Resources for the Year of Saint Paul

“Dear brothers and sisters, as in early times, today too Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St Paul. Paul, a former violent persecutor of Christians, when he fell to the ground dazzled by the divine light on the road to Damascus, did not hesitate to change sides to the Crucified One and followed him without second thoughts. He lived and worked for Christ, for him he suffered and died. How timely his example is today!

“And for this very reason I am pleased to announce officially that we shall be dedicating a special Jubilee Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009, on the occasion of the bi-millennium of his birth, which historians have placed between the years 7 and 10 A.D.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI, June 28, 2007
First Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

The Diocese of Phoenix has an extensive list of Spanish resources for the Year of Saint Paul. These resources include suggestions for individuals, parishes, and schools, as well as links to many excellent Spanish language websites that have catechesis and spiritual resources related to Saint Paul. You can access these resources by clicking here.

The Secretariat for Divine Worship of the USCCB has resources for celebrating the Year of Saint Paul available at http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/stpaul/index.shtml. A summary of that information is below for your reference. Further down on the page, you will find suggestions as to how individuals can celebrate the Year of Saint Paul.

Toward the bottom of the page are suggestions from the National Conference of Catechetical Leaders regarding Bible Studies, Faith Sharing, and Books for individual and group reading related to Saint Paul. Additional NCCL suggestions can be found at http://www.nccl.org/mc/page.do. Just go to the bottom of their page and click on the “Year of Saint Paul” icon.

On the right side of this page are links to other web sites to offer resources. If you would like to suggest additional links, you can email your suggestions to vmeagher@stocktondiocese.org.

Liturgical Observances During the Year of Saint Paul

There are three principal liturgical observances during the Pauline Year:

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (June 28-29, 2008)
The Year of St. Paul begins with the liturgical observance of the “Prince of the Apostles” (St. Peter) and the “Apostle to the Gentiles” (St. Paul). They are the principal patrons of the Church of Rome. On this day at a Mass in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope bestows the Pallium (a circular band of wool worn around the neck and over the shoulders) on recently installed metropolitan archbishops as a symbol of jurisdiction and authority.

The observance of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul falls on a Sunday this year, and it takes the place of the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Roman Missal contains proper prayers for both a Vigil Mass and a Mass During the Day, as well as a Preface (Peter and Paul, P 63). The Lectionary for Mass provides readings for both the Vigil Mass (no. 590) and the Mass During the Day (no. 591).

Conversion of Saint Paul (January 25, 2009)
In observance of the Year of St. Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has granted permission to observe the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on Sunday this year (link); normally this feast would not be observed when it falls on a Sunday.

Parishes may celebrate the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time or they may observe the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul with its proper texts from the Roman Missal (using the Preface of Apostles I or II) and the Lectionary for Mass (no. 519). In addition, the recitation of the Creed is included, and because there are only two readings provided in the Lectionary for Mass, the second Reading of the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is used.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (June 28-29, 2009)
The special observance of the Year of St. Paul concludes with this celebration. See above for details regarding the celebration of Mass. Evening Prayer I for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated on Sunday evening.

Plenary Indulgences During the Pauline Year

Information on plenary indulgences on the occasion of the 200oth anniversary of the birth of St. Paul the Apostle can be found at: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/
rc_trib_appen_doc_20080510_san-paolo_en.html.

Votive Masses for Saint Paul

The Roman Missal includes a Votive Mass for St. Paul (no. 13). In celebrating the Votive Mass, red vestments are worn, the Preface of Apostles I is used, and the Scripture readings are taken from the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (Lectionary for Mass, no. 519).

Votive Masses can be celebrated on weekdays of Ordinary Time (or on optional memorials during Ordinary Time) at the discretion of the priest celebrant (see General Instruction of the Roman Missal [GIRM], no. 375).

On weekdays of the Seasons of Advent (before December 17), Christmas (after January 2), Lent, and Easter (after the Octave), and on obligatory memorials throughout the year, Votive Masses are not permitted. However, GIRM, no. 376 indicates: “[if] required by some real need or pastoral advantage, according to the judgment of the rector of the church or the priest celebrant himself,” a Votive Mass may be celebrated.

Votive Masses may not be celebrated on Sundays, Solemnities, Feasts, the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls), or during the Weekdays of Advent from December 17 to 24, Holy Week, or the Octave of Easter. With the permission of the diocesan bishop, a Votive Mass may be celebrated on one of the Sundays of Ordinary Time or on Feasts of the Lord or the Saints (see GIRM, no. 374).

Holy Hour in Honor of Saint Paul the Apostle

A Holy Hour in Honor of St. Paul, the Apostle can be found at http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/stpaul/holyhour.shtml.

Two additional Holy Hours for Evangelization will soon be added to the USCCB Secretariat for Divine Worship website for easy use by parishes.

10 Ways for Individuals to Celebrate the Year of Saint Paul
Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Delaware has suggested "10 Ways to Celebrate":

1. Pray to the Holy Spirit about your unique and intimate “Road to Damascus” conversion experience that the Spirit is calling you to in the Year of Saint Paul.
   
2. Live Galatians 2:20 “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” and study the lives of saints from Saint Paul to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta who lived these words so inspirationally.
   
3. Read and pray The Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Saint Paul in the New Testament. Consult, too, the many helpful biblical commentaries and general studies of Paul that are presently available and will become available during the Year of Saint Paul.
   
4. Take Pope Benedict XVI’s challenge and engage daily in Lectio divina so that the Church will have a “new springtime” of spiritual growth and evangelization. Discover in a personal way that “the Word of God cannot be chained!” For an introduction to Lectio divina, see http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html.
   
