Digital Media's role in the Church

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM -- We live in an era where constant technological and social changes take place. This case study was written in order to explore how a traditional Institution such as the Catholic Church applied social media to adapt in order to satisfy the demands and necessities of believers. The specific example studied in this case is the use of Twitter to grant indulgence to believers.
THE FACTS
For many years the Catholic Church has been suffering from what might be called “bad publicity”, with frequent talk about pedophilia and financial scandals. In January 2012, while Pope Benedict XVI was the Head of the Institution, there was a scandal which the media called Vatileaks that allegedly exposed corruption through leaked documents. Later that year letters and memos between Pope Benedict and his personal secretary were published in a book called His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI, which exposed the former Pope’s personal finances, and also stories of bribery to obtain an audience with him. In 2013 Pope Benedict XVI decided to abdicate and Pope Francis was elected as his successor.

Pope Francis represented a change for the Church, so the Institution began a process of adaptation to the technological changes in society. Pope Benedict had a Twitter account that was cleaned (all the tweets that belong to Benedict were deleted) after he resigned. Once Francis was elected the user name for the account went from “vacant” to “Pope Francis”. The Twitter [1] account is available in 9 languages and has over 8 million followers. When that account was under Benedict’s name it only had little over 400,000 followers. The Vatican has a website [2] on which believers can follow Mass via the Internet. Pope Francis has a Facebook page [3] that has over 75,000 likes where people can post almost anything, a YouTube channel [4], and an app called The Pope App for smartphones. He is the first Catholic Pope to use social networking to communicate with believers in a successful way. Being able to read words from the Pope on handheld devices creates a more dynamic relationship by creating the feeling of closeness. 

THE PROBLEM
Indulgence is basically time off purgatory. On July 17 2013 the Vatican announced that Pope Francis would be providing indulgence to whoever had a legitimate reason not to attend the World Youth Day (an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church, at the international level every two to three years at different locations) and followed the event either on TV or radio. Controversy arose because indulgence, a very conservative and controversial term, was being used to prove that the Church was moving forward. The Church realized that not everyone could afford the trip to Brazil to participate in the World Youth Day and that there could be other impediments for people who wanted to participate. The Catholic Church came up with a solution for anyone who could not attend the World Youth Day: grant indulgence to whoever had a legitimate reason not to participate. The question then is, how do we as part of society feel about indulgences being granted over Twitter? If we can start replacing the physical Church with social media, will it reduce civic engagement? Will people replace their participation in church as members of a community with digital participation? 

MEDIA REACTION
The media coverage regarding the indulgence via Twitter has been very diverse. Had it not been thanks to the relevance traditional media has given this matter, a lot of people would not know about the situation. Traditional media reported the news from an objective point of view in a positive way. While most of the articles read during this investigation merely stated the fact that indulgence was to be granted over Twitter, some showed their support to the Church’s decision: “In the age of modern technologies any mass media give a great opportunity to stay in touch [5] of what is going on and participate in the prayer, including the service led by the Pope”. Others didn’t hesitate to mention that they don’t believe it is a good idea to use technology in a case like this: “great idea that the church tries to reach believers with technology, feels it is not right [6] to offer indulgence over twitter .“ 

“Meanwhile, blogs had a more negative reaction towards the indulgence situation, which they expressed through mockery and ironic statements.” Of course, “genuine spiritual fruit” is hard to measure, so you may just have to input the proper prayers at the correct time and hope your spiritual fruit is growing right [7].” The fact that articles/blogs/videos are open to comments is very important because it generates action from the readers. “My first and only comment [8] about the Catholic Church and the recent news about using Twitter to cleanse a person from punishment is HERESY!” 


How meaningful is the interaction or engagement with the Church over Twitter?
The Church decided to open a Twitter account to improve the relationship with believers, especially the younger demographic. However, Pope Francis’ accounts only follows his other accounts in other languages. When the Vatican decided to inform the resolution for indulgence over Twitter, the news was delivered via traditional media. It is interesting that the Vatican chose a traditional form of communication to inform of their plans for innovation. That could lead us to ask why someone who wants to prove that they are leaving traditions would embrace said traditions to do so. In our opinion it could be because the news that indulgence was to be granted over Twitter they would generate controversy and it would be easier for people to understand through traditional media.


