By Clare Myers and Robert Duncan

One may not know the day and hour of the second coming of Christ, but according to Stephen Walford, the signs of its approach are obvious.

In his recently published book, “Heralds of the Second Coming: Our Lady, the Divine Mercy, and the Popes of the Marian Era from Blessed Pius IX to Benedict XVI,” the English writer argues that there is substantial evidence that we are entering an “apocalyptic” age.

“The popes have spoken in a prophetic way about the nearness of the second coming,” he said. “The coming of the Lord is approaching and we have to prepare ourselves.”

The book includes a foreword by Cardinal Ivan Dias, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and has been given both a “nihil obstat” and an imprimatur by the bishop of Portsmouth, England. Although neither constitutes an official endorsement by the Catholic Church, the “nihil obstat” declares that a work contains no errors in matters of faith and morals, and the imprimatur grants the author official permission to publish it.

Walford says it is important that readers know “that what they are reading conforms exactly to the teachings of the church on this really important subject.”

The piano teacher-turned-author classifies the past century and a half as the “Marian Era,” an age in which devotion to the Virgin Mary has gradually increased since Pope Pius IX formally defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.

“We can see this Marian Era as heaven’s attempt to warn the church,” he said.

In addition to Mary, Walford identifies other “heralds” who bring the world’s attention to what is happening in history today. In particular he analyzes the words of recent popes and the experiences of certain mystics, people who have especially intimate encounters with God. One such mystical event Walford discusses is the appearance of the Virgin Mary to three young children in Fatima, Portugal. Our Lady of Fatima, as she is now called, is closely associated with the signs of the second coming. Another mystic is St. Faustina, a 20th century Polish nun whose visions of Jesus led to the establishment of the Divine Mercy devotion. Walford calls the Divine Mercy devotion, like that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, “of paramount importance for all Catholics as preparation in these times.”

Walford also claims that two omens of the second coming — the spreading of the Gospel to the entire world and a “massive falling away of the faith” — are at hand.

“On one hand [the faith is] spreading,” he says, giving the example of missionary expansion throughout Africa, “and on the other hand it’s being rejected.”

The “silent apostasy” or religious indifference, of the West, coincides with a widespread persecution of Christians, he said. Walford cites the large number of modern Christian martyrs, estimated by the International Bulletin of Missionary Research at 1 million over the past decade, as evidence of this, although he believes that this is not the ultimate trial the church will have to undergo.

“We haven’t as yet seen this final persecution,” he says.

Walford bases much of his argument on what he calls the “apocalyptic” words of recent popes.

For instance, he highlights Blessed John Paul II’s 2000 exhortation to youth to act as “morning watchmen at the dawn of the new millenium.” He also quotes Paul VI’s words from a 1976 general audience: “Sometimes I re-read the Gospel on the end of times and I notice that, at this moment, there are emerging some signs of this end.” Although the book does not include an analysis of the current pope’s words, Walford asserts that he is consistent with those who came before.

“Pope Francis is absolutely … in continuity with his predecessors,” he says, noting that his papacy is consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima.

Although he sees the need for the church to rouse itself in light of these reflections on modern events and the second coming, he emphasizes that no one can know when exactly the world will end.

“I’m suggesting that humanity has reached some critical point,” he says. “How long that carries on for is a mystery.”

Ultimately, Walford insists his message is positive. He says he is not trying to frighten people, but rather to inspire them to live better lives in anticipation of the Christ’s triumphant return.

“We have to live in these times with real hope,” he says. “We have to live in these times with real joy.”

“Heralds of the Second Coming” has received mixed reviews. Dr. Jeff Mirus of CatholicCulture.org noted that the author demonstrates a “scholar’s grasp of the writings and speeches of the popes,” but dismissed the conclusions he draws from them.

“Insofar as Walford sends us on the wild goose chase of mining papal documents for confirmation that the end times are upon us, then the book will be but one more apocalyptic distraction,” he wrote.

Francis Phillips of the Catholic Herald agreed with the author’s general description of the modern era, and also remarked on the author’s “scholarly” approach to papal teachings. But she remained unconvinced that the end times are imminent.

“As Christians we believe in the second coming of Christ at the end of the world,” she wrote. “But … we do not know the day nor the hour when this will take place. In this respect we are in exactly the same position as the early followers of Jesus 2,000 years ago.”

