March 2015

E S U AB.W. LIFE FROM

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How Sisters Judy and Carol helped Jessie believe in herself parenting journey:

My kids’ wardrobes are driving me crazy spiritual fitness:

How to pray the Stations of the Cross special report:

Apostolic Visitation Final Report

Overcoming limitations, BRINGING COMFORT TO OTHERS

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uring the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I met one of the gentlest souls I have ever known. Her name was Bertha, and she was a resident in the county nursing home at which I was volunteering as part of my confirmation service project. At that time, Bertha was, at the age of 89, the oldest person I had ever had the pleasure of knowing. The lessons she shared with me that summer have stuck with me despite the fact that over 30 years have since elapsed.

CATHOLIC HOSPITALS by the numbers

from the editor Father Dwight Ezop is editor of FAITH Magazine and pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Fenton. Email: editor@FAITHpub.com.

in comparison, however, to the gentle, uncomplaining and gracious way in which Bertha chose to deal with her limitations.

Bertha endured painful limitations in order to crochet beautiful and warm afghans that brought shelter and comfort to fellow residents. Through her own faith-filled and gentle witness, Bertha taught me that God’s grace can help us to take positive steps to overcome limitations, and in so doing, provide safety and warmth for others. After all, as Bertha would say, we’ve got to make every step count. And so, step by step, our journey in FAITH continues.

How many visits to Catholic hospitals happen in a year? (2013) OVER 19.5 MILLION ER visits

1 in 6 patients in the U.S. is cared for in a Catholic hospital (2014)

OVER 102 MILLION outpatient visits

How many Catholic hospital employees are there? (2013)

521,821 223,800

full-time employees

part-time employees

Catholic hospitals in the U.S. in 2013: 645 hospitals | More than 5.2 million patients served 2

FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

Source: Catholic Health Association of the United States, www.chausa.org. Sick girl illustration: ©DollarPhotoClub/majivecka, Doctor/nurse: ©DollarPhotoClub/Edyta Pawlowska

her limitations, but turn them to a kind of advantage, not so much for herself, but for her fellow residents.

One of the many skills Bertha had learned as a child was to crochet beautifully. It was amazing to watch her hands as they would slowly yet deftly create beautiful afghans as gifts for her fellow residents and for sale in the nursing home gift shop. Bertha felt strongly that there was nothing more comforting than a warm, hand-made afghan, and she loved knowing she was doing what she could to make the best of a bad situation. I also came to admire her self-styled form of efficiency, which was revealed in her own wise words, “If you can’t walk, you’ve got to make every step count.” She was a victor, not a victim.

I took some time that summer to find out how much yarn was needed to make an average afghan. With a few careful questions, a little research and some figuring, I was astonished to discover that Bertha crocheted, on average, about 15 miles of yarn each year. That figure paled

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Bertha often spoke fondly of her childhood and the dedicated work ethic that her parents fostered in Bertha and her siblings on their family farm. At a young age, Bertha developed rheumatoid arthritis – the kind of arthritis which gnarls the hands and fingers, twisting them and painfully enlarging the joints.

The arthritis eventually affected her hips, knees and ankles so that by the time Bertha reached early middle age she was severely crippled. She made a slow progression from walking with a cane to crutches and finally to a wheelchair.

When I met Bertha, she was confined to an electric wheelchair that she was able to direct with a small joystick.

It was easy to tell when Bertha was in pain – but she never complained. The occasional grimace would cross her face or there might be a faint groan, but those were the only outward expressions that would telegraph the agony which Bertha must have felt most days. I was amazed that Bertha had discovered ways by which she was able not only to cope with

Liturgical Calendar: Second Sunday of Lent March 1 | St. Katharine Drexel, virgin March 3 | St. Casimir M

contents

March 2015

Follow FAITH Pub on:

yourlife

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arenting journey p My kids’ wardrobes are driving me crazy.

work life Can I ask people to put their phones away at meetings? marriage matters He says: “I don’t find her attractive anymore” She says: “What happened to ‘for better or worse?’” What do they do?

conflict resolution

We think our nephew stole from us.

culture Why not donate something new?

