January/February 2007

Work and faith. How important is it to understand others’ religions? p 9 I say, “Just do it.” My child says, “No way.” Now what? p 11 Was Jesus really human or did he just appear that way? p 12 Is God punishing me? How do we deal with tragedy and pain in our lives? p 24 Points in heaven versus pounds on hips – comfort foods get a makeover p 26

PLUS:

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t had been quite a week. In the matter of just a few days, no fewer than five married couples had been in touch with me to let me know that they were having difficulty in their marriages. The differences, they said, were irreconcilable, and all of them seemed to be headed at one speed or another, toward separation and divorce. There had been no infidelity, no physical, emotional or psychological abuse, no problems related to abuse of drugs or alcohol. They had, as one couple put it, “grown apart from one another.”

These were couples who, at least from external appearances, seemed to have good marriages that included the usual balancing act of children, family, work and marriage. Had they sought marriage counseling together and individually? In most instances, yes. Had they looked for opportunities to grow or strengthen their marriages – through a Marriage Encounter weekend, Retrouvaille, a weekend retreat for couples, a marriage enrichment workshop, the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist – prior to their current difficulties? Some had, others had not. My heart ached for them and for their families – especially their children.

I wanted to share with them the story of a couple I had worked with a number of years ago. They were an older couple who seemed to have a rock-solid marriage, until one day they called me, asking if I could stop by their home that afternoon – they had some “news” to share with me. As we sat in the living room, they shared with me that all was not well in their relationship – there had been infidelity.

One was feeling deeply hurt and betrayed, the other, guilty and ashamed.

After listening to them pour out their hearts and hurts, I asked them what they wanted to do about the situation. They shared that they had decided to work to save their marriage. From the outset they knew this would not be an easy task. I assured them that I and their parish community would do whatever we could to support them. They also knew that God would be with them to love and support them as they walked a very rocky path that would hopefully lead them toward reconciliation and renewed trust and love. Their respective families, also wounded and hurting, pledged to stand by them and to love them equally.

With time, hard work, prayer, and God’s grace in the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist, there came healing and forgiveness. What had started as an experience of infidelity became a beautiful work of faithfulness – a reflection of God’s faithfulness to them and their own faithfulness in seeking to renew the vows that form their covenant of marriage.

In the face of what seems to be a creeping poison that is slowly and systematically destroying marriages, we need to know that it is possible – not easy, but possible – to allow God’s faithfulness and love to carry a hurting couple through reconciliation to renewed faithfulness.

Honesty, hard work and time are also a part of that process, as is deep trust that God – who is loving, kind and forgiving – will never abandon us. And so our journey in FAITH continues.

In the face of what seems to be a creeping poison that is slowly and systematically destroying marriages, we need to know that it is possible – not easy, but possible – to allow God’s faithfulness and love to carry a hurting couple through reconciliation to renewed faithfulness.

Healing a marriage

From infidelity to faithfulness

– Fr. Dwight Ezop is editor of FAITH Magazine and pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Jude.

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FAITH Magazine January/February 2007 Virgin | www.FAITHmag.com Liturgical Calendar: Octave of Christmas: The Blessed Mary, The Mother of God Jan. 1 (not a holy day of obligation this year) | Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Do

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Incurable faith – the Brennan brothers battle diabetes Tom and Pat Brennan are among the nearly 21 million Americans with diabetes. Despite their physical challenges, and suggestions that they could be cured some day through the use of embryonic stem cell research, they wholeheartedly support the church’s teachings.

– Marybeth Hicks

inside

what you’ll get out of this issue in the know with Fr. Joe 6 Dear Fr. Joe: What is purgatory? It’s not in the Bible.

– Fr. Joseph Krupp

work life 9 Work and faith. How important is it to understand others’ religions?

– Tim Ryan

your marriage matters

p r o f i l e A Walk by Faith – Margaret’s daily journey with God. During her daily walks to morning. Mass, Margaret Perrone often recites the Angelus.

It’s no wonder she feels a connection with Mary. Both relished the blessings of motherhood and both gracefully faced the deaths of people they loved. Through everything, neither lost faith. – Kimberly Laux

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Will my parish close?

An update.

Last year, we presented some of the challenges facing the Diocese of Lansing as we envision our future in faith.

Find out how the diocese has responded – and how we can all participate in the pastoral planning process.

–Father Charles Irvin

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i n t e r v i e w Will Smith: Interviewed by Father Joe. Father Joe sat down with Will Smith, one of Hollywood’s brightest stars – and a role model for young men. Read their conversation about Will’s newest movie, The Pursuit of Happyness.

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– Fr. Joseph Krupp

exclusive From Heffalump to Wilbur the Pig – meet Dominic Scott Kay of Charlotte’s Web. FAITH’s exclusive interview with the 10-year-old star of Charlotte’s Web.

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– Elizabeth Solsburg

10 He says: the romance has fizzled.

She says: he may be right.

What do they do?

– DeborahMcCormack

the parenting journey 11 I say, “Just do it.” My child says, “No way.”Now what?

– Dr. Cathleen McGreal

theology 101 12 Was Jesus really human or did he just appear that way? A conversation about Christology with seminary professors. – Elizabeth Solsburg

spiritual fitness 24 Why is this happening to me? Is God punishing me? How do we deal with tragedy and pain in our lives?

– Fr. Bill Ashbaugh

culture 26 Points in heaven versus pounds on hips. Comfort foods get a makeover.

– Michele DiFranco

the last word 31 Stem cell research – where does the church stand?

– Fr. Charles Irvin

and Doctors of the Church Jan. 2 | The Most Holy Name of Jesus Jan. 3 | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious Jan. 4 | St. John Neumann, Bishop Jan. 5 | Blessed Andre Bessette, Religious Jan. 6

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The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling PUBLISHER

Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR

Jan/Feb 2007 • Volume 8: Issue 1

FAITH Magazine is growing half-million readers with 12 magazines in 2007

Rev. Dwight Ezop EDITOR IN CHIEF

Patrick M. O’Brien MANAGING EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Elizabeth Martin Solsburg ASSISTANT EDITOR

Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR/WEBMASTER

Jillane Job SUBSCRIPTIONS/SECRETARY

Rev. William Ashbaugh Michelle Sessions DiFranco Elizabeth Grodi Marybeth Hicks Shanon Hoffman Elizabeth Johnson Rev. Joseph Krupp Kimberly Laux Deb McCormack Tom and JoAnne Fogle Bob Horning Cathleen McGreal John Morris Rick and Diane Peiffer Tim Ryan Jan Rynearson Theresa McWilliams-Wessels CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Derek Melot Margaret Perrone PROOFREADING

Tom Gennara Christine Jones James Luning (cover) Phillip Shippert CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Vicki Bedard Wayne Case Michael Eichhorn Mary Jo Gillilland Diane Nowak Margaret Perrone Rev. Bernard Reilly James Rhadigan Ricardo Rodriguez Dcn. David Rosenberg Rev. James Swiat Peter Wagner Sharon Wimple ADVISORY BOARD

FAITH Publishing Ser vice Rev. Dwight Ezop CHAIRMAN

Patrick M. O’Brien PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Elizabeth Marin Solsburg EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Enomhen Odigie GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGN

Abby Wieber GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Patricia Oliver SECRETARY

InnerWorkings PRINT MANAGEMENT FAITHPublishingService.com FAITHTM (USPS 01993) is a publication of FAITH Publishing Service, Catholic Diocese of Lansing, 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933. FAITHTM is published monthly except for February and August. To purchase a subscription, log onto FAITHmag. com. If you have a change of address, please contact your parish. Periodicals postage paid at Lansing, MI or additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: FAITHTM, 209 Seymour Ave., Lansing, MI 48933. ©FAITH Publishing Service.

FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Publishing Service.

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s FAITH Magazine celebrates its seventh anniversary, FAITH Publishing Services welcomes the dioceses of Grand Rapids, Saginaw and Manchester, N.H. to the FAITH family. FAITH Grand Rapids, the Catholic Magazine for the Diocese of Grand Rapids, is edited by Mary Haarman, director of communications, and Molly Klimas. FAITH Saginaw, the Catholic Magazine for the Diocese of Saginaw, is edited by Matt Treadwell, director of communications.

And coming this summer, they will be joined by The Parable, the Catholic Magazine for the Diocese of Manchester.

The Parable will be edited by Father John Grace.

FAITH Publishing Services helps a number of dioceses bring their own unique stories to their people: Archdiocese of Boston: Catholic TV Monthly, Father

Robert Reed, editor Archdiocese of Chicago: The Bridge, Mundelein Seminary: Father Dennis Lyle, Rector/ President Diocese of Erie: FAITH Magazine: Msgr. Thomas McSweeney, executive editor; Anne-Marie Welsh, editor Diocese of Laredo: La Fe Magazine, Goyo Lopez, editor Diocese of Lansing: FAITH Magazine, Fr. Dwight Ezop, editor and chairman Diocese of Lansing: FAITH

National: Fr. Dwight Ezop, editor and chairman Diocese of Portland, ME: Harvest Magazine, Lois Czerniak, editor Diocese of Raleigh: NC Catholics, Rich Reece, editor Diocese of St. Augustine: St. Augustine Catholic, Kathleen Bagg-Morgan, editor Our combined circulation is now over 500,000.

We want to hear from you!

Tell us what you think. We want to hear your opinions – about articles in the magazine, happenings in our church or anything you want to share.

Send your letters to: Editor FAITH Magazine 209 Seymour Ave. Lansing, MI 48933 Or send us an e-mail: esolsburg@ faithpublishingservice.com Please make sure to add a line granting us permission to print your letter or e-mail.

Your thoughts and ideas matter. Please share them!

The Epiphany of the Lord Jan. 7 | The Baptism of the Lord Jan. 8 | St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Jan. 13 | St. Anthony, Abbot Ja

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Executed for his faith – twice Saint Sebastian

Snow day chills plans then melts the heart

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he bedroom door creaks as Katie opens it. My eyes glance quickly at the clock and then to her silhouette in the door frame. It’s 6:15 a.m. and I know what she is about to say.

She is about to utter the two words that will change the nature of my existence for the next 24 hours, mangling my plans for quiet productivity and transforming them into a TV-blaring, snowball-throwing, hot-chocolate-on-the-carpet fiasco.

“Snow day.”

Softly, she closes the door and heads back to bed for another six hours of teenage slumber.

