi) at the start of this new school year.This was followed by a visit to the PassionistCommunities in that part of the Democratic Republic ofCongo where hostilities are still being carried on (Lodjaand Ototo). He spoke of the recent damage done, fromwhich they are still recovering. He described the workto be done by the new Congo Commission, which is toprepare the way for the designation as a Vice-Provincein 2004. He concluded by reviewing his presentation atthe PASPAC Assembly in regard to restructuring, whichis an area of responsibility given him by the GeneralCouncil.Among other things, Fr. Augusto Canali presentedthe program for the General Assembly of theConference of Latin American Passionists (CLAP).This General Assembly will take place next July. Healso reported on other responsibilities which he has inLatin America.Fr. Robert Joerger reported on the meeting of theNorthern European Conference, which dealt withrestructuring in preparation for the next General Synod.He spoke of various options which reflect the very differentsituations in the various Conferences. For example,in the Northern European Conference there are

Passionist Lifemany nations, different cultures, and various languages.In the Conference of the United States provinces, it isone nation, with a common language, which makes fora greater facility for getting to know one another. Healso reported on his pastoral visit to the province ofMother of Holy Hope (SPE, Holland and Germany) inpreparation for their provincial chapter. Special mentionwas made of the situations of the older religious, and theyounger ones (there are three young priests there).Fr. Jefferies Foale reported on the SolidarityCommission. Following the election of Fr. AntonioCurto as Provincial, personnel should be added who canwork within their own Conferences to encourage collaborationin Solidarity. He also spoke of the work of Fr.Kevin Dance at the United Nations. He gave specialattention to a future mission in Vietnam by presentingthe ample documentation which he provided the PAS-PAC Regional Conference. He provided a possibletime-line, to be accorded with the Superior General, forthe undertaking of this mission.NEWSVatican names new Passionist Bishop for BrazilOn November 5, 2003, His Holiness, John Paul II,named Passionist Father Afonso Fioreze, BishopCoadjutor of the Diocese of Luziânia, GO, of theArchdiocese of Brasília. Afonso Fioreze is a memberof the CALV Province and until his nomination he wasFirst Provincial Consultor, Pastor of the Parish ofNossa Senhora da Conceição and Rector of the Shrineof Jesus Crucificado of Porto das Caixas, Itaboraí,RJ.in the archdiocese of Niterói.Bishop Fioreze was born in 1942 and entered thePassionist novitiate in 1963 in Colombo, PR. He professedfirst vows in 1964 and was ordained to thepriesthood in 1970. Among the various ministries thathe exercised in his province are those of parochialvicar, pastor, superior, provincialconsultor, provincialeconome, and provincial(1986-1993).The new General Econome, Fr. Battista Ramponi,was invited to speak with the Council. He reviewed thebudget to date, and the status of the different fundsunder the direction of the General Econome. He alsooutlined the steps for the division of the financialaccounts between the General Administration and thoseof the Community of Sts. John and Paul. This had beenrequested by the last General Chapter. This new bookkeepingstructure will begin to be employed onNovember 1, 2003.The greater part of the Consulta was dedicated to theorganization of the coming Synod, in Mexico, on thetopic of restructuring. The Moderator was selected, aMarist Brother, who is the Vicar General of his Institute,who is actually engaged in restructuring issues of hisInstitute. The Council selected a General Secretary forthe Synod, and entered into discussion regarding otherduties (secretariat staff, translators, news reports, liturgicalcommittee, etc.). All of this groundwork will betreated in a meeting with the Moderator, to be held atthe beginning of December. At that time means will beexplored to involve the Regional Conferences, theProvinces and Vicariates in questions which are of greatimportance for all, and for this time.Among the many particular cases, special mention ismade of two appointments. That of Fr. ChristopherGibson of the Province of the Holy Cross (CRUC) asSecretary General of our Missions, following the electionof Fr. Antonio Curto as provincial of his Provinceof the Side of Christ (LAT); and the confirmation of Fr.Kevin Dance as Passionist Representative to the UnitedNations, to the end of 2006.New Secretary General ofthe MissionsThe BIP greets and welcomes tothe Generalate, Fr. Christopher Gibson(CRUC) who was appointed as new Secretary Generalof the Missions. Fr. Gibson was born in Argentina in1948, professed