March 2008

Gambling: What do you think?

Three ways to experience monastic life Do people go right to heaven or wait until the end of time?

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t seems like yesterday that FAITH was just a glimmer in Bishop Mengeling’s eye – a groundbreaking evangelization effort by and for the people of the Diocese of Lansing. We began by publishing a magazine – the one you hold in your hands – and sending that magazine to every Catholic household in the Diocese of Lansing. But that was just our first step into the mission of spreading the good news. Today, we publish 14 magazines for other Catholic dioceses and organizations. And we’ve helped coordinate programs like Café and Welcome Home Sunday that have provided faith formation and brought people back to the Catholic Church.

Now, we’ve merged with the Diocese of Lansing’s other great publishing company, Liturgical Commission Publishings (LCP).

LCP is one of the treasures of our diocese: Since 1969, it has provided parishes throughout the country with homily helps, prayers of the faithful, commentaries and other liturgical aids. Together, FAITH and LCP have an exciting opportunity to create new products and resources that will help further the mission of Christ’s church.

Your support and your parish’s support make FAITH possible. You have held our hands as we began to walk and continue to sustain us as we venture forth. Our gratitude knows no bounds. And so, together, our journey in FAITH continues. – Father Dwight Ezop is editor of FAITH Magazine and pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Jude.

FAITH merges with Liturgical Commission Publishings

the family of FAITH grows Who’s got FAITH? Publication

Circulation

Archdiocese of Boston, Catholic T.V.

Catholic TV Monthly

10,000

U.S. Catholic Extension Society

Nuestra Familia Catolica

25,000

Diocese of Erie

FAITH, Erie

70,000

Diocese of Grand Rapids

FAITH, Grand Rapids

55,000

Diocese of Laredo

La Fe

17,000

Diocese of Lansing

FAITH, Lansing

75,000

Diocese of Manchester

Parable

45,000

Archdiocese of Chicago, Mundelein Seminary

The Bridge

5,000

Diocese of Portland, ME

Harvest

40,000

Diocese of Raleigh

NC Catholics

70,000

Diocese of Saginaw

FAITH, Saginaw

44,000

Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, Royal Oak

The Rose

5,000

Diocese of St. Augustine

St. Augustine Catholic

54,000

Society of the Little Flower (Carmelites)

Between Friends

220,000

Total circulation

14 Magazines

735,000

FAITH Magazine

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Diocese/Organization

2 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com 2/5/08 3:09:43 PM

i n s i d e

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“GREATEST GENERATION”

inside

what you’ll get out of this issue

2008 themes: Stages of Life/ Generations

in the know with Fr. Joe 6 Dear Fr. Joe: Do people go right to heaven or wait until the end of time?

Last month: Our History

– Father Joseph Krupp

This month: The Greatest Generation

work life 9 My wife is a stay-at-home mom – I’m jealous.

– Tim Ryan

Gambling: What do you think?

Three ways to experience monastic life

marriage matters

Do people go right to heaven or wait until the end of time?

10 She says: I’m so depressed. He says: Snap out of it. What do they do?

– Tom and JoAnne Fogle

Next month: Baby boomers Upcoming months: Gen X Gen Y Teens Tweens Childhood Conception/Birth

From battlefield to farm field When Paul came back from World War II, he joined a commune When Paul Melton came home from his tour of duty as a gunner in World War II, he realized he wanted a radical change. So he joined a commune – and stayed there for the next 62 years.

parenting journey 11 Preserve your family’s history while your family is still around.

– Dr. Cathleen McGreal

from the bishop 12 Hopeful, not helpless – a letter about pornography in today’s society.

– Most. Rev. Carl F. Mengeling

p r o f i l e from kamikaze attacks to spark plugs Dominic Militello survived a typhoon, major battles and a kamikaze attack. After the war, he went to work in a spark plug factory. In war and peace, God guided his life. – Todd Schulz

20

p r o f i l e from U-boats to the UAW Thaddeus Modrak’s faith got him through the fight of his life in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. He came home to fight for workers’ rights in the UAW. – Todd Schulz

21

theology 101 14 What does it mean for God to create?

– Elizabeth Solsburg

spiritual fitness 24 How to pray like a monk.

– Father Bill Ashbaugh

p r o f i l e What’s changed in Sister Teddy’s 58 years in the convent?

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When Theodora McKennan joined the Adrian Dominicans, life as a sister was different than it is today.

Read about the changes she’s experienced in more than half a century of convent life. – Eileen Gianodis

culture 26 Frame of faith – worth more than a thousand words.

– Michelle Sessions DiFranco

last word 31 The “Greatest Generation” – at home.

– Father Charles Irvin

Liturgical Calendar: St. Katharine Drexel, Virgin March 3 | St. Casimir, March 4 | Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs March 7 | St. John of God, Religious March 8

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h i s t o r y

The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling PUBLISHER

Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR

March 2008 • Volume 9: Issue 2

Moments in time: More history of the Diocese of Lansing

Rev. Dwight Ezop EDITOR IN CHIEF

Patrick M. O’Brien MANAGING EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Elizabeth Martin Solsburg EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR/WEB DESIGNER

Jillane Job EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Rev. William Ashbaugh Michelle Sessions DiFranco Eileen Gianiodis Elizabeth Grodi Katie Hicks Bob Horning Rev. Joseph Krupp Dcn. Tom and JoAnne Fogle Cathleen McGreal Tim Ryan Nancy Schertzing Todd Schulz Lindsey Walter CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Derek Melot Margaret Perrone PROOFREADING

John Cremons Tom Gennara James Luning (cover) Philip Shippert CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

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

FAITH Publishing Ser vice Rev. Dwight Ezop CHAIRMAN

O

ur January/February special history issue received many comments and compliments. We really enjoyed the process of looking through the diocesan archives, talking with Msgr. Michalek and exploring the fascinating stories from all over our diocese. Of course, because of space restrictions, we couldn’t cover everything. Some of our readers have sent in some history that we missed – and so we present it to you here. If you know of other interesting pieces of our past, please feel free to send them to us at esolsburg@faithpublishingservice.com and we’ll put them on our Web site.

St. John the Evangelist Parish, Jackson, is the oldest parish in the Jackson region.

The first Mass in Jackson County was celebrated in 1836. In 1842, a log church was built under the direction of Father Thomas Cullen of Ann Arbor. In 1856, the cornerstone for the permanent church building of St. John Parish was laid. Although it’s been enlarged throughout the years, it is the oldest church building in the Diocese of Lansing in continuous use.

ber 1939. The present church was dedicated by Bishop Albers in 1950. For 62 years, the Vincentian Fathers served Queens and the Jackson area

with great dedication. In 1996, that tradition came to an end and the parish has since been staffed by diocesan priests.

Patrick M. O’Brien

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Patricia Oliver SECRETARY

InnerWorkings PRINT MANAGEMENT FAITHPublishingService.com FAITHTM (USPS 019993) is a publication of FAITH Publishing Service, Catholic Diocese of Lansing, 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933. FAITHTM is a membership publication of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing and 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.

www.FAITHmag.com FAITH Magazine

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In the middle of the Great Depression, Bishop Michael Gallagher wrote to the Vincentian Fathers to organize a new parish in Jackson.

The new parish – Queen of the Miraculous Medal, or “Queens,” as it is often called – was carved out of territory formerly encompassed by St. Mary, Star of the Sea Parish.

A temporary church building was begun in 1938 and the parish school began in the convent purchased in Novem-

4 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com

i

Lynne Ridenour Abby Wieber

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PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

St Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary March 15 | Holy Thursday March 20 | Good Friday of the

2/5/08 3:11:22 PM

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No, really my mother was a saint Feast Day: March 22 Patron saint of miscarriages and anti-abortion Canonized in 1484 by Pope Innocent VIII Meaning of name: Pure Claim to fame: Born in either 1331 or 1332, Catherine was the daughter of St. Bridget of Sweden. At age 14, Catherine married Eggart von Kurnen at the request of her father. She later journeyed to Rome with her mother and, upon her husband’s death, remained with St. Bridget, taking an active role in her ministry. After St. Bridget’s death, Catherine took over her mother’s convent in Sweden, Wadstena, and formed a community based on rules St. Bridget wrote.

Catherine wrote Consolation of the Soul, but no copies of the book now exist.

A beautiful girl, Catherine was constantly surrounded by suitors. She

resisted their proposals, however, wanting instead to stay a virgin.

What made her a saint: A beautiful girl, Catherine was constantly surrounded by suitors.

She resisted their proposals, however, wanting instead to stay a virgin. It is said that when one Roman noble pursued her, a wild hind chased him away. Catherine spent 25 years in Rome, devoting her life to meditation and service of the poor.

history quiz

How she died: During the Schism, Catherine went to Rome to promote her mother’s canonization. She ended up testifying before a judicial committee in favor of Pope Urban VI. In return, he gave her a letter of commendation for her Bridgettine order.

After five years in Rome, Catherine returned to Sweden, where she died of illness on March 24, 1381. – Katie Hicks

She never ran her train off the tracks What year did Harriet Tubman die?

Known as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman, as conductor of the Underground Railroad, led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North. This brave woman who fought for the freedom of her people died in Auburn, N.Y. on March 10, WHAT YEAR?

