PHOTO CREDIT: Cover Image - March 31, 2013: In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world) blessing, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (AP/L’Osservatore Romano)

An Unexpected SurpriseOn February 11th, Pope Benedict XVI made an unprecedented and unexpected announcement; he was resigning from his position as the Holy Pontiff. This left the faithful and the world wondering – who would be the next Bishop of Rome, head of the worldwide Catholic Church?

The answer came surprisingly quick. On March 13th, only the second day of the papal Conclave, 76-year-old Argentine Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the leader of a large urban archdiocese in Latin America, was elected on the Conclave’s fifth ballot. The crowd in St. Peter’s

Square erupted with cheers and applause as the 266th Pope, with the new name, Francis, appeared at the balcony window.

Meet Pope FrancisJorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires. The eldest of five children, he worked briefly as a chemical technician before entering seminary school. He was ordained a priest in 1969. From 1973 to 1979 he was Argentina’s Provincial superior of the Society of Jesus, became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and cardinal in 2001.

Throughout both his personal and religious life, Pope Francis has demonstrated a consistent display of humility and concern for the poor. Since his election, he has

openly shyed away from some of the previous Vatican formalities, preferring to keep his approach imbued in simplicity and frugality - not allowing the great solemnity of the papal office distance himself from the people.

In this way, Pope Francis has inspired and challenged the

faithful with his words and by his example, to be channels of mercy and peace towards others, particularly with his acts of servant leadership: kissing the feet of women in a Roman prison, paying his own hotel bill, calling the kiosk in Buenos Aires to cancel his newspaper, and preferring to reside in the Vatican guesthouse, rather than the papal apartments. In this regard, it is little surprise that the new Pontiff took the name Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a symbol of peace and poverty.

Pope Francis is an exemplary model of how to live out Catholic social teaching, in harmony with the deposit of Faith. May we continue to pray for our Holy Father as he fulfills his role as the Lord’s humble servant, leader of our Catholic Church.

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” St. Francis of Assisi

His Holiness POPE FRANCIS

Now Introducing...

Mary Untier of Knots by Johann George Melchior

Schmidtner (1700)

“L et us never forget that authentic power is

service, and that the Pope too, when exercising

power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its

radiant culmination on the Cross.”

-Pope Francis

DID YOU KNOW? Interesting facts about Pope Francis

A POPE OF FIRSTS - Pope Francis is the first Pope from the Americas, the first Pope from the Jesuit Order, and the first Pope to take the name Francis.

1

FAVORITE DEVOTION - Our Lady Untier of Knots is the name of both a Marian devotion and a Baroque painting (image to the left). It is one of Pope Francis’ favorite Marian devotions! On a trip to Germany, as a seminarian, he was moved by the painting and has promoted the prayer ever since. He even composed a prayer to Mary under this title and often gives gifts with this image.

2

POPE FRANCIS IS KNOWN TO – take public transport, cook his own meals, and visit the poor. He also has a strong devotion to Mary and a special interest in soccer and tangos.

3

Dear Relevant Radio Family,

Summer is upon us, and I’m sure you’re looking forward to lazy days and vacation “daze!” And rightly so, as we all need time for rest and relaxation. Vacations

are one of the best things to bring a family closer together.

However, as parents, I’m sure you’ve heard “I’m bored!” more than once from your kids during the summer months. During the school year, they’re so used to being kept busy with school activities and sports, that, depending on their age of course, they don’t know what to do with themselves during the summer with all that free time. Well, I know some

parents who don’t even permit the “b” word to be said in their house. The children know that using that

word will only earn them more work to do.

Work – and I mean the kind without pay, in other words, “service” – is good for growing children. It teaches them responsibility and deepens their character. Service is the most magnificent display of a humble spirit. There’s a great need for service in the world; it’s a lost art. People these days seem to expect some kind of payment in return for any sort of work they do. And yet, service in itself is deeply fulfilling, knowing that somehow we have just made someone’s life a little better. We need to re-instill the attitude of service in our children. Even our Holy Father is emphasizing this need for service,

especially to the most needy. I encourage you this summer to assign your children some service tasks. Just go over the corporal works of mercy with them, and you will find lots to do: feed the hungry; clothe the naked; give drink to the thirsty; shelter the homeless; care for the sick; visit those in prison; and bury the dead. Even mowing the lawn for an elderly neighbor is a work of mercy! How about taking the kids to the local food pantry to help distribute food? There’s an endless amount of good deeds that can be done for others, and doing these good things is good for us, too. And if you work side by side with your youngster, you will see how much easier it is for everyone. Best of all, it keeps the kids occupied and out of trouble and prevents them from saying the dreaded “bored” word!