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yourfaith

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in the know with Father Joe I don’t think people at Mass should dress ‘like that’.

spiritual fitness How to pray the Stations of the Cross.

theology 101 Single-parent families from the bishop What is Humanae vitae really about?

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yourstories

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rofile of a disciple 24 15 pPete ‘stands up’ for his faith

our story 20 Two priests and a sister who live for God

ur story 22 oRalph and Tina make music for God

Ann Jacob MANAGING EDITOR The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing Volume 16: Issue2 www.FAITHpub.com Most Reverend Earl Boyea PUBLISHER Rev. Dwight Ezop EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

www.FAITHcatholic.com Patrick M. O’Brien PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Elizabeth Martin Solsburg VICE PRESIDENT/ EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Cynthia Vandecar DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR Jillane Job EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Jim Berlucchi | Doug Culp | Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Eileen Gianiodis | Marybeth Hicks | Rev. Charles Irvin | Rev. Joseph Krupp | Dr. Gelasia Marquez | Dr. Cathleen McGreal | Mary Kay McPartlin | Nancy Rosebush | Sister Ann Shields CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chris Asadian | Carlson Productions | Shane Folkertsma | Tom Gennara | James Luning (cover) | Don Quillan CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bob Patten CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Most Rev. Carl F. Mengeling FOUNDING PUBLISHER Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR For advertising information: Call 517.853.7600 For subscription information: Call 1.866.76.FAITH

FAITHTM (USPS 019993) is a publication of FAITH Catholic, Diocese of Lansing, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906-5550. 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 on to FAITHmag.com. If you have a change of address, please contact your parish. Periodicals postage paid in Lansing, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FAITHTM, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing MI 48906-5550. ©2013 FAITH Catholic. FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Catholic.

March 4 | Ss. Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs March 7 | Third Sunday of Lent March 8 | St. Francis of Rome, religious March 9 | Fourth Sunday of Lent March 15 | St. Patrick, bishop March 17

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youths adopt to differentiate themselves from older generations. Look back at family photos from your parenting teen years and you will likely find journey that your style Dr. Cathleen differed from that McGreal is a psychology of your parents. professor and Keep this in mind certified spiritual director. as you guide your teens in making more appropriate clothing choices.

Modest choices can still be stylish. Leggings aren’t interchangeable with a pair of slacks; regular blouses just don’t work with leggings when it comes to modesty.

However, leggings can be appropriate with cute tunics or skirts.

Choose clothing that respects the setting. Guide your children in selecting clothing that fits the activity or event. This is an important life skill for college, job interviews and other adult activities. The clothes chosen when their friends come to your home will differ from clothing that indicates respect and reverence when participating in Mass.

My kids’ wardrobes are driving me crazy

Q:

My kids are driving me crazy with their wardrobes. My son wants to wear baggy pants that fall off, and my daughter’s leggings look like they were painted on. How can I make them dress more modestly?

a:

Your son’s desire to wear baggy pants is reminiscent of the “Oxford Bags” that were all the rage in the 1920s. Young men attending Britain’s Oxford University wanted to wear knickers to class but that was forbidden. Instead, they wore knickers under extremely baggy

pants! When the style spread across the pond, President Coolidge is said to have remarked that he “wouldn’t be caught dead” wearing Oxford Bags!

Youth culture. Since the 1920s, there have been aspects of clothing, personal adornment, gestures and vocabulary that

Q:

I am responsible for running a weekly workflow meeting in our office. During the meeting, the attendees are constantly needing to have information repeated that they missed because they were too busy checking email on their smartphones. This results in errors on projects and makes the meetings run longer than necessary. How can I approach my boss to request a moratorium on smartphone use during meetings – he’s the worst offender!