Santa Catalina de Suecia Día festivo: 22 de marzo Santa patrona de los abortos espontáneos y contra el aborto Canonizada en 1484 por el Papa Inocente VIII Significado del nombre: Pura Hechos que la hicieron famosa: Nació en 1331 o 1332, Catalina era la hija de Santa Brígida de Suecia. A la edad de 14 años, Catalina se casó con Eggart von Kurnen a petición de su padre. Catalina más tarde viajó a Roma con su madre, y a la muerte de su esposo permaneció con Santa Brígida, jugando un papel activo en sus obras piadosas. Santa Brígida murió y Catalina se encargó del convento de su madre en Suecia, Wadstena, y formó una comunidad basada en reglas que Santa Brígida escribió. Ella escribió Consolación del Alma, pero no existen actualmente copias del libro.

Qué la hizo una santa: Una muchacha bella, Catalina estaba constantemente rodeada de pretendientes. Sin embargo, ella resistía sus propuestas, queriendo en vez, permanecer una virgen. Se cuenta que cuando un noble romano la perseguía, una cierva salvaje lo alejó. Ella pasó 25 años en Roma dedicando su vida a la meditación y al servicio de los pobres.

Cómo murió: Durante el Cisma, Catalina fue a Roma a promover la canonización de su madre. Ella terminó testificando ante un comité judicial a favor del Papa Urbano VI, y a cambio de ello, él le dio una carta de aprobación para su orden Brigidina. Después de cinco años en Roma, Catalina regresó a Suecia, dónde murió pronto de enfermedad el 24 de marzo de 1381. $245,000 was stolen from the City Bank of New York in American history’s first recorded bank robbery on March 19, WHAT YEAR? Official prayer as a part of the school day was outlawed in public schools on March 8, WHAT YEAR when the U.S. Supreme Court found religious education within public schools to be a violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment.

Answers: 1913, 1831, 1948

St. Catherine of Sweden

of the Lord’s Passion March 21 | Holy Saturday Vigil of the Solemnity of Easter March 22 | Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord March 23 | The Annunciation of the Lord March 31

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Dear Fr. Joe

The catechist asked, “How many of you children would like to go to heaven?”

All raised their hands except little Jimmy. The teacher asked him why not.

“I’m sorry,” Jimmy replied.

“Mommy told me to come right home after Sunday School.”

Q:

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

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Do people go right to heaven or wait until the end of time?

Well, assuming they “make the cut ...”

In a nutshell, we believe that immediately upon death, a person stands before God in what we call “particular judgment.” At that point, his or her soul will go to purgatory, heaven or hell, while the natural processes begin to occur in the body. Then, when Jesus returns, there will be another judgment and, wherever we are, our bodies will join our souls there, though in a different form than they are now.

Where do we get all this? From our two best sources: sacred Scripture and sacred tradition.

In Hebrews 9:27, it says, “And it is appointed that each man die once, but after this comes the judgement.” At the moment of death, each of us will look at God face to face and we will be judged. I think it’s easiest to think of it this way:

Our whole lives are a process of coming to know Jesus better or not and when we see Jesus, if we have a relationship with him, we will, to paraphrase the words of Jesus, “know each other.”

This is a key idea. I think, too often, we pretend that if we are “good” or “nice,” then we will be instantly “saved.” That’s not at all how Jesus presents it. I think it was Father Rohr who pointed out that Jesus never once used the word “nice.” Instead, each of us needs to commit to following Jesus daily and allowing him to guide us. We need to spend time with Jesus in prayer every day and grow in our knowledge of who Jesus is and what that means. If our ideas of love and wisdom aren’t growing and changing daily, we can take that as a sign that we are not growing in our relationship with Jesus. All along the way, the sacraments are there to help, guide and strengthen us in this relationship so that we can be who we are called to be.

If we’ve nourished this relation-

ship with Jesus, then when we see him, we will know him, and, at that point, enter into what we call purgatory.

I know there are a lot of bad ideas out there about purgatory, but I have a way to explain it that might help. Don’t think of purgatory as a separate place from heaven, but as a part of heaven. (People who go to purgatory are definitely going to heaven.) Think of it like this: If you come into a crowded room and I’m on the other side, then it will take you a bit to get to me. That process of you drawing closer to me is like the experience of purgatory. (Notice that in this model I’m God? That may very well be why I like this model so much.) Either way, as we draw close to God, all the ways that we’ve damaged our souls are slowly healed by the fire of God’s presence.

All that is impure in us and distorted is burned away by the fire of God’s love. It hurts, but it’s a good hurt, a weight room burn, as it were.

I digress.

When Jesus returns, we “wrap up” the whole thing. Those who are in heaven or hell stay there at the second coming of Christ.

Those in purgatory enter heaven.

At this point, all those who are alive during this time experience their particular judgment as well as general or “final judgment.” At this point, we will see our lives and the lives of every person in the light of God’s mercy, love and justice; in other words, it will all make sense at that moment.

Enjoy another day in God’s presence!

– Father Joseph Krupp

6 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com 2/5/08 3:11:54 PM

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Do people go right to heaven or wait until the end of time?

F A I T H

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63% 32%

of Americans think gambling is morally acceptable.

of Americans think gambling is morally wrong. – Gallup Fall 2007

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gambling what do you think?

How did you vote?

Online at FAITHmag.com, we asked what you thought about gambling. % say gambling is fine, any time.

% say gambling is morally wrong; Christians shouldn’t do it. % say it’s ok, as long as it’s Bingo or a church casino night.

10 28

% say it’s all right, as long as you don’t spend more

than $20

Comments from our readers:

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, games of chance and wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. That means that, in themselves, they are not sinful. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary for her needs or the needs of others. So, if you’re spending the rent money or the kids’ lunch money at the bingo table, then you’re sinning.

You had this to say We asked St. Mary Cathedral parishioners if gambling is moral and if bingo is really gambling.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with gambling. I don’t have a problem with it.” – Paula

“Too many people are becoming addicted.

The church should find other ways of funding things it needs instead of doing bingo. The Michigan Lottery is hurting people.” – Suzanne

you said...

22 26

What does the church say?

“Gambling is definitely not moral. I have a brother-in-law who has become addicted. He gambles online and at the casinos. He is hurting my sister and destroying his family.

I don’t believe the church should have bingo. I think by having it, they send the message that it is OK to gamble.” – Janet

Tell us what YOU would do –

“It’s fine, as long as you don’t get addicted”

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log on to FAITHmag.com to vote

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“It’s fine – a person’s self-discipline is what dictates judgment over the subject.”

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

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Holy See gets a new ambassador The U.S. Senate confirmed President Bush’s nomination of Mary Ann Glendon as the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

2

High hopes for athletes Pope Benedict XVI shared his hopes that soccer players and organizations can increasingly become tools to educate youth about values.

3

Anniversary visit Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople will visit Pope Benedict XVI in Rome to mark the 90th anniversary of the Pontifical Oriental Institute.

4

Blair commits to faith The Holy See recently welcomed Tony Blair, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, into full communion with the Catholic Church.

5

A popular place A recent report shows that, in 2007, almost 3 million pilgrims participated in public gatherings with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

6

Borderless faith A signal from a new Catholic radio station in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, has been picked up by listeners along the U.S. border. Religious leaders in both countries believe this to be proof that faith has no borders.

7

The ultimate sacrifice In 2007, 21 people involved in ministry suffered violent deaths. Last year’s list of 21 pastoral workers includes 15 priests.

8

Seeking justice Christians in Orissa, India, are seeking justice after an attack by nationalist Hindu extremists. The damage is estimated to include 53 churches, five convents, four priests’ residences, seven youth hostels, two minor seminaries and more than 120 businesses and 500 homes.

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Irish vocations Irish Cardinal Sean Brady of the titular Church of Sts. Cyricus and Julitta has announced that 2008 will be the ‘year of vocations’ in Ireland. Cardinal Brady, new to his assignment, is focused on the vocations of all Christians.

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Translate no more The committees working for the new English translation of the Roman Missal say that the end of the project is in sight. All of the text and rubrics for the celebration of Mass will be more accessible to English speakers.

FAITH Magazine

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Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed a jubilee year of St. Paul from June 28, 2008 to the same date in 2009.

St. Paul to be celebrated in Turkey

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oordinators of the jubilee year of St. Paul say that Turkey will have a strategic role during the commemoration, since Tarsus was the birthplace of the saint.

Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed a jubilee year of St. Paul from June 28, 2008 to the same date in 2009, marking the 2,000th anniversary of the apostle’s birth.

The church in Turkey is preparing “with spirit and a special determination they derive from feeling ‘one’ with the apostle born in Tarsus.”

According to Bishop Luigi Padovese, of Anatolia, Turkey, “St. Paul can be considered the apostle of Christian identity, in an era like today when any type of religion can be embraced, in a moment in which the many paths toward God are ranked on the same level.”

The Turkish episcopal conference is considering the program for the celebrations. The bishops already planned a letter to the faithful of the various rites as well as a pilgrimage to Rome.

“The bi-millennium will serve also to call the attention of the

church to the Christian minority communities in Turkey, making them aware of the situation,” added Bishop Padovese.

One of the first goals for Catholics is to obtain permission from the Turkish authorities in Tarsus to make a permanent place for Christian worship to accommodate the pilgrims who will arrive from around the world.

To date, there is only one churchmuseum, and it lacks a cross. To use the building for liturgy, previous permission must be obtained and payment must be given to the civil authorities.

“The authorities of Tarsus,” Padovese said, “have mixed sentiments: They are aware of the importance of the city for Christians; they are proud to be fellow citizens with a first-rate person. But at the same time, they show perplexity and discomfort when it comes to handling a situation implying religious tourism with special demands.” – ZENIT

8 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com 2/5/08 3:12:28 PM

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A 6-year-old Italian girl who cheerfully endured the amputation of her leg and offered it in union with the sacrifices of Christ may become the youngest canonized non-martyr saint.

