Pope, at audience, offers another saint as model of priesthood

Pope Benedict XVI returned to the theme of the priesthood in his regular weekly audience on June 30, speaking about St. Joseph Cafasso, a 19th-century of the Italian priest. The Pope cited him as the model of “a good shepherd, understanding and compassionate."

Pope Benedict has been devoting his Wednesday audiences to a long series of talks on to the influence of major figures in the development of Catholic thought. He interrupted that series as the Year for Priest came to a close, with several talks on the priesthood. Then he resumed the longer series, with three talks on St. Thomas Aquinas.

Now the Pope returned to the priesthood, recalling the life of St. Joseph Cafasso and especially his devotion to hearing the confessions and providing spiritual direction. He also served as a prison chaplain, and in 1950 Pope Pius XII declared him the patron of Italian priests serving in that capacity.

Before concluding his Wednesday audience, the Pope offered some special greetings to the archbishops who had received the pallium the previous day, and remained in Rome for the papal audience.

Joseph Cafasso

Date of birth	January 15, 1811
Place of birth	Piedmont, ITALY
Died	June 23, 1860 (aged 49)
Venerated in	Roman Catholic
Beatified	1925
Canonized	1947
Feast	June 22
Attributes	Minister
Patronage	prison chaplains, captives

St. Patrick's Cathedral New York

Introduction

Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York. is an example of the decorated and geometric style of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture which prevailed in Europe from 1275 to 1400, and of which the Cathedrals of Rheims, Amiens, and Cologne in Europe and the naves of York Minister, Exeter, and Westminster, are among the most advanced examples.

The Architecture and its Effects

Originally the word Gothic was used by Italian Renaissance writers as a derogatory term for all art and architecture of the Middle Ages, which they regarded with as comparable to the works of barbarian Goths. Since them, the term Gothic has become a term to describe the architectural style first appearing in Northern France in the late twelfth century.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral is the continued quest to combine the resources of the earth with the talents of man in order to draw the minds, hearts and aspirations of a people to a higher level of thinking and feeling.