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You’ve made your case very well here. Show him the evidence of the errors and inefficiencies due to the

FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

distraction of the “not-so-smart” phone usage. Then ask his preference: Would he rather the meeting be conducted by email or in person?

If by email, there’s no need to meet. If in person, there’s no email usage during work life the meeting.

Whenever I run meetings, I request Jim Berlucchi is the executive agreement on suspension of cell phone director for the usage at the outset. “Does everyone agree Spitzer Center for Ethical that we’ll put our phones away during Leadership, an the meeting?” I make sure everyone nods educator and executive coach. or assents before I begin. Sometimes there’s an exception if someone has to take a call or get a message. Otherwise I’ve found people always agree. Consensus goes down easier than a mandate. melaniereyesphotography

Can I ask people to put their phones away at meetings?

See the March 2013 Parenting Journey for more discussion about clothing for Mass: tinyurl.com/ParentingJourney0313

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop and doctor of the Church March 18 | Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virg

marriage matters

I don’t find her attractive anymore I don’t find Cathy attractive anymore.

She’s really let herself go, and I don’t feel any interest in being romantic. If she’d change, maybe things would be different, but, right now, I don’t see how our relationship can continue.

HE says

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What happened to “for better or worse”?

©DollarPhotoClub/WavebreakMediaMicro

“Letting myself SHE go” means that says I gained a little weight with my two pregnancies. And my hair is gray instead of blonde. Ryan is showing some age himself, but very little affection or love for me. What happened to “for better or worse”?

What do THEY do?

yan can’t choose to be attracted to Cathy, but he can choose to love her. Actually, he not only can, but he vowed that he would. At their wedding he promised to love her forever regardless of how large (or sick, or disabled or senile) she might become.

But being physically attracted to her is another matter. He either is or he isn’t, and since he isn’t, and they both want intimacy, that’s a problem. So what now?

Ryan, even if your lost feelings toward Cathy might be authentic, they could still arise from wrongful thinking. None of us stays beautiful forever, right? A 50-year marriage is a long walk toward shared decrepitude. So be realistic.

And remember that child-bearing takes an especially hard toll on the female body. Aren’t those two children of yours worth the price of some of Cathy’s weight gain? If so, then kiss her body and tell her you love her for bearing the scars of that sacrifice.

There’s another influence to beware of.

If any pornography – whether hard or soft, occasional or regular – is a part of your life, it is certainly degrading your feelings toward Cathy. Get rid of it.

Finally, even if you can’t choose to be attracted to Cathy, you can choose to be affectionate to her. Try this: Every day, make an outward act of love for her – a hug, a kind word or a surprise gift. This can yield amazing

results. It can both nurture an environment in which she will more likely want to lose weight, and it can actually revitalize your own feelings of attraction to her.

Cathy, when you and Ryan got married you became “no longer two, but one flesh.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1605; Mt 19:6) Your shared commitment to love one another means you are each to lovingly care for your respective bodies, not just for your own sakes, but also out of love for the other.

Some extra pounds can come with having babies, not to mention the stress of raising them. But does that explain everything? While it’s important for Ryan to have realistic expectations, it’s also important for you to be honest with yourself, and him, about what you can (and want to) change.

Ryan and Cathy, feeling unloved can sometimes cause a person to feel unlovable, which can then cause that person to “let go” and begin to look unlovable. And as that person lets go of his/her looks, the other lets go of his/ her love, and so the cycle continues.

If this is happening with you, try this. First, review your family habits about food, health and exercise, then change whatever needs to be changed, together. Commit to rebuild a foundation of mutual support, gratitude and tenderness. Do this, and physical attraction will almost take care of itself.

– Steve and Bridget Patton hold master’s degrees in theology and counseling and serve as family life ministers for the Diocese of Sacramento, Calif.

