Pope. Year of Mercy is essence of the new evangelization..

Fw: Year of Mercy is essence of the new evangelization.. 

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Year of Mercy is essence of the new evangelization, Pope says  1  10  0 Google +0 Delicious0 Catholic World News - May 29, 2015 The purpose of the Jubilee Year of Mercy is to underline “that the gift of mercy is the announcement that the Church is called to transmit in her work of evangelization,” Pope Francis said in a May 29 address to the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. “New evangelization means becoming aware of the Father's merciful love so that we too may... +++++++++++++ Catholic World News - May 29, 2015 The purpose of the Jubilee Year of Mercy is to underline “that the gift of mercy is the announcement that the Church is called to transmit in her work of evangelization,” Pope Francis said in a May 29 address to the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. “New evangelization means becoming aware of the Father's merciful love so that we too may become instruments of salvation for our brothers,” the Pope said. In helping people to become aware of God’s mercy, he said, it is crucial to recognize that this is “not an abstract idea of mercy, but rather a concrete experience by which we understand our weakness and the strength that comes from above.” He added: “The help we invoke is already the first step of God's mercy towards us.” The Holy Father concentrated on the theme of mercy because he has given the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization the primary responsibility for planning events for the Jubilee year. Additional sources for this story Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window. Plenary session of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation: people expect the Church to walk with them and bear witness to faith (VIS) Year of Mercy is essence of the new evangelization, Pope says : News Headlines A chief provider and curator of Catholic information on the web since 1996. Our editorial voice, always faithful to the teachings of the Church, as... View or comment on DonaldJames McGlynn's post »

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Luisa Piccareta, God centered His Love toward man. 31 May 2015 Most Sacred Trinity

Saturday, 30 May 2015

Luisa Piccareta, How in all created things God centered His Love toward man. 31 May 2015 Most Sacred Trinity

   

COMMENT: internet Picture.

The illustration above, Trinity, is apt in the words of Luisa Piccarreta in prayer, theology,catechism, mysticism.... 

From the Journal of

Luisa Piccarreta

Book of Heaven

VOLUME 20   

  http://hymnsandchants.com/Texts/Fiat/FiatVolumes/FiatVolume20/FiatVolume20.htm   

October 29, 1926

How in all created things God centered His Love toward man.  Outpouring of love in creating him, and how the Fiat made him live in the reflections of his Creator.           
- Most Sacred Trinity 

1.             I continued my rounds throughout Creation, following every action of the Supreme Will in each created thing.  My always lovable Jesus came out from within me and accompanied me everywhere under the vault of heaven.  As we reached each created things, Jesus trembled with joy and love. 

2.            He paused to tell me: “My daughter, when I created the heavens, Icentered My Love for man there, and to delight him even more, I studded them with stars.  It was not the heavens I loved, but man in the heavens; I created them for him.  My Love was so vast and strong that I extended this azure vault over the head of man and adorned with brilliant stars, as a pavilion for him.  No emperor or king could ever have one like it.”

3.             “However, I was not content with centering My Love for man in these heavens that I made purely for his delight.  I wanted to delight in love for him, so I created the sun, where I centered all my love for man.  It wasn’t the sun I loved; I loved man in the sun.  It was necessary to put my love there because the sun was necessary for the earth, the plants and the well-being of man.  There was love of the light that illuminates him, and love of the fire that warms him, and all the other innumerable effects that this sphere produces.  It is an on-going miracle placed in the vault of the heavens, where its light comes down for the good of all.  I centered so many kinds of love for man in the sun, one for each of all the many good effects it produces.” 

4.             “If only the creature at least paid attention to My Love the sun brings to her, how happy I would be.  I would be repaid for the great love I placed in this ambassador of My Divinity, the bearer of My Love and My Light.” 

5.             “As My Supreme Will operated, It established Itself as the life of each created thing, so It could give Itself as life for generations of humankind.  It is through each created thing that My Love, making its way in My Eternal Fiat, orients Itself around loving mankind.  In each created thing, in the wind and sea, a little flower or the little bird that sings, I centralized My Love in each of these so they may all bring him love.  This is My language of love.  However, mankind cannot hear, much less understand it unless they love Me.  If they don’t, all of Creation is dead silence for them.”