vows in the Province of the ImmaculateConception (CONC) on 27 Feb. 1968 and was ordainedto the priesthood in 1975. He subesequently joined theHoly Cross Province (CRUC) in the USA. It can benoted that Fr. Christopher, in addition to ministering inArgentina and the Unitied States, has also worked in themissions in India as well as participating in Passionistlife in Uruguay and Tanzania. He resided in the communityof Citrus Heights, California, where he wasinvolved in various ministries.Fr. Antonio Curto, recently elected Provincial ofSacro Costato (LAT) Province in Italy, concludes hisservice as Secretary of the Missions at the end of thecurrent year. He has held this office for more than tenyears. We are most grateful to him for his outstandingwork. Fr. Christopher begins his new ministry on Jan.1, 2004.27

Passionist LifeBrother Marcelino Díez (FAM) returns to the “Father’s House”During the past year the community of the Generalate has experienced the loss oftwo of its Spanish brothers who served it for many years. First, Brother JavierAldaya, following a long, painful illness, died on April 25 th . At the same time,Brother Marcelino had become ill and five months later, on Sunday, 28 September,he died in the nearby Hospital of San Giovanni, where he had been brought threedays prior in a comatose state. The rapid development of his illness was surprisingsince it appeared that, despite the gravity of the diagnosis, he was recuperatingwell. His funeral was celebrated in the Basilica of Sts. John and Paul and Fr. LuisAlberto Cano, First Consultor, was the principal concelebrant. The homily waspreached by the provincial of Sagrada Familia Province (FAM), Fr. Fernando Rabanal.Brother Marcelino was a native of the city of Villanueva de la Peña, Palencia (Spain).He was born in 1926, and was a Passionist since 1944. He was a member of theGeneralate Community on two occasions, totally 29 years. During that time he assumedvarious ministries: the kitchen, the cantina and receptionist/ telephone operator, in additionto other ministries. With so many religious to attend to in the GeneralateCommunity, we recall his loquaciousness, his interest in keeping himself and othersinformed about events in the community and his philatelic hobby, the latter ofwhich he actively pursued even in his final days.May this good Brother rest in peace and with his prayers may hewelcome us one day at the door of the “Father’s House”!SPIR Provincial ChapterThe 25 th Provincial Chapter of Holy Spirit Province washeld in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday 19 to Saturday 25October 2003. The Provincial, Fr Denis Travers, was re-elected.The council members in order are, Kevin Hennessy, ChristopherMonaghan, Brian Traynor, and Ramon Sanchez. One participant said, “Itwas a most blessed time of renewal, prayer and fraternity, solidarity and trust. Itwas an experience of our deep unity and our mutual interdependence. Together we havedetermined the way forward over these next four years and as the Chapter decrees andrecords show it is a most challenging and exciting course!”The Chapter was organized around ten strategic directions: 1) Community Life and theLiving Memory of the Passion. 2) Formation at the centre of our Life and Mission. 3) LayPassionists. 4) Equitable Distribution of Resources within the Province. 5) Consolidating aViable Financial Base. 6) Youth and Young Adult Ministries. 7) Caring for Senior, Frail andInfirm Members. 8) Involvement in Papua New Guinea. 9) Involvement in the Asia PacificRegion. 10) JPIC Awareness.The new Provincial Curia of SPIRwith Fr. General; (from left toright) the Provincial, Fr. DenisTravers, and the Consultors, Frs.Kevin Hennessey, Brian Traynor,José Ramón Sánchez andChristopher Monaghan.28S.T.D. Awarded to Fr. Jerome Vereb, C.P.In record-breaking temperatures on July 1st, 2003, atthe Angelicum Pontifical University, Jerome Vereb wasawarded the S.T.D., Maximum Cum Laude, an almostunheard of distinction for Rome. The title of his thesiswas: “The Ecumenical Endeavor of Cardinal Bea”. Thedefense was attended by about sixty persons and wasfilmed by NBC Television as part of a film documentaryon the Vatican to be aired later this year. The thesisdefense was also widely reported by the German press.Present were Cardinals Mejia, Silvestrini andCacciavillan as well as Archbishop Renato Martino of thePontifical Commission for Justice and Peace. Importantguests also included the Ambassadors to the Holy Seefrom Israel, Germany, the Netherlands and the UnitedStates.Calling Jerome’s research “innovative”, the judgmentof the Board was: “Fr. Vereb’s work is outstanding and alandmark in the on-going ecumenical debate. It is thoroughlyresearched and original in its conclusions andshows breadth of vision, profound reflection and insight.”

