Download Pope Francis's First Apostolic Exhortation:Evangelii Gaudium, Joy of the Gospel

Source: Wikipedia

Pope Francis officially concluded the Year of Faith by publishing his first Apostolic Exhortation. The document is entitled Evangelii Gaudium, which translates to the 'Joy of the Gospel, is Pope Francis's distillation and response to the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.

The document is available to view, print or download as a PDF at the Vatican website. Additionally, Carl Olsen has posted a Vatican summary on his Insight Scoop blog.

Vatican Announces Date for Canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII

Pope Francis has announced today that Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will be canonized on April 17, 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Vatican Releasing Catechism App

On the eve of the upcoming World Conference of Catechists, the Vatican announced that it will be releasing a Catechism app on September 25th. For now, it appears the app will only be available in Italian, but should be made available in other languages soon after.

New Papal Coat of Arms

This is the new papal seal selected for Pope Francis I. For more information on the seal go to the Vatican website. It's not listed as of this writing, but I expect it will be updated soon.

UPDATE: For a clearer image and an explanation of the Latin motto please read Father Z's post on the Pope's motto.

Sede Vacante

The Vatican website now reflects the state of the Church - the seat is vacant.

Let us pray for the Church, the members of the College of Cardinals and the Bishop Emeritus of Rome, Benedict.

Here is a video of Benedict's departure:

Pope Benedict's Christmas Homily

Pope Benedict XVI began his Midnight Mass homily by saying:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Again and again the beauty of this Gospel touches our hearts: a beauty that is the splendour of truth. Again and again it astonishes us that God makes himself a child so that we may love him, so that we may dare to love him, and as a child trustingly lets himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were saying: I know that my glory frightens you, and that you are trying to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now I am coming to you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.

To read the rest of the sermon continue here.... 

Or watch a video clip of the Mass below. Merry Christmas
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What is The Year of Faith?

I mentioned in yesterday's post that we are approaching the beginning of the celebration of the Year of Faith. Pope Benedict XVI announced the Year of Faith last October. Below is a video from Rome Reports which outlines some of the activities, events and teachings that will take place during the year.

Additional Resources:

Fr. Robert Barron's Word on Fire Blog
USCCB - US Bishop's YOF website
Vatican Year of Faith Website

Tuesday Tech Talk: Catholic YouTube Channels

Joe Catholic recently launched its first YouTube video and we will be working on producing additional videos in the future. Therefore, today’s Tuesday Tech Talk will focus on using YouTube channels to learn more about Catholicism. YouTube is easily accessible on the Internet and even most smart phones come with a YouTube mobile app.

Catholic YouTube videos can be useful tools for adding emphasis to a talk you may be giving or for personal study. Additionally, you can follow some of your favorite Catholic programming through their YouTube channels. I subscribe to a few Catholic YouTube channels that automatically alert me when new content has been uploaded. I don’t spend hours watching all of them, but I will use the videos to enhance my study or even to include on this blog. For example, if Stacey and I are out shopping and I am sitting around waiting for her, I can watch a brief video to pass the time constructively.

You don’t have to have a YouTube account to watch the videos, but you will need one to subscribe to the channels. Here are the steps for setting up an account.

Here are some links to some of my favorite Catholic YouTube Channels:

Catholic Answers

EWTN

St. Josemaria Escrivá

Vatican

USCCB