Antonietta Meo, born in 1930, was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 5 after a fall caused a knee injury that would not heal.

She formed a habit of leaving a letter at the foot of a crucifix every night. At first, she dictated these notes to her mother; later she wrote them herself.

The more than 100 letters and her diary reveal an intense mysticism and a surprising level of theological reflection. Her letters were written to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.

Along with the recognition of Meo’s virtue, the pope approved six decrees recognizing miracles, and seven other decrees affirming lives of heroic virtue.

As the universal church continues to defend marriage and the family, priests in Hong Kong dedicated their annual study retreat to the issue.

Father Francis Tse discussed the latest church statistics. He said there were 1,174 marriages held in local churches from September 2006 to August 2007, in which 80 percent were mixed marriage with only one Catholic partner and 10 percent involved a major obstacle to marriage that required the diocesan tribunal to consider.

He also mentioned annulments, noting that the diocese dealt with some 129 cases in 2006, and more than 100 cases in 2007. This means that a case needed to be resolved every three days.

Father Lawrence Lee noted another range of problems: Catholics seeking marriage because of premarital pregnancy and the growing trend of cohabitation.

Study session participants reaffirmed the need for solid formation programs to help couples learn and embrace Catholic values in marriage and family. – ZENIT

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Family values reviewed in Hong Kong

my wife is a stay-at-home mom I’m jealous

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The youngest saint

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Brad has been married to Marie for 12 years; they have 3 children.

Q:

When Marie was pregnant with our oldest, she decided that she’d prefer to stay home with the children and I agreed. I thought it was a great idea – I have a good job and am able to financially support us. For the last few years, however, I’ve been struggling. I just don’t like what I’m doing anymore, maybe I never really did. I don’t get any sense of fulfillment in this work. I’ve often felt almost jealous of Marie because she has, I think, the important “job” in our family and seems very fulfilled. I understand that I have a responsibility to take care of my family, and I will gladly do so. But I’ve also always felt called to do something else. I figured I could wait until the kids are grown, but the stress is really getting to me. – Brad

A:

Catholic social teaching emphasizes that the family is the central social institution and must be supported and strengthened. However, Catholic social teaching also says work is more than a way of making a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. Thus, we have a responsibility to use the talents God has given us to contribute to the overall well-being of the community, including the family. Read the parable of the talents in Mt 25:14–30 for a perfect example.

Brad is more than happy to support his family, but he would at least like to explore the possibility of whether he may be called in another direction in his career. Brad might consider the following approach in dealing with his dilemma: Although it may not be prudent

to simply walk away from your job when you have a family to support, it is important to discern how God is calling you.

• Realize that this discernment could take awhile.

• During this discernment, pray for the grace to joyfully, lovingly and thankfully go about your daily work.

• In your discernment, through prayer, open yourself to God’s direction. If you are truly called to different work, God will help direct your path.

• Discernment may require education, information gathering, and contacting people in your area of interest.

Patience is the key. Even if you are not happy at work at the moment, you are there for a reason, and you must trust God’s plan.

When the time is right, you will know it, and God will make the necessary resources available to you.

Embrace the joy of the journey.

– Tim Ryan

2/5/08 3:12:36 PM

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empty feeling, regardless of the amount accumulated.

There is an aphorism: “The best things in life are not things.” Yet, we see married couples and families continue to accumulate more and more with the idea that having just this one more “thing” will make them happy and at peace. The fantasy dream some people have is that if only I could win the lottery or purchase this one special “thing,” then life would be good and I would be happy!

The truth is, there is never enough “stuff” to make anyone totally happy. St. Augustine once said, “A heart is restless until it rests in the Lord,” meaning we will only find peace and happiness in our lives if we make God our focus. From this brief description, we see material wealth, but fail to see any accumulation of spiritual wealth.

We see Kyle and Karen approaching their dilemma using a practical, common-sense approach, but we don’t see them making what author Robert Kinast would describe as “faith-sense” out of the situation. Unless and until Kyle and Karen can discover God’s hand at work in their lives, they will never be close to being happy or satisfied. When a couple begin to make faith-sense out of life’s ordinary situations and events, that is when their restless hearts will become satisfied. It is amazing that when we start seeing God’s hand working in our daily lives, the weight on our shoulders lessens

He said She said what do they do?

K

aren has been feeling down lately, and doesn’t think she’s getting much support from Kyle.

I am so depressed Karen says: I am always feeling blue. I know we have everything we need and I’m grateful, but I just feel sad all the time. I try to talk to Kyle about it, but he seems to be impatient rather than supportive.

I just don’t know what to do – I want to be happy.

Snap out of it Kyle says: Karen is right – she really doesn’t have anything to be depressed about. We have two great kids, I make enough money to support us pretty well and we’re both healthy. I feel bad for her, but she’s dragging all of us down. Why can’t she just snap out of it?

Jo Anne and I believe Karen and Kyle’s situation is more pervasive and typical than any of us may know. Trying to find happiness in material possessions will always leave you with an FAITH Magazine

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10 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com

because we can see the hand of God taking part of the load. It is then that we discover new freedom from life’s excessive and oppressive burdens. If Kyle and Karen could picture a three-legged stool – where one leg is Kyle, a second one is Karen and the third one is Christ – the description becomes clearer. If you remove the Christleg, the stool would not support any weight. It would be out of balance and would collapse. Put the Christ-leg back on the stool and it

Trying to find happiness in material possessions will always leave you with an empty feeling regard-

less of the amount accumulated. will hold more weight than you would think possible. It takes all three legs to get through life’s daily trials and tribulations.

On another level, we see a need for Kyle and Karen to practice their communication skills better.

In particular, it appears Kyle is not a good listener nor does he understand Karen’s need for support.

Additionally, he appears to be insensitive to what may be causing Karen to be sad or depressed.

“Snap out of it” only works in fictional movies! Karen may need to get professional help to deter-

Deacon Tom Fogle is director of family life ministry, a mi

2/5/08 3:12:48 PM

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tips for prudent stewardship

W

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There are so many stories that haven’t been heard that will make history and faith come alive for later generations.

buy it.’ The other will say, ‘Wait a minute, we don’t have that budgeted.’ We end up trying to act as a referee and trying to get them to narrow down on their goals.” One tip: Don’t leave fun out of the plan. Even if things are tight, we all need a break now and then. Dinner. A movie. Dessert. If there’s a simple way to generate smiles and maintain sanity, make sure it’s in the budget.

mine if there are treatment options for her. From our own experience, Jo Anne and I can attest that sadness and depression come in many different sizes, shapes, forms and degrees. What has worked for us is to spend an extra amount of time with each other talking about the past and the future so we can know how to handle the present. Listening intently with several breaks in the conversation to allow for feedback is critical. This is not an easy task, but it is a crucial task if we are striving for a healthy, longterm marriage relationship.

– Tom and JoAnne Fogle

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While your family is still around

hether it’s in your wallet, it’s nearly always on your mind.

Money — and how to manage it — is a topic many of us wrestle with daily. FAITH turned to Ted Zale, a veteran financial adviser for Morgan Stanley and a member of Lansing’s St. Gerard Parish, for some practical pocketbook advice. Here’s a tip that can help you today: The ‘B’ word: This step of financial management isn’t glamorous, but it is crucial. You need a plan — and it’s not going to create itself. Sit down with your spouse, roll up your sleeves and start scribbling down your monthly expenses and your income. It’s called a (insert groan here) budget and it’s critical to managing your money on a daily basis. The sooner couples have defined their needs and wants and settled on a common strategy, the better, Zale says. “The first thing you have to do is get an agreement between spouses,” he said. “One might say, ‘I like that HD television and I’m gonna

j o u r n e y

Preserve your family history

The ‘B’ word

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n the 1930s, teens would turn the radio dial to NBC and make up steps when Let’s Dance aired. They thronged to the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles to hear Benny Goodman. In 1938, the “King of Swing” played Carnegie Hall! But these dancers weren’t carefree, and life wasn’t as prosperous as their parents had envisioned it would be when they were born.

Parenting: Always a journey into the unknown When the Great War ended, parents didn’t know it would eventually be called World War I. They envisioned a long period of peace. As families were blessed with children in the 1920s, few anticipated that each year crept closer toward the Wall Street crash. Yet World War II and the Depression shaped the lives their children would lead. The economic disaster built a generation’s sense of identity; children learned the value of a dollar and strong intergenerational bonds were forged.

Parents longed to provide more, and youth were determined to help out. Adolescents listened as Martha Tilton’s voice soared next to Goodman’s clarinet, “We kiss, and the angels sing and leave their music ringing in my heart.” They were poised for the future: Finding love and wondering if dreams for work and school could be fulfilled. To their parents, the future looked grim. Having been through the “war to end all wars,” they sought comfort in prayer: “Do not be afraid, little flock.”

(Luke 12:32) Parents couldn’t guarantee children rosy futures. Instead, they helped children grow in relationship with God, who would always be there for them.