6.             “Then, after I created everything, I shaped the nature of man with My own creative hands.  As I formed the bones, extended the nerves and made the heart.  I also centralized My Love in him.  I clothed him with flesh, shaping him so he was more beautiful than any statue ever made by any sculpture.  I looked at him with so much affection that I was unable to contain My Love, and It overflowed as I breathed on him, infusing him with life.”

7.             “However, We were still not satisfied.  With superabundant love, the Most Sacredt Trinity endowed him by giving him intellect, memory and will.  We enriched him with all the attributes of Our Divine Being, as much as a creature in capable of receiving.  The whole of the Divinity was intent on loving man, so It poured Itself into him.  From the very first moment of his life, he felt all the strength of Our Love, and from the depth of his heart, he gave voice to his love for his Creator.” 

8.             “We were so happy when We heard this statue We made as part of Our work, speaking about his perfect love for Us.  It was the reflection of Our own Love that he was expressing.  This love had not yet been contaminated by his will, so it was still perfect; he still had all Our Love within him.  Out of everything We created up until then, none of them had ever told Us it loved Us.”

9.             “When We heard man expressing his love for Us, We were content.  We were so full of joy that, in the midst of our feasting, We crowned him as king of the entire universe.  He was the most beautiful jewel Our creative hands had ever made.  Man was so beautiful early in his creation.  He was Our reflection, so beautiful that Our Love was in rapture.  As Our reflection, everything he did was perfect.  The glory he gave to his Creator, his adoration, his work and his love, they were all perfect.  The perfect harmony of his voice resounded throughout Creation.  It was the Divine harmony of the same Fiat that had given him life.” 

10.         “Everything about him was in perfect order, like the image of his Creator that Our Will had given him.  It made him happy, and he grew in Our Likeness, according to Our words: ‘Let Us make man in Our Image and Likeness.’  His every action was done in the Unity of the Light of the Supreme Fiat, each one a touch of the Divine Beauty he was given.  His every word added another note of resounding harmony.   Everything about him was a love that he sang in praise of Our Glory, Power and infinite Wisdom.  The heavens, the earth and sun, everything gave him joy, happiness and the love of He who had created him.” 

11.         “If you could make a statue exactly the way you wanted, and make it come to life within the empire of the freely given love you have poured into it, how much would you love it?  How much would you want it to love you?  Wouldn’t you want it completely for yourself?  Wouldn’t you get so jealous over it that you would want its every heartbeat to be just for you?  If you could see yourself in this statue, wouldn’t you feel torn up inside if it didn’t do every little thing just for you?”

12.         “That’s how I am.  Every time the creature does something that isn’t just for Me, My feelings get torn apart.  What makes it worse is that the earth that supports her is Mine; the sun that illuminates and warms her is Mine; the water she drinks and the food she eats are Mine.  Everything is Mine and she lives at My expense.  I give everything to this beautiful statue, yet she is not there for Me.  Can you image My sorrow at how outrageously offensive this statue is to Me?  Think about it, My daughter.”

13.         “You know that only My Will can give Me back My beautiful statue, just as I made it.  My Will is the preserver of all Our works.  It is the bearer of all Our reflections, the habitat of the soul.  When she loves, it is with the perfection of Our Love; when she works, it is with the perfection of Our works.  Everything she does is perfect and gives her so many different shades of beauty that her Maker, who formed her, is captivated by love.”

14.         “I would love so much that the Supreme Fiat be known and form Its Kingdom among generations of humankind.  I want to re-establish relations between Creator and creature.  I want her to return and share all Our wealth in common with her.  Our Will alone has this power.  Without It, there can’t be much good, nor could Our statue return to Us, as beautiful as We made it with Our creative hands.”

Luisa Picarreta

Posted by DonaldJames McGlynn at  12:35  

Labels: Mass, Mystics, Souls-pray

 

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St. Philip Neri (Florence, 25 July 1515 – Rome 26 May 1595)

St Philip Neri 5th Centenary

Community Mass Saint, 

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Francis commemorates St. Philip Neri on the fifth ... - VIS news

visnews-en.blogspot.com/.../francis-commemorates-st-philip-neri-on.html

2 hours ago - Vatican City, 26 May 2015 (VIS) – This year marks the fifth centenary of the birth of St. Philip Neri (Florence, 25 July 1515 – Rome 26 May 1595)  ...

