Holy Crib at St. Mary Major Basilica

The Holy Crib

In the crypt under the high altar of the St. Mary Major Basilica llies the celebrated relic known as the Holy Crib. A statue of Pope Pius IX kneeling before the ancient wooden pieces of the manger serves as an example to the faithful who come to see the first humble crib of the Savior. Pius IX’s devotion to the Holy Crib led him to commission the crypt chapel, and his coat of arms is visible above the altar. The precious crystal urn trimmed in silver, through which the faithful can venerate the relic, was designed by Giuseppe Valadier.

Arnolfo di Cambio’s “Crib”

The spiritual and sentimental image of the reconstruction of the “Crib” in remembrance of the venerated event of Christ’s birth, originated in 432 when Pope Sixtus III (432-440) created, within the primitive Basilica, a “cave of the Nativity” similar to that in Bethlehem. Numerous pilgrims returning to Rome from the Holy Land, brought back precious fragments of the Holy Crib (cunambulum), which are now kept in the golden Confessional shrine.

During the following centuries several popes took care of Sixtus III’s Holy Cave, until Pope Nicolò IV in 1288 commissioned a sculpture of the “Nativity” by Arnolfo di Cambio.

Many changes and reconstructions took place in the basilica. When Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) wished to erect the large Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament or Sistina in the right nave, he ordered the architect Domenico Fontana to transfer, without dismantling, the ancient “cave of the Nativity” with its surviving elements of Arnolfo di Cambio’s sculpture.

The three Magi, dressed in elegant vestments and shoes in a rough gothic style, and Saint Joseph admire with a sense of wonder and reverence  the miracle of the Baby in the Virgin Mary’s arms (of P. Olivieri) warmed by the ox and the donkey.

Book of Heaven
9/9/01 – Vol. 4

This morning my adorable Jesus was not coming. Then, while my mind was occupied with considering the mystery of the crowning of thorns, I remembered that, other times, as I was occupied with this mystery, the Lord had pleased to remove the crown of thorns from His head and to drive it onto mine. So I said in my interior: ‘Ah, Lord, I am no longer worthy of suffering your thorns.’

And all of a sudden He came, for just a little, and told me: “My daughter, when you suffer my own thorns, You relieve Me, and in suffering them yourself, I feel completely free of those pains. When you humble yourself and believe yourself unworthy of suffering them, you repair for the sins of pride which are committed in the world.”

And I (Luisa) added: ‘Ah, Lord, for as many drops as You shed, for as many thorns as You suffered, for as many wounds, so much glory do I intend to give You for as much glory as all creatures should give You if the sin of pride did not exist; and so many graces do I intend to ask of You for all creatures, so that this sin be destroyed.’

While saying this, I saw that Jesus contained the whole world within Himself, like a machine containing objects in itself. All creatures moved within Him, and Jesus moved toward them, and it seemed that Jesus would receive the glory of my intention and that creatures had returned to Him in order to receive the good impetrated by me for them. I remained stupefied, and He, seeing my stupefaction, said: “All this seems surprising, doesn’t it? What you have done seems a trivial thing, yet, it is not so. How much good could be done by repeating this intention, but is not?” Having said this, He disappeared.

7/27/2017

Today morning, around 8.30 am, Mons. Giovan Battista Pichierri, Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, was found without life. Probably he was going to wash himself when he was suddenly taken ill. The sisters who lived with him around 8.30, did not see him coming, so they called him, but they made the sad discovery. A priest acted immediately and called  for help.  The rescues came up promptly,  but the various attempts  to reanimate him had not any positive effect.

Mons. Giuseppe Pavone, Vicar General, invites the whole ecclesial community to pray “for our Father and Shepherd who was just about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, all dedicated to serving the Church.”

During the morning the guesthouse of the Archbishop was the destination of so many people, especially priests and relatives of Mons. Pichierri. The body was arranged and placed in the burial chamber, located in the hall of the second floor of the Archbishop’s palace in Trani. It will remain there until 10.00 on Thursday  July 27. Then, it will be transferred to the Church of St. John the Baptist in Trani: here, in the evening, a prayer vigil will take place at 8:30 p.m. and on Friday July 28 at 13.00, the clergy will recite the Little Hours; Subsequently, the corpse will be transferred to the Cathedral of Trani, where the Celebration of the funeral will take place at 4:00 pm. The Holy Mass will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi.

Mons. Giovan Battista Pichierri was born in Sava (Ta) on February 12, 1943. He was baptized on March 6, 1943.