The number of followers of the papal Twitter account, launched by Pope Benedict XVI almost exactly six months ago, has risen day by day.

The pope’s Latin-language account — @Pontifex_ln — hit 100,000 May 19.

Each day since Pope Francis’ election March 13 the number of followers of his Spanish account — @Pontifex_es — increased slightly more than the number of English followers did.

In the last two weeks it was clear that the Spanish was about overtake the English, but it almost felt like a watched pot — close, closer, really close, but not yet. For example, yesterday morning the English account garnered 2,000 more followers while the Spanish grew by 6,000. Yesterday afternoon, 3,000 followers signed on to the English account and 7,000 were added to the Spanish. When I left the office, the English still had 6,000 more followers.

But sometime overnight that changed. At 9:30 Rome time this morning, Pope Francis’ Spanish account had 2,588,198 followers. The English was trailing by 648 people.

The total number of followers of the pope’s nine accounts (Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Latin, German, Polish and Arabic) was about 6.9 million at noon today.

The super-Vaticantracker Il Sismografo — an Italian blog — said that when Pope Benedict XVI retired Feb. 28 there were about 3 million @Pontifex followers in total.

The new headquarters of the Conference of Haitian Religious in Port-au-Prince is seen May 25. The new facility was built with funds donated by U.S. Catholics  following Haiti’s devastating earthquake in January 2010. (Courtesy of PROCHE, the Partnership for Church Reconstruction in Haiti)

Church reconstruction in earthquake-ravaged Haiti continues. Projects totaling about $1.3 million were approved for funding by the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America June 9. The projects are being funded from a $33 million pool contributed by U.S. Catholics for the church in Haiti after the January 2010 disaster.

Reconstruction is being managed under the auspices of the PROCHE Joint Steering Committee. PROCHE, the Partnership for Church Reconstruction in Haiti, is an effort among the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Haitian Episcopal Conference, Adveniat, the German bishops’ agency for solidarity in Latin America, and the French bishops’ conference to coordinate the reconstruction effort.

Trinitarian Father Juan Molina, director of the U.S. bishops’ Office for the Church in Latin America, told Catholic News Service that some of the projects have been underway for months and that funds will allow for their completion.

Projects approved include reconstruction of St. Gerard de Beaudry Church in Petit-Goave ($168,925), the landmark Sacred Heart Church in Port-au-Prince ($742,400) and the novitiate for the Daughters of Mary in Port-au-Prince ($100,000), construction of a multipurpose building in the Diocese of Jacmel ($226,719) and construction of a house of formation for the Little Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus ($31,200).

Additional funds were approved for pastoral work as well. Meeting in San Diego ahead of the annual spring meeting of the USCCB, the subcommittee also approved funding for 99 pastoral projects in 18 countries totaling $1.2 million. The projects include 18 parish-based programs celebrating the Year of Faith and activities supporting the new evangelization, catechesis, lay leadership formation and youth programs. Of the total, $418,000 will fund 31 formation programs for seminarian, clergy and religious men and women involving more than 600 men and women.

Produce is shown in the farmer’s market at St. Joseph Mercy Health System. The produce is grown on a 364-acre farm on the hospital’s Ann Arbor, Mich., campus. (Courtesy Catholic Health Association)

Not many hospitals have a farm.

But St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Mich., does.

The hospital’s 364-acre on-campus farm gives patients, veterans, students and a few other folks the chance to grow organic vegetables, learn about nutrition and get some fresh air.

The Catholic Health Association honored the hospital June 3 for its innovative approach to healing and wellness with its 2013 Achievement Citation, presented during CHA’s annual assembly in Anaheim, Calif. The award honors innovation and creativity. CHA said the farm fits the hospital’s core values and mission “to heal body, mind and spirit, to improve the health of our communities and to steward the resources entrusted to us.”

CHA’s Catholic Health World magazine has chronicled the work and ministry of the farm. The vegetables and greens produced by the farm find their way to patient meals and the hospital’s Market Café, formerly the cafeteria. Fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers are offered for sale at a farmers’ market inside the hospital.

Anyone can work on the farm, even those confined to bed. Some vegetables are planted in elevated beds for those who cannot squat or bend to reach the ground.