Passionist LifeThe participants atthe NECPMeeting,Meeting ofthe NorthEuropeanConference ofPassionistsThe General Assembly of theNorth European Conference ofPassionists took place from 24-26 September 2003 in Munich,Germany. It was attended by theGeneral Consultor, Fr. RobertJoerger and the provincials of theConference. The discussion centeredaround the topic of“Restructuring” at the provincelevel and at the conference level,particularly in light of the upcomingGeneral Synod of 2004 whichwill study this topic.Toward a reorganization of the Passionists in BrazilDuring last Oct. 28-29 a meeting of Passionist Major Superiors of Braziltook place in Colombo, Paraná. The scope of the meeting was to study variousaspects common to Passionist life in that country. Those attending themeeting were Frs. Norberto Donizetti, Provincial of Calvario Province;Giovanni Cipriani, Regional Superior of the Vicariate of Nuestra Señora dela Victoria (DOL Province); Celio Amaro, Regional Superior of the Vicariateof Cristo Libertador (SPE Province); Pedro Bacchiocchi, Regional Superiorof the Vicariate of Bl. Dominic (PRAES Province) and Mario Capadiferro,representative of the Vicariate of Bl. Isidore (LAT Province).PASPAC AssemblyThe Passionists of the Asia-Pacific region held their biennial Assembly inPapua New Guinea (PNG) from 28 September to 5 October 2003. The meetingwas attended by Fr. General and the Consultors Frs. Jefferies Foale andVital Otshuadialokoka. It was a most fruitful gathering on many levels. Thereflections and sharing on the theme: “The Passionists Proclaim the Word ofthe Cross: Formation for Solidarity in the service of Justice” was very challengingand encouraging; the fraternity and prayer was rich and meaningful;and the day celebrated with the local people was uplifting and overwhelming…in truly generous PNG style! There were 40 participants, men from theseven jurisdictions of PASPAC, made up of many nationalities, and PNG’sown Sister Martin Joseph Taylor CP.Brother Theo van den Broek OFM of the Catholic Justice and PeaceOffice in Jayapura, in the Indonesian Province of Papua, shared on the courageouswork he does in defence of the helpless indigenous peoples and gaveencouragement and guidance to all who face injusticesinflicted on the poor in the places where they are.The facilitator was Fr Kevin Dance CP – thePassionist representative at the UN. All thegroups were able to mix well, despite somedifficulties with the language barrier, andtake their turn in leading the assembly forliturgy and prayer, which was very meaningful.Lacking resources to fund theAssembly, the Vicariate of PNG was mostenergetic and creative in raising funds from avariety of sources to cover all expenses.The agenda basically was composed of two points: first, a study of a possiblereorganization of the Passionists in Brazil. Subsequent to an analysisof the other data gathered from prior research, it was decided to form acommission composed of a religiousfrom each group (the province and thefour vicariates) to coordinate, promoteand encourage reflection on thistopic in the respective regions. Thiscommission will prepare a report forthe next meeting of these superiors inFebruary, 2004. The second pointwas that of an evaluation of thenovitiate of the Province, in whichthere are also novices from the vicariates.In this regard, there was discussionabout a more experientialkind of novitiate, with greateremphasis on the Charism,Spirituality and specific mission ofthe Passionists.Fr. Paul Hata, Vice-Provincial ofJapan, and Fr. PaulCherukoduth, Vicar ofIndia offer incense duringthe liturgy of theBiannual PASPACAssembly29