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Common Core Catholic Initiative

BACKDROP:
A learning goal or standard is only as good as the instructor's ability to imagine what it would look like when it is being met.
(Sarah Fine, Education Week, Oct. 10)

It is essential to keep in mind the basic premise of what a school is because that which does not reproduce the characteristic features of a school cannot be a Catholic school.
(Article 25, The Catholic School, Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977)

We ask the schools to teach children to think, to socialize them, to alleviate poverty and inequality, to reduce crime, to perpetuate our cultural heritage, and to produce intelligent, patriotic citizens.
(Omstein and Levine, Foundations of Education, 2000)

We need to fix our schools to teach "entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity" so students can emulate the "new untouchables" in our work force today.
(Thomas Friedman, New York Times, Oct. 2009)

We ask all Catholic schools to do this and...The integration of religious truth and values with the rest of life is not only possible in Catholic schools, it distinguishes them from others.
(Teach Them, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1976)

The Gospel Spirit should be evident in a Christian way of thought and life that permeates all facets of the educational climate. (Article 25)...Religious values and motivation are cultivated in all subject areas and in all of the various activities going on in the school. (Article 107)...
(The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, The Congregation for Catholic Education, 1988)

The special character of the Catholic School, the underlying reason for it, the reason why Catholic parents should prefer it, is precisely the quality of the religious instruction integrated into the education of the students.
(General Directory for Catechesis, United States Catholic Conference, 1997)

The task of the Catholic School is fundamentally, "a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life: the first is reached by integrating all the different aspects of human knowledge through the subjects taught, in the light of the Gospel; the second in the growth of the virtues characteristic of the Christian."
(The Catholic School, Revised Translation, NCEA, Summer 2009)

An excellent Catholic school adhering to mission provides a rigorous academic program for religious studies and catechesis in the Catholic faith, set within a total academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture, and life.
(National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools, 2012)

The curriculum is modified continuously as the goals of education are revised, as student populations change, as social issues are debated, and as new interest groups are activated...
(Omstein and Levine, Foundations of Education, 2000)

Content mastery is not sufficient. We should view content acquisition as a means to an end, not an end in itself. If students do not have numerous opportunities to use content knowledge to solve interesting problems, grapple with key questions and issues of the discipline, and examine sound issues, they will be unlikely to perform well on the common assessments.
(David Coleman, Building on the Common Core, Educational Leadership, March 2011)

The Common Core Standards are not about coverage, but spiraling, learning something and taking it to the next level.
(Anne R. Gere, NCTE, Education Week, July 2011)

The "heartbeat" of the Common Core is instruction. The "heartbeat" demands that we revamp the mile-wide, inch-deep approach in curriculum and in textbooks.
(David Coleman, April 2011)

WHAT?
To develop a framework that will assist educators in infusing Catholic values and principles of social teaching into all subjects and integrating the Catholic worldview and culture into curriculum and instructional design using the Common Core Standards.

WHY?
  • Catholic schools need to pay attention to the fact that the common core standards and assessments are here and it is important to get on board.
  • Defining Characteristic: Our Catholic schools are distinguished by excellence.
  • An excellent Catholic school has a clearly articulated, rigorous curriculum aligned with relevant standards, 21st century skills, and Gospel values
implemented through effective instruction.
  • The curriculum adheres to appropriate, delineated standards, and is vertically aligned to ensure that every student succesfully completes a rigorous and
coherent sequence of academic courses based on the standards and rooted in Gospel values.
  • Standards are adopted across the curriculum, and include integration of the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical dimensions of learning in all subjects.
  • Teachers and principals - and many superintendents - require a great deal of assistance in understanding and implementing standards-based curriculum and instructional design.