For marriage and family resources from the Diocese of Lansing, visit www.dioceseoflansing.org/content/marriage-and-family-resources.

conflict resolution Dr. Gelasia Marquez is a psychologist and family counselor.

We think our nephew stole from us

Q:

At our last family gathering, some of our silver went missing. We are pretty sure our nephew pocketed it, but we don’t have hard proof. Should we say something to him or his parents? What about the next holiday get-together?

a:

If you have a strong suspicion regarding your nephew, you must include his parents if you decide to address the situation. Keep in mind that this will be a difficult conversation and may cause resentment.

If you are not certain about your suspicion, discuss the situation with all the family members who were present. As hosts, you and your property have the right to be respected.

Stick to the facts and don’t give anyone the opportunity to blame another.

Remember Exodus 23:1: “You shall not spread a false report … [or] … join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.”

Finally, it may be helpful for future family gatherings to reserve your silver and use more modest flatware.

gin Mary March 19 | Fifth Sunday of Lent March 22 | St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop March 23 | Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord March 25 | Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord March 29

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FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

Why not donate SOMETHING NEW?

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aundry is at the top of my list of most daunting household chores. But there are times when I feel guilty for complaining about the washing, drying and folding of all our clothes, when there are folks out there who don’t even have a shirt on their back. So when I find myself whining about the piles of clothing and bedding to wash, I grab a donations bin and start filling it up.

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a greater sense of joy and satisfaction comes when I’ve given Into the bin go the clearly worn shirts and obviously faded something nice and new to someone who could use it. blankets. Good riddance to the tattered outdated textiles I don’t So this leads me to a recent idea. If I am collecting items need and won’t have to wash anymore. There. I got rid of stuff, for the poor, but don’t feel I’m giving them much beyond what and I helped those in need. That should make me feel good! is already tired and worn out, then I up the ante. I’ve decidBut it doesn’t always. In fact, sometimes I stare at the doged it would be better for them (and for me) to give or craft eared pile of hand-me-downs, and I feel I haven’t really sacsomething new to go in with the other used rificed much at all. I look at the nice articles garments. I want to make certain that I am inI decided to keep because they weren’t worn cluding something that is new, beautiful and out yet, and ponder that I haven’t used some of valuable. them in over a year – and likely won’t for anBut what to give? What item can I safely asother. I wonder if I haven’t completely missed sume any family would want? Years ago, I rethe point of donating stuff in the first place. ceived a handmade, tied fleece blanket at my What sacrifice is it to give what isn’t worth culture baby shower before our daughter was born. It keeping? Am I truly giving a gift, or merely alis still the go-to blanket when our kids want to lowing someone to pick from my trash?

Michelle DiFranco is a designer and the busy mom of wrap up and be cozy. It is a symbol of comfort When I picture a family in need wearing our three children. and family for me. So, I thought to myself, if worn-out, outdated clothes, the image can there is one new item I can contribute each make me sad. time that I know to be valuable for any family, this is it. These I am not trying to say we shouldn’t give our older clothes to blankets are easily made at home, and that adds to the satthe needy. What a shame it would be if the clothes went into isfaction because they are not just something new, but also the trash instead of into the hands of someone who could use something handmade. them. But, at the same time, I know I have not parted with anything I really considered fine. And if it’s not hard to part Now, when I picture that same family using what we gave them, the image no longer makes me sad. It brings me joy! with, is it really a great act of charity to give it away? I find that

TIED FLEECE BLANKET Two 50”x 60” pieces of fleece fabric (for standard-sized throw) Pair of sharp scissors 12 or more binder clips Cardstock trimmed to 4”x4”

Cardstock trimmed to 1”x4” Ruler Lay two pieces of fabric on top of each other evenly (with the wrong sides facing each other). Using a ruler, trim any excess fabric. Use binder clips to hold edges of fabric together, until cuts are made. Using the 4”x4” piece of cardstock as a guide, cut a 4” square out of each corner of the lined-up fabric.