But now, I’m wide awake.

I get out of bed to survey the situation (as though my assessment of impassable roads might change my reality). There’s no denying it’s really snowy out there, though there is not the “8 to 10 inches” threatened on last night’s newscast.

My only opportunity for solitude is now, during the hours between sunrise and the sound of the first telephone call, which I expect will be Jimmy’s friend Jonathan at around 9 a.m.

I amble to the kitchen, wrapped in my fuzzy, pink bathrobe, to make a pot of coffee. I figure if I stoke up the computer, I can get some work done, leaving me free to zip and unzip winter jackets for the better part of the day.

Birthplace: Narbonne, Gaul Feast Day: Jan. 20 Patron of athletes, soldiers, police and physicians Claim to Fame: According to tradition, Sebastian was born in the third century. He attended school in Milan, Italy as a boy. When he was a young man, Sebastian became concerned about the persecution of Christians. Hoping to find opportunities to encourage them, Sebastian joined the Roman army in 283. While keeping his own Christianity a secret from army leaders, he discreetly converted many Romans. Sebastian also covertly urged wavering Christians to remain true to their faith as the threat of persecution escalated.

– Marybeth Hicks

FAITH Books Dinner with SpongeBob… on vacation with a “stalker”… the saddest day of summer…

These are just some of the experiences you’ll read about in Marybeth Hicks’ new collection of family columns, The Perfect World Inside My Minivan, available at FAITHmag.com for $15

Find out what happened to make Marybeth’s snow day a blessing in disguise, only on FAITHmag.com

Best quote: Although we have no record of Sebastian’s words, it is said that he appeared in a vision to a Christian woman named Lucina. When she learned of Sebastian’s martyrdom, she recovered his body and had it properly buried in the catacombs, an underground Christian cemetery beneath the city of Rome.

How he died: When Sebastian’s faith was eventually discovered, he was sentenced to death by Emperor Diocletian. Tied to a stake, Sebastian was shot with arrows. His executioners left him for dead, but he survived. A Christian widow named Irene, who had come to bury Sebastian, nursed him back to health instead. Undeterred by his previous suffering, Sebastian confronted Diocletian and denounced his atrocities against Christianity. The emperor was surprised to see Sebastian alive, but the ruler did not repent.

Instead, he ordered Sebastian to be beaten to death with clubs, and his body thrown into a sewer.

Prayer: Dear Saint Sebastian, you chose to be a soldier of Christ and dared to spread the faith – for which you were condemned to die. May we have the same strength of faith. Amen. – Jan Rynearson

bbot Jan. 17 | St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr Jan. 20 | St. Sebastian, Martyr Jan. 20 | St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr Jan. 22 | St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Jan. 24

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Dear Fr. Joe: Purgatory is not in the Bible.

Where did we get that concept?

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on’t let the first part of my answer discourage you, because this is a good question. But there is a concept of purgatory mentioned in the Bible.

Now, before we jump in, it’s important to remember that we Catholics don’t base our faith solely on the Bible. If we did, we would have no theology for the Trinity, for example. Our faith comes from two sources: sacred tradition and Scripture. Sacred tradition is what gave us the sacred Scripture, and it’s important to keep that in our hearts and minds.

Either way, the concept of purgatory is mentioned in Scripture. Let’s look at the following verses and what they teach us: “It is a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that their sins God is pure, perfect, consum- may be forgiven.” (2 Maccabees 12:46) Here we see that even being love. When we die and stand fore Jesus, the Jews before him, think were growing in the of it like entering knowledge of how a room. You are God/heaven works.

Now, let’s look at some at the door and Jesus is at the far words from Jesus: “Therefore, I say to you, end of the room.

You can imagine every sin and blasphemy will purgatory being be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will the process of not be forgiven. And whoever walking toward that perfect, con- speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but suming fire. whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31, 32) Here, Jesus informs us that there are some sins that he will forgive in the afterlife. Now, if you look at Matthew 5:26 and Matthew 18:34,35, Jesus gives examples of people suffering and not being forgiven until “the debt was paid”; he informs us that there is a place where we will be until we are purified for heaven.

So, we do have some scriptural evidence for purgatory; but not only that, we can use logic to get there. Look at it this way: God’s presence is a fire. The angels who surround God are called the “fiery ones.” In Dante’s wonderful poem, The Divine Comedy, he describes the places farthest from God as being frozen and cold. I know that we are used to the opposite idea, but that comes from a misunderstanding

A down and out musician was playing his guitar in the middle of a busy shopping mall. Striding over, a policeman asked, “May I please see your permit?”

“I don’t have one,” confessed the musician.

“In that case, you’ll have to accompany me.”

“Splendid!” exclaimed the musician. “What shall we sing?”

Dear Fr. Joe

where did we get the concept of purgatory? of Scripture we can cover later.

Either way, God is pure, perfect, consuming love. When we die and stand before him, think of it like entering a room. You are at the door and Jesus is at the far end of the room. You can imagine purgatory

being the process of walking toward that perfect, consuming fire.

During our life on earth, we accumulate all types of sin and that sin alters us; it wounds our soul and scars us. When we stand at the threshold of heaven, all those

The Conversion of Paul, Apostle Jan. 25 | Sts. Timothy and Titus, Bishops Jan. 26 | St. Angela Merici, Virgin Jan. 27 | St. John Bosco, Priest Jan. 31 | The Presentation of the Lord Feb. 2 | St. Blase

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“Give me your tired, your poor...”

What year did Ellis Island open?

Ellis Island opened its doors to immigrants, igniting the melting pot of America and eventually processing more than 20 million people from foreign countries, on Jan. 1, New Years Day of WHAT YEAR?

Amelia Earhart Putnam was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, but she was the first person to fly solo from California to Hawaii on Jan. 11, WHAT YEAR? For the first time, the telegraph was made public, creating a new means of communication consisting of dots and dashes, in Morristown, N.J., by the inventor Samuel F. B. Morse on Jan. 6, WHAT YEAR? Answers: 1892, 1922, 1935, 1838 – Father Joseph Krupp

Send your questions to: “In the Know with Fr. Joe” FAITH Magazine 209 Seymour Ave. Lansing, MI 48933 Or: JoeInBlack@priest.com

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FAITH asks: What has your favorite teacher done to show their faithfulness We asked fourth-grade students at St. Joseph School in Howell these questions: How do you show your faith to others without using words? What has your favorite teacher done to show his or her faithfulness?

As an advocate of peace, Pope Benedict XV once said on the subject of war, “I should regret if any of my clergy should take sides in this conflict. It is desirable that we pray for the cessation of the war without dictating to Almighty God in what way it should end.” After an eight-year reign, Pope Benedict XV died on Jan. 22, WHAT YEAR?

impurities burn up as we approach the fire of God’s love. We end up like gold in the furnace; it’s a refining fire that heals our wounded souls. It’s gonna hurt, but it’s gonna be that good kind of hurt.

I have heard purgatory explained to me as God’s severe mercy – God desires heaven for us more than we could ever desire it for ourselves.

God cannot undo the consequences of our choices; that would be violating our free will. In his loving mercy, God makes heaven possible through the gift of purgatory.

Enjoy another day in God’s presence!

p a r i s h

Mallory: I show my faith to others by being nice.

If someone is by themselves at recess, I go up to them and play with them.

My teacher (Laura Ceresa) shows her faith to me by teaching us Religion and by giving us activities to do to spread the word of God.

Jacob: My teacher (Debbie Shipman) shows her faith to me by teaching us, and she takes us to church. She is nice and keeps us safe.

And last, but not least, she has a smile on her face.

Old St. Patrick Parish celebrates anniversary Old St. Patrick Parish, Ann Arbor, celebrated its 175th anniversary on Oct. 21 and 22. Bishop Mengeling concelebrated Mass with other priests, including Father Gerald Gawronski, pastor, and Father Terry Dumas, former pastor. St. Patrick parish is the first parish in Michigan where the primary language was English. A log church was constructed in 1831 were the rectory now stands. In 1837, a frame church was built in the present cemetery and dedicated to St. Bridget. For years, the parish was attended by the pastor of St. Thomas in Ann Arbor; that pastor, Father Joseph Van Waterschoot, recognized that a new church building was needed.

He promised area Catholics that the church would be dedicated to St. Joseph if the Germans raised the most money and to St. Patrick if the Irish did. In 1878, Bishop Borgess of Detroit dedicated the current church to St. Patrick.

Steven: I show others my faith to God by praying to God, because it strengthens the bond between me and God. My teacher (Laura Ceresa) shows her faith to me by being so enthusiastic in Religion, and she always cares about what’s happening to us.

80% of Americans believe that public school textbooks should include our religious past and religious traditions.

(CARA, Spring 2006)

What do you think?

Log on to FAITHmag.com then click FAITH forums to discuss this and other interesting topics.

t. Blase, Bishop and Martyr Feb. 3 | St. Ansgar, Bishop Feb. 3 | St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Feb. 5 | St. Paul Miki, Religious and his Companions, Martyrs Feb. 6 | St. Jerome Emiliani, Priest Feb. 8

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what in the world? the top-10 Catholic News events this month

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Vatican Cardinal says US-Mexico fence ‘inhuman’ Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican’s Council for Justice and Peace, said the United States’ plan to build a fence on the U.S.Mexican border was part of an “inhuman program.”

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Pope the target of too many jokes, Vatican says Italian newspapers said that the Vatican cannot take a joke after Pope Benedict’s secretary said he had had enough of TV and radio satires including a sketch in which the non-smoking Pope was said to be “smoking like a Turk” in preparation for his forthcoming trip.

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Pope Benedict says human dignity is basis for dialogue The sacred character and dignity of the human person is the basis for dialogue and cooperation between Christians and Muslims that favors peace, said the pope on the first day of his historic trip to Turkey.

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Union of Superiors General Elects Salesian Father Pascual Chávez Villanueva, rector major of the Salesians, has been elected president of the Union of Superiors General for a three-year term. Father Chávez succeeds Brother Álvaro Rodríguez, superior general of the De La Salle Brothers, who was president since 2000.

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Catholic actress Jane Wyatt, 96,

dies Jane Wyatt, (pictured far right) an actress who won three Emmy awards for her portrayal of Margaret Anderson, the mother on the genial 1950s television comedy, Father Knows Best, died Oct. 20 at her home in Bel Air.