St. Philip Neri - Saints & Angels - C

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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

    Pope Francis commemorates St. Philip Neri on the fifth centenary of his birth

Vatican City, 26 May 2015 (VIS) – This year marks the fifth centenary of the birth of St. Philip Neri (Florence, 25 July 1515 – Rome 26 May 1595), known as the “apostle of Rome” and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory that, as Pope Francis writes in a letter addressed to the procurator general Fr. Mario Alberto Aviles, is characterised by “an intense and joyful spiritual life: prayer, listening and conversation on the Word of God, preparation to receive the sacraments in a dignified way, formation for Christian life through the history of the saints and the Church, and works of charity for the benefit of the poorest”.

The Holy Father, joining with those who commemorate the figure and the work of this saint, who spent sixty years of his life in Rome, remarks that thanks to the apostolate of St. Philip, commitment to saving souls “was restored as a priority in the Church's activity, and it was newly understood that pastors must stay with their people to guide them and sustain them in their faith. Philip was a guide for many people, announcing the Gospel and dispensing the Sacraments. In particular, he dedicated himself with great passion to the ministry of Confession, up to the evening of his last day on earth. His concern was that of constantly following the spiritual growth of his disciples, accompanying them in the bitterness of life and opening up to Christian hope. … His spiritual paternity shines through all his work, characterised by trust in people, by his rejection of gloomy and sombre tones, by his spirit of festivity and joy, by his conviction that grace does not restrain nature but instead heals, strengthens and perfects it”.

The Apostle of Rome also remains as “a shining model of the permanent mission of the Church in the world. The perspective of his approach to others, bearing witness to all the love and mercy of the Lord, can constitute a valid example for bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful. From the very first years of his presence in Rome, he undertook an apostolate of personal relations and friendship, as the ideal route to opening up to the encounter with Jesus and the Gospel. … He loved spontaneity, shunned artifice, chose the most enjoyable methods to educate in Christian virtues, and at the same time offered a healthy discipline that implied the exercise of will to welcome Christ in the fabric of one's life. His profound conviction was that the path to sanctity was based on the grace of an encounter with the Lord, accessible to any person … who welcomes him with the wonder of children”.

“The permanent state of mission of the Church requires that you, the spiritual children of St. Philip Neri, do not settle for a mediocre life; on the contrary, in the school of your Founder you are called upon to be men of prayer and witness to draw people to Christ”, concludes the Pope. “In our times, especially in the world of the young who were so dear to Fr. Philip, there is a great need for people who pray and who know how to teach others to pray”.

Published by VISarchive 02 - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 

 MAGNIFICAT COM with appreciation....

TUESDAY 26^TH MAY 2015, 

MEDITATION

OF THE     DAY

St. Philip Neri ..

How the Last Become First

To preserve our cheerfulness amid sicknesses and troubles is a sign of a right and good spirit.

A man should not ask tribulations of God, presuming on his being able to bear them: there should be the greatest possible caution in this matter, for he who bears what God sends him daily does not do a small thing.

They who have been exercised in the service of God for a long time, may in their prayers imagine all sorts of insults offered to them, such as blows, wounds, and the like, and so in order to imitate Christ by their char­ity, may accustom their hearts beforehand to forgive real injuries when they come.

Let us think of Mary, for she is that unspeakable Virgin, that glorious Lady, who conceived and brought forth, without detriment to her virginity, him whom the width of the heavens cannot contain within itself.

The true servant of God acknowledges no other coun­try but heaven.

When God infuses extraordinary sweetnessess into the soul, a man ought to prepare for some serious tribulation or temptation.

When we have these extraordinary sweetnessess, we ought to ask of God fortitude to bear whatever he may please to send us, and then to stand very much upon our guard, because there is danger of sin behind.

One of the most excellent means of obtaining per­severance is discretion; we must not wish to do every­thing at once, or become a saint in four days ....

A man should not so attach himself to the means as to forget the end; neither must we give ourselves much to mortify the flesh as to forget to mortify the brain, which is the chief thing after all.

SAINT PHILlP NERI

Saint Philip Neri (+ 1595) was an Italian priest and the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory.

Whitsun Week. Marmion WORDS OF LIFE ON THE MARGIN OF THE MISSAL edit Thibaut

COMMENT:
Guest House Library restored to Nunraw Abbey.
Pentecost 24 May 2015. 
Br. Michel, white Novice,
received the monastic habit.