Betsy Taylor’s article says the farm operates year-round with a manager and two additional paid employees and a crew of volunteers. Vegetables are grown during all four seasons thanks to three hoop houses that capture the sun’s energy to keep the plants inside from freezing.

Much of the rest of the hospital campus has been transformed as well. Alfalfa and natural meadows surround the facilities, eliminating financial and ecological costs of a carefully landscaped and maintained lawn.

The award may just inspire other facilities, hospitals, colleges and universities and office parks to consider moving into this ecologically friendly direction.

POPE JOHN DEAD AT 81 AT 7:49 P.M.
JUNE 3 AFTER FINAL FOUR-DAY AGONY;
LAST WORDS WERE PRAYER FOR UNITY

By Msgr. James Tucek

VATICAN CITY, June 3–A worldwide death watch came to an end at 7:49 p.m. (2:49 p.m. EDT) June 3, almost 20 hours after Pope John XXIII murmured his last words praying for the union of all Christians.

An image of Pope John XXIII appeared on the front page of the June 3, 1963, photo news sheet that was published weekly by the predecessor to today’s Catholic News Service. The headline above the photo says “Pope John stricken by recurring ailment,” and the caption said this was the “most recent photo released officially by the Vatican.” (CNS photo)

The Pontiff’s last breath freed him of the agony which brought the world to his side by every modern means of communication for a four-day sorrowful vigil.

Within minutes after the Pope’s death Vatican Radio announced:

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the death of our beloved Pope John XXIII. His Holiness, whose kindness and humility have won the admiration and affection of all mankind, died peacefully and serenely in his apartment in the Vatican apostolic palace at 7:49 p.m. this evening, the third of June 1963.

“The Holy Father had received the last sacraments of the Church on Saturday morning (June 1) at his own request. He had been attended with loving care right to the end by his closest collaborators and by his doctors.

“The inexorable disease which had become graver and graver during the last few months had gradually worn down his strong constitution, but it did not prevent the Vicar of Christ from fulfilling the arduous duties of his high office with indomitable pastoral zeal. …

“His Holiness lived 81 years, 6 months and 9 days.”

The inevitable word “The Pope is dead” came gravely through the loudspeakers and echoed through St. Peter’s Square where an estimated 100,000 were gathered. They had just finished a Mass offered for Pope John on the front steps of St. Peter’s Basilica by Luigi Cardinal Traglia, the Pope’s Pro-Vicar General for Rome.

On this same square on another anxious evening four and a half years ear1ier, a similar crowd had heard the words, “We have a pope.” On hearing the name Angelo Giuseppe Cardinal Roncalli, few had recognized it, and this reporter had heard the prophetic comment: “He’ll be uncommonly common, a pope of the people.”

The words “The Pope is dead” were hardly spoken when the bells of St. Peter’s begun their mournful toll. The sound was taken up and repeated by the city’s 400 churches as the word sped across the earth’s surface by radio.

For some 60 of the 82 members of the College of Cardinals, the news signaled immediate preparations for the journey to Rome. A new pope, the 262nd, will have to be elected.

At 8 p.m., 11 minutes after the pontiff expired, the lights in his room were seen to brighten. They had been kept low in the Pope’s last agony and now were turned up as his body was prepared to receive the veneration of the first mourners.

Present in the Pope’s room at the moment of death were: Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, his Secretary of State; Bishop Alfredo Cavagna, his confessor, Msgr. Loris Capovilla, his personal secretary; his brothers, Zaverio, Giuseppe and Alfredo Roncalli, and his sister, Assunta.

Also present as he died were his nephew, Msgr. Giambattista Roncalli of Bergamo; four nieces; Guido Gusso, his personal valet; Drs. Antonio Gasbarrini, Pietro Valdoni and Piero Mazzoni, and a male nurse, Augustinian Brother Federico Bellotti.

Pentecost, Monday, June 3, was a day which the church would never forget for it marked the day when one of the most beloved popes of all times died.

Never before had a pope’s final agony been followed so closely and with such deep and sincere sorrow, not only by Catholics but by men of every creed and circumstance on the face of the earth.

An intercontinental airliner flying over the Atlantic had kept its passengers informed of the Pope’s condition with hourly bulletins given over the loudspeakers by the plane’s captain.