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Vatican discusses excommunicated priest Pope Benedict called a high-level meeting at the Vatican to examine the effects of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo’s disobedience and to discuss priestly celibacy.

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New Australian cathedrals Bunbury diocese in Western Australia will replace St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Wollongong diocese in New South Wales will replace St. Francis Xavier Cathedral.

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Filipino Carmelites protest raids Religious congregations in the Philippines have called the government to stop harassing religious communities, referring to illegal raids conducted by the police on the convents in the southern Philippines during a manhunt.

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Hispanic immigrants boost U.S. Catholic numbers Nearly a third of the U.S. Catholic church is Hispanic, says Mark Gray, a research associate for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

REUTERS/Ali Jasim

Anglican, Catholic bishops have first meeting in UK The Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops of England and Wales organized an unprecedented two-day joint meeting in Leeds, where 40 Anglican and 30 Catholic bishops prayed and worshipped together.

U.S. soldier and Iraqi soldier attend ceremony in Tikrit.

U.S. prelates urge review of options in Iraq

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he president of the U.S. bishops’ conference called for a more substantive, civil and nonpartisan discussion about a responsible transition in Iraq.

“The Administration and the new Congress need to engage in a collaborative dialogue that honestly assesses the situation in Iraq, acknowledges past difficulties and miscalculations, recognizes and builds on positive advances, and reaches agreement on concrete steps to address the serious challenges that lie ahead,” Bishop William Skylstad said in a statement.

“To meet these challenges, we hope our nation has moved beyond the divisive rhetoric of the recent campaign and the shrill and shallow debate that distorts reality and reduces the options to ‘cut and run’ versus ‘stay the course,’” stated the bishop of Spokane, Wash.

He contended that the military should remain in Iraq “only as long as their presence contributes to a responsible transition. Our nation should look for effective ways to end their deployment at the earliest opportunity consistent with this goal.”

“The Holy See and our conference now support broad and necessary international engagement to promote stability and reconstruction in Iraq. Therefore, our nation cannot just look back.

“Ultimately,” the U.S. bishop said, “this work must be done by Iraqis, but the United States and its coalition partners have a moral obligation to continue and intensify efforts with Iraqis, other countries in the region and the international community toward achieving these benchmarks. In particular, we urge Arab nations and the countries of Western Europe to take concrete steps against terror and to seek stability in the region.

“In addition, the future of Iraq and the whole region would be improved by our nation’s concerted leadership to resolve, in concert with the international community, other conflicts in the region, especially by pursuing a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

– ZENIT

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Magazine www.FAITHmag.com St. JosephineFAITH Bakhita, Virgin Feb. 8January/February | St. Scholastica, 2007 Virgin |Feb. 10 | St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop Feb. 14 | The Seven Founders of the Order of the Servites, Religious Feb. 17 | Ash Wednesday Feb

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Pope Benedict XVI appealed for a peaceful solution to the crisis caused by North Korea’s nuclear program, and for an increase of humanitarian aid to the country’s civilian population.

When he received the letters of credence of Kagefumi Ueno, Japan’s new ambassador to the Holy See, the pope encouraged the efforts of that country “to contribute to the establishment of a just and stable peace in the world, particularly in the Far East.”

“In the crisis this region is currently experiencing,” the pontiff said, “the Holy See encourages bilateral and multilateral negotiations, convinced that the solution must be found through peaceful means and in respect of the commitments assumed by all the parties involved to achieve the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” – ZENIT

discovering kindness and faith among co-workers how important is it to understand other religions?

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REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

REUTERS/Ali Jasim

Pope urges peaceful fix to North Korea crisis

Guidelines approved on outreach to homosexuals U.S. bishops, at their fall meeting, approved new guidelines on pastoral outreach to homosexuals, while affirming the church’s position that same-sex relationships are “disordered.” The statement, Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination, upholds the church’s opposition to same-sex “marriage” and adoption by homosexual couples. The bishops held that children of homosexual Catholics can undergo baptism and receive other sacraments in most cases if they are being raised in the faith.

The bishops also voted unanimously to release $335,000 of the $1 million they earmarked last year for research on the causes and context of sexual abuse by clergy. The money will underwrite the first three segments of the research, which is being undertaken by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, at the City University of New York. – ZENIT

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Keith went to work for a smaller company for a number of years and then returned to a larger, mainstream company.

eith says: At first I was surprised by the greater level of cultural diversity in larger companies, compared to when I worked there years earlier.

Many more people were of Hindu and Islamic heritage. My immediate reaction was to be curious – I’ve always wanted to understand other world religions, but never had the opportunity. I had always theorized that we had more in common spiritually, and upon speaking with my co-workers, I wasn’t disappointed. In one discussion with a Hindu friend, I was fascinated to discover he was just as interested in learning about Christianity as I was in learning about Hinduism. Another co-worker and I had some great discussions about what is going on in the world today. For example, he explained to me what jihad really means. The jihad we hear about in the news is a holy war within the physical realm – that is a small jihad. But the greater jihad, the one that really counts, is the holy war or spiritual battle that takes place within each of us. No different than the spiritual journey we, as Christians, embark on every day. on the last day” (CCC 841).

The expert says: Basically, we are expected We are often confused, to find common ground. as Catholics, as to how The church considers much we should approach and of the righteousness and interact with those of other truth found in other religions faiths. Do we just ignore as foundation for knowledge and avoid the subject? of the Gospel (CCC 843).

Sometimes that’s hard to Keith’s approach is probdo. The Catechism of the ably the healthiest. Being cuCatholic Church states rious and seeking that the church The best thing we to understand is acknowledges can do is simply how we become a brotherhood with the Muslim witness God’s love better informed about the faith community. wherever we are. of others. This “The opens the door for us to plan of salvation share our own. The best also includes those thing we can do is simply who acknowledge witness God’s love wherthe Creator, in the ever we are. We evangelize first place amongst through our actions, not whom are the our words. Maybe we won’t Muslims; these convert anyone, but we can profess to hold the be disciples and diplomats faith of Abraham, in our own sense, in our own and together with little part of the world. us they adore the one merciful God, – Tim Ryan mankind’s judge

ay Feb. 21 | The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle Feb. 22 | St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr Feb. 23

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Dance the night away One evening (or more) per week, after the kids are in bed, turn on your favorite music and dance together. Holding your beloved and talking to him or her is wonderfully intimate. money

Save, save, save It’s hard to do when the bills are looming.

Either pay the savings account first (5-10% of your income) or have it automatically deposited to a savings account from your payroll. If you don’t see it, you won’t spend it!

FAITH Magazine

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usan and Dan have been married for 25 years. Their romantic relationship has been suffering

He said She said what do they do?

the romance he may has fizzled be right Dan says: Susan and I have been married for a long time – I don’t know, maybe too long. We used to do a lot of fun things on the weekends, and Susan would show me how much she found me attractive in little ways – notes in my lunch, seeing action movies that I know she doesn’t really like. Now, it’s just routine all the time – all we ever talk about is the kids. I don’t feel as if we have anything in common anymore.

Susan says: Dan’s right. I don’t think either one of us feels the “glow” anymore. After 25 years, we may just be bored. Sometimes, after we’ve completed all the essential conversation of the day – what the kids need, what bills need to be paid – there is no time or energy left. I’d really rather just watch TV and unwind, or maybe read. Perhaps we have been married too long.

The counselor says: Dan and Susan are not the first couple who have been married this long. Twentyfive years is a long time. Marriages that have lasted that long often need special care along the way. Both the man and the woman in long-term relationships get used to caring for others. Usually, it’s the children and sometimes other family members. Often they neglect each other, taking each other for granted. What can we do to make the relationship special again?

First and foremost, we must prioritize the marital relationship.

That means spending time together without children or others.

Having time to talk about your relationship and time to talk some more is very important. If you have lost this contact with each other, try to spend several ‘dates’ or alonetime doing just that. Spend time reminiscing about why you came together in the first place.

Remember that having a mutually supportive and empathetic relationship is the desired goal.

That means each person takes turns talking with honesty and listen-

January/February 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com

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p a r e n t i n g

ing with empathy. Talk about your feelings and thoughts. This allows each partner to listen to the other person and confirm the other’s feelings, while allowing a connection to their own feelings. This creates a mutually supportive relationship that is positive for both partners. This ‘connection’ builds trust and mutual respect, the foundation of loving relationships. Again, this talking and listening may take several different private times. Try not to rush this process. Become friends again.

If this empathetic listening and talking work in creating mutual trust and respect, love may bloom again. Having a good friend in your marital partner is a great start to getting the ‘glow’ back. The next step is pretty easy. Start to date again. Spend time relaxing and holding each other. Alone time is again really important. Depending on each partner’s style, this may also take some time to redevelop the glow. Sometimes, by acting as romantic as you were at the beginning of your relationship, the reality will follow.

These techniques work well for partners who need to connect again. If the issues are deeper, a series of counseling sessions may be necessary. This helps get the little-used techniques of communication back in shape, just like a personal trainer helps us get back in good physical shape. I would encourage all partners to try counseling before they take any next step. Dan and Susan talk about maybe being married “too long.” Please don’t draw that conclusion too early without trying professional help. Most relationships can be helped with outside assistance. Twentyfive years are worth saving.

– DeborahMcCormack

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com m uni ca ti o n

j o u r n e y

I say, “Just do it.”

My child says, “No way.”

Now what?

You have the floor If you don’t feel you can get a word in edgewise, try using a small floor tile or other object as a modern version of the “speaking stick.” If you “have the floor,” you get to speak – uninterrupted.

When you pass the floor tile, the next speaker echoes what you’ve said so that you know you were heard – and then it’s his or her turn to speak – without you interrupting. time

Schedule some time together.

Planning is preparation, but scheduling is commitment.

Once the time slot is agreed to, write it down in more than one place. Write it down in red ink at work, at home on the refrigerator door calendar, on your PDA, on your daily planner, and on your computer calendar. Label it: “Marriage Time.”

It’s time to make a quick trip to the store and your child refuses to get in the car. Or half the cookies baked for a school fund raiser mysteriously disappear. How do parents deal with a defiant child?

E

very parent has experienced moments of exasperation when a child seems determined to do exactly the opposite of what one desires. You need to make a quick trip to the store for a missing recipe ingredient and your child refuses to get in the car. Or half the cookies baked for a school fund raiser mysteriously disappear. Your rule might be no outdoor play after dinner on school nights – but there is an open window and an empty room. How do parents deal with a defiant child?