  

WORDS OF LIFE ON THE MARGIN OF THE MISSAL Hardcover – 1965

by D Columba (edited by Dom Thibaut) Marmion (Author)

In Whitsun Week

Whitsun Eve

Preparation tor Whitsun tide

Prayer to the Father and the Son from Whom
the Holy Ghost proceeds

LET us ask the Holy Ghost to enter into us and increase in us the abundance of His gifts. Fervent prayer is the condition of His indwelling in our souls. Humility is another condition. Let us come before Him with the intimate conviction of our inward poverty.

Despite our miseries, let us invoke Him; on account of these very miseries, He will hear us. Veni, Pater pauperum.·

And since He is one with the Father and the Son, let us say likewise to the Father:

Father, send down upon us, in the name of Thy Son Jesus, the Spirit of love that He may fill us with the intimate sense of our divine filiation. And Thou, 0 Jesus, our High Priest, now sitting at Thy Father's right hand, intercede for us, so that this mission of the Spirit, Whom Thou didst promise to us and didst merit for us, may be abundant; that it may be an impetuous river making glad the city of souls; or rather, according to Thine own words, "a fountain of water, springing up unto life everlasting." Hoc autern dicebat. de Spiritu Sancta quem accepturi erant credentes in eum.¹

Christ in His Mysteries, p. 340.
1 Cf. Communion of the Mass .

WHITSUNDAY

The Holy Spirit, Love and Life

THE Holy Spirit appears under the form of tongues of fire, because He fills the Apostles with truth and prepares them to bear testimony to Jesus. Also because He comes to fill their hearts with love.

He is personal Love in the life of God.

He is, as it were, the breath, the aspiration of the infinite love whence we draw life.

On the day of Pentecost, the Divine Spirit brought such an abundance of life to all the Church that to signify it " there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting."

In descending upon them, the Holy Spirit pours forth in them His love which is Himself. It was needful that the apostles should be filled with love in order that in preaching the name of Jesus they should give birth to the love of their Master in the souls of the hearers; it was necessary that their testimony, dictated by the Spirit, should be so full of life as to attach the world to Jesus Christ.

This love, ardent as a flame, powerful as a tempestuous wind, is necessary to the Apostles in order that they may be able to meet the dangers foretold by Christ when they shall have to preach His Name.

Christ in His Mysteries, p. 332.

Novice Habit - Talk on the Reception. Abbot Mark

Comment: 
After Lauds, the Chapter of the Community was present for ceremony of the habit given to the Novice, Michael Downie.
The Reception of a Novice is a very practical activity but full of symbolism. On this occasion for the time, the Sacristan photographed the happy event, as the pictures attached.

Forwarded Wishes from William.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William .....
To: Donald.     ...
Sent: Sunday, 24 May 2015, 13:22
Subject: Wonderful news - Brother Michael

Dear Father Donald,

I cannot let this moment pass without sending my warmest congratulations, prayers, and all good wishes to Brother Michael !

Please will you tell him how overjoyed I am for him ! It is such good news for him and for the Community. The close-up photo tells of his almost tearful happiness ! 

Thank you for sending me this cheering news, and for your Whitsunday blessing.

In the Joy of this day, with my love in the Lord the Spirit,

William

+ + +

Abbot’s Talk on Reception of Habit.
Pentecost 24 May 2015.
Michael Downie ...

  

The one thing that concerned St Benedict was that those who came to the monastery were truly seeking God.

The liturgy often puts into words the ideals that we seek and provides us with the motivation we need to keep true to our calling.  Just a few days ago in our Office of Lauds, the intercessions captured much of what we profess to live.  They began with a plea that we be strengthened in our hope in God and in our reliance on the Holy Spirit to keep us faithful.  We prayed that the Holy Spirit turn our words into prayers and our seeking into finding.  Then we prayed that, in our time of waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit, our darkness be turned into light and our falseness into truth; we asked that the Spirit bring order out of the chaos of our lives and love out of hate.  The intercessions concluded with the desire that we retain respect for the weak and never be harsh or impatient with them.  That is one of the many fruits of the life of the Holy Spirit.