Create fringe. Using the 1”x4” piece of cardstock as a guide, cut slits 4” deep every 1” on all sides of fabric. Tie the matching 4” slits into a double knot. Continue this all the way around the lined-up fabric until your blanket is complete.

Photography by Shane Folkertsma

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yourfaith Q: Why did Father Joe leave his job as an origami teacher?

A: Too much paperwork

I don’t think people at Mass should dress ‘LIKE THAT’

Q:

Dear Fr. Joe: I’m appalled by some of the clothing I see at church on Sunday – everything from jeans to shorts to sleeveless tops.

What is appropriate dress for Mass?

a:

Thank you for this question! This is an issue that pops up fairly often and it’s good for us to pause and consider things like this.

I’d like to make something clear right off the bat: I’m not go-

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FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

ing to give you a dress code for Mass. I’m not doing it for a lot of reasons, the most important of which being the simple rule, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Let’s say you’re at Mass and someone comes in dressed in a manner that you consider inappropriate – and believe me, in my experience, those standards run a very wide gamut. The easiest thing would be to draw conclusions, lament their state of dress and soak in self-righteousness. That’s the easiest thing to do, but not the right thing. The fact is, you don’t know what is happening in anyone else’s life, you don’t know what kind of circumstance they’ve just come from – we could fill books with what we don’t know.

Here’s what I think is the best approach; a guide of two things to consider when looking at how we dress for Mass. Those are the dignity of the celebration we are attending and the dignity of the human person.

We’ll start by pondering the celebration: when we celebrate Mass together, we are there to worship God. We are there to Illustration by Bob Patten

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prayer in addressing what we see. thank God for who he is and what he’s done. We are there to If you are at Mass and see someone whose dress is distractreceive him through the body of Christ that is the gathering of his ing or disrespectful in your opinion, you can respond with two people, through the word of God that is our sacred Scripture and prayers. First, pray to let go of the distraction and focus on why through reception of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament that is you are there. Remember that this is about you, and not about the Eucharist. We are there as God joins heaven and earth in a them. What is distracting to one person may be triumphant song of praise, and this is a privilege completely respectful to another. beyond imagining. We remember Jesus’ passion, Second, pray that God bless and guide the death and resurrection; we thank him for saving person who distracted you. Condemnation and us from our sin. This celebration is all about God and it is filled with dignity and joy. anger are always less effective than prayer and When we talk about the human person, we focusing on the only thing we can control in this circumstance: our response. need to remember that we are, first and foremost, This is, by all accounts, a very contentious God’s children. We are, in the words of Pope St. in the know topic.

If tradition holds, I will get angry letJohn Paul II, “the sum of the Father’s love for us.” with Father Joe ters from people who will either say I wasn’t Through Jesus, we are inheritors of a heavenly If you’d like to submit a question strong enough or that I have just successfully kingdom that we didn’t earn, but that is ours for Father Joe Krupp to chased people out of church. To both of those purely by God’s gift. We are blessed to carry withconsider in a future column, please send it to: joeinblack@ extremes, I invite you to ask God to keep your in our very selves the life, death and resurrection priest.com. Father Joe is unable mind and heart focused on what he has put in of Jesus. We recognize his Spirit dwelling within to personally answer questions. your life to control and let go of the desire to us. We have been appraised, and God declared us control other people’s choices or situations. as worth all his blood and all his breath. This is Whatever we wear to Mass, I pray that it reflects the dignity of the who we are and this is who every human we meet is. celebration of the Eucharist and the dignity of what it means to be These two things – who we are and what we are doing – come children of God. I pray that we, “Above all, clothe [ourselves] with together and offer us a chance to let our dress reflect the wonder of both who we are and what we are doing when we walk into church. love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Col 3:14) Practically, I think it’s easy for us to forget the importance of Enjoy another day in Christ’s presence.