Consider your child’s temperament.

Parents are able to detect differences in babies’ personalities; temperamental differences have genetic foundations. While many children are easy-going, some are slow to warm up when confronted with change, and others are very resistant to it. Provide daily routines and structure transitional activities, especially for children with more difficult temperaments: “In five minutes we’ll clean up this game and then you can pick a book to look at in the car.”

Look for meaning behind the behaviors.

There is a Greek proverb, “You cannot reason with a hungry belly; it has no ears.” Is misbehavior tied to hunger?

Or perhaps the child needs more sleep. Have there been problems in friendships at school or in the neighborhood? Could there be a problem with bullying?

Reinforce the opposite behavior.

Catch the child being good instead of focusing on the negative behavior. For example, if siblings fight in the car, then reinforce cooperative behavior. Have them work as a team to earn stickers that can be redeemed for a family outing to a favorite park or buying a new board game to play as a family. Or you might have an activity bag that is only used during car rides.

Don’t hold emotional grudges When misbehavior occurs, give consequences that you will enforce rather than long punishments that become too inconvenient for you. For example, when a child refuses to go to the store, explain that if the child doesn’t get in the car, there will be a time-out. Have the child sit in time out for as many minutes as the child is old. After time-out, don’t hold an emotional grudge, just head to the car. If the child still refuses to cooperate, then explain that when the two of you get back from the store there will be another time out and another consequence (earlier bedtime perhaps). Be matter-of-fact, but firm.

A Scripture reflection “Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness ...” (2 Tim 3:16) What Bible verse is God breathing life into right now for your family? Let that prayer help center you during parenting’s rough moments. – Dr. Cathleen McGreal

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t h e o l o g y

1 0 1

theo lo g ian o f the m o nth

Irenaeus (c. 130-202)

did Jesus just Could he really have sinned?

T

his year, FAITH is exploring Christology – the study of Jesus Christ. We asked several eminent seminary professors some questions about Jesus. Their answers are enlightening and thought-provoking.

Meet the professors Father Acklin

Father Muller

Father Stevens

Father Thomas Acklin is on the faculty of St. Vincent Abbey in Latrobe, PA. He is a graduate of Duqesne University, St. Vincent Seminary, The Catholic University of Louvain and Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute.

Father Earl Muller is on the faculty at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. He formerly taught at Marquette University in Wisconsin.

Father Gladstone Stevens is on the faculty of St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore.

Q

FAITH: Was Jesus really human or did he just appear that way?

Father Muller: Jesus was fully human. One of the most important things in the early church was the testimony of the bodily resurrection of Christ. That is crucial in terms of grounding Christ’s humanity, which was not something illusory – it could not be taken up and put aside. Rather, it was a permanent part of Christ’s reality.

Father Stevens: It is basic to our faith that Jesus didn’t simply appear to be human. Time and again, there were affirmations of his genuine humanity. Even the Gospel of John, which is so often concerned with Jesus’ divinity, points out that Jesus

Irenaeus was the bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (Lyons, France). He is believed to be Greek and was a disciple of Polycarp.

Irenaeus’ theology was centrally concerned with the unity of God, as opposed to the Gnostic divisions of God’s nature.

Irenaeus taught that God created the world, has a plan for it and that humanity must mature into its fullness as images of God. He articulated Jesus as the Logos, or Word, and believed that salvation history reached its highest point with Christ. Irenaeus is credited with being the first to list the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as divinely inspired, and he is known for his work, Against Heresies.

January/February 2007 What is 12 heresy? heŕ ə sē: The willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized Catholic.

FAITH Magazine

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WHO

IS

CHRIST?

A Y E A R - L O N G C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H T H E O L O G I A N S

Heresy!

Docetism – Jesus only appeared human Did Jesus really have a body? Or was he pure spirit who only appeared in human form? An early heresy of the church, Docetism, proposed the latter. The name comes from the Greek, dokeo, “to seem” and the heresy comes from a worldview of matter as being inherently evil. If physicality is evil, then God, being all-good, could not associate with it. Therefore, Jesus only appeared to be human, but was not.

Of course, this would mean that Jesus did not really inhabit our world, suffer crucifixion and rise from the dead. And as Paul said, “If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is in vain.”

Docetism was condemned as a heresy by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, after vigorous arguments and discussions over the previous four centuries. Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus and Hippolatus all wrote treatises against it.

is fully human. For example, Jesus weeps. Even after the resurrection, he eats. The only way to save us was to assume our humanity fully – that which is not assumed cannot be saved. So, if part of the human experience falls Was Jesus really outside the life of Jesus’ human or did he experience, it just appear as a human? It’s one of would not be the oldest heresies. saved.

If he only appeared as a human, then Father he only appeared Acklin: Was Jesus really to redeem us. human or did he just appear as a human? It’s one of the oldest heresies. If he only appeared as a human, then he only appeared to redeem us. As St. Irenaeus said, everything he assumed of our humanity is redeemed. There

is sometimes a tendency to exempt Jesus from having to suffer or die; or from having a human body or sexuality. If that is the case, then our bodies are not redeemed. So, the full humanity of Jesus has been taught from the earliest moment of church history.

Q

w h a t d o e s th a t symbol mean?

Chi Rho

FAITH: Could Jesus really have sinned?

Father Acklin: Jesus could be tempted, in every way that we are tempted. However, Jesus was not only perfect in his divine nature, he was perfect in his human nature.

He was human in a way that was not corrupted by sin. Adam and Eve fell, but Jesus and Mary did not. The third Council of Constantinople held that Jesus had human free will as well as divine will – so

The Chi Rho is an early Christian symbol – formed by combining the first two Greek letters of the word Christ. Its first famous use was on the labarum, or imperial standard, adopted

by Emperor Constantine after his vision.

Bible Quiz I am the femme fatale of the Valley of Sorek – who am I? Turn to page 31 for the answer

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People often say my name means “weak” in Hebrew – I myself prefer to think of it as meaning “delicate”, which is so much more feminine.

And I am nothing if not the epitome of feminine wiles. I was noted for my beauty in my hometown – the valley of Sorek – and my

name has actually become a synonym for a femme fatale. I’ve been portrayed in art by Tintoretto and Van Dyck, in opera by San Saens, and on film by Hedy Lamarr and Elizabeth Hurley.

But my personal favorite is when Tom Jones sang a popular song about me in 1968 – thousands of years after my famous romance with a real “he-man” in the Book of Judges. I think if I’d lived in a later time, I might have gone to beauty school – I just love the feel of scissors in my hand and an untouched head of hair in front of me. Who am I?

he could have fallen, but didn’t. His human free will was so perfectly aligned with his divine will that it would have been impossible for him to sin.

Father Muller: Could he have physically performed actions that were “sinful actions.” Yes, he was capable of that, but the question you have to ask is: Was his grace such that sin was possible? And a related question is about us – when we are in heaven, will we be able to sin? The answer is that sin will no longer be possible because we will be faced with the full glory of God and won’t want anything else. We will be free, but will freely choose to love God. That is the intrinsic necessity on which Christ’s sinlessness is based. As the eternal Son, he is utterly happy and his human soul, in union with that utter happiness, would not want to sin.

Father Stevens: Could Jesus have sinned? If he lacked the capacity to sin, then he wasn’t really human. And yet, he was not capable of sinning.

Author Gerald O’Collins discusses this in his book, Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus Christ. Sin is not actually part of our natural humanity; it is what diminishes our humanity.

We were not created to sin – that does not contribute to the fullness of who we are as human beings. Jesus, free of sin, is perfectly human.

– Elizabeth Solsburg

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s p e c i a l

r e p o r t

What are the issues facing the Diocese of Lansing? We face a decline in the number of priests due to fewer priesthood ordinations. At the same time, we face an increasing number of elderly priests. In 2007, we will ordain one man to the priesthood, and we will have 13 diocesan priests who are over the age of 65 actively ministering in parishes. Where our active priests serve is a matter of great concern to us all. We also face major problems due to the shifting of our population away from our central cities into the suburbs and beyond. So, as a diocese, we are faced with the issues of closing or consolidating some parishes, while at the same time creating some new ones.

A

year ago, FAITH Magazine published a special report on the two crises facing the Diocese of Lansing – a shifting population and a declining number of priests. How have these issues been addressed over the past year?

Priests’ 10-year forecast (2007-2015) Retirements Retirements (based on clergy survey)

(based on retirement at 67 years)

Projected Ordinations

1 2 2 8 1 0 1 2 4 21

2 2 1 1 4 1 2 5 6 24

1 0 2 5 unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown 8

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 TOTALS

Diocese of Lansing

Age distribution of active diocesan priests:

are 50+ years of age. • 37% are 49 years of age or younger.

What has the diocese done in the past year to address these issues? The number of men who have entered the seminary for the Diocese of Lansing has risen over the past year or so. We are all thankful for that, but the numbers are still far below what we need in order to replace the priests who are retiring. Our shifting population centers present an even greater challenge. How do we establish new parishes while maintaining a Catholic presence in places where there are fewer Catholics?

To address this issue, Bishop Carl Mengeling established the Diocesan Coordinating Commission.

What is the process for deciding the future of parishes? Each diocesan faith community has different sacramental, educational, pastoral and leadership opportunities and challenges. The coordinating commission designed a plan to address all of these issues.

The goal of the process is to ensure that full sacramental ministry will be available to all Catholics in every geographic area of the diocese. Furthermore, the plan will focus more on ensuring that competent pastoral ministers (lay, religious or ordained) will serve in every geographic area of the diocese, rather than specific parish sites. There is a special concern for the poor and the marginalized. The church must have capable pastoral leaders appointed to serve every faith community in the diocese.

Parish/Faith community evaluation g Regional discernment and evaluation g Regions formulate recommendations g Local pa Coordinating Commission reviews recommendations and prepares a draft recommendation g Coordinating Commission FAITH Magazine

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By Father Charles Irvin

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Will each parish have input? All of our individual faith communities (parishes and pastoral centers) will be engaged in planning for their future. A process will be put in place so that every faith community will evaluate its communal, spiritual and sacramental life; its faith formation programs; and its financial stability. It is to be especially noted that the local faith community’s selfevaluation is the most critical part of the entire process.

Will any parishes close? It depends on what we mean by “close.” We want to maintain a Catholic presence wherever it presently exists. Whether or not Masses will be celebrated on those sites in the future is an open question. So, too, is the question of just what sort of ministries will remain. Closing a parish is the last option.