‘He will call upon me, and I will answer him’ (Psalm 91:15)

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Young adults of the World War II era answered the call of their nation. Many looked beyond themselves for the strength to endure. The depth of their faith was evident then and can still be seen among today’s elderly. To deal with uncertainty and fear, they called upon the Lord and listened for God’s answers. Today’s youth are making plans for their futures in the shadow of global unrest, too. They can learn from the past. Encourage them to ask older family members to pull out old photos and to share stories of the Depression and the war. There are so many stories that haven’t been heard that will make history and faith come alive for later generations. Visits with older relatives can be fascinating when the family comes eager to listen to a storyteller. Write down the stories and make family collections. As more members of the “Greatest Generation” reach the end of their lives, a song from their youth resonates the joy of the life of the kingdom of God: “We meet, and the angels sing, the angels sing the sweetest song I ever heard …” – Dr. Cathleen McGreal

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Hopeful, not helpless FAITH Magazine

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A letter about pornography in today’s society

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ishop Mengeling has appointed a committee to address the pastoral challenges of pornography in our society. This committee is currently developing a variety of pastoral resources for adults, parents, young adults, middle-school and high- school teens and children. As each resource is completed, it will be added to the diocesan Web site. A letter from Bishop Mengeling, announcing the appointment of this committee, can be viewed or downloaded at: www.dioceseoflansing.org/news_information/bishop_porn_committee_01_08.pdf.

ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF L

ANSING

Office of the Bishop

300 West Ottawa Street • Lan

sing, Michigan 48933-1577

January 7, 2008

This positive program for adults, parents, teens and children, plus clergy, teachers, counselors, coaches and others will:

Dear Friends in Christ, With you, I share deep anxiety and concern about all threats to the human person, esp ecially our children, teens and young adults.

The prevalence and spread of por nography is alarming.

Its worldwide tentacles of corrup tion and addiction reach everywhere. Most omino us is the easy access to Internet porn for vulnerable chil dren, teens and young adults.

We are not helpless. We are help less only when we are hopeless. I firmly believe we can counteract and isolate pornography for the sake of our children, teens, young adults and everyone. With convict ion, hope and zeal, I invite you to join with all in our diocese and me in dealing with the ever spreading poi son of pornography.

I have established a diocesan com mittee to study this widespread and urgent problem and provide helpful information and ways to answer : • what do I need to know?

• what can I do?

• how can I guide and protect my family?

• how can I teach and protect chil dren & teens?

• create awareness, knowledge and know-how • describe skills for becoming a healthy and happy person • explain God’s good news abo ut sexuality and marriage • offer ways to live a wholesome Christian life in a society inundated with pornograp hy • These resources will also be on our website www. dioceseoflansing.org. Look for periodic updates in FAITH Magazine.

In the name of Jesus who said: “Let the children come to me”, I fervently beseech pastors , pastoral coordinators, deacons, directors of religiou s education, youth ministers, teachers, catechists, cou nselors, coaches and all diocesan leaders to commit you rself enthusiastically and actively to this saving mission . Please become acquainted with this program and determine with others how to utilize it in your parish and school.

The prayers of all of us in this lovi ng mission especially for our children and youth, will help us persevere in discerning the way of Christ to live a chaste life in our society. Hope in our Lord spurs us on. Remember: ‘When we are hopeless, we are helpless.’

Hoping with you in our Lord,

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Bishop Carl F. Mengeling “He must increase, I must dec

rease” – Jn. 3:30

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G o d and the arts

Many philosophers and theologians, such as Hans Urs von Balthasar, believe the human creative drive is a reflection of the divine creator.

Throughout history, artists of all kinds – from poets and painters to sculptors and songwriters – have attempted to express their understanding of God. Each month, FAITH presents a sample:

What does it mean for God to

Who is that philosopher?

Prior to studying theology, seminarians study philosophy, which is defined as “the love of wisdom.”

Many great theologians have thoughts rooted in pre-Christian philosophers, and we are going to profile some of them in this series.

Socrates Who was he? Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher in Athens whose writings either didn’t exist or didn’t survive. So how do we know anything about him? Most of Socrates’ history comes from three sources: Plato’s dialogues, Aristophanes’ plays and Xenophon’s dialogues. According to Plato, Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus and Phaenarete. He married Xanthippe, and they had three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menxenus.

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What did he do? He may have been a stonemason – some sources say that he did nothing but discuss philosophy.

What is he best known for?

Socrates is most well-known for the method that bears his name. Under the Socratic method, problems are framed in the form of a question and the answer to the question will yield a solution to the problem. The questions and answers are often stated in a process of elimination. He was concerned with the pursuit of truth and the immortality of the soul.

How did he die? Socrates was at odds with the political powers in Athens and he was convicted of heresy and corruption of Athenian youth. He was sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning. Submitting himself to the authority of the state, and not wishing to appear fearful of death, Socrates refused an attempt to escape and drank the poison.

Meet the theologians:

Father Stevens

Father Schoenstene

FAITH interviewed Father Gladstone Stevens, who is vice-rector of St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore.

Father Robert Schoenstene is a Scripture professor at Mundelein Seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Q

How do we know God created the world?

Fr. Stevens: The full meaning of God as creator we only know through direct revelation and Scripture. What does it mean for God to create? How does it launch this whole process of salva-

Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hoped I sped; And shot, precipitated, Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears, From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

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are you a heretic?

What do you believe about the nature of God? Do you think God is: a. a single person who has revealed himself in three modes or forms throughout history? God the Father in the Old Testament, Jesus in the New Testament and the Holy Spirit after the Resurrection? b. three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are of one essence.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the correct answer is b. If you answered a, you may have fallen into the heresy of modalism, which states God has revealed himself in three forms or modes. The modes are consecutive and not simultaneous. Current groups who are modalistic include some Pentecostal and apostolic churches. tion? Even Aquinas recognized that, even apart from the light of faith, there are evidences or signs of a creator God all around us.

We experience purposefulness in the world. Now, to be sure, there is randomness and disorder that never satisfy the human mind. We cannot explain the world around us or even orient ourselves to it by reference to that randomness.

But there is a sense of directionality, that we are moving toward something. There is a sense of some kind of plan at work – it may not be fully realized, it may only be intimated, but there is a kind of intelligibility present.

Evolution or other scientific theories don’t really get to the heart of these theological issues.

Science, whether it’s evolution or physics, can only defer to the theo-

There is nothing that contradicts the idea that the creator God can use evolution to bring forward his providential and creative plan. logical question. It can never fully explain it. Science, in any form, cannot talk about the ultimate from which everything came nor the ultimate destination of all things.

These are ultimately metaphysical and theological questions, and science is ill-equipped to deal with that. There is nothing that contradicts the idea that the creator God can use evolution to bring forward his providential and creative plan.

Number 3 The number 3 is a symbol of holiness in Judaism – the Holy of Holies was 1/3 of the Temple, and there were three vessels.

The blessing of the priest had three sections and the word “holy” is repeated three times when calling upon God. The number is significant for Christians as a symbol of the Trinity.

Bible Quiz Where in the world …

This mountainous land was east of the Jordan and extended from the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

It is well-watered and ideal for growing olives and vines. It was famous for being rich with balm and well-forested. In the Song of Solomon, the beloved’s hair is compared with a flock of goats from this region. Try that compliment today! Its most famous native son? Elijah, who was from the

town of Tishbe. What is this biblical land named?

Turn to page 30 for the answer

I think what the church is saying is that a strict Darwinian evolution, one that reduces everything to chance and necessity, that’s not in keeping with providence. There are actually very few strict Darwinians out there anyway. God, in his subtlety, can use all sorts of means to bring forth his plan for creation.

Fr. Schoenstene: How do we know anything? We know things in many ways – one of them is through experience. Drop a bowling ball on your foot and it hurts. We also know things because people tell us – we used to believe the sun went around the earth – we now trust the physicists who tell us otherwise. A big way of knowing is by trusting what someone has said. We know about God through faith – the kind of knowing in which you trust that there is something you believe in, and we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and can be trusted.

Something about the Old Testament has the ring of truth – we come to know God through revelation rather than just our own experience.

It’s basically a matter of faith.

It seems to fit the facts.

The atheists who say there is absolutely no God have a false position, because they cannot know that. Agnostics who say, “I don’t know” are more honest. The evidence is that there is something in front of us.

– Elizabeth Solsburg

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Paul Melton was thousands of miles from home on an island in the Pacific Ocean when he discovered he wasn’t too keen on war.

Undoubtedly, countless American soldiers, sailors and pilots experienced similar epiphanies during World War II. The difference is how Paul reached his conclusion about conflict – and what he decided to do about it.

A gung-ho teenager raised on Detroit’s east side, Paul volunteered to enter the Army Air Corps in 1944 to help the U.S. battle Japan and Germany. Eventually, he became a gunner on a bomber.

But by the end of his service in 1946, Paul was a card-carrying pacifist. One might assume his views changed by witnessing the horrors and atrocities of war. But he never engaged in combat. Instead, the joys of human commonality and connection changed his mind about the morality of his mission.

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tationed on Guam, Paul befriended the Japanese prisoners he was charged with guarding. He gained respect and admiration for his enemies by watching them work as gardeners, builders and artists.

“It was a kind of religious experience.

I had a very good relationship with some of the Japanese prisoners. Some were very talented and accomplished. I learned about Japanese gardening and bonsai. I became very interested in Japanese culture. I felt the war was evil and not good and that we were not enemies of each other.”

Paul, who was raised Catholic, soon

told his chaplain, who encouraged him to stick by his, well … guns. Upon returning home, Paul quickly found friends who shared his convictions against war and his commitment to peace. Many belonged to the Catholic Worker Movement, a group that has shaped Paul’s life, faith and family for the last 60 years.

Paul was familiar with Catholic Worker

before he entered the military because his mother was a devotee of its founder, Dorothy Day. The movement operated several houses of hospitality in Detroit, including one at Holy Trinity Parish where the Meltons belonged.