These were not only prayers that we may live good lives.  They describe what a good monk living in community should be if the novice and community are not to think just of themselves.  They direct us to God and how God relates to us through one another.  That is the focal point we need to keep referring back to as we journey on, seeking a fuller knowledge and love of God.  Sometimes we might get the impression from reading the bible, and in some commentaries on the bible, that God is only thinking of our duty to him.  God is not a dictator or megalomaniac, demanding our attention and service.  But the fullness of revelation has come to us through a long process of self-purification in which men and women have grown to know God and his love for us.  God has shown his love for us.  Like any lover, he only wants a response to the love he has already shown us.  That is what draws us to give ourselves to God in the monastic life.  Others show their love for God in other walks of life.

Of course, it's not easy to keep up to that level of commitment and love.  We need God to help us if we are to remain faithful and to be lifted up from our failures.  That is why St Benedict has described our vow to follow him as a turning back to him - a conversatio morum - a constant turning from our selfish or self-centred way of living to one that is more centred on God.  The more we think of him the less we fall into the trap of thinking only of ourselves.  This process lies at the heart of holiness.  Hopefully, the further we travel on the more we will come to think of God and of others before ourselves.  That is what leads us to fullness of life and happiness.  If we have chosen our vocation well, we will find it leads us to much self-knowledge and the community will be the better for our being a part of it. 

Archbishop Romero, who was idolised by the people of El Salvador and of much of the world, was beatified yesterday for his holiness of life and courage in the face of several threats to murder him.   His reply to those threats was that, if they killed him, he would rise up again in the people of El Salvador.  The monastic life is a kind of death but not so obviously one as the shooting of Archbishop Romero.  He lived his life for his people; we live ours for the sake of our community.  Without doing so as dramatically as happened to him, our lives are given to this place and those who live in it.  Each of us gives our lives for each other.  Our lives and our deaths should be embodied in the community in spirit and by the way we live them.  Broadly speaking, each of us makes or diminishes the community by the way we live.

Without prayer and learning from the lives of our brothers in the community, it will be very difficult for us to fit well into this vocation.   There will always be difficulties.  That is because we always need to be changing and adapting as we grow in our awareness of the life and the needs of those around us.  Our lives will be rewarding if we persevere in them in this spirit. 

These are some of the things you need to know and have already experienced in your time you have spent within our community.  This knowledge and insight into the love of God will increase in you if you persevere in it.   The question you are being asked this Pentecost morning is: Do you willingly agree to continue in our life and commit yourself to the life as a novice.  What is your answer?

   

Welcome Home Michael Postulant

        

Dom Donald's Blog: Oscar Romera El Salvador hosting beatification of ...

Dom Donald's Blog: Oscar Romera El Salvador hosting beatification of ...:             Oscar Romero     Published on 16 May 2015 Click here to receive the latest news:  http://smarturl.it/RomeReports Visit o...

Oscar Romera El Salvador hosting beatification of slain Archbishop Romero

          Oscar Romero

    Published on 16 May 2015

Click here to receive the latest news: http://smarturl.it/RomeReports
Visit or website to learn more: http://www.romereports.com/

The ceremony will take place on May 23rd at the Savior of the World Plaza in San Salvador.
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ROME REPORTS, www.romereports.com, is an independent international TV News Agency based in Rome covering the activity of the Pope, the life of the Vatican and current social, cultural and religious debates. Reporting on the Catholic Church requires proximity to the source, in-depth knowledge of the Institution, and a high standard of creativity and technical excellence.

As few broadcasters have a permanent correspondent in Rome, ROME REPORTS is geared to inform the public and meet the needs of television broadcasting companies around the world through daily news packages, weekly newsprograms and documentaries.

   

Statement: Pax Christi celebrates Bishop Martyr Oscar Romero

Saturday, May 23, 2015 9:25 am.