All other options must be exhausted before we actually close our Catholic presence on any existing parish site.

What happens after the parishes give their input? Following the local parish and faith community self-evaluation, there will be a regional discernment and evaluation phase. In the light of our diocesan pastoral plan, which was promulgated in 2002, the regions will formulate recommendations and the local parishes will then review and revise them as needed.

Upon completion of this process, the regional evaluations will be forwarded to the Diocesan Coordinating Commission, which will also review them in the light of the diocesan pastoral plan. The commission will prepare a draft recommendation for the diocese and send it to the regions for their review. When that process is completed, the Diocesan Coordinating

Diocese of Lansing

priests affiliated with the Diocese of Lansing.

priests ordained for the Diocese of Lansing.

• 86 active diocesan priests serve in our parishes.

• 16 active diocesan priests serve in non-parochial positions.

• 8 active diocesan priests serve outside the diocese.

• 37 retired priests.

64

57.4

52.3

Diocesan priests in the U.S.

28,079

32,349

35,052

Religious order priests in the U.S.

13,300

16,705

22,265

Total priests in the U.S.

44,472

49,052

57,317

Parishes in the U.S.

18,584

19,331

19,244

Parishes in the U.S. w/o a resident priest.

3,405

2,161

1,051

million

million

Of the 86 currently active diocesan priests • 16 or 17 of them are expected to retire by 2010.

• This will leave a total of 69 or 70 active diocesan priests.

t h e n u m b e r s Catholic population in the U.S.

How many priests are going to retire?

million

By 2010 – These 69 or 70 priests expect 7 newly ordained priests to join them in parish ministry.

Therefore, we forecast a total of 76 or 77 active diocesan priests available to serve 97 diocesan communities by the year 2010.

Commission will forward its final recommendation to the Bishop of Lansing for his actions.

How have other dioceses dealt with this problem? Our diocese looked to the successful processes used by other dioceses that have faced these issues. The Diocesan Coordinating Commission, drawing from the evaluation instruments employed by other dioceses, has developed our own parish evaluation instrument and school evaluation instrument. The commission carefully tailored these evaluation tools to accommodate the special nature of our diocese. The commission is committed to being open and transparent in its deliberations and decisions. The involvement of each parish’s evaluation committee is critical. This is a “bottom up” and not a “top down” process.

Where can I find more information or become involved? You can find all of the latest news and information at: www.dioceseoflansing.org under “pastoral planning.”

Note that the members of the commission are listed there. There is at least one from every region. You can contact any one of them directly.

What is the most important thing I should know about this process? The importance of each parish’s evaluation committee cannot be overstated. The parish evaluation committee is the linchpin around which the entire diocesan process is configured. Not only does the parish evaluation committee make the initial recommendation, but it reviews the regional evaluation and the final diocesan evaluation with respect to the future configuration of its own parish. It is the hope of the Diocesan Coordinating Commission that parish review committees keep all parishioners informed of the selfevaluation and the regional evaluation processes at each step of this journey.

al parishes/faith communities review and revise recommendations g Recommendations forwarded to the Diocesan Coordinating Commission g ssion sends draft to the regions for review g Coordinating Commission forwards final recommendation to the bishop for his decision and actions.

IKeep up with the process on www.DioceseofLansing.org.

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W

c

hen the waitress puts the plate on the table, Patrick Brennan studies his food and silently counts carbs. Then, almost imperceptibly, he deftly uncaps his syringe, lifts his shirt and injects himself in the abdomen with insulin.

Without missing a beat in conversation, he recaps the needle, picks up a fork and digs in.

Such is the life of a diabetic. o v e r s t o r y Patrick, 21, a Michigan State University senior, and his brother Tom Brennan, III, 23, a recent MSU graduate, are among the nearly 21 million Americans with diabetes – roughly 7 percent of the country’s population.

Both are Type 1 diabetics, meaning they rely on insulin shots (or in Tom’s

by Marybeth Hicks Photography by Jim Luning case, an insulin pump) to survive. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of all cases of diabetes are Type 1, often referred to as “juvenile diabetes” because it typically strikes children and young adults.

In fact, Tom was diagnosed as a diabetic at the tender age of 10. “It was Thanksgiving day,” he recalls. “We were at my grandparents’ farm and I suddenly became really sick. My mom and dad took me to the hospital where we learned my blood sugar level was 775. That’s when we were told I had diabetes.”

The

battle diabetes

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I

I

I

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I

c o v e r

s t o r y

T

om’s life – and that of his parents, Tom, Jr. and Julie, literally changed overnight. Suddenly the family had to become educated about how to manage a lifethreatening disease. Diabetes is especially difficult to control in young children whose rapid growth and activity levels (not to mention the childlike propensity for sweets) require constant supervision. Even with vigilant care, they knew they would need God’s help to safeguard their young son.

Somehow, though, Tom avoided further hospitalization. While some children with diabetes routinely are readmitted with wildly fluctuating glucose levels, Tom’s parents ensured he enjoyed good health through diligent monitoring of his blood sugar levels and careful management of his diet and insulin shots.

Diabetes simply became a fact of Tom’s life. His activities didn’t change – he still played hockey and golf, did his homework and hung out in the neighborhood with his younger brother, just like other kids. “It’s just that four or five times a day, I had to check my blood, and throughout the day I’d have to get insulin shots,” he says.

Watching his brother deal with the inconvenience and discomfort of his disease gave Patrick a deep appreciation for Tom’s courage and stoicism. “Tom’s diabetes never became a huge issue,” Patrick says.

“I’m sure it had more of an effect on him than I was aware because Tom is such a laid back guy in general.

He rarely let others know when he was bothered with shots or checking his blood.” Through the years, Pat grew to admire his brother’s attitude in dealing with his unique burden.

F

ast forward: January 2005. Tom is an MSU senior majoring in building and construction management; Patrick is a pre-law sophomore.

Tom (above left) and Pat (above right) Brennan FAITH Magazine

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Some might find it hard to believe that two young men just entering adulthood can genuinely assess the embryonic stem cell debate and come down on the side of the embryo, especially when their futures include daily doses of insulin and a lifetime of health concerns.

For the first time as an MSU student, Patrick manages to snag a ticket to sit in the lower bowl of the “Izzone” at the Breslin Center (the MSU basketball student cheering section). “I remember having to make a trip to the drinking fountain before the game and then again, desperately, at halftime. I had been drinking water by the liter during the week, but I never connected the dots. The thought that I might have diabetes never entered my mind.”

“After the game that night – a Spartan victory, of course – I met up with my brother and parents for dinner. My dad remarked that I looked unusually thin. And once Tom saw me down two glasses of water during our meal, he knew something was wrong.”

Recognizing Pat’s unusual thirst as a symptom of diabetes, Tom took Patrick to his off-campus apartment later that night to check his blood.

“When my blood sugar registered over 500, Tom pricked me again just to make sure. Same result.”

The brothers broke the news to their parents, then spent the night in the hospital – a night Patrick recalls as “one of the worst of my life.

All I wanted to do was get some sleep, but I spent most of the night awake in fear and in tears.”

D

espite years of watching his older brother tackle the daily routine of treating diabetes, Patrick felt overwhelmed by the idea that he, too, was diabetic.

As for Tom, learning his younger brother shared the disease that had plagued him for more than 10 years finally caused him to get angry at God. “I never felt angry at God about my disease. I’ve always just accepted it as something I have to deal with. But when Pat was diagnosed I snapped a little bit.” Perhaps because he knew what Patrick would now face, perhaps because of their close friendship, Tom reacted emotionally.

But he also swept in to comfort and educate his brother at a crucial time, ultimately leaving unanswered the question, “Why?” Tom and Patrick are hopeful that research using adult stem cells will bring about a cure for diabetes. Unfortunately, much of the emphasis in the scientific and research communities now focuses on the use of embryonic stem cells – stem cells taken from embryos for the sole purpose of generating a treatment or cure for disease.

The way the brothers see it, embryonic stem cell research represents the violation of another human life in the quest for a cure.

“People who support embryonic stem cell research don’t put a face on those cells. It’s just a science experiment, not a human person,” Patrick says.

“But how good can you feel about a cure that comes at the expense of a human life?” says Tom. The brothers believe the ease with which many people support embryonic stem cell research is a reflection of the “abortion culture” that devalues human life in its most vulnerable, pre-born form. They also think it’s part of a mind-set that a cure is justified no matter how it is found.

Some might find it hard to believe that two young men just entering adulthood can genuinely assess the embryonic stem cell debate and come down on the side of the embryo, especially when their futures include daily doses of insulin and a lifetime of health concerns.

Yet their stalwart commitment to the sanctity of life reflects a shared faith that is mature beyond their years, with a vision beyond themselves.

“We’re human, and that means we’re not entitled to perfect health,” says Tom. “In our culture, people act as if we all have a right to be healthy or to be free from disease, but we don’t. What we’re entitled to is to make our lives and those of the people around us the

s t e m

c e l l s

On the verge of a cure Medical science still can’t explain why some young people develop diabetes, or why two members of one family are afflicted. Theories abound, from viruses to heredity to environmental factors.

But for years, researchers have claimed that a cure will be found for diabetes – it’s just a matter of time.

The Brennan brothers certainly would welcome such a discovery, but not at any cost.

Recently, the promise of a cure has been tied to the use of stem cells.

Stem cells are the body’s repair system.

Theoretically, they can divide without limit and can either remain stem cells or become other types of cells in the body, such as red blood cells or a brain cells, or perhaps pancreatic cells, potentially replacing a nonfunctioning pancreas that no longer manufactures insulin.

– Fr. Charles Irvin

best they can be.”

“And we’re entitled to our attitudes,” Patrick adds. “That’s what we’re really in control of, not the specific circumstances we face, whether it’s diabetes or some other problem.”

“Besides,” Tom says, “it’s not the length of the life you have, but what you do with it. Jesus only lived to 33 and look what he accomplished.”

Patrick also believes hardships in life, such as diabetes, are part of the process of becoming the person God intends him to be. “My most difficult moments are the ones that make me stronger and also the ones that cause me to seek out God,” he says.

Tom agrees. “We need to be strong in the face of our struggles, but we also need to just turn them over to God.”

F

acing their own health challenges has given the Brennan brothers cause to turn to the church for guidance and support.

