Our brothers Raniero (l) and Celestine (r) receiving "the hat."
That's the phrase that writer Elise Ann Allen, wife to Catholic journalist John Allen, gave to her article on November 29's consistory which created 13 new cardinals including, as you know by now, our Capuchin brothers Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., (papal preacher) and Celestino Aós Braco, OFM Cap., (Archbishop of Santiago, Chile). In her report, Elise highlights Raniero and Celestino and the Cardinals' pledge "to work with [the Holy Father] in caring for the Church." They're seen here in Rome on Saturday, the evening before the consistory, with our Capuchin brother Mariosvaldo Fiorentino, secretary for Evangelization and Mission at our central offices in Rome, Italy. Celestino also got a chance to visit the room of our Capuchin reliquaries, a sacred place where hundreds of relics of our past holy ones, canonized and not, are preserved for veneration and edification.
. . . . And it was nice to know that Br. Raniero made it back in time for Evening Prayer at the Curia after the consistory. Whew! That was close. The picture was taken in the evening after the day's festivities at St. Peter Basilica.