Passionist Life50th Anniversary of Passionist Presence in JapanThis past September the religious of the Vice-Province of the Japanese Martyrs (MAIAP),together with the religious of Holy Cross Province (CRUC) celebrated 50 years of Passionist presencein that country.Nearly 50 years ago American Passionists embarked on a momentous journey to Japan. Thisgrand project of Holy Cross Province, to establish the Congregation in that far away land, tookalmost four years to plan. Frs. Matthew Vetter and Carl Schmitz were chosen as the pioneers.Neither had volunteered for the assignment nor had they expected to be sent. Yet on February 25,1953, they set sail.The first Passionist establishment was located about 15 miles north of Osaka. The local bishopheartily welcomed them for he was particularly anxious that they establish a lay retreat house inconnection with the monastery. Though the Christians were few in number, they were fervent andretreats strongly appealed to them. It would be the first lay Catholic retreat house in the country.Today the mission has grown considerably in both size and in the number of people its ministryis able to touch. There are two retreat houses at Fukuoka and Mefu, two parishes at Ikeda and NisseiChuo and a religious center in Tokyo. In August of 1999, during the PASPAC Conference, the vicariatewas raised to a Vice Province.The Vicariate of Nossa Senhora da Vitória (VICT)celebrates its 50 th AnniversaryIn the presence of the Fr. General, Fr. Antonio Rungi, Provincial and the active, joyful participationof numerous members of the Passionist Family, in Barreiro, Belo Horizonte, the year-long celebrationof the 50 th anniversary of the Vicariate of the Nossa Senhora da Vitória (VICT) was concluded.The theme of the jubilee celebrations was: “50 anos de vida em missão” (50 years of life inmission) that culminated in the elevation of the parish of St. Paul of the Cross to a Shrine, which eventtook place from 14-16 November.On Nov. 14 and 15 a seminar took place in the Instituto Teológico Santo Tomás de Aquino of BeloHorizonte, centering on the topic of: “The Passion of Jesus in the popular religiosity of capixaba andminera”, organized by the Vicariate and by ERPAL, the Passionist study commission of LatinAmerica. Among the presenters at the conference was Bishop Mauro Bastos, Passionist bishop.On November 16 a Mass was celebrated, presided by the Cardinal of Belo Horizonte, BishopSerafim Fernandes de Araújo, during which the parish was elevated to the “Shrine of St. Paul of theCross.” In his homily, the Cardinal praised the ministry of the Passionistsand highlighted the way in which the Passionists had woven theircharism into the life of the parish: “this parish, of all theparishes of this Archdiocese that are administered by religious,best expresses and lives the charism of itsCongregation.”The poster commemoratingthe establishment of the newsanctuary30

Passionist LifeThe Vicariate of the Congo ready to become a Vice-ProvinceThe Vicariate of Christ the Savior (GABR Province) of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, are in the midst of importantdevelopments in Passionist life in that country: shortly it will beelevated to a Vice-province. In order to arrive at this point, theVicariate as well as the Belgian province are working at achievinga certain economic, formation and apostolic stability prior toestablishing autonomy. In the magazine “Le Lien”, a publicationof the Vicariate, the religious were informed about the nominationof an internal commission to prepare for the transition.Currently the Vicariate, which forms part of the Province ofGABR of Belgium, consists of seven communities, dispersedamong three dioceses of the country. The Vicariate has beennotably affected by the civil war that has been plaguing the countryfor more than five years. Today more than 50 Passionist religiousminister in the Congo. The next issue of the PIB will offera detailed report by Fr. Vital Otshudialokoka, General Consultor,on the life and apostolate of our brothers located there.Conclusion of the 75th anniversaryof the Passionists in VenezuelaIn the last issue of the PIB we noted the celebrationof 75 years of Passionist presence inVenezuela. Now we report that during the monthof November the conclusion of the jubilee year ofthe Vicariate of Our Lady of Coromoto took placein Caracas, which included the presence of Fr.General and Fr. Fernando Rabanal, Provincial ofSagrada Familia Province of Spain. On Sunday,23 November, the religious of the Vicariate,together