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spiritual fitness Sister Ann Shields is a renowned author and a member of the Servants of God’s Love. Questions can be addressed to Sister Ann Shields, Renewal Ministries, 230 Collingwood, Suite 240, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. You can order her new book, More of the Holy Spirit, for $12 at www.renewalministries.net.

WALKING WITH JESUS ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS

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Jesus is condemned to death for me. He is taking all my sins on himself so I do not have to die forever.

He accepts this gruesome punishment on my behalf.

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Jesus carries his cross. He bore all the weight of my sin and the sins of all the world on his shoulder. (If I tried to carry the weight of just my sin, I would be crushed.) Christ carried all our sin.

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Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Such a small gesture in such a time of horror, yet Jesus rewards even the smallest act of charity, of kindness, of mercy – and blesses those who perform them. May I never despise small acts of kindness – those I give and those I receive.

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How to pray the Stations of the Cross

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he Stations of the Cross during Lent are a devotion and practice that can bring people into a deep and true realization of what God has done for them. We have infinite dignity and worth in God’s eyes: Even if you had been the only person on the earth, God would have sent his Son to die for you – that is how deeply God values us, each of us. Therefore, make the stations and ponder what Christ suffered that you might inherit eternal life.

When you begin to pray – whether in the church or at home – kneel and make an act of contrition.

Then, as you are able, reflect on each station. Give each one a few moments of meditation. Pray the Our Father after each station.

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Jesus is nailed to the cross.

It is a miracle that he is still alive, and he chooses to be, that he might drain the cup of suffering to the last drop for you.

How can I return gratitude by the way I live my life?

FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

Jesus falls the second time.

What a desperate moment when our strength won’t hold out, when we are helpless in the midst of enemies – even with friends we can feel humiliated. Jesus bore that humiliation for you and for me. We are never alone – even in the most challenging of times. He has gone before us.

Jesus dies on the cross.

To all the onlookers this was the end. A man with big plans and big ideas is gone just like every other human being. But there were some at the foot of the cross who still held a flicker of hope that he was the Messiah, that he would live, that his promises would come true.

How great is your faith?

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Jesus falls the first time. The weight is too much on a body already scourged. He bows under the weight and the terrible injuries already inflicted. Lord, forgive me for my sin that contributed to that crushing weight, forgive me.

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Jesus meets his mother. There are no words to describe the pain that Mary bore as she watched her Son suffer in such agony. Each, in their own way, yields to the will of the Father for our salvation.

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Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. He comforts them as they try to minister to his needs. This is the call to the whole body of Christ – in suffering, give and receive. God will be very present to our needs while we tend to the needs of others.

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The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross. How infinitely sad must have been those moments as Mary held him in her arms, as they washed his body, as the sky darkened and the wind grew stronger. It all seemed to be over – he was gone.

Jesus falls a third time. How physically crushing, how helpless, how humiliating, yet he does it for us.

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Jesus is laid in the tomb. The disciples scatter; confusion and fear, anger and doubt must have assailed them all. But Mary waited.

Close by reading Psalm 30.

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross. Lord, thank you for helping me to carry my crosses.

May I in turn help others to carry the crushing weight of their sorrow.

Jesus is stripped of his garments. Again and again in every step and action of that torturous route to Calvary, he is degraded and humiliated beyond speech. Yet he bore it all in silence – he who could have risen up and destroyed all his persecutors bore it on our behalf, that we might inherit life, not death.

For an alternate devotion, visit the scriptural Stations of the Cross celebrated by Pope St. John Paul II: tinyurl.com/SF0315 Read more spiritual fitness at:

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Doug Culp is the CAO and secretary for pastoral life for the Diocese of Lexington, Ky. He holds an MA in theology from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

one thing with God (Ph 2:2), becomes the goal and foundation of Christian life.

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The family as communion

SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES

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he Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family in October 2014 and the Ordinary Synod on the Family in October 2015 have made reflection on the vocation and mission of the family, both in the Church and in the modern world, very timely. So during 2015, Theology 101 will explore the Church’s teaching on many of the themes that are being considered by the two synods.