After studying at the diocesan and regional Seminary in Molfetta, he was ordained a priest in the diocese of Oria (BR) on August 30, 1967. He completed his theological education by attending the Ecumenical Theology in Bari, where in 1970 he obtained the degree in Ecumenical Theology.

The first ten years of his priestly ministry were at the service of the Diocesan and Regional Minor Seminaries  for  the High School in Taranto. In the latter one at first as an animator and then as a rector.

When he returned to the diocese in 1977, he served the diocesan church collaborating directly with Bishop De Giorgi and Bishop Franco, and in the interval of the succession between these two bishops he was delegate “ad Omnia”  of  the Apostolic Administrator Voto, Bishop of Castellaneta.

Since 1982, Mons. Armando Franco appointed him as an archpriest, and entrusted to him the pastoral care of the  Church “Santissima Trinità” in Manduria, that he served until March 12, 1991.

In 1986, Mons. Franco himself called him to cooperate more directly to lead the diocese, entrusting  to him the task of Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.

Throughout the years of his ministry he taught Catholic Religion in State Schools: middle and high School, Gymnasium, Commercial Institutes, Scientific High School.

On 21 December 1990 the Holy Father John Paul II chose him as Bishop of the Diocese of Cerignola-Ascoli Satriano (FG).

On January 26, 1991 he was ordained Bishop in the Mother Church of Manduria (Ta) by the diocesan Bishop, Mons. Armando Franco. On March 17, 1991, he entered the diocese,

On November 13, 1999, the Holy Father John Paul II transferred him to the archbishopric of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie and Nazareth (Ba).

The entry into the new diocese took place on January 26, 2000, the ninth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.

It is difficult to condense in a few lines a bishopric  that  was so full of commitment and teaching.

The relevant pastoral documents were about thirty. They, considered in a synoptic view, give an idea of the depth of the pastoral interests he pursued: the guidelines for the permanent diaconate (2000); Statute and rules of the Episcopal Curia (2000); The parish as a cell and pastoral subject (2001), the parish as a missionary eucharistic community (2002), the parish as a missionary ecumenical community (2005);  on the instituted ministries. (2002); about family and youth (2002); On engagement (2005); On pastoral visit (2005); On the Institute of Religious Studies (2007); On the formation of the diocesan presbytery (2007); On the importance of listening to the Word of God (2008); On the deeper meaning of the Church as House of Hope (2007) and with a Maternal Face (2008); On the Pastoral Care of Wounded Families (2009), and the list goes on.

His service was multifaceted: for teaching, sanctification, pastoral service, for the cause of ecumenism, creation of charity works in the seven cities of the diocese.

The First Diocesan Synod was his last pastoral choice that he wished and accomplished in several years. It was issued on October 19, 2012, on the theme “For the Church,  a mystery of communion and mission”.  “It is celebrated under the action of the Holy Spirit”  as he used to say at the preparation stages, during the time of reflection and discussion about the instrument of work, and in the election assemblies (2013-2015). The Synod ended on October 30 2015. On January 26, 2016, on the XXV anniversary of his episcopal ordination, he promulgated the Synodal Book. Since then, he worked with his collaborators to realize the guidelines of the Synodal Book: the reform of the curia, creation of a formation school for pastoral workers, establishment of a diocesan service for families in crisis, the summons of a diocesan conference to verify the path accomplished after the synod.

More recently, he was preparing for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination, in the name of sobriety and prayer. For that occasion he wanted to send to the diocesan community a letter that will be made known in a few days, in which, among other things, he wrote:

“We have come to the time of physical farewells: on February 12, 2018, I will be 75 years old and, according to Can. 401 of the Code of Canon Laws, I am required to put the episcopal mandate into the hands of the Holy Father Francis. I do this with serenity of spirit and as a act of love towards the Holy Church of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, so that it can continue to grow in Jesus Christ, our good and beautiful pastor, under the guidance of the one whom the Holy Father will elect and send as my successor. What I feel I have to write to you is not my last will, but a warm exhortation to remain in God’s love, just as our teacher Jesus asks us: “Remain in my love!” (John 15: 9) . (…) About pastoral commitment: Please consider the diocesan synod we celebrated as the “magna carta” to follow, for the diocesan pastoral ministry,  improving it, step by step under the new guidance of the Archbishop who you will have as a gift .