WHO?
  • Catholic school teachers, curriculum experts, catechetical experts, principals, and superintendents

CATHOLIC IDENTITY ELEMENTS:
How can we legitimately integrate these elements into instruction while ensuring rigor in keeping with the CCSS?
  • Catholic Worldview
  • Culture and Tradition
  • Gospel Values
  • Church Social Teachings
  • Moral/Ethical Dimensions

National Catholic Educators Association (NCEA):
  • NCEA advocates the Common Core State Standards initiative.
  • CCSS ensure equity across all states.
  • NCEA is not focused on how Catholic school test scores compare to other schools, public or private; instead, NCEA is focused on the best fit for each child - the cobined school community, academic program, and the way the individual is able to function and progress in that program's environment
  • CCSS should not be thought of as a curriculum. Rather, they are the outcomes we should be aiming at for each child.
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Advent to Christmas. Thoughts, Videos, and More

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Christmas Message from Catholic and Protestant leaders

The family, where God is present, has an important role in the history of salvation: this was said by the Catholic Bishops of Indonesia in a Christmas message issued jointly with the country’s Protestant Church leaders. In the Message, a copy was sent to Fides, the authors recall that “the Son of God who became man is Emmanuel, “God with us”. The message titled, “Meeting God in the Family” is signed by Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta and Archbishop Johannes Pujasumarta of Semarang, respectively president and general secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia and by Pastor Andreas Yewangoe and Pastor Gomar Gultom, respectively president and secretary general of the Protestant Communion of Churches in Indonesia. 

 The Christian leaders acknowledge rapid changes in family life: “We encounter many family difficulties to be solved, poverty, healthcare, suitable housing, children’s education, domestic violence, addiction to drugs and alcohol”. Challenges threatening families include “abortion, prostitution, human trafficking which causes conflicts”. The family find itself in an increasingly individualist culture, the message notes.

 Under these circumstances it is necessary to rediscover “values which express relations of love, fidelity and responsibility”. Precisely when “God’s presence is difficult to feel, time for prayer and reflection on the Word of God, become essential”, the Christian leaders say, encouraging Catholic and Protestant communities to present the family and to render the family “the appropriate place for the birth of the Son of God”: the family is where the Lord is present”, they recall. In this way “the family is grace and blessing for all and good news for the world” the message concludes. 

 Agenzia Fides - Palazzo "de Propaganda Fide"
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New app takes Pope Francis's Philippines visit mobile



The new official app for the Pope’s January visit to the Philippines will help people follow the Pope’s activities and find the latest news, while letting them offer their prayers on a special prayer wall. Read more.





Catholic Apps, Books, and Music

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Catholic Priest Puts his Life on the Line to Save Muslims

A human rights defender from the Central African Republic honored; Burma "backsliding" on reform; Libya car bombs; protecting privacy; Uganda ups LGBT attacks; desperate times for Iraq's displaced; Mexico's missing; why India's sprint to sterilise should end; & US drug reform - going global?



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The Perpetual Virginity of the Deipara