Don’t forget the most important thing to do as a family: pray together every day. Summer can get busy – with soccer and friends and swimming and time up north – that sometimes we forget that all these things are gifts from Our Lord. So let’s remember to give thanks every single day for these enjoyable warm summer days, for they certainly don’t last long enough.

With prayers and best wishes,

Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, JCDExecutive Director

How can you serve others? Mission Message

Perhaps you are like many others: you have contemplated getting involved in your local church and community for some time, but need that extra push to get out and go for it. Well, wait no longer! Here’s some advice and inspiration to get you started:

Find a charity that fits your interests or talentsThere’s a volunteer opportunity to fit everyone. Take some time to consider your skills and talents and identify what causes are important to you. Then look for a charity that ties in with what you already love to do. Maybe you enjoy working with youth. Find a youth mentoring program or become a catechist. If you enjoy cooking, perhaps a food pantry or parish dinner is the place to be. For those who enjoy being on the move, charity races and walks are a great way to stay active while raising funds for those in need. For the creative individual, consider volunteering as an activities assistant at a nursing home or after school program.

Check out your local churchParishes, in particular, provide a wealth of service opportunities for all types of people. Examples include participating in bake sales, picnics, reading at Mass, singing in the choir, helping with floral arrangements, assisting with youth ministry, vacation bible school and more! No matter what your favorite hobby, talent or interest is, there is a way to

take what you already enjoy doing on your own, and using it as a means of service to others.

Service builds lasting friendships After you decide on the type of service that best suits you, it follows that you will meet people along the way who share that same interest. In this way, volunteering and serving others builds lasting friendships and makes participating in your favorite activities much more fulfilling. Making friends while helping others, now that sounds rewarding!

For more ideas on how you can put the love of Christ into action and create positive change in your community, go to www.usccb.org, search “diocesan locator” and discover how you can become involved with local efforts in your area.

“Service is the most magnificent display of a humble spirit” - Father Rocky

Prayer, Penance and Action!

Get ready for the 2013Fortnight for Freedom!

Answering the Call to Serve Others

Christ has no body... but yours.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,no hands but yours,

no feet but yours,yours are the eyes through which

Christ’s compassionis to look out to the earth,

yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good

and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.

St. Teresa of Avila

The Fortnight for Freedom is back! For the first time last year, American bishops initiated a special two-week period to pray for religious freedom in our nation called the “Fortnight for Freedom.” Dioceses and parishes from all across the nation participated in the movement.

For those who may not be familiar, the Fortnight for Freedom is a USCCB led initiative, spanning from June 21st to July 4th, in which dioceses and parishes from across the country schedule events intended to both educate and inform the public of issues currently impacting religious rights and liberties. It is a time of prayer, study, and peaceful action in support of religious freedom. Last year, Relevant Radio offered special programming to highlight Fortnight events.

The Fortnight for Freedom is as relevant this year as last, considering that 2013 has already presented us with new challenges to religious liberty. Some of these new challenges include the August 1st deadline set for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate; Supreme court rulings to redefine marriage in June; and religious liberty concerns in other areas such as immigration and humanitarian services.

In participation, Relevant Radio will be praying the rosary LIVE with our bishops at 7:30 AM CT on Morning Air® each day of the fortnight to pray for the protection of our religious freedoms. Please join us with your family! If 7:30 is too early, you can always find the archive on our website or mobile app.

June is the month of the Sacred Heart. Unfortunately, many people think this devotion is merely individualistic piety. Devotion to the Heart of Christ is certainly very personal, but it is far from individualistic. Why?

Consider a few of the times Jesus’ heart was moved. According to Matthew, “at the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were

troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36). Another time, when he “saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick” (14:14). And yet another time he said: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat” (15:32).

What moves the heart of Jesus? People’s suffering. When he saw the crowd “troubled and abandoned,” he led them and taught them and told his apostles to pray for others to carry on his work in service to others. When he saw the sick, diseased, and crippled, he cured them. When he saw people who had been with him for three days and were hungry, he fed them.

We also know from Scripture that the heart of Jesus was moved by anger. When he saw a wrong or an injustice, like the greedy buying and selling going on in God’s temple, he acted strongly to right the wrong.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart means entering ever more deeply into the heart that was moved when it encountered suffering and injustice. It means learning to love others as Jesus does. That love will move us to action and to the service of others.

Father James Kubicki is the U.S. director of the Apostleship of Prayer, an international organization that promotes devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, prayer for the intentions of the Pope, and the Eucharistic spirituality of making an offering to God of one’s entire day. For more information about the Apostleship of Prayer go to www.apostleshipofprayer.org.

A Heart for ServiceBy Father James Kubicki, S.J.National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer