RCLBenziger.com

Celebrating the Year of Saint Paul
By Kate Ristow

This year the Church is honoring Saint Paul in a special way. The whole Church will remember and celebrate Saint Paul’s life and teachings for twelve months. This worldwide celebration, called the “Pauline Year,” was announced by Pope Benedict XVI in June, 2007. The Pauline Year will begin June 28, 2008 and end June 29, 2009. The dates were chosen in memory of Saint Paul’s birth nearly 2,000 years ago.

When he made the announcement, the pope said that today’s Church “needs witnesses for Christ” like Saint Paul. Paul was our greatest missionary. He traveled throughout the world of his time to teach Jews and Gentiles, people who were not Jewish, about Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection. Paul made three major missionary journeys over a period of more than twenty years to share his faith in Christ and to establish Church communities everywhere he went.

The Pauline Year will help us all to remember Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This is the mission Christ shared with his disciples before he ascended to his Father. This vocation is called “evangelization. Evangelization means sharing the Gospel with others—our families, our friends, and people who have not yet learned about Jesus. Through Baptism, we are all called to the ministry of evangelization. During this year, make a special effort to find ways of sharing your love and belief in Jesus with others. The best way you can do this is by being an example of Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and caring with everyone you meet.

Consider how you might celebrate the Pauline Year in your parish:
• Give special attention to the feasts of Saint Paul: January 25, the Conversion of Saint Paul; June 29, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul; and November 18, the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul.
• Find out events what your dioceses has planned to celebrate the Pauline Year.
• Check out www.annopaolino.org to find out what events the Vatican has planned. Click the British flag in the upper right hand corner to view the site in English.
• The following resources are available online at www.FaithFirst.com, www.BlestAreWe.com, www.ChristJesustheWay.com, www.EchoesofFaith.com, and www.WholeCommunityCatechesis.com:

• A Pauline Prayer service to be used with children and/or families in the Catholic school or faith formation program.
• A map and timeline depicting Saint Paul’s missionary journeys.
• An event for families that includes activities and prayer.
• Three biographies on Saint Paul written for children at grade level.
• Two professional articles: “the Heart of Saint Paul’s Message,” by Father Louis J. Cameli, STD; and “’Who Are you Sir?’ Paul to Jesus; All of Us to Paul,” by Father Patrick J. Brennan.
• And much more.