The destiny of humanity

In order to provide the necessary context for a consideration of the singleparent family, we must first orient ourselves to our ultimate end. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in the first paragraph of the first page that we were created freely and out of love by God for eternal life in communion with God.

Communion upon communion Communion with God, who has revealed himself as a loving Trinitarian communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is then the destiny planned for humanity.

It follows that if we are to truly live and be most fully alive, it only makes sense that we need to live in harmony with that for which we are made. Communion with God, i.e., being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking

13.7 million 22 million Approximate number of single parents in the U.S

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One of the ways in which we live into communion with God is through the family, which is a union of a man and woman in marriage with their children, according to the catechism. The family itself constitutes a communion of persons that is a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.

Further, according to Pope St. John Paul II’s Familiaris consortio (21), the Christian family is “a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church.”

The family is the original cell of social life. It is a community where one can learn moral values, begin to honor God and exercise freedom in a good way. The family offers opportunities to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped and the poor.

It is an initiation into life in society, as the family teaches us to see others as brothers and sisters of our one heavenly Father.

FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

Children being raised by single parents in the U.S.

The Christian family is founded on the communion of persons that is marriage; on the “intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state.” In the 2009 Pastoral Letter “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated, “Through baptism, men and women are transformed, by the power of the

82.2%

Percentage of custodial parents who are mothers

Holy Spirit, into a new creation in Christ. the death of a spouse all contribute to the This new life in the Holy Spirit heals men increase in single-parent families we see and women from sin and elevates them today throughout the world. to share in God‘s very own divine life. It is within this new Christian context that The Church’s response Jesus has raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament. He The Church necessarily and rightly heals marriage and restores it to its original affirms the sanctity and indissolubility purity of permanent self-giving in one of marriage. The Church also asserts the flesh (see Mt 19:6).” right of every child to be born within By revealing his own love as the perfecthe context of committed, marital love tion of all love, God reveals the deepest because it provides the best conditions for meaning of all marital love: self-giving raising children. love modeled on God‘s inner life and love.

The U.S. Bishops have repeatedly The U.S. Bishops explain: “[T]he principal pointed out that a committed marriage and original selfis the foundation gift is the unitive, of a family. In their mutual self-gift 1994 document of the spouses to Follow the Way of each other. In their Love, they asmarriage promises, serted that marriage the spouses pledge “strengthens all the members, provides love and fidelity best for the needs for as long as they of children, and live. The transmiscauses the church sion of life is a CATECHISM QUIZ sublime, concrete of the home to be an effective sign realization of this Parents are given the grace to of Christ in the radical self-gift receive the responsibility and priviworld.” between a man and lege of evangelizing their children At the same time, a woman. The muthrough the sacrament of … tual married love the Church is also of man and woman conscious that peoA. Baptism C. Marriage becomes an image ple struggle with B. Eucharist D. Confirmation of the absolute and their own weakunfailing love with ness and, at times, which God loves encounter tremenman[kind], because dous life challenges as mutual self-gift, as they attempt to it is at the same time creative self-gift.” make the journey of faith. For this reason, the Church has been clear, for example in The single-parent family the final document of the aforementioned extraordinary synod, that “people need to The final document of the Extraordibe accepted in the concrete circumstances nary Synod of Bishops on the Family in of life.” (11) October 2014 (8) recognized that many The synod called for respect to be “children are born outside of marriage, in shown to those who suffer unjustly begreat numbers in some countries, many cause of the actions or death of a spouse. of whom subsequently grow up with just Pastoral care, material assistance and one of their parents or in a blended or guidance must be directed to singlereconstituted family.” In addition to these parent families to help them bear the “out of wedlock” births, divorce, separaresponsibility of providing a home and tion, outright spousal abandonment and raising their children.