“The beauty of our Catholic faith is that we can apply it to everything in our lives. For us it’s diabetes, for other people it’s another health issue or some other kind of setback. Ever since I was a child, I understood that the church offers me guidance,” Tom says. “I’m taking it.”

Even if the use of embryonic stem cells holds some hope (a debatable point), it’s not enough to persuade Patrick and Tom to turn their backs on the church’s stand for life.

“We’re not supposed to dilute this faith for our own advantage,” Patrick says. “It would be like changing the creed to suit our own purposes. Ultimately, the question is, ‘What do you believe?’”

“For me, being a Catholic Christian is a lot like being a Spartan fan,” says Patrick. “I could never be a fair-weather fan or a fair-weather Catholic. It’s all or nothing.”

For more on what the church teaches about stem cell research, turn to page 31.

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FAITH Magazine

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January/February 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com

By Kimberly Laux | Photography by Tom Gennara

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f a i t h

t o

f a c e

D

uring her daily walks to 8 a.m. Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, Margaret Perrone often recites the Angelus (a morning series of three Hail Marys). It’s no wonder she feels a connection with the Blessed Virgin. Both relished the blessings of motherhood and both gracefully faced the deaths of people they loved. Yet through it all, neither lost sight of their faith.

A walk by faith

me – my friends, my family and my neighbors.

What has been your biggest disappointment? In 1987, I was cut loose fast. My mother, Margaret Zirbes, died in August, and my husband, Dominick (Perrone), died in November.

One day, Dominick told me he wasn’t feeling well. Then he collapsed onto a recliner in the living room. I called for my son, Tim, who was trained in medical response and still lived at home. He attempted to resuscitate his father, but Dominick had died before he hit the chair.

It was a shock, but it was a good way to go. He died at home and he was happy and active up until the end.

Margaret’s daily journey with God

What would you tell your younger self? My goals were pretty set as a young person – finish school and college, get married and have a family.

I graduated as valedictorian of my class at Resurrection in 1944 and entered the University of Michigan to study education and earn a teacher’s certificate. After earning my degree, I came back to teach third and fourth grade at Grand River School. My mother told me about a social club forming at St. Mary Cathedral and encouraged me to attend. That’s where I met Dominick, one of the club’s leaders.

It wasn’t too long before we were a couple. He was warm and had a great sense of humor. And, you know, he was Italian and had that special charm.

What gives you the greatest joy? My family We met in September, became engaged in April and were and my faith. I have been blessed that Throughout my married in August. Over the next two decades, we welmy family gets along – we all live in each life, I’ve lived by other’s pockets. comed 10 wonderful children into the world.

Throughout my life, I’ve lived by one simple guideline. one simple guideLive until you die and have as much fun as you can with- line. Live until What question would you like God to you die and have answer? Did I do good? Not just, did I out getting out of line. So far, I’ve had a pretty good ride. as much fun as do well – but did I do good in the world?

When have you seen true wisdom? My mother was a you can without very wise woman – she had to be. She had been widowed getting out of line. What have you done that was young and worked as a nurse. I was the oldest, followed by So far, I’ve had a good? I remember taking over the care my sister Kate and brother Bill. In 1931, two months after pretty good ride. of an elderly friend of my mother’s when my father died, my mother gave birth to a fourth child, a my mother was incapacitated. I visited baby boy, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and died at the her, listened to her, took care of her finances, and age of two. finally buried her. I was honored that she trusted me.

Even with all her own problems, I can remember her going out to Hell’s I feel blessed to be able to go to Mass every day Half Acre, between what’s now the highway and Kalamazoo Street – she and on Mondays I am the lector. I was active in the went to take care of the people who lived in tar-paper shacks there.

Cathedral Choir from 1948 until 2005. I do proofreading for FAITH Magazine and serve on the Board When have you seen true justice? When Michigan won the Rose Bowl! of Directors. Over the years, I’ve also volunteered at the Michigan Peace Team (MPT) and the Peace What is one of your defining characteristics? I thrived on Education Center. I share my home with Sister Marresponsibility. And I’m a resigned sort of person – I accept what God tha Larsen, RSM, who recently traveled to Palestine sends me. My mother always said that when you have setbacks, “you with MPT. pick up your doll rags and move on.”

When you get to heaven, what do you hope What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned about peoGod will say to you? “Come on in!” And hope he ple? I’ve learned to trust in their goodness. People have been good to says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Visit www.FAITHmag.com for exclusive news, essays and special reports.

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F A I T H

i n t e r v i e w

riches story, but it’s not. This movie can serve as a reminder of what God meant when, after creation, he said, “It is good.”

After I saw the movie, I was able to sit down with Will Smith, star of The Pursuit of Happyness. He is a charismatic, kind, passionate and polite man. The interview was a joy and, if you want to get the full flavor of Will Smith, you have to imagine that passion as you read.

an interview about Will’s new movie The Pursuit of Happyness

interviewed by Father Joe

A

lright, let’s knock one thing off the “don’t forget to tell the readers” list right away – I know it’s spelled wrong.

The reason for the intentional misspelling of the word “Happyness” in Will Smith’s new movie will become clear to you if you choose to see it, which I rather hope you do.

I saw it at a special screening in Detroit, and I gotta tell ya’, things were not good. I’d had a string of those days that can break a priest’s heart – filled with people’s viciousness to each other and the pain human selfishness causes. It was one of those days. I remember walking into the theater feeling almost heavy with the weight of it all.

I’m a movie guy, that’s for sure. I love few things more than buyin’ the popcorn and plopping down in those big, comfortable seats. This time, though, I just took my seat and waited.

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Jump forward two hours and see me walking out with a smile on my face. Folks, it was just that good. When I say the movie was good, I don’t mean that the actors, writers and producers did a good job, though they did. I mean it was just good.

Since The Pursuit of Happyness is the true story of Chris Gardner, it is tempting to describe this as a rags to

Fr. Joe: This is a different role for you; not just in terms of the kind of role it is, but in your image; you grew the “dad mustache” and grayed your hair. Your career has taken you all over, character-wise.

Where do you place this role in your career?

Will Smith: I connect this role with the potential of artistry. I was in South Africa, and met Nelson Mandela, and man, when you meet Nelson Mandela or Muhammad Ali – when you are even near Nelson Mandela or Ali, or even Chris Gardner, man, you want to just do something and fight in the streets and make the world better. Nelson Mandela told me a story about a time he saw The Heat of the Night with Sidney Poitier when he slapped a white man. I don’t remember the story, but it was the first

January/February 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com

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time you saw a black man slap a white man on the screen. Nelson Mandela said the idea, the audacity of American film-making at that time … helped him through. The idea that there was hope, that the world was moving in a different direction. He told me that film-making was a gift I had and that I have no idea the people that will reach.

This film [The Pursuit of Happyness], was the first time I was aware of the power to craft something that was close to what I think and what I feel – to create something that reflected my heart.

After discussing the possibility of this movie “humanizing the homeless”, Will moved on to a subject that was clearly close to his heart and the main focus of the movie – the relationship between a father and his son. Perhaps the most important line of the movie is one of the first you hear “I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old.

When I had children, my children were going to know who their father was.”

Will commented on that: Will Smith: To me, the idea of black fatherhood that Chris Gardner had in his heart, who he wanted to be and the lengths he was willing to go through to be that person, I would hope that would give some inspiration. Even if it’s one day, just one day to get someone through one day of keeping that idea or dream alive. With Chris Gardner, there were days he didn’t have food and that idea [of fatherhood] – that dream – is what kept him full. That idea took a little of the cold away.

He was rich with this dream and with the Spirit and that just kept him going for one more day. I hope that this movie, in some small way, can help that person take just one more step.

fatherhood as being of life and death importance to Chris Gardner. What about you?

Will Smith: Historically, black families have been destroyed, separating the black father from the family – through slavery and the specific designs of welfare, where you get better assistance if there is no father in the house. I am such a strong believer that it has to begin with the individual. There is no system that can be put into place. There is no governmental assistance that can ever be as important as a person making a decision

Father Joe and Will Smith hold a poster from students at Lansing Catholic Central

Since The Pursuit of Happyness is the true story of Chris Gardner, it is tempting to describe this as a rags to riches story, but it’s not.

This movie can serve as a reminder of what God meant when, after creation, he said, “It is good.”

based around an idea. For me, I would hope that this film could help some person clarify that idea.

My father was in the house … he was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but man, he had an idea. The idea was that it’s by hard work that you do it. That is what he fought and kicked and scratched to get into his children. So, I take the good, ditch the bad and try to take the next step with my children. Basic survival is what my father had to work with and now, I am able to take the idea of equality, of survival, and work with that into the raising of my children. Re-introducing the father into the family is something the black community has to work very hard at.

I remembered reading different things about Will Smith; that he was the hardest-working man in Hollywood. I laughed at the story about him passing out on the treadmill because he “didn’t want to quit.” I thought about how he couldn’t resist smiling when he talked about his own son and it hit me: he is becoming the man he wants to be and I think that we need him to be.

Fr. Joe: As long as you’ve been in the public eye, you’ve made it clear that fatherhood is important to you. Your song about you and your son, Just the Two of Us explains

By Father Joseph Krupp | Photography provided by Sony Pictures

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s p i r i t u a l

f i t n e s s

If you are going through a hard time, the first few chapters will be comfortable terrain for you. In a quick series of events, Job loses all that he loves. His family and wealth are gone in a single day, and shortly thereafter, his health is taken. The book puts the blame on the devil.

Satan tested Job and taunted God, saying that Job only loved God because Job was so blessed. Take away his blessings, and “surely he will blaspheme you to your face.” (Job 1:11) That can happen.

When tragedy strikes, various temptations present themselves.

One is to blame God, and blame leads to anger or even blasphemy.

Another temptation is to lose faith in God, or to interpret the tragedy as Job’s friends did – they blamed Job’s predicament on the sins he committed. Most of us can think of sins we have committed and “gotten away” with. But as people of faith, we know that is never true. Sin always has its own punishment, and so when tragedy strikes, we often think that our punishment has just caught up to us. Often, we indeed can see a direct connection between

E

Is God punishing me?

ver have a day where Murphy’s Law seemed to reign? Murphy’s How do we deal with tragedy and pain in our lives?