Radio and television programs in every part of the world were interrupted to keep listeners posted on the latest report from the Pope’s bedroom on the top floor of the apostolic palace.

VATICAN CITY — Marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Blessed John XXIII, 3,000 pilgrims from the pope’s home diocese made a pilgrimage to Rome today with their bishop, Francesco Beschi of Bergamo.

Pope Francis was to join the pilgrims at the end of a commemorative Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and pray at the tomb of Blessed John.

Last year, Catholic News Service interviewed the personal secretary to Blessed John XXIII, Italian Archbishop Loris Capovilla, at his residence in Sotto il Monte. In the two videos posted here, the archbishop shares memories of how the pope from a small, hardworking town went on to summon the Second Vatican Council.

Oklahoma State Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, a pro-life Democrat, has turned her attention to religious freedom issues.  (CNS/Nancy Wiechec)

Hamilton, who represents South Oklahoma City, told Catholic News Service during a break this morning in the 2013 National Religious Freedom Conference in Washington that her pro-life stance evolved over time after a “powerful religious experience” in the 1980s.

It helped, she said, that she became Catholic in 2002.

Hamilton has cemented her pro-life credentials in the Legislature in recent years despite vocal objections from fellow Democrats and other supporters of Democratic politics. She said one labor official told her to keep her beliefs in church and out of the state Legislature when she shepherded one pro-life measure to passage.

All this after Hamilton worked for a stint for the National Abortion Rights Action League in Oklahoma. Back then, she said, she was hardly religious.

These days, in addition to looking out for her district, Hamilton’s focus is on threats to religious freedom that she sees emerging nationwide. She said it will take the Catholic community — a small minority in Oklahoma — working side by side with people of all faiths to be vigilant about legislative attempts to marginalize religious practice and educate the wider community that any threat to religion poses a threat to all.

One of her priorities: helping form a religious freedom caucus with other like-minded legislators to stop incursions on religious practice.

Hamilton was one of four panelists who discussed challenges to religious freedom during a conference session. She told the 150 people in attendance that her fear is that opponents of religion are becoming bolder in their attacks — verbal, through the courts and in state legislatures.

“You dehumanize a group enough, you marginalize a group enough, it becomes easy to do anything to them,” she said.

CNS will have a report on the conference tomorrow. (UPDATE: You can read the CNS report here.)

(CNS/Paul Haring)

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, presented the prayer intentions in Italian at a news conference Tuesday. The Vatican’s news aggregator website provided translations in several languages.

In English, the prayers are:

1. “For the Church spread throughout the world and united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity: May the Lord make her ever more obedient to hearing his Word in order to stand before the world ‘ever more beautiful, without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless.’ That through her faithful announcement, the Word that saves may still resonate as the bearer of mercy and may increase love to give full meaning to pain and suffering, giving back joy and serenity.”

2. “For those around the world who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running, and slave labor. For the children and women who are suffering from every type of violence. May their silent scream for help be heard by a vigilant Church so that, gazing upon the crucified Christ, she may not forget the many brothers and sisters who are left at the mercy of violence. Also, for all those who find themselves in economically precarious situations, above all for the unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners, and those who experience marginalization. That the Church’s prayer and its active nearness give them comfort and assistance in hope and strength and courage in defending human dignity.”

Y en Español:

1. “Por la Iglesia, extendida en todo el mundo y hoy en señal de unidad recogida en la adoración de la Santísima Eucaristía. Que el Señor la haga cada vez más obediente a la escucha de su Palabra para presentarse ante el mundo siempre “mas hermosa, sin mancha, ni arruga, sino santa e inmaculada”. Que a través de su fiel anuncio, la Palabra que salva resuene aún como portadora de misericordia y haga que el amor se redoble para dar un sentido pleno al dolor y al sufrimiento, devolviendo alegría y serenidad”.