“We’d go down there and bring food and clothing,” Paul says. “We got to know (Day) when she’d come to Detroit.”

So when he was fresh out of the Army Air Corps, it was natural for Paul to start attending Catholic Worker meetings and begin reading authors who argued passionately for its values. Eventually, he was offered the chance to help start a Christian farming community in South Lyon. Paul and his wife, Gloria, were given a five-acre plot on St. Benedict’s Farm to begin their lives together. They were joined by four other families who’d made the same commitment to embrace the “spirit of poverty.”

“The idea was to live poverty and be as independent as possible,” Paul says. “We were going to weave our own fabric and make our own clothes out of deerskin. We were city people, so we didn’t know how to do that. (But) we got pretty good at agriculture, raising our own food and canning goods in the summer.”

The Meltons started building their family and their home, a project that took 15 years to complete. Not that Melton considers it complete.

“We’re still always adding on to it and doing little things,” Melton said.

The couple raised six children despite spending years with no electricity or indoor plumbing and having very little money. They farmed the land with horses instead of tractors, stored vegetables in their basements and shared livestock with their neighbors.

Ironically, Melton never considered himself a “member” of the Catholic Worker Movement.

“This was not a movement you joined,” he says. “It didn’t seem there was a point where, ‘You were or you weren’t.’ We felt close to them in spirit and gave them lots of money when we had it. We were just trying to be good Catholics. We felt the Catholic Worker had some radical ideas What do you think about the greatest generation?

We asked participants at Catechetical Days what they thought of each generation:

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about pacifism and war and peace. We discussed these ideas and argued about them in a positive way.”

One of the most intriguing ideas was voluntary poverty. Living poor is a key to spiritual growth, Paul says. Choosing to live without money frees people to make radical choices – “That includes not just things of enjoyment or pleasure like art and creativity but also things for the Lord.

But as it turns out, staying poor can be hard work.

“Lady Poverty can disappear if you’re not careful,” Paul says with a chuckle.

In 1944, what was the price of …?

• Flour was 32 cents per pound • Bread was 9 cents per pound • Bacon was 41 cents per pound • Butter was 50 cents per pound • Eggs were 54 cents per dozen • Milk (delivered to your door) was 31 cents per half-gallon • Oranges were 46 cents per dozen • Potatoes were 46 cents for 10 pounds • A can of tomatoes was 10 cents • Coffee was 30 cents per pound

Who was Dorothy Day?

on? at

More faithful?

Dorothy Day was born in New York in 1897, raised in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. After two years of col-

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“You think you have her and you have to give up and give away and do without.

There’s quite an art to practicing poverty. It becomes wealth if you’re frugal and thrifty and you don’t waste. Gradually, we became rich, successful in the eyes of the world.”

That’s partly due to the career Paul started out of a crisis in the late 1950s.

The family’s well ran dry and they needed $800 to drill a replacement. So, Paul sold a horse to Greenfield Village to pay for the well. Soon, he was raising, training and selling horses, many to “rich kids” who competed in equestrian events.

It worked out better than raising cows, sheep and chickens – all of which the Melton children wouldn’t eat because “They thought it was their friend.”

Sparked by his experience on Guam, Paul also operated a Japanese gardening service over the years, designing and maintaining many projects.

Though he’s put some money in his pocket over the decades, he remains committed to living “in a true spirit of poverty” and

lege, she dropped out and headed for Greenwich Village in New York City, where she became part of the bohemian movement that characterized the times. She worked for socialist magazines and in 1917, she was jailed for her participation in a protest against women’s exclusion from the electorate. She became pregnant as the result of an affair and had an abortion, which

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serving God – “It’s a giving up, a denying of things.”

The Meltons still live in their house at St. Benedict’s Farm, where they now own 10 acres. Most of their neighbors are still the original settlers or their descendants.

Paul and Gloria have 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; most of them live in southeast Michigan.

“Our kids didn’t always buy the poverty thing,” Paul says with a laugh. “They weren’t as crazy about it as we were. But they’re all generous and have a relationship to the poor in their life.”

Looking back, Paul says that a city kid moving to a communal farm was a bit strange. But perhaps no more so than a pacifist in the Air Corps.

“I love the country,” he says, “and I loved the land.”

And he loves the Lord. After a lifetime of work, he’s rock-solid in his Catholic faith and determined to live by the Catholic Worker values he’s embraced for so many years.

“We’re trying very hard.”

dramatically changed her life and became the subject for her novel, The Eleventh Virgin. In 1924, Day began a common-law marriage with Forster Batterham, an Englishman with whom she had a child, Tamar. Day, who had been strongly drawn to the Catholic Church, had her daughter baptized and then followed her into the church.

She became increasingly commit-

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ted to promoting Catholic social teaching and began The Catholic Worker newspaper with Peter Maurin. By 1936, there were also 33 Catholic Worker houses in the U.S. Cardinal John O’Connor of New York announced the cause for beatification for Dorothy Day, Servant of God, in 2000 and received Vatican approval to initiate the canonization process.

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to spark plugs

even major battles, a deadly typhoon and a kamikaze attack. Dominic Militello survived them all during World War II. More than 60 years later, Dominic has no doubt why he made it through unscathed.

“I had somebody at home praying for me,” he says.

That somebody was Dominic’s mother, Mary, who attended daily Mass to pray for Dominic and his brother, who was serving in the U.S. Army.

“She was a wonderful woman, a really devout Catholic,” says Dominic, 83, who now lives in Swartz Creek.

When Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Dominic – like thousands of young men – was enraged.

Less tolerant?

What was it like when the greatest generation was the young generation?

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But as a student at St. Joseph School in his hometown of Bay City, he was also too young to join the fight.

“I was gung-ho,” he remembers. “If they would have let me quit school and go right then, I would have. You’re really worked up when your country is being attacked.”

Dominic entered the fray soon enough, drafted to the U.S. Navy shortly after high-school graduation in 1943. Eventually, he wound up sailing with the Third Fleet under the famous Admiral William

“Bull” Halsey, who led the fight against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater.

“He wanted to catch the Japanese fleet,” Dominic says. “He was the kind of guy who would go through anything to kill the (enemy).”

During one fight, Dominic’s ship, the New Jersey, was struck by a Japanese kamikaze pilot who slipped through the hail of machine gun fire. Fortunately, it was not a direct blow.

“He just barely skidded the side,” Dominic says. “We were in danger a lot, but we only got hit that one time.”

While his mother prayed vigilantly, Dominic – a longtime member of Flint’s St. Pius X Parish – hit his knees plenty when the shooting started.

“You’d better believe we prayed,” he says with a chuckle. “Every time I went through a battle, I thanked God.” On one tragic occasion, the weather was the enemy. In December 1944, a typhoon struck the Third Fleet near the Philippines, sinking three destroyers, wiping out almost 150 planes and killing nearly 800 men. The storm’s winds reached 140 miles per hour, but Dominic was unharmed.

Dominic witnessed Japan’s surrender to Gen. Douglas MacArthur: “At the time, (the ceremonial surrender) didn’t seem like too much because our thoughts were just to get home,” says Dominic, who later worked more than 30 years at the AC Spark Plug factory in Flint. “Over the years, it’s gotten to be more famous.”

Saint Josemaría Oct. 2, 1928 Escrivá founded Opus Dei, a worldwide organization of lay members of the Catholic Church.

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haddeus Modrak’s faith got him through the fight of his life.

Thaddeus was drafted into the U.S. Navy shortly after graduating high school in 1943. Upon entering the service, he was given a scapular, which he quickly stuck in his wallet for safekeeping.

More than 60 years later, that’s exactly where it remains, a powerful reminder of the rock-solid belief that protected and later helped build his life.

“It’s so beat up, you can hardly make it out,” Thaddeus says of the scapular. “But it’s still in there.”

Ditto for his trust in God. Thaddeus, 82, lives in Burton, just south of Flint, where he worked in General Motors’ Fisher Body plant for nearly 40 years. After World War II, he returned home and rolled up his sleeves in the fight for fair wages as a member of the United Auto Workers.

As a young sailor, Thaddeus served on a destroyer escort that hunted German submarines in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. His ship helped sink at least one enemy U-boat.

Maybe it was that scapular tucked close to his body. But looking back, Thaddeus marvels at his lack of fear under fire.

“Youth accepts the adventure, really not knowing what’s involved on the dangerous side. When they started showing Victory at Sea [on television] and showed sub warfare, I started thinking: ‘I wonder how many times we were in the sights of some submarine and didn’t even know it?’ We didn’t think that much of it at the time. We just did what we had to do.”

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Thaddeus’ faith has seen him through many fights

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Albert Einstein warned President Franklin D. Roosevelt that his theories could lead to Nazi Germany’s development of an atomic bomb. Einstein suggested the U.S. develop its own bomb. This resulted in the top-secret “Manhattan Project.”

Oct. 11, 1939

Thaddeus, a torpedoman second class who served from 1943-46, clung to his Catholic faith – “I just accepted everything as it came about as God’s plan. I always felt everybody has some type of plan and you go along with it.”

Thaddeus returned to his hometown after the war but found few jobs in Cheboygan. So he headed south for Flint, where the auto industry was booming, work was plentiful and the UAW was “very powerful.”

“The gains workers enjoy today were ac-

complished by workers through the years,” he said. “Each contract, we gained a little more, a little more, until we ended up with a lot of benefits a lot of jobs didn’t have.”