Law says, “Whatever can go wrong, will!” It is like the the suffering we are going through pessimist’s dream come true. There are plenty of real-life stories and a bad choice – a sin we comaround that tend to back up this view. Imagine coming home mitted. But what about when that is not apparent? one day and finding that your house was bulldozed down by At the end of Chapter 2, Job is accident. It actually happened to an elderly lady in New York. sitting in ashes, covered head to foot Even worse tragedies afflict people daily. What can we make of in boils. His own wife, who ironiit all in terms of our faith in God? Does God care? Is God faith- cally was not taken from him (probably some Jewish humor there), ful to us? Is God punishing us for our sins? Similar questions yells at him, “Are you still holding were asked a few thousand years ago. Just read the Book of Job. to your innocence? Curse God and FAITH Magazine

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When tragedy strikes, various temptations present themselves. One is to blame God, and blame leads to anger or even blasphemy.

die.” (Job 2:9) Wow. His soul-mate and life partner turns against him. It does not get much worse than that.

Amazingly, Job does not lose faith. He also does not accept the words of his friends who are trying to make him responsible for his misery. Job really has tried to live a righteous life so he does not accept their explanation that he is to blame for his woes and wants to hear directly from God. Well, God answers. Job experiences God and is humbled, and surrenders in trust to God. The book ends with God raising Job back to life. He is given back all his possessions, children and health in more abundance than before. God is faithful to Job. The book never fully answers the reason for Job’s suffering. In his case, it is apparent that it was not a result of anything he did. If anything, Job’s suffering was due to the envy of Satan. However, the book encourages us to trust fully in God, no matter why or what we are suffering or what happens to us in life.

This is the path Jesus walked all the way to Calvary. He was perfectly innocent; yet we see how much he suffered.

The same holds for us as well.

Tragedy and suffering are under God’s loving providence. I call them “God’s strange rope of grace!”

Strange, because they are not the normal means of grace we experience in the sacraments. Nonetheless, they are charged with God’s help.

Many times I have heard someone say, “Father, I do not completely understand this, but I think my suffering is a blessing!” They go on and tell me why – “It has brought me closer to God, and my family,” or “It has helped me see what is really important in life.” In their suffering, they meet Jesus Christ on the cross.

God remains faithful to them and does not abandon them.

God is faithful and never abandons any of us, especially in our times of suffering and trial. The cross always leads to the resurrection!

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Spiritual Exercises

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his month, we are going to focus on the faithfulness of God and our response to that faithfulness.

There are so many trials we must face: accident, injury, serious illness, loss of loved ones, loss of job and many others. Consider your own trials and then read some of the trials of St. Paul as expressed in 2 Cor 11:16-12:10. Ask yourself the question: With all these trials, how could Paul believe God was faithful to him? Think about it.

Then read Philippians 3:7-21 to see how God has helped Paul understand his sufferings with respect to the cross.

Pray this prayer while you meditate on God’s faithfulness: Eternal Father, ever faithful, ever true. May I be faithful to you.

You have promised never to leave me. May I never leave you.

You sent your only beloved Son to save me. Draw me close to him.

You have forgiven my sins by the offering of Jesus, the unblemished lamb. Open my heart to your mercy.

You have given your love to me in Christ. Inflame my heart with love for you.

You have shown me the way I must walk. Keep me true to your commandments.

You have given me new birth by water and the Holy Spirit. May I rejoice in being your child.

You have fed me with heavenly bread. Increase my hunger for you.

You have given me to drink of the cup of life. Inebriate my soul.

You have poured your Spirit out on me. Make me a sacrifice of praise.

You have raised me from death to life. May I live for you alone.

You have stretched forth your

hand and saved me. Hide me in your wounds.

You have set my feet on the rock. May my life’s foundation be Jesus, your saving word.

You have destroyed the power of sin. Strengthen my resolve to flee from sin.

You have swallowed death in victory. May I not be afraid.

You have broken the powers of hell. Deliver me from all evil.

You have opened the gates of paradise. Flood my soul with hope.

You have invited me to the marriage banquet. Join my whole self to yours.

You have held nothing back from me. May I hold nothing back from you.

You have … (Add a phrase specific to your life.)

O God, you are faithful and true. May I be faithful to you in what I say and in what I do.

Amen.

– Fr. Bill Ashbaugh

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Points in heaven versus

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Comfort food gets a makeover

By Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Phillip Shippert

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c u l t u r e

I

f you belong to a gym or fitness center like I do, you’ve probably noticed the long lines to use a treadmill or elliptical during that first week of January. Then, shortly thereafter, the waiting diminishes. And by mid- to late January, no more lines. I don’t think it is a mere coincidence. It’s just plain proof that New Year’s resolutions of eating healthier and going to the gym tend to fade for a lot of folks after only a few weeks. Heck, it’s difficult for them not to when our bodies are craving those comfort foods on a cold winter day, or a box of chocolate truffles on Valentine’s Day. No matter what the month, there is always an excuse or an occasion where we throw up our arms and give in to our edible indulgences.

But the winter months, for whatever reason, tend to be the most difficult. Whether it’s having the protection of the extra winter garments to hide our bodies or coming face-to-face with those to-die-for paczkis on Fat Tuesday, winter gives us the opportunity to exercise our Godgiven self-control. It doesn’t mean we have to totally give up foods we really enjoy. It’s more about working harder to find or make dishes that are healthy – and then eating them in moderation. It’s not only better for our physical well-being, but our spiritual well-being, too. In Galatians 5:22, Paul describes selfcontrol as being necessary for any spiritual progress and for overcoming the impulses of the flesh that can No matter what steer us away from God. the month, there To aid in that selfis always an control, I gave a excuse or an occouple of my favorite casion where we comfort foods a throw up our arms wholesome makeand give in to over. They offer the our edible indulsame great taste and, gences. But the if eaten in moderation, winter months, for won’t add another notch whatever reason, to your belt. tend to be the Do recipes like these most difficult. completely address every spontaneous craving for every wintertime meal we cherish? Not exactly. I have a hard time believing there will ever be a yummy low-fat paczki. But remember, the idea is self-control and if we look hard enough, we can probably find enough recipes like these to help us through our weakest moments.

Come spring, we can have the satisfaction of knowing that throughout the preceding winter months, we had healthful nourishment to offer our bodies, tasty food to offer our stomachs, and where it was needed, some measure of sacrifice to offer our Lord.

Low-fat Chicken Pot Pie 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 lb boneless chicken breast cut into 1-2 inch cubes 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 4 medium redskin potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes 3 cups chicken broth (1 ½ 14-oz. cans) 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup frozen peas 1 cup reduced-fat all-purpose baking mix ½ cup non-fat milk 1 egg Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Heat oil in a large non-stick pan or stockpot over medium heat.

• Add onion and sauté 2 minutes.

• Add chicken and sauté 6-7 minutes, until slightly brown on all sides.

• In a small bowl, combine flour, thyme, salt and pepper.

• Add half of the flour mixture to the chicken/onion mixture and stir to coat.

• Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, chicken broth and wine and mix well.

• Bring mixture to a boil and gradually add remaining flour mixture. Cook until liquid thickens and vegetables are tender.

• Transfer chicken and vegetable mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish and stir in peas.

• In a separate bowl, whisk baking mix, milk and egg together until blended. Pour over mixture and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

If you’re hungry for dessert, visit www.FAITHmag.com to see what Michelle did with cheesecake!

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l o c a l

n e w s

Service dedicated to veterans

New Life Initiatives at St. Thomas Aquinas

The Church of the Resurrection, Lansing, celebrated a Mass for veterans on Nov. 12.

The Mass was offered for all veterans, living and deceased, and was attended by representatives of the Army, National Guard, Marines and Navy Reserves.

Seekers of Justice

St. Thomas Aquinas in East Lansing has several new Life Initiatives that promote acceptance and support for families.

‘Our Lady of Grace-Special Families Group’ includes families with children who have special needs, working to support one another.

A new, integrated middle-school religious formation program for students who have special needs and their typical peers is being offered at STA. The STA photo Mass book provides the Order of Mass using photos and complete prayers to help people of all ages participate in the Mass.

Sale benefits disadvantaged women John and Mary Wooden received the Blessed Mother The Woodens and their pastor, Fr. Teresa Seeker Dave Hudgins of Justice Award from Lenawee County Catholic Charities at a dinner on Oct. 24 at St. Elizabeth Parish in Tecumseh. The Woodens, who have spearheaded the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at St. Joseph Parish, Adrian, help more than 300 families per month with food, clothing, shelter and medical expenses. In accepting the award for the couple, John Wooden said, “We stand on the shoulders of many, many people who give of their time, talent and treasure to help the poor.”

Happy Anniversary Professional Pastoral Ministers Association

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Sharing the Wealth

Tribunal Judge elected to CLSA

On Oct. 27, many of the lay ecclesial ministers of the Diocese of Lansing gathered for their convocation and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Professional Pastoral Ministers Association (PPMA). The featured speaker was Dr. Mary Dumm; during the day, attendees also heard from Sister Carol Jean McDonnell, O.P. and Jack Armstrong, original PPMA members.

The PPMA supports those in pastoral ministry, who serve our parishes as pastoral coordinators, directors of religious education and faith formation, youth ministers, pastoral associates and others. A history of the PPMA was written

by Msgr. George Michalek for the occasion; it is available from the Office of Lay Ministry, 517.342.2440.

FAITH Magazine

Siena Heights University in Detroit had an art show featuring the work of women of the Ratanang Project in Kroonstad, South Africa.

Funds from the sale went back to the women to help alleviate poverty and promote development in the poorest area of South Africa.

Eileen Jaramillo, JCL, one of the tribunal judges for the Diocese of Lansing, was elected as a Consulter on the Board of Governors of the Canon Law Society of American on the first ballot during its annual convention.

Each month, the office of Pastoral Planning sketches one creative initiative or one initiative which has received renewed emphasis. These initiatives come to light through the annual parish pastoral planning reports. These programs constitute a wealth of good ideas that can be adapted by other parishes. Programs address issues such as the process for returning Catholics (Come and See, April 2006), spiritual and physical health (Walk to Jerusalem, September 2006) or canon law (Why Catholics Do That, August 2006).

These programs and others are presented in detail at www.dioceseoflansing.org/ SharingTheWealth.

New lay ecclesial ministers commissioned The following women received the rite of commissioning of lay ecclesial ministers for service to the Diocese of Lansing: Mary Carey of Queen of the Miraculous Medal in Jackson, Jan Gravel of Holy Family parish in Grand Blanc, Marie Sheridan of St. James in Mason and Margaret York, also from the Queen of the Miraculous Medal in Jackson.

