Which it is great news.
From CNA:
Pope’s first words in Barcelona to be in Catalan
Rome, Italy, Nov 1, 2010 / 10:01 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- The first official words pronounced by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Barcelona on Nov. 7 will be in Catalan, at the Dedication Mass of the Church of the Holy Family.
The opening rites of the liturgy will be Catalan, as well as the readings for the Mass and the rite of consecration of the Church.
The Pope will also speak in Gallego—the local dialect in the Spanish region of Galicia–when he celebrates Mass Nov. 6 in Santiago de Compostela.
According to Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, the Mass at the Church of the Holy Family will be celebrated in Spanish, Catalan and Latin. The Gospel and the Communion rite will be in Spanish.
Father Lombardi said the Holy Father would deliver part of his homily in Catalan, but that most of the speeches during the visit would be delivered in Spanish.
He also said the Pope’s homily in Barcelona would include a reference to Antonio Gaudi, who designed the Church, and would focus on the relationship between art and faith, the Christian life and the family as the basic unit of society.
However, the spokesman explained, the motive behind the Pope’s visit “is not to support Gaudi’s cause for beatification,” but rather “to consecrate a magnificent work that has great meaning for the Church in Catalonia.”
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Gaudi is being considered for sainthood? Does he seem like a realistic candidate?
I realize that someone who could design the Sagrada Familia must have had very intense faith, but I wonder if that necessarily translates into heroic virtue. I don’t know that much about him.
Last year my Aunt and I took a trip to Barcelona and saw La Sagrada Familia — it wasn’t my favorite (as compared to say churches in Salzburg or Rome) but it was beautiful. That’s awesome that the church is being dedicated!
I didn’t realize Gaudi was being considered for beautification. I need to read up on him more and see why…I don’t know much about him.
Catalan is a marvelous language! The signs around Barcelona are usually in three languages — Catalan, Spanish, and English…pretty neat.
Apparently he led a saintly life while working on Sagrada Familia. Of course, in Spain in those days it was probably hard to live Catholic, and certainly in the progressive circles of the day it didn’t make you popular. Whether he had heroic virtue and whether God allowed his intercession to do miracles, that’s up to the Holy See to determine.
And of course, it’s nice to point out to people that holiness is for everyone, even professionals and artists and intellectuals.
Hey wait…I thought a church had to be finished before you dedicated it…?
Good point, Penta. They have been making remarkable progress over the past decade or so, but I cannot imagine that in the 2 years since I last visted they have actually finished the church. I suppose the roof is finished (for the Holy Father’s sake, I hope so – Barcelona in a downpour can be quite miserable) but they have quite a few towers to go, for example.
In a sense a pity they do it so soon. I would have hoped to be there, but was counting on more prior warning and, indeed, the finished church.
Use of the Catalan language in the ordinary form dedication of the church is fine.
Great, marvellous, wonderful, would be if the pope decided to perform the consecration of the church in the rite Gaudi knew and loved.
I t was 1976 I think when I first visited Parque Guell and started laughing out loud. After all, why not? It wasn’t much later that his canonization was mooted, tho from when the suggestion formally took off I know not. I was surprised, and some of the reports on him… well , didnt quite fit. Maybe misunderstood, even deliberately slanted…… , even so :heroic sanctity? Judgable fruits?
Holy Mother church’s discernment will be as it may , with the Holy Spirit’s guidance . I can wait.
But if you do read about Gaudi, here and there, snippet by snippet, a very recognizable type seems to come to life in your head, or at least has in mine: a GOOD man , a very devout practicing Catholic of the prevatII sort, a serious professional man, the sort seems to act in the belief that he is working for the greater glory of God and the use and enjoyment of Man, seriously troubled by the hate and anger that exploded several times in the times he lived in, feeling that reparation needed making to God , friend of many, wealthly, profligate , trendies, all sorts, involved in well- meant schemes that failed , at times shallow in opinions recorded of him, a true son of the church.
Saint or not, every time I see spectacular ugliness perpetrated in a historic city in Europe, I think of Guadi and wish more architects were like him, faithful catholics, and might do as he did, never even start on a new project without an all night vigil toOur Lady, then indeed might the very beauty of our cities in itself lift men’s hearts towards God.
I assume the Ordinary will be in Latin which is the “language which joins the Church of today.” (Veterum Sapientia)
During the Spanish Civil War, many of the architectural blueprints for La Sagrada Familia were destroyed by the Reds. I wonder what they are going on to finish the church? Perhaps his students helped to reconstruct a close approximation.
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