Thaddeus and his wife, Fairbelle, have three children, seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. They have been parishioners at Holy Redeemer Parish in Burton for 45 years.

“We’re at Mass every Sunday and on holy days. It’s a real friendly parish.”

.

Less liberal?

Vatican Radio is inaugurated. Set up by Guglielmo Feb. 12, 1931 Marconi and inaugurated by Pope Pius XI, its first signal broadcast is in Morse code: In nomine Domini, amen.

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in the convent?

By Eileen Gianiodis | Photography by Philip Shippert

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early everything about the way her life was in 1949 has changed –including her name – and she still loves it.

When Theodora McKennan, a Chicago native, joined the Adrian Dominicans, life as a sister was a bit different than it is today. In fact, nearly everything, from what she did, when she did it, what she wore and what work she did, has changed drastically.

“I loved the life, but there were so many things that were out of joint,” Sister Teddy recalls.

During her postulant and novitiate years, Sister Teddy and other candidates were given new names when they were received into their congregations.

“It didn’t seem weird because I knew it would happen,” she says. “I suppose it was a way of breaking with the past.

We submitted three names and the Mother General, as she was then called, decided which one we would have.”

Sister Teddy asked for Ellen Louise as a name because her mother’s name was Helen Louise and her sister’s name was Mary Ellen.

“I had asked my Methodist dad if he’d like it if I were named for him – Sister Harold – but he thought it would be bizarre for a woman to have a man’s name.”

Sister Teddy’s name wasn’t the only thing that changed over the years. Her schedule did as well.

The sisters used to rise at 5:15 a.m., have 20 minutes to get dressed and be in the chapel for morning prayer and meditation. By Sister Teddy’s own admission,

it was a struggle to make it.

“I was never the first one there,” she laughs.

Maybe it was the habit – during her postulant year, she wore a black dress and apron and a simple black veil. After being received into the novitiate, she was clothed in the Dominican habit: a white, long-sleeved tunic fastened by a leather belt and covered by a long, straight white scapular and a high-necked collar, which covered her shoulders and upper torso.

“It was really a beautiful challenge to keep it clean, since in the novitiate, we wore it all week long before laundering it,” Sister Teddy says.

Novices also wore a white veil lined with heavily starched linen and “supported on our heads by a complicated structure of starched linen which kept it raised above our foreheads. It looked nice if you were good at keeping it straight. I wasn’t.”

After their profession of vows, the sisters traded the white veil for a black one.

Sister Teddy found the Adrian Dominicans to be a perfect fit for her naturally intellectual inclinations.

It was her late parents who instilled a love of learning in a clearly gifted learner.

When she joined the Adrian Do-

During World War II, an act of Congress allowed women to enlist for non-combat duties in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), the Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES), Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), and Semper Paratus Always Ready Service (SPARS), the Women’s Reserve of the Marine Corps.

More generous?

May 14, 1942 % of Baby Boomers think members of the Greatest Generation are more generous than other generations.

55

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% of teens think members of the Greatest Generation are more generous than other generations.

100

% of the Greatest Generation think members of the Greatest Generation are more generous than other generations.

100

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Helen Anderson became the first woman ambassador, appointed by President Harry Truman to be ambassador to Denmark.

Oct. 28, 1949 minicans at age 20, she already had three years of college under her belt. She was sent immediately to Owosso to teach.

When she returned to Adrian for her novitiate year, Sister Teddy earned her undergraduate degree from Siena Heights College. During her novitiate, the sisters in her “crowd,” or class, kept silence most of the day and had an hour of recreation in the evening.

“Sometimes we would have a short period of recreation after lunch, when we weren’t busy attending class, scrubbing and cleaning, or working somewhere on the campus,” she says.

Soon afterward, Sister Teddy received her assignment to continue teaching and earn her master’s degree at the University of Notre Dame during the summer. After completion of that degree, she went on to earn a doctorate in Latin American studies from Loyola University of Chicago, also during the summers. She spent a year studying in Bogotá, Colombia during that time.

During the school year, Sister Teddy taught in Detroit; Des Moines, Iowa; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and finally landed in Escanaba for six years, where she taught high school.

“We received our assignments on a specified date in an envelope,” Sister Teddy remembers. “My parents would wait, with the map, to see where I would

G

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The 1950 Assumption of Mary is defined as dogma.

be the next year.”

Ministries, as they’re called now, are not assigned anymore. Prior to Vatican II, the Mother General might ask the nuns to give her a few choices of where to send them.

“We are encouraged to seek our own ministries now,” Sister Teddy says.

How have things changed? In the years following Vatican II, all religious orders were given a mandate from Rome to review their way of life.

“It was a mandate to renovate,” Sister Teddy says. “We made more of our own choices about prayer. It was more relaxing, contemporary and more real.”

The Adrian Dominicans “renovated” during their renewal chapters for three summers beginning in 1968 – nearly 20 years after Sister Teddy first set foot inside the convent.

“There were so many changes during that time. As laity, we couldn’t participate in much before Vatican II. Now we all help shoulder the responsibility as a church. We’re all people of God … and that’s a great thing.”

There are many other “great things” about being a member of the community, Sister Teddy says. Both now and years ago, celebrating the holidays is especially nice.

“The sisters in charge of the chapel, refectory and other parts of the house

outdid each other in decorating these areas and we had lovely festive meals.”

After teaching for many years, Sister Teddy was sent to Lima, Peru, where she served for nine years in a Maryknoll mission.

“It was a very poor area outside of Lima – there were many squatter’s settlements where we were and our job was to minister to the people there.”

In Peru, Sister Teddy started a women’s group and a youth choir and helped start a school for special-needs children. She taught religious education at night to young people and worked to get clean, running water into the squatter’s settlements.

A dozen years later, Sister Teddy returned to the Midwest as her mother’s health began to fail. At 102, Helen Louise McKennan had seen her daughter through almost half a century of being a nun.

After her mother’s death, Sister Teddy remained in the Midwest. She worked in Madison, Wis., and in Chicago with Spanish-speaking congregations at many parishes.

Now, in her retirement, Sister Teddy serves the Adrian Dominicans as the manager of the Catherine of Siena Library.

At 78, she refers to the time she now spends doing her job as “banker’s hours.”

The DSA supports vocations through the diocesan Office of Formation. Visit www.DioceseOfLansing.org for more information.

s.

Better Catholics?

The Adrian Dominican Sisters belong to the Order of Preachers founded by St. Dominic. The branches of the Dominican family include: brothers, contemplative nuns, congregations of contemplative and apostolic Sisters, lay persons in fraternities or secular institutes, and secular priests in fraternities. “Each one has its own character, its own autonomy. However, by taking part in the charism of St. Dominic, they share between them a single vocation to be preachers in the church” (Chapter of Mexico, 1992). For more information on the international Dominican family, visit www.op.org.

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% of Baby Boomers think members of the Greatest Generation are better Catholics than other generations.

80

% of teens think members of the Greatest Generation are better Catholics than other generations.

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John Cremons

praise, thank and petition God. The idea is that time itself is sacred and a gift from God. What better use of time is there than to spend it with God? St. Paul urges us to pray always. So, the monk’s life is dedicated to the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctifying time through prayer. It was a powerful experience to be able to join the monks in prayer. I had a sense of being swept up with the angels in praise of the living God. Another dimension of Benedictine spirituality is the discipline of fasting. Most of the monks looked healthy, but pretty thin. The food we ate was simple – mainly vegetarian cuisine. It is a little ironic that, in their work, Trappist monks produce delicious food items like cheese, fruitcakes, fudge, wine or beer to help them pay their bills.

I wondered if they ever eat the fruit of their own labors? Besides the cheese, it certainly did not look like it! The monks’ labor reminded me of St. Paul, who worked as a tentmaker during his ministry so as not to burden anyone. The monks have renounced the world to dedicate their lives to God through communal life and prayer. As a community, they are salt and light for our world.

Hospitality is very important for all Trappists and other Benedictines. To welcome the stranger out of love for Jesus Christ is a part of their Benedictine spirituality and rule, and we certainly experienced that immediately from the monk who greeted us at the airport.

When our monk chauffer realized we had not eaten anything all day, he took us to a place that offered a tremendous buffet. He realized that, at the monastery, the food would be wholesome, but might be a big

how to pray like a monk

I

was on my way with a friend to a retreat in the hills of Kentucky. We were going to the Abbey Trappist spirituality today of Gethsemani to spend a week of prayer with the Trappist monks. They are a community of men who consecrate their lives to God through Christ by living a life of prayer and work. They follow closely the Rule of St. Benedict that has guided monastic living in the West for 1,500 years. Their formal title is the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. While that title might scare a lot of people off, it apparently does not keep retreatants away, because we were informed that the retreat house was almost always full. There is a hunger and thirst for Christ in all of us, and our Lord moves us to seek his face

Upon arrival at the monastery, we entered into silence. No TV. No phone. No radio. No Internet.

Only the sound of nature, or the bell calling us to prayer, or the voices of the monks singing and chanting praise to God. Silence was the discipline that really stood out in great contrast to our noisy world.

The monks would speak and sing to God in prayer, but would only speak to one another when needed; “Be still and know that I am God!” Such a discipline helped create and maintain the condition for prayer.

Another beautiful discipline characteristic of BeneFAITH Magazine

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dictine spirituality is its liturgical focus. They pray the psalms throughout the day and night and celebrate the Eucharist each day.