The Annunciation -Fra Angelico
The Annunciation
—Fra Angelico
As we approach the Nativity of our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, it is good to take up the doctrinal realities and teachings on the Virgin Birth, as it is the second great jewel in the crown of the Deipara. (NB: Deipara is the classical Latin theological term which translates the Greek Θεοτόκος, and is used in theology as opposed to Dei genitrix, which is normally used in Liturgy). We will proceed by unfolding three Theses of this doctrine and their proofs, namely that Our Blessed Lady was a virgin a) before birth  b) during birth  c) after birth. While c was historically denied by many protestants, in modern times both a and b are denied, even by some claiming to be Catholic.
Thesis IMaria purissima virgo ante gignentem Christum fuit. (De fide)(Mary was a pure virgin before the birth of Christ)
This part of the doctrine holds that the Mary was a virgin from her beginning and through the moment when the archangel St. Gabriel was sent to announce to her the mystery of the incarnation. This should be logical, since in terms of effects if this were not the case, it would be very hard to prove that Jesus was the incarnate God as opposed to having his origin in some man. Therefore it is one of the first and obvious places to attack if one were going to disprove the Incarnation, validating the principle that authentic Mariology lays the foundation for authentic Christology.
Scriptural Proof
Old Testament
The Prophecy of Isaiah, which in the Traditional breviary is read in the first week of advent, declares: “On account of this, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold a virgin will conceive, and will bear a son, and his name will be called Emmanuel.”1
Emmanuel of course, means “God with us” in Hebrew. Some today, most especially amongst “Catholic” scripture scholars, claim that the Hebrew word used here,ָ הַעְלָמה (eolme) simply means a young women, and therefore is not prophesying a Virgin birth. This is refuted in two ways. Firstly, before the progressive promiscuity of modern culture, it was safely assumed in general that a young woman was a virgin. Traditional cultures, and middle eastern cultures are certainly no exception, place great value on a woman’s virginity. Classical culture in the Greek world, for example, would keep young girls out of the public eye, to make sure that they would not fall prey to the lusts of disordered young men, since it was seen even in pagan cultures that the virtues of young women were necessary to the stability of families, and therefore the state. Semitic cultures have always done the same, and they were so successful that young woman was synonymous with virgin. Moreover, the term itself is translated into English as virgin in a number of contexts. The Hebrew word eolme, the Greek Παρθένος (parthenos) and the Latin virgo, all tend to be rendered in English as virgin, or old English maiden. Maiden in old English also, was synonymous with virgin. In mythology the daughter of Apollo and Chrysotemis was named Parthenos, because she was a virgin. Would there be anything remarkable in calling her “young woman”? All women at some time are young women, rather she was a virgin, and the constellation Virgo is named after her.
This brings us to the second point: there would be nothing remarkable about this prophecy if it meant “A young woman will conceive”, because at that time, as for most cultures until the 20th century, only young women conceived. It would be tantamount to saying an unmarried man is a bachelor. Didn’t you know?
The third point, is applicable to those Catholics who would follow this line of argument: Certainly not only the Fathers, but even the Gospel writers themselves understood this to mean Virgin. For, St. Matthew writes in his Gospel: “Now all of this was done that what the Lord spoke by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bring forth a son,” etc.2Thus St. Mathew, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, understood this prophecy to mean a Virgin would bear a son. Therefore this should be taken in sensu composito. The Trend to conform modern scholarship to the rationalist positions is sadly evidence of how modernism has penetrated Catholic scholarship in this day and age.
New Testament
Apart from Matthew I:18, which was just referenced, there is that in St. Luke’s gospel, Mary asked the Archangel how this could happen, since she doesn’t “know man.”3 He replies: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the most High will overshadow you.”4 This shows two things: firstly that Mary doesn’t understand how she can conceive, because she doesn’t know man, that is she has not had carnal relations (and will not, as we shall see), meaning that she is a Virgin. Gabriel then explains it, which shows also that the conception of the Word will not in any way violate her virginity. Thus, what is described in the Gospel has nothing in common with Greek mythology, where the gods have carnal relations with women, such as Zeus and Alcmena, who gave birth to Hercules. The power of the God will overshadow her, a metaphor for the spiritual way in which the incarnation will be effected materially. In St. Matthew’s gospel we also have: “As his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.”5
Thus, the New Testament is crystal clear on Mary’s virginity before birth.
Fathers and theologians
The Church Fathers unanimously taught that Christ was conceived by a virgin and that this fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, VII:14. St. Justin Martyr is the earliest witness, who says in his Apology: “The words ‘Behold a virgin shall be with child’ means that the virgin shall conceive without carnal intercourse. For had she admitted such intercourse, she would no longer be a virgin. But the power of God effected that she conceived as a virgin.”6 Among the Latin fathers, St. Augustine sums up patristic opinion, when he says: “It behooved a virgin to give birth to Him who was conceived by His mother’s faith, not by her lust.”7 In the Catacombs, there is also a monument to Our Lady’s virginity. The Catacombs of St. Priscilla depict an image of our Lady which beneath it has the inscription: Virgo virginum (Virgin of virgins). This dates to the 3rd century.
The next consideration is St. Joseph. While the Blessed Virgin was the true spouse of St. Joseph, even though she conceived Christ without detriment to her virginity. Joseph as Mary’s spouse and adoptive father of Jesus, had all the rights of a legal father, one of which is naming, which we see in the Gospels. “Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost; and she shall bring forth a son: and you will call his name Jesus.”8 This point helps us to understand other passages in the Gospel, where it says “His father and mother were wondering at those things” (Luke II:33), or “Behold your father and I have sought you in sorrow” (Luke II:48). He is in fact Jesus father as far as all earthly things are concerned, except the origin. St. Augustine notices this, and expounds on it: “Joseph is called the father of Christ in the same way in which he is understood to be the husband of Mary, without carnal intercourse, by the connexion of marriage, that is to say, far more intimately than if he had been adopted in some other way.”9
St. Thomas adds, that God the Father is the father of Christ, not the Holy Ghost, making the distinction between generatio aequivoca, and generatio univoca, the latter meaning the production of a being consubstantial with its progenitor. The Holy Ghost supplied supernaturally the male principle of human conception, which was absent. “Christ was conceived of the Virgin Mary, who supplied the matter of His conception unto the likeness of the species, and on that account He is called her Son. But as a man He was conceived of the Holy Ghost as the active principle of His conception, yet, not according to likeness of species, as a man is born of his father. Therefore Christ is not called the Son of the Holy Ghost.”10 The Council of Toledo also expressly confirmed this point.11
Therefore, the question of Mary’s virginity before birth is a matter of Catholic faith (de fide). Numerous quotes could be piled up on end from fathers and theologians, but that is too daunting a task for this medium. It remains for the next installments, to speak of the virginity during birth, and after birth.
1 Isaiah VII:14, Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum: ecce virgo concipiet, et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel.
2. Matth I:22-23, Hoc autem totum factum est, ut adimpleretur quod dictum est a Domino per prophetam dicentem: Ecce virgo in utero habebit, et pariet filium: et vocabunt nomen ejus Emmanuel, quod est interpretatum Nobiscum Deus.
3 Luke I:34, Dixit autem Maria ad angelum: Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco?
4 Luke I:35 Et respondens angelus dixit ei: Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi.
5 Matth. I:18.
6. Apology, I.
7. Enchridion, n. 34.
8. Matt. I:25 et vocavit nomen ejus Jesum.
9. De consensu Evangel., II, 1: Eo modo pater Christi dicitur Joseph, quo et vir Mariae intelligentur sine commixtione carnis, ipsa copulatione conjugii, multo videlicet conjunctius quam si esset aliunde adoptatus.
10. Summa Theologiae, III, qu. 32, a. 3, ad 1: “Christus conceptus est de Maria Virgine materiam ministrante in similitudinem speciei, et ideo dicitur Filius ejus. Christus autem secundum quod homo conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto sicut de activo principio, non tamen secundum similitudinem speciei, sicut homo nascitur de parte suo, et ideo Christus non dicitur filius Spiritus Sancti.”
11. Denzinger, 282.