Beloved, let the Archbishop, my successor,  know  what we experienced in Christ Jesus under the action of the Holy Spirit,  through your synodal ecclesial lifestyle. The new Shepherd will come to serve and grow with you ‘by every supporting ligament ‘(Ephesians 4:16)  of the mystical body of Christ. “

And, in an interview with the monthly diocesan “In Communion,” when he was asked if he wanted to talk about a subject he had not been asked before, he said:

“I leave the Archdiocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie to enter  my diocese of origin, Oria, and live  in my native town, Sava. I have  a” dream “that I wish and ask the Lord to be able to accomplish it: to work to return the presence of consecrated people to Sava. Let me explain. In Sava, there were the minor Franciscan friar who had created some works of charity. The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent and  St. Luisa de Marillac who had thaught many generations of children and girls in the “Daughters of Mary”, and had taken care of the poor by helping the “Ladies of Charity”; The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, worthy for the equalized primary and secondary school. Now, Sava, is lacking in the precious presence of Consecrated Life. So, with the help of God and the cooperation of the brothers and sisters who are engaged in associations and volunteering, supported by the Diocesan Bishop and civil authorities, I would like to set up a ” House of Tenderness ” in a significant place in the city and entrust it to a community of consecrated life, held by myself, by the priests of the city, by the Volunteers. That would be a miracle! Therefore, I ask the prayer of the beautiful diocesan church of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie that I carry in my heart. Thank you!”

Newsletter dell’Ufficio Stampa Diocesano e Comunicazioni Sociali

Book of Heaven
6/20/04 – Vol. 6

After I struggled very much, blessed Jesus came for just a little and told me:  “My daughter, human perfidy has reached such a point as to exhaust my Mercy on its part.  But My (God’s) Goodness is so Great as to constitute daughters of Mercy, so that on the part of creatures also, this attribute may not be exhausted.  These are the victims who are in full ownership of the Divine Will, having destroyed their own.  In fact, in these souls, the container given by Me in creating them is in full vigor, and since they have received the particle of My Mercy, being daughters, they administer it to others.  It is understood, however, that in order to be able to administer the particle of My Mercy to others, they themselves must be in Justice.”

And I:  “Lord, who can ever be in Justice?”

And He:  “The one who does not commit grave sins and abstains from committing the slightest venial sins of his own will.”

Mons. Giovan Battista  Pichierri

Dear friends in the Divine Will, this morning (July 26, 2017), the Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, Mons. Giovan Battista Pichierri left unexpectedly for the Father’s house. The funeral will take place at 4:00 p.m  on July 28 at the Cathedral of Trani.

 We are waiting to hear more news. Meanwhile we want to express on behalf of the members of the Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will in Corato and of the whole “Family of the Divine Will” in the world our thanks to God for all that He gave to us through the love and care of this Shepherd.

He has always accompanied, encouraged and supported us. May the Lord give him the reward of the “faithful servants”!

We are certain that Luisa will welcome Him in Heaven and lead Jesus to Jesus. Let us pray for him in the Divine Will.

Fiat Fiat Fiat

Il Presidente Michele Colonna e l’ Assistente Ecclesiastico d. Sergio Pellegrini

BOOK OF HEAVEN

VOLUME 17; May 4, 1925
The Mission of the Divine Will shall veil the Most Holy Trinity upon earth, and shall make man return to his Origin.

After writing what is written above, I began to do the Adoration to my Crucified Jesus, Fusing all of myself in His Most Holy Will; and my beloved Jesus came out from within my interior, and placing His Most Holy Face close to mine, all Tenderness, told me: “My daughter, did you write everything on the Mission of My Will?”

And I: “Yes, yes, I wrote everything.”

And He, again: “And what if I told you that you have not written everything? Rather, you have left out the Most Essential Thing. So, continue writing, and add:  The Mission of My Will shall Veil the Most Holy Trinity upon earth. Just as in Heaven there are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Inseparable from One Another but Distinct among Themselves, Forming the Whole Beatitude of Heaven; in the same way, on earth there shall be three persons who, because of their Missions, shall be Distinct and Inseparable among themselves: the Virgin, with Her Maternity that Veils the Paternity of the Celestial Father and Encloses His Power in order to Fulfill Her Mission of Mother of the Eternal Word and Co-Redemptrix of mankind; My Humanity, for the Mission of Redeemer, that Enclosed the Divinity, and the Word, without ever separating from the Father and from the Holy Spirit, Manifested My Celestial Wisdom – adding the Bond of rendering Myself Inseparable from My Mama; and you (Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta), for the Mission of My Will, as the Holy Spirit shall make Display of His Love, Manifesting to you the Secrets, the Prodigies of My Will, the Goods It contains, to make Happy those who shall give themselves to Knowing how much Good this Supreme Will contains, to love It and to let It Reign in their midst, offering their souls to let It Dwell within their hearts, that It may be able to form Its Life in them – adding the Bond of Inseparability between you (Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta), the Mother and the Eternal Word.

