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A group of Benedictine nuns from Argentina will soon take up residence in the Vatican monastery where Pope Benedict XVI lived after resigning the papacy. The Benedictine Order of the Abbey of Saint Scholastica of Victoria, located in the province of Buenos Aires, accepted Pope Francis’ invitation to form a monastic community in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, the Vatican said November 13. The six nuns will move into the monastery, which is located in the Vatican Gardens in Vatican City State, in early January. Saint John Paul II canonically erected the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery for nuns of contemplative life in 1994. Different groups of cloistered nuns, rotating every three years, lived in the convent until November 2012. Benedict XVI spent his retirement in prayer and meditation there. He was assisted by his personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein and four consecrated women.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255992/after-benedict-xvi-s-death-vatican-monastery-to-be-home-to-benedictine-nuns
Sheet music was made available online last week for the official hymns of the upcoming National Eucharistic Revival, which were chosen from among hundreds of entries in a contest last summer. The National Eucharistic Revival is the US bishops’ three-year initiative to inspire belief in and reverence for the Eucharist. The winning hymn and theme song, which were chosen from among some 177 entries, were announced in August. Links to download the sheet music, available in English and Spanish for both compositions, can be found at the National Eucharistic Revival’s blog post.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255994/prizewinning-eucharistic-revival-hymns-released-for-use-in-parishes
Despite not being religious, Dean Gregory, the father of 8-month-old Indi Gregory, said that his time in court fighting for his daughter’s life felt like he had been “dragged to hell.” Indi died in her mother’s arms in hospice on Nov. 13 after her parents repeatedly appealed in UK courts to be able to take their baby to Rome for treatment. They lost their legal battle when the second-highest court in the UK ruled on November 10 that Indy’s life support be removed “immediately.”The experience moved him to decide to have his daughter baptized. “I am not religious and I am not baptized,” Gregory told an Italian newspaper in an interview. “But when I was in court I felt like I had been dragged to hell. I thought that if hell exists, then heaven must also exist.” He added: “It was as if the devil was there. I thought that if the devil exists, then God must exist.” During Indi’s time in the neonatal intensive care unit, a Christian volunteer visited daily. It was during those visits, Gregory explained, that he was told “baptism protects you and opens the door to heaven for you.” “I’ve seen what hell is like and I want Indi to go to heaven,” he expressed. Indi was baptized on September 22.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255997/baby-indi-gregorys-father-says-he-chose-baptism-for-her-after-feeling-dragged-to-hell
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Lawrence O'Toole, bishop of Dublin in the 12th century. Saint Lawrence was most widely known for his piety, charity, and prudence, and was respected as a negotiator.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-lawrence-otoole-53
The Church also celebrates Blessed John Licci, one of the longest living holy men of the Church. His 111 years on this earth in a small town near Palermo, Sicily, were filled with many miracles. John joined the Dominicans in 1415. He wore the habit for 96 years which is the longest known period for any religious.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-john-licci-655