2. “Por aquellos que en los diversos lugares del mundo viven el sufrimiento de nuevas esclavitudes y son víctimas de la guerra, de la trata de personas, del narcotráfico y del trabajo “esclavo”; por los niños y las mujeres que padecen todas las formas de la violencia.¡Que su grito silencioso de ayuda encuentre a la Iglesia vigilante para que, teniendo la mirada puesta en Cristo crucificado no se olvide de tantos hermanos y hermanas dejados a merced de la violencia!. Por todos aquellos que, además, se encuentran en la precariedad económica, sobre todo los desempleados, los ancianos, los inmigrantes, los que carecen de hogar, los presos y cuantos experimentan la marginación. ¡Que la oración de la Iglesia y su cercanía activa les de consuelo y ayuda en la esperanza y fuerza y audacia en la defensa de la dignidad de la persona!”

In an interview with Catholic News Service, Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, who chairs the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, urged the administration to fully consider the moral questions surrounding the use of drones as it refines its policy.

Bishop Richard E. Pates (CNS/Nancy Phelan Wiechec)

“The (White House) policy has raised a lot of serious moral questions and concerns,” Bishop Pates said May 28. “I don’t think it’s been widely discussed with the American public. It’s a relatively new revelation for the broader public. The letter itself and what we are addressing is the questions of civilians and those who are killed as ‘collateral damage.’ So we have to be very open about what is involved in the utilization of this (technology).”

Obama offered a strong defense of drone use to protect American security in an address at the National Defense University May 23, but also said it was time to review how they are being used. The U.S. showed it was not about to back off of their use, however, if today’s attack in Pakistan is any indication. Pakistani intelligence officials said a suspected drone strike killed four people including Waliur Rehman, who is considered the No. 2 leader in the Pakistan Taliban.

The Taliban denied he was dead.

The bishop suggested that Obama would do well if he took the discussion of drone use to the world on the path to developing international protocols.

“We think it is very important that it undergo international discussion and scrutiny,” said the bishop, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. “We feel that is very important because the technology soon will be widespread.”

Crew prepares to launch pilot-less drone combat aircraft from aircraft carrier in Atlantic Ocean off coast of Virginia May 14. (CNS/Reuters)

The letter was about a year in development, first broached by Bishop Robert J. Cunningham of Syracuse, N.Y., who was looking for help in understanding the moral issues surrounding drone use. The diocese is home to the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, one of several U.S. centers where drone operators pilot the unmanned aircraft in their search for suspected Muslim militants halfway around the world. The base also has been the scene of regular nonviolent vigils and protests.

As questions were raised, the committee reached out to Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, who urged the USCCB to move forward with the letter because of the U.S. role as the world’s leading user of drones.

The council itself is planning to examine the use of drones during a session at a conference it is putting together this fall.

Zach Sobiech and his parents, Rob and Laura, parishioners at the Church of St. Michael in Stillwater, Minn., are pictured at their home April 24. (CNS/Dave Hrbacek)

A couple of weeks ago, Catholic News Service ran a story of a young Minnesota man, Zach Sobiech, and the prayerful devotion of his family as he endured the final stages of osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.

Zach, 18, died May 20 at his family home in Stillwater.

His parents, Laura and Rob, members of the Church of St. Michael, were at Zach’s side at his death. He also is survived by his siblings Alli , Sam and Grace.

The story by Dave Hrbacek of The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, told of how Laura understood the feelings Mary had as she stood at the cross watching Jesus, her beloved son, die.

“Identifying with Mary’s suffering has been huge,” Laura told Hrbacek. “To meditate from her point of view, watching her son suffer, has just really brought me peace and shown me how to do it. … Mary was there for the whole thing, and there was nothing she could really do but be there.”

In December, Zach produced and released “Clouds,” a song about facing death. It’s been a viral hit on YouTube, with more than 4.7 million views. It climbed to the top of the iTunes chart after his death.

Numerous celebrities, including Ashley Tisdale, Colbie Caillat, Chris Pratt, Anna Faris, Jason Mraz, Sara  Bareilles, Jenna Fischer, The Lumineers, Rachel Bilson, Ed Helms and Phillip Phillips then joined in with their own video tribute to Zach.

Zach also decided to help kids with cancer through the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. The family has started the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund to accept memorial contributions.

The Sobiech family’s faith in God and strength to endure the unthinkable serves as an inspiring example for all of us facing difficult challenges in everyday life. Despite the sorrow they have felt since Zach’s diagnosis in November 2009 at age 14, the Sobiech family now knows he is with God.

May he rest in peace.