Blessed Pope John Paul II, also called the Great, passed away in Rome at the Apostolic Palace, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 pm Rome time (21.37) or 9.37 pm UTC+1.
It has been 8 years since his passing, and therefore let us join in the moment of prayer, in our own homes and at the time of his passing wherever we are. Pray for his Canonisation as a Saint, and most importantly, pray for our Catholic Church and all of God’s beloved people.
The Papal Inauguration Mass of the Pontificate of Pope Francis I, Jorge Maria Bergoglio, who was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and elected the 266th Pope on Wednesday, 13 March 2013, will be held on :
Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Tuesday, 19 March 2013, at 9.30 am Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
The timing in other timezones are :
1. UTC : Tuesday, 19 March 2013 at 8.30 am
2. EDT : Tuesday, 19 March 2013 at 4.30 am
3. PDT : Tuesday, 19 March 2013 at 1.30 am
4. WIB / UTC+7 : Tuesday, 19 March 2013 at 3.30 pm
5. Singapore / UTC+8 : Tuesday, 19 March 2013 at 4.30 pm
Today marks Pope Benedict XVI’s last day as our Pope, and the last day before the sede vacante begins, or the period when there is no successor of St. Peter the Apostle as the leader of the Universal Church. This period will last until a new Pope is elected by the College of Cardinals in the papal conclave.
The important events to take note of today includes (live from the Vatican from http://www.vatican.va/video/) :
1. Last meeting and farewell to the College of Cardinals at Clementine Hall (Sala Clementina) : Thursday, 28 February 2013 at 11.00 am CET (UTC+1)
(10.00 am UTC, 5.00 am EST, 2.00 am PST, 5.00 pm WIB (West Indonesian Time) or UTC+7, 6.00 pm SG time (UTC+8)
2. Pope Benedict XVI leaves Vatican City for Castel Gandolfo on Thursday, 28 February 2013 at 5.00 pm CET (UTC+1)
(4.00 pm UTC, 11.00 am EST, 8.00 am PST, 11.00 pm WIB/UTC+7, and Friday, 1 March 2013 at 0.00 am SG time/UTC+8)
3. Sede Vacante begins on Thursday, 28 February 2013 at 8.00 pm CET (UTC+1)
(7.00 pm UTC, 2.00 pm EST, 11.00 am PST, Friday, 1 March 2013 at 2.00 am WIB/UTC+7, and Friday, 1 March 2013 at 3.00 am SG time/UTC+8)
The Pope will visit the Major Seminary of Rome today, 8 February 2013 at 6 pm Rome time (Central European Time/UTC+1) or corresponding to Saturday, 9 February 2013 at 1 am for Singapore, Malaysia, China, HK, and other UTC+8 countries.
The other timings for other regions are Friday, 8 February 2013 at 5 pm UTC, and in New York it is on Friday at 12 pm EST (UTC-5), and on Friday at 9 am for PST regions (UTC-8).
Well, hopefully one day soon, I will be one of the students there, looking forward to my ordination as a priest at that time. Pray for me!
Surprisingly, Italian (and Latin) is not too difficult to understand, since at the moment, in fact, my ability to understand and comprehend Italian has actually surpassed my ability to comprehend Chinese (not good, but good enough for daily conversations, and to use for basic conversations). Nevertheless, pray for me that I will be ever faithful in my journey!
+Ut Omnes Unum Sint, ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam+
(That they all may be One, for the greater glory of God)
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 