General Counsel. The mission fulfilled the national goal proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth, before this decade is out. However, when Apollo 11 made its famous flight from Cape Canaveral to ultimately fulfill that goal, they inadvertently made Bishop Borders the first Bishop of the Moon thanks to an obscure rule from the 1917 Code of Canon Law in effect at the time. Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, from your pastor, priest, or other trustworthy counselor, Stack Overflow at WeAreDevelopers World Congress in Berlin. Peter Pans ship sailing to Neverland? An obscure church law the 1917 Code of Canon Law says that when an expedition sets out to discover new territory, that new land becomes part of the diocese that was home to the expedition. [2], Borders once described himself as the "Bishop of the Moon" since the Diocese of Orlando encompassed Merritt Island, from where Apollo 11 launched in 1969. Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his encyclical Quas primas of 1925, in response to growing secularism and nationalism, and in the context of the unresolved Roman Question. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Administrative offices of the Conference provide assistance to all of the USCCB Committees and Subcommittees in carrying out their mandates. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. (Credit: CNS photo/courtesy NASA.). [4], In 1961, when the Diocese of Baton Rouge was created out of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Borders was attached to the new diocese. Departing colleague attacked me in farewell email, what can I do? The obscure rule stated that any newly discovered territory falls under the bishopric where the discovering expedition had departed, or more aptly, launched. During an interfaith banquet before the Apollo 11 launch (in which religious leaders reflected on the imminent moon landing and how that affected their faith and understanding of God's creation), he and other bishops jokingly stated that they would be "bishop of the moon". [8][3], United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States, List of Catholic bishops of the United States, Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops, "Statement of Archbishop Edwin O'Brien on the Death of Archbishop William D. Borders", "Archbishop Borders of Baltimore, dies at 96", "Distinguished Alumnus Award conferral speech given at the 1995 Alumni Reunion", "Archbishops of Baltimore: William D. Borders (1974-1989)", "Archbishop Borders moved into hospice care". 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During his 15-year tenure in Baltimore, Borders divided the archdiocese into three vicariates and appointed his auxiliary bishops as vicars over them. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Why might you ask? "In exercising supreme, full, and immediate power in the universal Church, the Roman pontiff makes use of the departments of the Roman Curia which, therefore, perform their duties in his name and with his authority for the good of the churches and in the service of the sacred pastors" Decree concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus Curia in medieval and later Latin usage means "court" in the sense of "royal court" rather than "court of law". Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible. Crux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. Upcoming historian with over 30 million views online. The Florida Catholic newspaper of July 25, 1969, features a headline Religious leaders praise landing of men on moon. On the front page, then-Bishop Borders is seen in a photo taken during a tour of the launch facilities on the eve of the July 16 liftoff for Apollo 11, the first mission to land on the moon. When you look at the moon, what do you see? When you look at the moon, what do you see? If Phileas Fogg had a clock that showed the exact date and time, why didn't he realize that he had arrived a day early? You correctly said: Propaganda is responsisible for Mission sui iuris, Apostolic prefecture and Apostolic vicariate. The Catholic Church says the moon is a part of Florida sort of. Did Apollo 11 mission make Archbishop Borders bishop of the moon? Yes, the moon has its own Catholic bishop, who is currently John Noonan. Not sure that's a proper use of SE rules. [2], During his tenure in Orlando, Borders laid the foundations for the new diocese while also implementing the directives of the Second Vatican Council. [2], Borders was ordained a priest by Archbishop Rummel on May 18, 1940. Nonetheless, Archbishop Borders still laid claim to being the first bishop of the moon. Why can't sunlight reach the very deep parts of an ocean? Borders was among those named in two lawsuits involving clergy sexual abuse, one in Baltimore in 1993 and another in Orlando in 2003. "Since Cape Canaveral, launching site for the Apollo moon missions, was in Brevard County and part of the Diocese of Orlando, then in addition to being bishop of 13 counties, he was also bishop of the moon," Bennett wrote. TIL the bishop of Orlando is also bishop of the moon, due to a canon law that says "any newly discovered territory would fall under the bishopric from whence the discovering expedition departed." His is therefore the largest Catholic diocese, at over 14,000,000 square miles. 