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Confession: How to Do It (a short video)


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Catholic Apps and Related Articles

Pure Faith

http://www.148apps.com/app/741537884Pure Faith is a beautifully designed Catholic prayer app that includes all of the prayers from the best-selling book Pure Faith, plus daily Mass readings, Saint of the Day, Liturgy of the Hours, the entire Bible, and the monthly prayer intentions from the pope. Use it to prepare for Mass or confession, or do an evening examen before bedtime.

Need a reminder to pray the Angelus, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy . . .




Online Studies: Get Paid Up to $75





More Catholic apps


The Catholic Directory – free
This is probably the app I use the most because I’m terrible at remembering mass times. My favorite feature is that you can find churches by using your current location. This is super helpful when traveling, or when your schedule requires you to find another parish to go to mass/confession. The only down side of this app is that it requires parishes or users to help keep the information up-to-date. As an added bonus, they have added the daily readings.

Laudate – free
Similar to iPieta, this is a Catholic mashup app. Laudate has the daily readings plus the saint of the day. It includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, multiple podcasts for daily meditation and the New American Bible. My two favorite features are the gospel reflections and the interactive rosary. For those of you who don’t have a Magnificat subscription, these reflections are a wonderful free alternative. True, you will get odd looks when you whip your iPhone out after communion (it happens to me all the time). Just be confident in the fact that you’re not texting or tweeting but rockin’ some deep meditation. For those onlookers, this is a good time to introduce them to the 21st century when mass is over.

Source: http://patrickpadley.com/blog/2012/09/07/top-5-best-catholic-iphone-apps/









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A Great Catholic RSS Feed: Catholic Online

If you're looking for a good Catholic feed to add to Google Reader or your favorite feedreader, look no further than Catholic Online. 

 This feed contains the best Catholic articles from around the web - it selects articles from blogs like the National Catholic Register, Peter Kreeft, Creative Minority Report, and similar sources.