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Pax Christi International rejoices with the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero and celebrates in solidarity with the people of El Salvador and the peoples of the world who recognize in Mgr Romero a witness of a peace which is the fruit of justice. Mgr Romero's legacy is the persistent search for truth, justice and reconciliation; his journey was marked by a unique coherence between his values and faith and his practice. While Mgr Romero was leading the Archdiocese of San Salvador, the political repression of the popular demands for justice and human rights reached brutal levels of violence. In facing that reality, he became a true prophet. His word and his pastoral practice - based in the Gospel - denounced the structural injustice at the roots of the repression and proclaimed the centrality of justice and the unconditional respect for human rights as the only way to leave behind the spiral of violence in which El Salvador was immersed. He tirelessly defended those whose rights were persistently violated and built bridges among those who looked for a just transformation of the conflict. But his voice was not heard by those who clung to their own power and interests, and they ordered his assassination while he was celebrating the Eucharist. The beginning of Pax Christi's commitment to peace in Latin America and the Caribbean is closely linked to Mgr Romero who asked the leadership of our movement early in 1980 to show special solidarity with the people of the region. After his assassination - and especially inspired by his evangelical coherence - Pax Christi International sent a mission to four countries of Central America as a sign of its solidarity with Christian communities and with civil society organizations working for justice and human rights in those countries. The mission also made an inquiry into the human rights situation and the position of the churches in Central America. Its findings were published in 1981 and 1982 in four reports dealing with the situation in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua and with the position of the Salvadoran refugees in Honduras. Prompted by the significance of Mgr Romero's life and witness, the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 proclaimed 24 March as the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. In its decision, the Assembly honoured Mgr Romero's commitment in "denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable populations and defending the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposition to all forms of violence." Pax Christi International considers Mgr Oscar Romero a prophet of justice and peace. He is an inspiration for our peace movement and we hope that his beatification will renew the courage of peace workers and human rights defenders - especially from younger generations - who endure threats, harassment, attacks, and death for their commitment in favor of those who are oppressed and whose voices are frequently ignored. Brussels, 23 May 2015    El Salvador hosting beatification of slain Archbishop Romero   By ANY CABRERA8 hours ago . View gallery . . . . SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Huge crowds are expected at Saturday's ceremony to beatify Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was cut down by an assassin's bullet 35 years ago and declared a martyr for his faith this year by Pope Francis. It is the first step toward possible canonization, although many of the 260,000-plus faithful anticipated to fill the capital's Savior of the World Plaza already credit him with miracles and refer to him as "Saint Romero of the Americas." In life, Romero was loved by the poor whom he made it his mission to defend and loathed by conservatives who considered him too close to left-leaning movements in the tumultuous years ahead of El Salvador's 1980-92 civil war. Romero was celebrating Mass in a cancer hospital chapel on March 24, 1980, when he was shot through the heart by a sniper who apparently fired from a car outside. The day before, Romero had delivered a strongly worded admonition to the U.S.-backed military to stop repressing civilians. The trigger man has never been identified, and nobody has ever been prosecuted for the killing. Alleged paramilitary death squad leader Roberto d'Aubuisson, who was named by a U.N. truth commission after the war's end as the mastermind of the assassination, died in 1992 having maintained his innocence to the end. Romero's beatification was held up for years by church politics until Pope Benedict XVI "unblocked" the case in late 2012, after it was determined he had not been an adherent of revolutionary liberation theology as many claimed. View gallery FILE - In this March 23, 1980, file photo, a nun plants a kiss on the forehead of slain Archbishop O … Saturday's ceremony constitutes official church approval of Romero's legacy, even if some conservatives in the Vatican and Salvadoran society still view his memory with distaste. The event was scheduled to begin with a procession from the cathedral in downtown San Salvador, where Romero's remains lie in a basement crypt, to the plaza 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) to the west. Cardinal Angelo Amato, the prefect of the Vatican's saint-making office, and the current archbishop of San Salvador, Luis Escobar Alas, planned to preside over a ceremony that would include a homily and a reading of the letter designating Romero as blessed. A huge stage was erected in recent days beneath the square's 60-foot-tall (18-meter-tall) monument depicting Christ atop a white pillar and blue globe. An urn there contains the shirt that Romero was wearing when he was shot. Officials closed off about 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of streets nearby to accommodate the expected crush of pilgrims, many of them bused in from the countryside, and the hundreds of vendors selling commemorative T-shirts, key chains, bags, bracelets and coffee cups for $2 to $5 as well as copies of documentaries and movies inspired by Romero's life. Authorities set up 27 giant screens for the benefit of those far from the stage and deployed 3,700 police and soldiers to provide security. Hotels in the capital were at capacity, and officials predicted the event would generate $31 million in economic activity. Celebrations were also planned in Los Angeles, which is home to about 360,000 people of Salvadoran origin. Many of them arrived in the 1980s fleeing the Central American nation's civil war, in which at least 75,000 people died and 12,000 more disappeared.