Praying the 150 psalms in a structured way is called the Liturgy of the Hours. At seven designated times during the day and night, the monks gather to pray and to hear God’s word. They join with Christians all over the world to

24 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com 2/5/08 3:21:06 PM

change from our normal diet: “So eat up!” That buffet got me to think of the Messianic banquet prepared for us by Christ. It was overflowing.

“Come to me, all you who labor and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) “Come to the water, all you who are thirsty! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk.” (Is 55:1) We did! There was so much to pick from – a wide variety of food that satisfied all. It was a good appetizer to the real feast of the retreat.

The same could be said for Catholic spirituality. All Catholic spiritualities draw us to the Messianic banquet of Christ. At a banquet, it is true we can pick and choose what we want to feast on. That analogy does not always

in expression, differ in spiritual gifts and ministry, differ in focus and devotion, but don’t differ in their essence. They are Catholic because they spring from the heart of Christ, are rooted in him and reveal in their own unique ways the power of his death and resurrection that transforms the person into another Christ.

All Catholic spiritualities have Christ as their center and are movements of the Holy Spirit to further draw the soul to complete union with God. Benedictine spirituality is one of them, and has blessed the church for nearly 1,500 years, but there are many more. Just in terms of religious orders – there are hundreds of them!

In reflecting on the more familiar ones, we have religious men and women who are drawn by God to truth and so All Catholic spiritualities have Christ as often minister in the church their center and are movements of the as teachers.

Holy Spirit The Order of Preachers, or Jesuits, or Benedictines would work with regard to our faith. We be an example. There are those do not pick and choose parts of who are drawn to the poor by love the Gospel or Catholic teaching to and charity and want to spread live or believe in. When we follow that love through acts of service.

Jesus, we must pick up our cross, The Missionaries of Charity and die to self and sin, and follow him Franciscans are great examples. through death to resurrection. We There are religious orders whose live out our baptism in Christ. That members are drawn to lives is central to all Catholic spiritualiof prayer and contemplation, ties. Without the paschal mystery among them the Carmelites or – the mystery of Christ’s death and Trappistines (female branch of the resurrection – there is no Catholic Trappists), or Poor Clares. spirituality.

There are religious orders However, in terms of Catholic whose members run hospitals, or spiritualities, there is a sense of who have ministries of healing or being in a banquet or buffet line. evangelization. To list them with There is so much there! Another some explanation would take many helpful image is that of a garden. books! The more one looks, the Our Lord has established the more one realizes how large is this church almost as a new Garden of garden of God we call the church in Eden. In Eden, God gave human its expression of Christian life. How beings many kinds of fruit trees truly beautiful it is. It is truly the from which to eat. In the church, mustard seed that has grown into God has also given us many variathe largest of shrubs with room on tions of Gospel life that may differ its branches for all.

to further draw the soul to complete union with God.

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spiritual exercise 3 ways to experience monastic life Many orders have lay members or lay associates who are drawn to imitate the life and practice of the order without taking formal vows.

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his month, consider your own spirituality and ask the Lord to help you grow and expand your own horizons:

• Consider learning more about religious orders. There are many new religious orders forming all over the world. Many orders have lay members or lay associates who are drawn to imitate the life and practice of the order without taking formal vows.

• Consider how the Lord is drawing you to himself. In your life with Jesus, what devotional practices have you incorporated that help you draw closer to him?

• Read a spiritual book on the life of a saint or holy person and think about his or her spirituality. How could you better imitate his or her example? (One possible suggestion would be Thomas Merton’s book, Seven Storey Mountain, which is an autobiography of Merton’s conversion and path to monastic life.

• Go on a retreat. Enter into the quiet! Let God speak to your heart. Do whatever he tells you.

– Fr. Bill Ashbaugh

2/5/08 3:21:09 PM

Frame of Fai h Worth more than a thousand words FAITH Magazine

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remember getting scolded by my grandmother at a very young age for what she considered the mother of all profane utterances – taking our Lord’s name in vain.

“Oh my G _ _” wasn’t followed by a bar of soap and a lashing. However, she made it very clear that I shouldn’t be verbally disrespecting God – no matter what.

There were a couple of other instances in my youth where my grandparents rebuked my actions. Whether it was wearing jeans to Saturday-night Mass or chewing gum beforehand, I would get the usual lecture; then I would politely nod and just go about my business. I will admit, I felt annoyed at times, but I just took it for face value – that their generation and mine were worlds apart, and that their ways were a bit rigid and old-fashioned.

It wasn’t until long after my grandfather died that I started to grow deeper in my faith. It was then that I came to the realization that it wasn’t that my grandparents were “being old fashioned,” but that they were only trying to protect us and help us in our faith formaToday, when I visit tion. And I was going to later my grandmother or find out that their watchful eyes and “rigid” instruction look at a photo of had actually planted a seed, her and Grandpa which would soon grow into something so valuable. as a couple, Today, when I visit my grandmother or look at a photo of her and Grandpa as a couple, I am reminded of, and thankful for, the guidance they gave me.

Indeed, the greatest gifts our ancestors have given are not found among the mothballed heirlooms that crowd our closets, but in the intangible gifts of our Catholic faith and tradition.

Like me, perhaps many of you recognize this and think about this gift when you stare at the old photos of loved ones who have died. Does the black and white picture merely collect dust and cover a blemish on the wall, or does it remind us to pray for and thank our loving relatives who gave us so much. Perhaps the way in which we adorn their photo can be reminiscent of this incredible gift that our prior generations have given us ...

I am reminded of, and thankful for, the guidance they gave me.

Directions: For this project, you will need the following: • Vintage or “distressed” 5x7” picture frame • Assorted crucifix or cross pendants (can be purchased at Catholic bookstores or online) • Small- to medium-sized wire cutters • Jewelry or metal glue (follow directions on tube – some are resin with hardener)

Begin by using the wire cutters to remove the loops/rings from the selected crucifix/cross pendants. Arrange the pendants in any fashion on the picture frame. Apply small drops of the glue on the back of the pendants and gently place on frame.

Wait a couple of hours for glue to harden or set.

Other Ideas: Create your own vintage frame. Give an unfinished frame a distressed look by gashing it with a straight bladed screwdriver before staining it.

By Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Philip Shippert FM0308 layout-back.indd 27

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A new book for home-schooling moms

Seekers of justice – Grace and Ray Pizaña On Jan. 21, Deacon Ray and Grace Pizaña received the Catholic Charities of Lenawee Blessed Mother Teresa Seeker of Justice Award. A dinner in their honor was hosted by the Knights of Columbus at St. Elizabeth Parish in Tecumseh, where Ray serves as deacon. Grace and Ray have worked tirelessly for more than 20 years to bring physical and spiritual comfort to the many migrant workers who spend time in Lenawee County each growing season. As the children of migrants themselves, Grace and Ray are particularly sensitive to the needs of the people they serve. Grace expressed her gratitude to the people of St. Elizabeth Parish, saying that nothing they have done would be possible without the support of their fellow parishioners. Ray said that everything they do has been doubly blessed by God and he is very grateful.

Maureen Wittman is a homeeducating mom of seven children. She is also a well-established author and editor in the world of Catholic literature. Her most recent work, For the Love of Literature, has received much praise. The book is meant to help other home-educating Catholic moms but is a valuable resource to any parent. For the Love of Literature contains a lifetime reading plan, easy-to-implement tips and ideas, top picks by grade for every subject and literary guides for every family member. For more information, contact Joan Stromberg at Ecce Homo Press, call 866.305.8362 or visit www.eccehomopress.com.

Psalm6teen to play at World Youth Day Diocese of Lansing Christian music group Psalm6teen has been invited to play during World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, this summer. The group, which comprises Eduardo Guerra and his two sons, is trying to raise money through its Web site, www.psalm6teen.com.

DisAbility awareness book published for Diocese of Lansing DisAbility Awareness Activity Book for Children, Youth and Families by Joann Davis and Todd Gale, offers a unique opportunity for children to learn about people with disAbilities through mazes, puzzles, saints with disabilities, Braille page and much more. This activities book is a fundraiser for Rainbow Homes and Queen of the Miraculous Medal Parish Youth Program. For more information, visit http://home.catholicweb.com/ disAbilityawareness/ FAITH Magazine

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Painting exhibit St. John parishioner, George Shih-jan Liu, exhibited a collection of his paintings at the Okemos Library during November 2007. The exhibition, Electronic Dreams, was dedicated to the memory of George’s late wife, Lily Liu; some of her paintings were also exhibited.

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Holy Trinity Student Parish expands its student center On Oct. 7, 2007, Holy Trinity Student Chapel dedicated its newly renovated John XXIII Student Center. Helping celebrate the occasion were Bishop Mengeling, Fr. Leo Broderick, the founding pastor, and Fr. Francis, who helped lead the capital stewardship campaign – Crossing the Threshold ... Fulfilling the Vision.

The parish extended its gratitude to to all who have, over the past five years, been involved in any way in the plan to increase the John XXIII Student Center – “The names are too numerous to mention and would, literally, be almost a complete list of our registered parishioner database.

Everyone, in some way or another, has had a part in the successful realization of our vision. At some point in time we all became servants of God and helped to make a long-time dream a reality.”

Theology Brewing The Jackson region has introduced a new program to engage young people in theological discussions in a casual environment. Theology Brewing invites speakers to present various topics at the Jackson Coffee Company. Organizers ask the participants to choose the topics, so that issues are relevant to them. The first session drew 30 participants and newcomers are welcome. Theology Brewing meets the first Thursday of the month at the Jackson Coffee Company; interested attendees should contact their parish’s director of religious education for more information.