with numerous laity, gathered for a concelebratedMass at which the principal concelebrantwas Fr. Ottaviano. Additionally, Fr. Generalused the occasion to make a fraternal visitation ofthe communities of the Vicariate.Stauros Italia:The Spirituality of Art in the 21 st CenturyFr. Jack Douglas, rector, incensesthe commemorative monumentFrom October 4 th to November 11 th , theStauros Museum of Sacred ContemporaryArt at the Shrine of St. Gabriel, Gran Sasso,hosted an exhibition entitled: LaSpiritualità dell’Arte nel XXI Secolo -Linguaggi a Confronto (“The Spirituality ofArt in the 21 st Century: Languages that challenge).The contributors were artists who, over theyears, dedicated their work to the improvement ofhumanity and society at large. The central messageof the exhibition was that of focusing on the “confronto”(challenge) among artists of various generationswho work with various means of communicationand who have in common respect for time andwho labor in rigorous silence both aspects whichenable their complete artistic freedom. The catalogof the exhibition perhaps sums up best the realitythat the artists tried to convey by their work: “We livein a very complex historic moment with all aspects ofhuman values. An overwhelming confusion, anentanglement of materialistic feelings that point outonly one road with only one concept: the way of theprofit and power… It is time that forces us to discoverour true identity… but to respect time, the onlytrue patrimony that belongs solely and totally toman, we need silence— there it is too much noise inthis world.”Community ofJamaica,New York dedicatesMonumentsOn Mission Sunday, October19, which coincided with the Feast Day of St. Paulof the Cross, Fr. Jack Douglas, Rector, and thereligious of the Monastery of Jamaica, New York,dedicated two new Memorial stones in the nearbymonastery cemetery. The Memorials commemoratethose Passionist Missionaries of St. Paul ofthe Cross province who died and are buried in thePhilippine Islands and in Jamaica, West Indies.It is an attempt on the part of PAUL Provinceto prayerfully remember these religious whosegraves they are not able to visit because of thegeographical distance. These memorials also offerthe living relatives of the deceased religious anopportunity to re-associate with the Passionistcommunity when they visit this site.31

Passionist LifeFormation Conference of the Passionist Family of CII (Spain)The Passionist Family of Spain and Portugal, men and women religious and laity, are continuing togrow as a family, in number and in depth of commitment. This organization continues to emphasize theimportance of the topic of formation, especially in the context of church membership, as well as the missionaryspirit and the charismatic dimension of St. Paul of the Cross.32As was mentioned in the previous issue of the PIB, on Nov. 14 -16, 70 members of the PassionistFamily, from various regions of Spain and Portugal, held their annual meeting in Angosto (Álava), underthe guidance and patronage of Our Lady of Angosto, patroness of the region. Fr. Francisco Mier, aPassionist of the Sagrada Familia (FAM) Province,using texts and characters of the New Testamentand the Passion narratives, gave some veryenlightening and challenging talks.The Beginning of theLay Passionist Movement in GermanyFr. DiegoAlbericiAt the initiative of Fr. Gregor Lenzen, ViceProvincial of the Vice-Province of VULN and togetherwith several lay people who were interested in the traditionalConfraternity of the Passion, the PassionistFamily Movement of Germany was begun. In Munich,Germany, on 18 Oct. 2002, in the context of a concelebratedMass, that was followed by a conferenceand the displaying of the documentof Father General, the LayPassionist Movement was inaugurated.Fr. Gregor summarized thepurpose of this movement: “to promotethe “memoria passionis” inpersonal life, family and society.