4,801 square miles, or the Archdiocese of Baltimore, is a respectable size. According to the Catholic church, was there a New Testament writer who was not a bishop? As a result, Easter will always fall between March 22 and April 25. . Bishop Borders, following the moon mission, had an audience with Pope Paul VI, in which he reportedly told him you know, Holy Father, I am the bishop of the Moon. It is imperative to mention that priests of various religions were considered some of the smartest people before medieval times.The front page of the Florida Catholic July 25, 1969, included extensive coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Why have a photo of the bishop in the sacristy? @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-box-3-0-asloaded{max-width:728px!important;max-height:90px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'historyofyesterday_com-box-3','ezslot_10',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-box-3-0');he Moon Bishop, or Bishop John Noonan as he is currently known, is actually the outcome of a murky regulation that was outlined in the 1917 Code of Canon Law. An obscure church law the 1917 Code of Canon. In 1969 following the Apollo 11 launch, Bishop Borders made anad liminavisit to the Vatican for an audience with Pope Blessed Paul VI. USCCB is an assembly of the hierarchy of bishops within the Christian community in both the US and Virgin Islands. The answer involves an obscure rule from 1917 and the Apollo 11 space mission. @nigelj an overseer of people (souls, in a sense) usually within a particular geographic area. There yet may be another way of possibly looking at this question. Easter | USCCB - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops If this obscure statute creating the office of Moon Bishop doesnt excite you, the real Pope was also dissatisfied. Thus the Red Pope in the name of the Pope, may actually be the Bishop of the Moon. Im sure he would say God is the bishop of the moon, Drow said on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. The current bishop is John Gerard Noonan . To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon occurring either on or after the spring equinox (March 21). Thus if the pope is the Vicar of Christ and according to the Catholic Church, Jesus is the King of the Universe, the pope has total spiritual jurisdiction over space and is by default the Bishop of the Moon. Since Cape Canaveral was under the purview of the Diocese of Orlando, Bishop Borders was effectively the first bishop of the moon. Entrust your prayer intentions to our network of monasteries. UCatholic explains the unusual circumstances that led to the moons spiritual jurisdiction landing with the diocese that ministers to Disney, Universal, and Cape Canaveral: The Apollo 11 space mission began with the launch from Cape Canaveral on July 16, 1969. On June 18th, 1968 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando, Florida was established. William Donald Borders was ordained the first Bishop of Orlando. Answer (1 of 3): Yes, although the situation had nothing to do directly with NASA or the Apollo 11 astronauts. Bishop Borders later visited Pope Paul VI in Rome and casually mentioned, You know, Holy Father, I am the bishop of the moon., The Pope said, Im sorry.what? (A fun fact about the area code for Brevard County: It's 321, as in "3-2-1 liftoff."). 2022 History of Yesterday | All Rights Reserved. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 14 from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, with Bishops Robert Emmet Tracy and Louis Abel Caillouet serving as co-consecrators. Father John Giel, chancellor for Canonical Affairs for the Diocese of Orlando, commented that being able to boast the moon is ultimately fruitless since it means nothing if there is no one to have jurisdiction over. Father Giel did, however, commend Bishop Borders for the gig: Since we have yet to find any life on the moon, the story only emphasizes Bishop Borders good and humorous nature that allowed him to be such a good first bishop for central Florida.. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. [7], Borders served at LSU until 1964, except for a two-year period (19571959) when he served as pastor of Holy Family Church in Port Allen, Louisiana. Cardinal Cooke, who was vicar of the Military Ordinariate (now the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services), which served the Air Force Base at Cape Kennedy, said he should be allowed to accompany Bishop Borders "in the spirit of collegiality." At the prelaunch banquet honoring the interfaith leaders, there was some tongue-in-cheek banter about whose diocese included the lunar territory, with Bishop Borders contending that since the mission was being launched from his diocese, that was his responsibility. Rabbi Aryeh Lev told the Florida Catholic the moon flight was another example of God revealing new things about his creation. The Catholic Church says the moon is a part of Florida sort of. Yes, the moon has its own Catholic bishop, who is currently John Noonan . (Courtesy Florida Catholic) According to a remembrance written in 2016 by Renae Bennett, diocesan archivist, "During his visit, Bishop Borders mentioned to the pope that he was the 'bishop of the moon.'. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 14 from Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, with Bishops Robert Emmet Tracy and Louis Abel Caillouet serving as co-consecrators. A Chicago-area native, Christopher Gunty is associate publisher/editor of The Catholic Review and CEO of its parent publishing company, The Cathedral Foundation/CR Media. John Gerard Noonan (born February 26, 1951) is an Irish-born American prelate in the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on peoples lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond. It is ironic that Clavius has a crater named after him, because he had reservations about the existence of lunar craters and mountains, as the edges of the Moon appear perfectly round. No matter what your genre, theres something new for you. The liturgical vestments for the day are colored white or gold, in keeping with other joyous feasts honoring Christ. The title of the feast was "Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Regis" (Our Lord Jesus Christ the King), and the date was established as "the last Sunday of the month of October the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints". The Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pa. - eriercd.org The Apollo 11 mission launched from Cape Canaveral, which is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Orlando, thus installing Borders as the first Bishop of the Moon. The story only emphasizes Bishop Borders good and humorous nature that allowed him to be such a good first bishop for central Florida., Support us by donating anything you can. When Apollo 11 launched, one year later, there was still a law in the books that stated that any newly discovered territory would fall under the bishopric from whence the discovering expedition departed. Is this true? In an article below headlined "Will moonshot affect theology?" [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Is there any of these on the moon? Jennifer Drow, secretary of communications for the Diocese of Orlando, said that she is sure Bishop John G. Noonan, the current bishop of Orlando, does not consider himself bishop of the moon and the International Space Station, also launched from Kennedy Space Center. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization . UCatholic notes that, if taken seriously, the Diocese of Orlando would become the largest, at fourteen and half million square miles, although it would be hard to call it the largest diocese in the world. Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen said: God who made the sun, also made the moon. God revealing creation Rabbi Aryeh Lev told the Florida Catholic the moon flight was another example of God revealing new things about his creation. According to the Code of Canon Law in effect at the time, any newly discovered territory fell under the jurisdiction of the diocese whence the expedition left.[10]. It might sound strange, but in addition to encompassing nine counties and hundreds of cities, the Diocese of Orlando, Florida also has jurisdiction over an otherworldly object: the Moon. Bishop William D. Borders greeted St. Paul VI in an undated photo. Find needed capacitance of charged capacitor with constant power load, German opening (lower) quotation mark in plain TeX. On the front page, then-Bishop Borders is seen in a photo taken during a tour of the launch facilities on the eve of the July 16 liftoff for Apollo 11, the first mission to land on the moon. Did the Apollo 11 mission result in a Catholic "bishop of the moon"? Before Archbishop Borders was assigned to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he was the founding bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, which was established in 1968, covering 13 counties and 9,611 square miles in central Florida. Jul 7, 2021 'Bishop of the moon' However, the moon mission was not the only change affecting Catholics of Central Florida in the late 1960s. Still, those are the words of the article I cited. His regiment trained in North Africa for the Italian Campaign. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Borders submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II, who accepted his resignation on April 6, 1989. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstances of time and place. That kind of reporting doesnt come cheap, and we need your support. Why might you ask? That would add more than 14.6 million square miles to the Diocese of Orlando, making that diocese the largest in the known universe. - Feast of Christ the King. Government Relations. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. [1], Borders was born in Washington, Indiana, the third of seven children of Thomas Martin and Zelpha Ann (ne Queen) Borders. The Florida Catholic newspaper of July 25, 1969, features a headline "Religious leaders praise landing of men on moon." On the front page, then-Bishop Borders is seen in a photo taken during. He spent four years with The Chicago Catholic; 19 years as founding editor and associate publisher of The Catholic Sun in Phoenix, Ariz.; and six years at The Florida Catholic. If Borders claim was true, his diocese would encompass over fourteen and half million square miles. Could ChatGPT etcetera undermine community by making statements less significant for us? Astronaut Edwin Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed U.S. flag during an Apollo 11 extra-vehicular activity on the lunar surface July 20, 1969. The Moon Bishop is actually the result of an obscure rule, set out in the 1917 Code of Canon Law that states that any newly discovered land becomes part of the diocese that the expedition set off from. The Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide, whose official title is "sacra congregatio christiano nomini propagando" is the department of the pontifical administration charged with the spread of Catholicism and with the regulation of ecclesiastical affairs in non-Catholic countries. Miami Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll claimed that tradition says the "moon is always over Miami," so he called dibs. However, the current bishop of Orlando does not consider himself the bishop of the moon, nor any other space station. The Catholic Church Officially Has A Moon Bishop | IFLScience The Catholic Church Officially Has a Moon Bishop NASA. Public Affairs. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7ec521729c0b1c7b Jennifer Drow, secretary of communications for the Diocese of Orlando, said that she is sure Bishop John Noonan, the current bishop of Orlando, does not consider himself bishop of the moon and the International Space Station, also launched from Kennedy Space Center. Perhaps someday, when we have colonists on the lunar landscape, and the Church is there to serve their pastoral needs, the Catholic center there will have a photo of Earths satellites first bishop.. 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Photo by IFLScinece In reality, the Moon Bishop, or Bishop John Noonan as he is currently known, is the result of a hazy rule that was outlined in the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Did you know? There is a Catholic bishop assigned to the moon Why might you ask? Bishop Borders was the founding bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, Fla., whose territory included Brevard County, home to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, from which the U.S. has launched space missions since the early 1960s. How do the vestments of the pontiff emeritus compare to those of a bishop emeritus? - Vicar of Christ (Catholic Encyclopedia). During the meeting, he told the Pope that he was "bishop of the Moon" and explained his rationale. Religion in space - Wikipedia According to a remembrance written in 2016 by Renae Bennett, Orlandos diocesan archivist, During his visit, Bishop Borders mentioned to the pope that he was the bishop of the moon. Responding to the pontiffs perplexed reaction, Bishop Borders explained that according to the 1917 Code of Canon Law (in effect at that time), any newly discovered territory was placed under the jurisdiction of the diocese from which the expedition that discovered that territory originated.. [1] He selected as his episcopal motto: "Auscultabo ut Serviam" (Latin: "I listen that I may serve"). William Donald Borders (October 9, 1913 April 19, 2010) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. [6], In 1946, Borders left the military service with the rank of Major and returned to Louisiana. Religious adherence in outer space poses unique challenges and opportunities for practitioners. He briefly served as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Westwego, Louisiana before pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Notre Dame in his native Indiana. (1552-1610), who was a famous missionary to China and introduced Western science and mathematics to the Middle Kingdom. The Man in the Moon? @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-medrectangle-3-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofyesterday_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',104,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-medrectangle-3-0'); The 1917 Code of Canon Law was the first official codification of canon law in the Catholic Church. John Gerard Noonan - Wikipedia Browse other questions tagged, Like any library, Christianity Stack Exchange offers great information, but, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. He assigned to it the highest rank of "solemnity". This print was photographed on display at the Vatican observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sept. 28, 2018. And it's not everyday that I get to make an answer that relates to two central interests of my life: The Catholic Church and spaceflight history.