Requiescat in pace, Father Amos Wischmeyer Father Amos Wischmeyer, pastor of St. Mary Queen of Angels Parish in Swartz Creek, died Sun., Jan. 27, as he was preparing to celebrate Mass at his parish. Father Wischmeyer had been the pastor

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Bishop Mengeling celebrates 12 years as our shepherd Bishop Mengeling celebrated his 12th anniversary as the bishop of the Diocese of Lansing at a Mass at St. Mary Cathedral on Jan. 25.

at St. Mary in Swartz Creek since 1967 and was 83 at the time of his death. He is survived by his sister, Sister Irene Wischmeyer, OP of Adrian; his sister-in-law, Bonnie Wischmeyer, the widow of Maurice Wischmeyer; and his brothers Norman and Melvin (Margaret).

Father Wischmeyer was born April 21, 1924, in Shepherd, Mich., to Edward and Irene Wischmeyer.

He was ordained to the priesthood June 2, 1951 in Lansing. Prior to becoming the pastor of St. Mary, he served as associate pastor of Most Holy Trinity Parish, Fowler and St. Philip, Battle Creek. He had been the pastor of St. Joseph, Gaines and St. Mary, New Buffalo.

Condolences may be sent to St. Mary Parish, 7563 Mary St., Swartz Creek, MI 48473.

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things to do: Retrouvaille Weekend Retreats for troubled marriages.

2008 Weekend Dates: April 18-20, Jun. 6-8, Aug. 8-10, Oct. 17-19. For more information, visit www.retrouvaille.info or contact Butch and Brenda Secord at 517.290.5596 The National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors Annual Convocation will be held in Indianapolis, March 25-28. More than 700 exhibits, professional development workshops, issues forums and roundtable discussions are planned. For registration, call 202.337.6232 or log on to www.npcd@ncea.org.

The 72nd Annual National Conference for Catechetical Leadership will be held in Houston, April 6-10. It is intended for catechetical leaders. For registration, visit www. nccl.org or call Pete Ries at 517.342.2486 or Michael Andrews at 517.342.2479 State Young Adult Conference will be held March 29 at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor.

Holy Spirit Women’s Guild will hold its rummage sale March 27-28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and March 29, 9 a.m.-noon. The parish is located at Winans Lake and Musch Roads in Hamburg.

Call 810.231.1418 for more information.

Lansing Symphony will present Bach’s St. John Passion, Palm Sunday, March 16, 7 p.m. at St. Mary Cathedral.

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This is one of Bach’s most powerful oratorios, performed by the symphony orchestra and the MSU Chorale and Choral Union. The concert is sponsored by Capitol National Bank, a Capitol Bancorp affiliate. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for students; call 517.487.5001 or order online at www.LansingSymphony.org.

The 24th Annual Msgr.

Jerome V. MacEachin Dinner will be held May 15 at the Breslin Student Events Center at Michigan State University. NFL football star Terry Bradshaw will be the keynote speaker for this gala event to benefit Lansing Catholic Central’s tuition fund and the Shinsky Orphanage Project.

Sam and Judy Eyde will be presented with a community service award for their many years of dedicated service to Catholic education in the Lansing area. For tickets, or information contact Colleen Murray or Mary Frank at 517.267.2109.

Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, will be the Lenten speaker at St. John Parish, Davison, on March 13 and 14. For more information, call Elaine Ouellette at 810.658.4776, ext. 272 or e-mail stjohncafe@yahoo.com.

march café events • What Is Faith will be offered March 5 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Lansing. For information and registration, call JoAnn Angers at 517.393.3033.

• Sustainable Environnment: Living Simply will be presented at St. Casimir Lansing, April 22, at 6 p.m. Supper will include recipes from the Pacific Islands. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge.

At the St. Francis Retreat Center Visit www.stfrancis.ws or call 866.669.8321 for more information about any of these offerings.

Jesus: Ever Ancient, Ever New, the 2008 Weekend Retreat For Men and Women. Offered 21 weekends throughout the year, Friday-Sunday. Suggested donation: $130

Send an email to esolsburg@ faithpublishingservice.com.

The deadline for the May issue is March 12.

No Teacher Left Behind. Fri., Feb. 29 or Fri., March 7, 9 a.m.3 p.m.This series of retreat days will be sponsored semi-annually for the staff and teachers of Catholic schools. They will focus on the spirituality and collaborative skills of working together effectively to do the mission of Jesus. $22, includes lunch.

The Path to Jerusalem Thurs. March 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Father Doug Osborn, diocesan priest, is the retreat presenter. Let us make our way to Jerusalem and follow in the steps of Jesus as

presented

by Don Goergen, OP, March 18-19. Commuter cost for one day is $25; cost for two days is $45. presented

by Barbara E. Reid, OP, April

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30 March 2008 | www.FAITHmag.com

• One People, One Planet, One Spirit will be presented

by Sister Eileen Gannon, OP, April 1 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Weber Center, Adrian.

For further information, call 517.266.4015.

Women Friends/Sister Friends Retreat Day. Sat., Feb. 16, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Bring your friends and let’s talk about our friendships, $35 includes lunch.

To have your event listed in FAITH Magazine

The following programs will be hosted at the Weber Center in Adrian. Please call 517.266.4000 for more information about any of them.

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16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Commuter cost is $45.

presented by Kathleen Matz, CDP, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Commuter cost is $45.

Answer to Bible Quiz (page 13): Gilead

2/5/08 3:22:29 PM

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March Readings Sunday, March 2 Fourth Sunday of Lent 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Eph 5:8-14 Jn 9:1-41

Friday, March 21 Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Is 52:13-53:12 Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Jn 18:1-19:42

Sunday, March 9 Fifth Sunday of Lent Ez 37:12-14 Rom 8:8-11 Jn 11:1-45

Saturday, March 22 Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil Ex 14:15-15:1 Is 54:5-14 Mat 28:1-10

Sunday, March 16 Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Mt 21:1-11 Is 50:4-7 Phil 2:6-11 Mat 26:14-27:66

Sunday, March 23 Solemnity of Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Col 3:1-4 Jn 20:1-9

Thursday, March 20 Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper Ex 12:1-8, 11-14 1 Cor 11:23-26 Jn 13:1-15

Sunday, March 30 Solemnity of the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday Acts 2:42-47 Pt 1:3-9 Jn 20:19-31

we take up our individual crosses. $35, includes lunch.

Celtic Evening of Fun, Food and Song Thurs., March 13, 5:30-9 p.m. (optional Mass at 5:30, supper at 6:15). Time to be immersed in the prayer, song, mystery and spirituality of the Irish people. $30, includes an Irish supper.

Knitting/Crocheting into the Mystery.

The fiber arts as a form of prayer. Sat., March 15, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Beginners and advanced knitters are welcome to attend and enjoy this day of handwork, reflection and fun. Prayer shawl groups are encouraged to come together to celebrate and affirm their work. $35, includes lunch.

Administrative Support Assistants Day. Thurs., March 27, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.An opportunity for parish and school support staff to laugh away their stress and further develop their spirituality. $30, includes lunch and morning hospitality.

God’s Bounty: Landscaping with Edibles, Sat., April 5, 9 a.m.-noon. This program will guide “City Slickers” to incorporate vegetables and other edibles into their landscapes. $35 per person.

Plant Sale, Sat., May 10, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

We’ll have plants for shade, drought tolerance and new varieties of re-blooming German Iris.

In addition, we will be selling photo note cards of the retreat center.

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The Greatest Generation at home There was a neighborly bonding between folks at all levels, a spirit that told us: “We’re all in this together.”

Sacrifice was not particularly heroic, it was simply necessary

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was 8 years old when, on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Four days later, on Dec. 11, Adolf Hitler declared war on the United States.

America’s isolationist mentality disappeared as we found ourselves involved in the world’s travails as never before.

Long lines of volunteers sought to enlist in our armed forces.

Young boys and old men falsified their ages in order to join the Army, Navy and Marines. The Atlantic and Pacific oceans, we realized, were no longer our moats.

The people of that generation had been tested and tried in the Great Depression, an economic disaster that had been at its worst levels in 1938 and 1939. Tooling up our factories in order to supply the British and French with armaments was beginning to lift Americans out of the Depression’s nadir. A new car cost $925, and a house $6,900. Milk was 34 cents a gallon; gasoline 19 cents a gallon and a postage stamp 3 cents. Americans’ average annual household income was $2,050.

Women went to work, taking the places of the men who went off to war. The Army, Navy and Marines organized branches of their services for women. A social revolution took place with a swiftness never before witnessed in human history.

Here at home, households were given ration stamps that allowed only limited consumption of gasoline, butter, meat, sugar, fuel oil and rubber tires. Even shoes were rationed.

There was a neighborly bonding between folks at all levels, a spirit that told us: “We’re all in this together.” Sacrifice was not particularly heroic, it was simply necessary.

The greatness of that generation was found in multiple causes and in many aspects of human living. There were some people who quite literally wanted to rule the world.

They claimed for themselves the prerogatives of God over human life. We were fighting against the debasement of what it means to be human.

Ordinary, plain, humble Americans of little means, struggling up from a terrible depression, stood up and said “No!” No, they said, we are endowed by our creator with our human rights, rights that we will not allow tyrants to take from us. No, we said to the fascists and the Axis powers. We will die before you deprive us of what God has made us to be. And if we must die, will die free men and women.

The rest is history – a living history.

We are the heirs of that generation.

How, we should ask ourselves, will we spend our inheritance?

– Fr. Charles Irvin

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notes:

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