January/February 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com

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c o m m u n i t y

St. Mary students visit with Bucket Man

things to do:

Brighton resident Merrill Lundgren, known affectionately as the ‘Bucket Man,’ visited St. Mary School in Pinckney to speak to the students about expressing love, respect and appreciation to others – known to Lundgren as “bucket filling.” During his presentation, the students learned to become “other centered,” to express their feelings in a healthy manner, to understand where feelings come from, how to protect their feelings from being hurt, to use constructive words and actions and less bullying (“bucket dipping”).

The second annual Catholic Singles New Year’s Eve dinner and dance will be held Dec. 31 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. at the Fox Hills Country Club in Plymouth. The event caters to singles in their 30s, 40s and 50s. For tickets and information, call Kathleen at 734.657.7750 or see catholicsinglesnye.com.

Celebrating Catholic Schools – St. Francis School integrates faith and values

Plan now to attend the 2007 Michigan winter gathering of parish and diocesan catechetical leaders, Jan. 11 at noon until 1 p.m. on Jan. 12 at Bethany House, DeWitt.

St. Francis School in Ann Arbor has a longstanding tradition of incorporating service into the curriculum. This year, the service projects will tie directly into the school’s Faith and Values Program, the theme of which is peace and justice. A monthly prayer service focuses on the particular month’s value and teachers incorporate them into the curriculum. See the Things to Do page for information about St. Francis’ open houses.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School has open houses scheduled for Tues., Jan. 30, 7-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6th from 1-2 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 11 from 1:15-3 p.m.. For more information, please call 734.821.2200 or stfrancisa2.com/school.

Local men sworn in as 4th Degree Knights St. Louis Center was the host for this year’s officer installation ceremony and dinner for Knights of Columbus Cardinal O’Hara Assembly 0489 of the 4th Degree on Oct.11, 2006. The 4th Degree of the Knights of Columbus is known as the ‘Patriotic Degree’ and members are usually recognized by their colorful cloaks, plumed hats and swords worn by the ‘Color Corps.’

It is the highest degree of the Order. The presiding officers for this year’s officer and installation ceremony were District #2 Master Robert J. Vandesteene, Jr., of Otisville, and Past State Deputy Thomas Clark of Ann Arbor. Sir Knight Allan C. Fisher took over the reins of the assembly from SK Mark Anderson to become the new Faithful Navigator for the next two years.

New deacon ordained John Linden was ordained a transitional deacon,Oct.28, at his home parish of Queen of the Miraculous Medal in Jackson. Deacon Linden spent his internship year at St. John the Evangelist in Davison and summer months at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Flint and also St. Mary Parish in Pinckney. Deacon Linden will continue his studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He is scheduled to be ordained a priest June 9, 2007 at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing.

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New President of Siena Heights University Sister Peg Albert, OP, was inaugurated as the 10th president of Siena Heights University, the Dominican university, on Nov. 3. Sister Peg holds a Ph.D. in social work and has a counseling background.

She comes to Michigan from Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.

St. Joseph Shrine in Brooklyn will host Ladies Day II-Love, a special day for parish women and guests on Feb. 17. The program features a motivational speaker and a fashion show of bridal gowns, a lunch and door prizes. For more information, contact Marcia at 517.467.7170.

Volunteers needed – Huron Valley Men’s Correctional Facility is in need of volunteer coordinators to bring items for Mass and Communion services, keep in contact with the chaplain and be the main contact person for the ministry responsible for welcoming new volunteers. If you are interested, please contact Tim Metts at 517.342.2495.

Jan/Feb café events St. Joseph Shrine Brooklyn will sponsor Vatican II: The Faithful Revolution Feb. 27 and March 6, 13 and 27.

Ever Ancient, Ever New, the 10th annual liturgy and music conference of the Diocese of Lansing, will be held Sat. Feb. 3, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., St. Patrick Church, Brighton. Father Lawrence Madden will be the featured speaker. Call 527.342.2480 for more information.

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e x c l u s i v e

The cast of Charlotte’s Web

get the chance to.

But I love them both – acting is great.

From Heffalump to Wilbur the Pig meet Dominic Scott Kay of

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AITH talked to Dominic Scott Kay, who is the voice of Wilbur in the movie, Charlotte’s Web, in theaters now.

Tell us about Charlotte’s Web. It will be really great and so much fun. It’s such an amazing movie.

You’ve done a lot of voice-overs, haven’t you?

I’ve done voice-overs for Charlotte’s Web and I did a British accent to be the heffalump in The Heffalump Movie. I also did voice-overs in The Wild and Air Buddies and A Few Good Ghosts.

How is doing a voice-over different from screen acting?

I love them both equally. When you’re doing a voiceover you get to read it, sometimes it’s a bit more animated – it’s not on camera, so you’re doing more takes and asking more questions of the director because you FAITH Magazine

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You are involved in saving greyhounds, aren’t you?

I was a spokesperson for Greyhound Rescue. They take them off the track and people adopt them. Because after greyhounds can’t race, the owners kill them.

How did you get involved in that?

Our family has always rescued animals. My dad plays drums with the Commodores – and one time,we were driving to Las Vegas for a concert. In Napa Valley, we saw a dog lying in a puddle of blood on the side of the road.

Everybody thought he was dead and was driving past him. We turned around and stopped. It was a white boxer – my mom laid her hand on him and he flinched, so we took him to the Napa Valley Animal Hospital. We think he was thrown out of a moving car. He had a fractured leg, was in a coma, and they didn’t expect him to live more than an hour. We took him home and he started getting better. We had about 16 animals at the time, so we had to find another home for him. We were

interviewing people at the Country Mart – and there was a group of firemen at the food stand, so we asked them, and they adopted him for the Malibu fire department. And now, he is like nothing ever happened to him.

And you’re friends with Kevin Bacon, right?

I did a movie called Loverboy when I was 7 and Kevin directed it. I co-starred with Kyra Sedgwick and I’ve been in touch with them since. I directed him in a movie called Saving Angelo, about the dog we rescued. I shot it on 35 mm and Kevin came out and played a fireman.

Had you ever read Charlotte’s Web before doing the movie?

I happened to be reading the book when I found out I was going to audition. It was my first big book. I loved it. I cried.

You must have been excited.

It was so cool, because it is such a great movie. The animation is amazing – they used real animals and moved their mouths digitally. It brings everything to life!

Who plays Charlotte?

Julia Roberts is Charlotte. And Robert Redford, Steve Buscemi, Dakota Fanning, and Oprah Winfrey are in it.

Does your faith play an important part in your life?

God is the biggest thing in my life. He’s everything to me – he’s always been everything. He is what brings us together.

By Elizabeth Solsburg

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l a s t

At the Weber Center Barbara Reid, OP, will present Preaching the Gospel of Luke in Lent Feb. 1,10 a.m -4 p.m. at the Weber Center in Adrian.

The cost is $50 and includes lunch.

The Gift of Recovery Retreat for Women, Feb. 15-18; $200 for single occupancy, which includes all meals.

For more information, please see webercenter.org.

January/February Readings Monday, January 1 Octave of Christmas: The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God Num 6:22-27 Ps 67:2-3,5-6,8 Gal 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21 Sunday, January 7 The Epiphany of the Lord Isa 60:1-6 Ps 72:1-2,7-8,10-13 Eph 3:2-3a,5-6 Matt 2:1-12

Sunday, February 4 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 6:1-2A,3-8 Ps 138:1-5,7-8 1 Cor 15:3-8,11 Luke 5:1-11 Sunday, February 11 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 17:5-8 Ps 1:1-4,6 1 Cor 15:12,16-20 Luke 6:17,20-26

Sunday, January 14 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 62:1-5 Ps 96: 1-3,7-10 1 Cor 12:4-11 John 2:1-11

Sunday, February 18 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Sam 26:2,79,12-13,22-23 Ps 103:14,8,10,12-13 1 Cor 15:45-49 Luke 6:27-38

Sunday, January 21 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Neh 8:2-4a,5-6,8-10 Ps 19:8-10,15 1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14,27 Luke 1:1-4;4:14-21

Wednesday, February 21 Ash Wednesday Joel 2:12-18 Ps 51:3-6ab,12-4,17 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 Matt 6:1-6,16-18

Sunday, January 28 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 1:4-5,17-19 Ps 71:1-6,15-17 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 or 13:4-13 Luke 4:21-20

Sunday, February 25 First Sunday of Lent Deut 26:4-10 Ps 91:1-2,10-15 Rom 10:8-13 Luke 4:1-13

w o r d

Stem cell research

where does the church stand?

A living embryo is incontrovertibly human life. That’s not a statement of religious faith, it is a medical fact.

I

n the ongoing great debate over stem cell research, a lot of misinformation is being thrown at us, particularly regarding the Catholic Church’s moral stand. It needs to be clearly stated that the Catholic Church is in favor of stem cell research, but not embryonic stem cell research.

A stem cell, when transplanted into another human body, can develop into many different types of human tissues. In doing so, it can repair damaged human organs and systems. Some of these stem cells are specified, while others are unspecified. They all have remarkable potential to cure many diseases and damaged human tissue. How could the Catholic Church not be in favor of such a wonderful medical development in overcoming human suffering?

Stem cells can be “harvested” from many sources in human beings. They can be taken from the human brain, blood, liver, umbilical cord and placenta, among others. Stem cells taken from these sources are referred to as “adult stem cells” because they are, in many cases, specified. They have produced dozens of cures in more than 50 types of human diseases and illnesses.

A moral problem arises when we “harvest” human stem cells from a living human embryo. In doing so, the embryo is destroyed. The evident moral question is: Is it morally permissible to take an innocent human life in order to save another human life?

It is often asserted that a human embryo is simply a “blob of protoplasm” and there is nothing wrong in destroying it in order to harvest cells from it. But if an embryo is protected and nurtured, it will grow into a living human being. A living embryo is incontrovertibly human life. That’s not a statement of religious faith, it is a medical fact.

Taking stem cells from a destroyed human embryo does not guarantee that a life will be saved. Currently, the only purpose for taking embryonic stems cells is for research.

Living human life is being destroyed for research purposes.

That’s what the present argument is all about.

Human life is not a commodity. All of human life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, has a dignity that is conferred upon it by God, not by us. It is not ours to dispose as we wish. – Fr. Charles Irvin

Answer to Bible Quiz (page 13): Delilah

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notes:

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