“These Three Missions are Distinct and Inseparable. The first two have prepared the Graces, the Light, the Work, and with unheard-of pains, for the Third Mission of My Will, to then Fuse themselves all in It without leaving their Office, so as to find Rest, because My Will alone is Celestial Rest. These Missions shall not be repeated, because the Exuberance of Grace, of Light, of Knowledge is Such and So Great that all human generations can be Filled with them; even more, they shall not be able to contain all the Good that they contain. These Missions are symbolized by the sun; in fact, in creating it, I filled it with so much light and heat, that all human generations have superabundant light. Nor did I consider that, since at the beginning of Creation there were only Adam and Eve who would enjoy it, I could place the necessary light for them only, to then increase new light as the generations would grow. No, no – I made it full of light, just as it is now, and shall be. For the Decorum and the Honor of Our Power, Wisdom and Love, Our Works are always done with the Fullness of All the Good that they contain; nor are they subject to increasing or decreasing. So I did with the sun: I centralized in it all the light that was to serve up to the last man. But how many goods does the sun not do for the earth? What Glory, in its mute light, does it not give to its Creator? I can say that because of the immense goods it does to the earth, in its mute language the sun Glorifies Me and makes Me Known more than all other things together; and this, because it is full in its light, and stable in its course. When I looked at the sun that, with so much light, only Adam and Eve were enjoying, I also looked at all the living; and in seeing that that light was to serve all, My Paternal Goodness Exulted with Joy, and I remained Glorified in My Works. So I did with My Mama: I filled Her with So Much Grace, that She can give Graces to all without ever exhausting even one of them. So I did with My Humanity: there is no Good that It does not Possess; It enclosed Everything, and the very Divinity, to give It to whomever wants of It. So I did with you: I enclosed in you My Will, and, with It, I enclosed Myself. I enclosed in you Its Knowledges, Its Secrets, Its Light. I Filled your soul up to the brim; so much so, that what you write is nothing other than the Outpouring of what you contain of My Will. And even though it now serves you alone, and a few Glimmers of Light serve a few others, I am content because, being Light, More Than Second Sun, it shall make its way by itself, in order to Illuminate the human generations and to bring about the Fulfillment of Our Works: that Our Will be Known and Loved, and that It Reign as Life in the creatures. This was the Purpose of Creation – this, its Beginning, and this shall be the Means and the End.

“Therefore, Be Attentive, because this is about Placing in Safety that Eternal Will that, with so much Love, wants to Dwell in the creatures. But It wants to be Known, It does not want to be like a stranger, but wants to give Its Goods and become Life of each one. However, It wants Its Rights, Its Place of Honor; It wants the human will to be put aside – the only enemy for Itself and for man. The Mission of My Will was the Purpose of the Creation of man. My Divinity did not depart from Heaven – from Its Throne, while My Will not only departed, but descended into all created things and formed Its Life in them. But while all things Recognized Me, and I dwell in them with Majesty and Decorum, man alone drove Me away. But I want to Conquer him and Win him, and therefore My Mission is not ended. So I called you, Entrusting to you My own Mission, that you may place the one who drove Me away on the Lap of My Will, and everything may return to Me in My Will. Therefore, do not be surprised at the Many Great and Marvelous Things I may tell you for the sake of this Mission, or at the Many Graces I may give you; because this is not about making a Saint, or saving the generations. This is about placing a Divine Will in Safety, that all may Return to the Beginning, to the Origin from which all came, and that the Purpose of My Will may have Its Fulfillment.”

Lesson of the Queen of Heaven:

Dearest daughter (Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta), O! How I (Blessed Virgin Mary) longed for you in order to continue My Lessons on the Kingdom which the Supreme Fiat extended ever more within Me.

Now, you must know that for your Mama, for Dear and Sweet Jesus, and for Saint Joseph, the little house of Nazareth was a Paradise. Being the Eternal Word, My Dear Son Possessed the Divine Will within Himself, of His own Virtue; and Immense Seas of Light, of Sanctity, of Joys and of Infinite Beauty resided in that Little Humanity. And I possessed the Divine Will by Grace; and even though I could not embrace Immensity, as did Beloved Jesus— because He was God and Man, and I was always His finite creature—yet, in spite of this, the Divine Fiat Filled Me so much, having formed Its Seas of Light, of Sanctity, of Love, of Beauties and of Happinesses; and the Light, the Love and everything that a Divine Will can Possess, which came out of Us, were so Great that Saint Joseph remained eclipsed, inundated, and lived of Our Reflections.