5. Study the Church’s Teaching on Revelation and biblical interpretation in such Church documents and resources as:
   • The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum
   • The Pontifical Biblical Commission’s The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (1993)
   • Relevant sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Part One: sections 26-184, pp. 13-50] and the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Questions 1-32, pp. 5-12]
   • Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth


6. Study and Pray through Paul’s teaching on the power of the Cross of Christ. “Preach Christ crucified” in the way you carry the Cross and the way you help others carry their crosses.
   
7. Develop even more deeply a Pauline reverence for the Eucharist and the Body of Christ. Read and pray:
   • Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter Dies Domini (1998)
   • Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003)
   • Pope Benedict XVI’s post-synodal apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (2007)


8. Participate in Parish and Diocesan Masses during the Year of Saint Paul for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (Sunday, June 29, 2008 and Monday, June 29, 2009), the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle (Sunday, January 25, 2009), and the Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr (Friday, December 26, 2008). If you should be fortunate enough to visit Rome this year, make sure to visit and venerate the tomb of Saint Paul at the Basilica of Saint Paul-Outside-the-Walls. Vatican officials announced in December 2006 that several feet below the Basilica’s main altar and behind a smaller altar, they had found a roughly cut marble sarcophagus beneath an inscription that reads “Paul Apostle Martyr.” The small altar was removed and a window inserted so that pilgrims can see the sarcophagus. Also visit the new ecumenical chapel which will be located in the southeast corner of the Basilica (what had been since the 1930s a baptismal chapel). While praying there, ask the intercession of Saint Paul for ecumenical progress and full Christian unity.
   
9. Seek Paul’s intercession to be a more vibrant missionary in the world. Respond to the Universal Call to Holiness and the Universal Call to Mission. Study classical Church texts on missionary spirit and evangelization that discuss the life and ministry of Saint Paul such as Vatican Council II’s 1965 Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad Gentes Divinitus, Pope Paul VI’s 1975 apostolic exhortation Evangeli Nuntiandi, Pope John Paul II’s 1990 encyclical Redemptoris Missio and Pope John Paul II’s 1999 post-synodal apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.
   
10. Study and pray the classical paintings of Saint Paul such as Rembrandt’s Saint Paul at his Writing-Desk (1629-1630), Caravaggio’s The Conversion of Saint Paul (1600), El Greco’s Saint Paul (1606), Michelangelo’s The Conversion of Saul (1542-1545), Raphael’s Saint Paul Preaching in Athens. For an internet tour of these paintings and other art works that focus on Saint Paul, see the website: www.jesuswalk.com/philippians/artwork-st-paul.htm. And see the 1981 film Chariots of Fire (and other films with Pauline themes) which examines how Eric Liddell, a Scottish 1924 Olympic runner, lives and speaks about the Pauline “running the race” of faith and “feeling God’s pleasure” when he runs. This film is a moving commentary on Galatians 2:20.

Bible Studies on Epistles of Saint Paul

Little Rock Scripture Study (800-858-5434, www.littlerockscripture.org)

• Letters from Prison (Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians) – 10 session.
• Galatians and Romans – 13 sessions.
• First Corinthians – 10 sessions.
• Second Corinthians – 7 sessions.
• Cartas Paulinas de la cautividad (Filipenses, Filemón, Colosenses, Efesios) – 10 sesiones.

The GREAT Adventure: A Journey Through the Bible (www.GreatAdventureOnline.com)

• Adventures in Acts – 10 DVD program with 20 sessions
• Adventures in 1 Corinthians – 3 DVD program with 10 sessions

Paul, Apostle to the Church Today(St. Anthony Messenger Press, (www.americancatholic.org)
A six-part DVD series of talks examining the New Testament letters of St. Paul, Fr. Stephen Doyle

• First Thessalonians: What Is the Church?
• Galatians: Identity Crisis
• Philippians: Knowing Jesus
• First Corinthians: Living the Gospel
• Romans: Life Without Jesus
• Colossians: Jesus and the Universe

Faith Sharing on Epistles of Saint Paul
Six Weeks with Paul: (Loyola Press, 800-621-1008, (www.loyolapress.org)

Created for both individual and group use, each six-week discovery guide focuses on a specific book of the Bible. Weekly sections feature key passages along with related questions that encourage adults to explore the Bible for themselves and learn how it applies to their daily lives. These guides are designed for busy adults who wish to deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their understanding of Scripture.

• Acts: The Good News of the Holy Spirit
• 1 Corinthians: Living as Christians
• 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness
• Thessalonians: Stand Firm in Faith-Chapters 1-2
• Galatians: Free in Christ
• Colossians/Philemon: New Life in Christ
• Romans: Amazing Grace!

Scripture from Scratch ( St. Anthony Messenger Press (www.AmericanCatholic.org)

• Paul: Letters From a Travelling Theologian
• Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians
• Paul’s Letter to the Romans
• The Letter to the Ephesians

Books for Individuals and Group Discussion
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians, Tom Wright
Westminster John Knox Press, 2004 (U.S. edition) (www.wjkbooks.com)

Tom Write provides guides to all the books of the New Testament. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the test can be relevant to our lives today. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.

St. Paul: Called to Conversion, A Seven-Day Retreat, Ronald D. Witherup
St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007 (www.AmericanCatholic.org.)

This book provides inspiration for your next armchair retreat or small-group discussion.

St. Paul: Jubilee Year of the Apostle Paul Edition, Rev. Mitch Pacwa, SJ
Our Sunday Visitor, 2008 (www.OSV.com)

A Bible Study Guide for Catholics that can be used for personal study, interactive journaling, or small group study.

Passionate Visionary: Leadership Lessons from the Apostle Paul, Richard Ascough and Charles Cotton
Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.

A seasoned Bible scholar and an expert in organizational leadership and change offer principals for modern managers and leaders drwon from Paul’s dynamic leadership style.

Last Updated September 9, 2008