 Open this url in your favorite reader: http://www.catholic.org/xml/rss_top_news.xml
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Salt + Light Television: Catholic TV in Canada

Salt + Light Television (French: Télévision Sel + Lumière) is a Canadian category 2 digital cable specialty channel. Owned by the not-for-profitSalt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and based in Toronto, Ontario, Salt + Light Television is supported by St. Joseph Communications. Both St. Joseph and Salt + Light were founded by businessman Gaetano Gagliano.
Launched in July 2003, it is the first Catholic national television channel in Canada. The channel airs programming in several languages, although prominently in English along with several French programs airing under the brand Télévision Sel + Lumière as well as Italian and Chinese programs.
The name of the station derives itself from the theme of World Youth Day 2002, "You are the salt of the earth... you are the light of the world," part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13-14). The National Director of WYD 2002, Fr. Thomas Rosica, is the Chief Executive Officer of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation.
Programs range from daily news and current events to special features and films. Most programming falls into one of five categories:
Salt + Light Television has been endorsed by national and international Catholic leaders and organizations, including the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Vatican Television Center, and many departments of the Vatican. 

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Meet a Medieval Pro-life Saint: Elizabeth of Hungary

New York, NY (November 17, 2014). Most people don't realize that abortion, abandonment of newborns and infanticide are not just modern problems. They were also common in the Middle Ages. Lack of care for the poor and the elderly was also common back then. 

St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a medieval saint who cared for poor pregnant women and their babies. The daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, and wife of a German prince, Ludwig, Landgraf of Thuringia,built a hospital for the poor near Wartburg castle in her husband's domains. She was a true "mother" to sick children, and devoted to the physical and spiritual care of pregnant mothers. After her husband's death on crusade in 1227, she built a similar hospital in Marburg in Hesse, where she worked after taking the Franciscan habit and serving the poorest of the poor with several other women, who were perhaps the first Third Order Sisters in the world, until her death. 

Dr. Lori Pieper, OFS, a medieval historian and a secular Franciscan, has detailed Elizabeth's work for the poor and its significance in her biography of the saint, "The Greatest of These is Love: The Life of St Elizabeth of Hungary." The new revised edition is now available from Tau Cross Books and Media, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other outlets. 

Dr. Pieper says: "Elizabeth was very sensitive to poor women and the circumstances that might pressure them to abort or abandon their children. Once in Hesse, she cared for a poor pregnant woman who was alone, and continued to care for her after her child was born. As the woman got ready to leave Elizabeth gave her some food and clothing for herself and the child. The woman's husband, who may have originally abandoned her while pregnant, now returned -- and the two ran off, leaving the child behind. They eventually returned for the baby and asked forgiveness. The people who witnessed this tended to condemn this woman and told Elizabeth she should not receive any further aid, and should even have what was given to her taken away. But Elizabeth continued to have compassion on her and her child. We see this so often today. People often condemn women in difficulty, but compassion is still the true pro-life attitude." 

The book tells the whole story of Elizabeth's life from her birth in 1207 until her death. It is based on the truth that love or charity is the greatest of the virtues. Elizabeth practiced this virtue as a vocation in her love for her husband and children. She was a young wife and mother of barely 18 when she met the first Franciscans who came to Germany and through them discovered her second vocation to the poor. She died beloved throughout Europe, and already considered a saint, on November 17, 1231 -- still only 24 years old -- and was canonized in 1235. 

Since then she has inspired a multitude of men and women who have imitated her life of service in religious orders and other communities and charities named for her. One of them was Fr. Ludovico da Casoria, a 19th-century Franciscan friar who founded the Suore Elisabettine in Italy, and who will be canonized on November 23, 2014. 

Also inspired by St. Elizabeth was a courageous Jesuit priest, Fr. Alfred Delp, who in a sermon in 1941 in Sankt Georg church in Bavaria, denounced, though in veiled terms, the Nazi regime's program of euthanasia for the mentally and physically handicapped and other seemed "unfit to live." But St. Elizabeth, he said, teaches us "the true meaning of human life . . . This quiet woman bears a grave and urgent message for our land, for our people, for each of us: everywhere, wherever we find ourselves, wherever we may be called upon to bear witness, we must protect life, we must guard human beings from everything that can crush them underfoot. Woe to those who inflict suffering! And woe to those who have destroyed a human life, who have desecrated an image of God, even when it was already breathing its last, even when it seemed to represent only a vestige of humanity." 

There is more of Fr. Delp's sermon, and other reflections on St. Elizabeth and the "culture of death" in this inspiring book. They make it clear that she is not just a distant medieval figure but a woman for today. 
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