[And he added] All Christians whodesire to orientate their lives towardthe spirituality of the Passion may jointhis movement. We meet once a month in themonastery of the Passionists of Munich to prayand reflect upon the topic of PassionistSpirituality.” In the photograph is ascene from the celebration. The documentthat marked the foundation ofthe movement was placed at the feetof Jesus Crucified, together with apicture of St. Paul of the Cross.The next meeting and social gathering,again within the Iberian region, will take place inAlcalá de Henares, in April 2004. During theyear additional formation meetings will takeplace within the variousregions.Anniversaries of the Congregation of the“Hijas de la Pasión” (Daughters of the Passion)This year the Passionist Sisters, founded in Mexico (Hijasde la Pasión de Jesucristo y de María Dolorosa) simultaneouslycelebrate two anniversaries: first, 50 years since theirpontifical approbation as an Institute. Hence, on 22 Nov., inthe Sanctuary of the Passion in Mexico, they celebrated aMass of Thanksgiving. Secondly, this year marks the beginningof the centenary year of the death of their co-founder, Fr.Diego Alberici, C.P., who died on July 23, 1904 in the city ofCholula, Puebla. The Daughters of the Passion currentlynumber approximately 300 religious, living in 50 communitiesin 12 countries of America, Europe and Africa. Theirarrival in the latter of these countries occurred two years ago,in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, a small communityis taking the initial steps in establishing the foundationand are already reaping the first fruits of their labors: 3postulants and numerous aspirants. Congratulations, Sisters!The founding group ofthe Lay PassionistMovement inGermany

Passionist LifeSymposium in honor of St. Gemma GalganiOn November 25, 2003 at the PontificalInstitute of Spirituality, the “Teresianum” of Rome,a symposium took place in honor of St. GemmaGalgani to mark the first centenary of her death. Theevent was entitled: “A theology lived by redemption”.There were a series of six presenters; amongthem were two Passionists, Fr. Tito Zecca, professorat the Lateran University and Sister GiovannaCostantino, General Consultor of the Sisters of St.Gemma. Fr. Tito addressed the topic of “TheSpirituality of the Passionists and St. GemmaGalgani” and Sister Giovanna spoke about “Gemmaand the Giannini Family”. The opening address wasgiven by Fr. Luigi Vaninetti, C.P., General Consultor.Centenary of the decree of the foundations of thePassionist monastery of LuccaThe Monastery of “St. Gemma” of the PassionistNuns at Lucca celebrate the centenary of its foundationwhich Pope St. Pius X approved by a Decree on 2 Oct.1903, merely six months after the “pious transitus” ofGemma Galgani, to whom Jesus had expressing askedthat a community of Passionist Nuns be established inthe city of the “Holy Face”. (Letter 85a to Fr.Germano) The centenary of the decree coincides withthat of the death of St. Gemma – 11 April 1903.In preparation for the celebration of the centenary,Fr. Luigi Vaninetti, General Consultor, preached aretreat for the nuns from 29 Sept. to 1 Oct. Eachevening he also preached to the laity that gathered inthe basilica. Then on October 2, ArchbishopPiergiorgio Nest, C.P., presided at a liturgy that wasconcelebrated by the Archbishop of Lucca, ArchbishopBruno Tommasi, Fr. Luigi Vaninetti, CP, Fr. AdolfoLippi, CP and other Passionist and diocesan clergy.Ordinations and ProfessionsCongratulations to these Passionist religious who recentlyhave taken additional steps in their following of Christ Crucified:Ordained to the PRIESTHOOD: Orlando Chávarro, ofColombia (Vice-Province FID), on 13 September; Jorge Reyes, ofthe Vicariate of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Chile (ProvinceSANG), on 20 September; Jacob Kuman Kumai Dibole of theVicariate Verbum Crucis, of Papua New Guinea (Province SPIR), 8November; and Massimo Granieri, of Italy (Province LAT), 22November.Ordained to the DIACONATE: Rogério de Lima Mendes, ofBrazil (Province CALV), on 5 October; Tonino Fiorelli, of theItalian DOL Province, on 25 October, and Lee Havey of theAmerican, PAUL Province, on 30 November.Recently professed Italians: Benedetto Manco (DOL),Pasquale Gravante (DOL) and