C&SI - 2024 Ecclesial Year in Review - 12 Jan 2025 (S05 E07)

So on this weeks podcast John and Shane take a look back at the events church-related in 2024. We have been trying to do this annual review for the last few years so hopefully it works (LOL) and we then see what the pundits have predicted for 2025 as areas to watch and things to unfold.

Things looked at during 2024:

• Reopening of Notre Dame in Paris
• December Consistory in Rome
• Preparations for the Jubilee 
• Joint Lectionary project – Ireland/Oz/NZ
• Changes to the papal funerals
• Announcement of canonisation of Carlo Acutis
• Synod on Synodality and the Pope's confirmation of the final document
• Visit of St Bernadette’s Relics to Ireland
• New encyclical on the 350th anniversary of Sacred Heart visions
• Death of + Donal Murray, bishop emeritus of Limerick
• Bishops of Ireland published a new pastoral letter on welcoming immigrants, entitled: A Hundred Thousand Welcomes?
• Various papal trips in 2024thodox Church in union with Moscow
• Papal letter on role of literature in formation
• US Eucharistic Revival and Congress in Indianapolis
• New norms published by DDF on Marian apparitions
• New church document on human dignity - Dignitas Infinita: a document that says abortion, sex change and surrogacy are grave violations of human dignity.
• Announcement of the closure of Veritas Books by the Irish Bishops conference.

Part 1 of the podcast of course is our usual liturgical odds and ends as today being the feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season (under the current liturgical calendar, under the pre-1969 one Christmas season ran until Feb 2nd - Candlemas). As well as the weekly saints coming up we also have our pick an annual patron saint! So for 2025:

• John - St Bernard of Clairvaux
• Anne - St Ivo of Kermartin
• Shane - Bl Miguel Pro SJ
• Podcast - St Francis of Sales

If you would like to pick a patron saint for the  year ahead check out the Jen Fulwiler's saints name generator!

Part three as always is our reflection on the Sunday gospel which this week is Luke's account of the Baptism of the Lord. A question for you to ponder on, through the Incarnation of Christ and baptism we are all adopted children of God, so how would you pray and respond to the line of this weeks Gospel -  "You are my [child], the Beloved; my favour rests on you" as if it applies to you as a beloved child of God?

Credit for information to:

• Vatican News
• Rome Reports
• The Pillar
• Crux
• Catholic News Agency
• National Catholic Reporter
• National Catholic Register
• The Irish Catholic
• Irishcatholicnews.ie