Alessandro Ciciliani (PIET).Also, the following religious professed PERPETUAL VOWS: Gerardo Méndez Alfonso in Spain (ProvinceFAM), on 21 September; Frans Lukas Temme in Germany (Vice-Province VULN), on 28 September; Erasmo Sebastiano en Italy(Province DOL), also on 28 September; Carlos Armando Hernándezand Helber Alexander Pinilla in Colombia (Vice-Province FID), on 18October, Gianluca Zanni in Italy (Dol Province), on the same day; andJosè Santos Duarte in El Salvador (Vicariate CHRIC, Province FAM).Franz Lukas Temme (VULN) signs the Profession FormulaFinally, on Monte Argentario, 18 September, these religious professedFIRST VOWS: Alessandro Ciliani (PIET), Benedetto Manco (DOL)and Pasquale Gravante (DOL).To these religious we offer our sincerest best wishes and maythey grow deeper in fidelity to the Lord and to their Passionist vocation!33

Notitiae ObitusUsque ad diem 26 novembris 2003, acceptaeDIE OBDORMIVIT IN DOMINO PROVINCIA NATUS VOTA NUNCUPAVERAT5 septembris 2003 P. Norbert Hayne SPIR 1925 6 februarii 19448 septembris 2003 P. Huibrecht Labaere GABR 1913 16 septembris 192916 septembris 2003 P. Aurelio Alonso Alonso FAM 1926 8 septembris 194417 septembris 2003 P. Macartan Daly PATR 1922 10 novembris 192421 septembris 2003 P. Antonio Valenza CFIXI 1912 30 augusti 193028 septembris 2003 Fra. Marcelino Díez de la Hera FAM 1926 12 aprilis 194428 septembris 2003 P. James McHugh PAUL 1928 7 octobris 19558 octobris 2003 P. Lino (Tomás) Múzquiz Beraza CORI 1922 11 iunii 193912 octobris 2003 P. Eugene Kennan IOS 1917 21 octobris 193621 novembris 2003 P. Angel Castro Provecho FAM 1935 12 septembris 195423 novembris 2003 P. Bonaventura Rinaldi CORM 1929 19 septembris 194826 novembris 2003 P. Leo Patrick Brady CRUC 1917 17 iulii 1938MONIALES ET SORORES1 aprilis 2003 Sr. Maria Leonia Mattiazzo Inst. S.P. S.Pauli a Croce(Signa) 1913 21 novembris 192412 maii 2003 Sr. Marie Louise Murphy Inst. Crucis etPassionis(Anglia) 1909 9 septembris 1936349 novembris 2003 Sr. Joan Watts Inst. Crucis etPassionis(Anglia) 1923 8 maii 1949

New PublicationsAA.VV. I PASSIONISTI A CEGLIE MESSAPICA 1897-1997.Celebrazioni e Storia. A cura di Carmelo Turrisi.Barbieri Editore, Manduria 2003, pp. 416.AA.VV. LIBRO DE LA PALABRA. Ciclo C.Vicariato Apostólico de Yurimaguas. Yurimaguas 2003, pp. 478.2,Agresti, G., GEMMA GALGANI.Ritrato di una “espropriata”.Città Nuova Editrice, Roma 2003. pp. 152.Ramello, G. GEMMA DI LUCCA.Supplemento redazionale a Il Giornalino.Periodici San Paolo S.r.l. Milano, pp. 49Ciomei, F., GLI ANTICHI MARTIRI DELLA SARDEGNA.Storia-Passioni-Tradizioni. PP. Passionisti, Alghero 2003, pp. 144Ciomei, F., LA PRESENZA DI S. MARIA GORETTI NELLA CHIESA CATTOLICAattraverso i Padri in visita alla Casa del Martirio. PP. Passionisti, Alghero 2003, pp. 374Ciomei, F., LETTERE E DIARIO SPIRITUALE DELLA SERVA DI DIO EDVIGE CARBONI.Pro manuscripto a cura del P. Fortunato Ciomei. PP. Passionisti, Alghero 2003, pp. 488.Di Eugenio, P., LA PAROLA E IL SANGUE.Martirio e Lettere Pastorali del Beato Eugenio Bossilkov Vescovo Passionista.San Gabriele Edizioni. (TE) 2003, pp. 108.Odorissio, M., SALMOS E CANTICOS INSPIRADOS. Volume I.Editora Palavra &Prece Sao Paulo, 2003, pp. 282.Orefice, V., S. MARIA AI MONTI.I Passionisti a Napoli da cento anni 1900-2000,Provincia Addolorata, Editrice, Napoli, pp. 144.Pallotta, A., GEMMA SPOSA DI GESU SPOSO DI SANGUE.Convento “San Paolo della Croce” Firenze 2003, pp. 60.TESICollu. M., IL DISCORSO DELLA CROCE.Analisi Esegetico-Teologica di 1Cor 1,18-31.Thesis ad Doctoratum in Theologia cum Specializatione Biblica.Pontificium Athenaeum Facultas Scientiarum Biblicarum etArchaeologiae Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. Gerusalemme 2003, pp. 370.Leonardo, G., L’ESERCIZIO DELLA CORRESPONSABILITA’ NELLA NUOVA PARROCCHIA.Tesi di Licenza. Pontificia Università Lateranense Facoltà di Sacra Teologia, Roma 2002-2003, pp. 167.35

The Nativity, BoticelliMay the child Jesus who comes into this worldfill the void of our hearts with the radiance of his lightMerry Christmas and happy NewYearto the entire Passionist Family!