Answer: (C) Marriage (CCC 2225)

14.3%

Percentage of U.S. population living in poverty in 2009

30.4%

AT A GLANCE:

Follow the Way of Love In the end, perhaps, Follow the Way of Love most appropriately captures the pastoral tone of the Church’s response to single parents: Single parents: to be faced with all the responsibilities of parenting by yourself is a challenge that touches the very core of your life. We bishops express our solidarity with you. We urge all parishes and Christian communities to welcome you, to help you find what you need for a good family life, and to offer the loving friendship that is a mark of our Christian tradition.

Wherever a family exists and love still moves through its members, grace is present.

Nothing – not even divorce or death – can place limits upon God’s gracious love.

And so, we recognize the courage and determination of families with one parent raising the children. Somehow you fulfill your call to create a good home, care for your children, hold down a job, and undertake responsibilities in the neighborhood and church. You reflect the power of faith, the strength of love, and the certainty that God does not abandon us when circumstances leave you alone in parenting.

Top 3 countries with single-parent households 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0

Percentage of single mothers and their children living in poverty in 2009

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13

15 20 D ec .

14 20 N o v.

– E AR R IA G M FO R YE AR

Humanae vitae (On Human Life), was issued on July 25, 1968, by Pope Paul VI. It begins by noting that the transmission of human life is a wondrous role “in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator.”

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intended in the beginning: that man and woman are totally and permanently bound to one another and for the sake of the procreation and formation of children. (Genesis and HV 9) Now, Pope Paul also affirmed the principle of responsible parenthood: this is governed by self-control, prudence, generosity and, above all, God’s will. (HV 10) Thus, “an act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to transmit life which God the Creator, through specific laws, has built into it, frustrates his design which constitutes the norm of marriage, and contradicts the will of the Author of life ... But to experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator.” (HV 13) Thus, Paul concluded, “It is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.” (HV 14) The Holy Father did recognize that it was not wrong to use “those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result therefrom – provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever.” (HV 15) In addition, following the principle of responsible parenthood, couples may space the birth of their children using natural family planning as from the bishop this is “done within the limits Bishop Earl Boyea is the of the order of reality estabfifth bishop of the Catholic lished by God.” (HV 16) Diocese of Lansing Then Pope Paul warns of the dangers flowing from artificial birth control – “marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards;” a loss of “reverence due to a woman” on the part of men, making her “a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires.” He also warns about the possible controls which could be exerted by governments. (HV 17) The Holy Father acknowledged that this teaching will not be easily accepted but that it does contribute “to the creation of a truly human civilization.” (HV 18) The rest of the document recognizes the challenges of this teaching but that it promotes self-discipline, a critical component of the virtue formation of any family. (HV 21) He also calls for instructors to help create an atmosphere favorable to the growth of chastity (HV 22) and for couples to deepen their sense of their marital vocation and have frequent recourse to the sacraments for the grace to persevere; “If, however, sin still exercises its hold over them, they are not to lose heart. Rather must they, humble and persevering, have recourse to the mercy of God, abundantly bestowed in the sacrament of penance. In this way, for sure, they will be able to reach that perfection of married life.” (HV 25) He then called on priests to teach the truth but to be patient and rich in mercy and never let couples lose heart. (HV 29) Marriage and family are the heart of any society and civilization. May we this year seek always God’s will in living out this noble and blessed vocation.

What is Humanae vitae really about?

P

ope Francis has again publicly promoted Paul VI’s Encyclical Letter Humanae vitae (On Human Life), issued on July 25, 1968. In our Year for Marriage and Family Life, it is good for us to review this document.

It begins by noting that the transmission of human life is a wondrous role “in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator.” As we know, this brings great joy with occasional hardships. Some have raised concerns over population increase and the difficulties of providing for a large family. Others point out our ever-growing power to assert control over everything – including our bodies. For many in our world today, these issues raise the question of whether the time has “come when the transmission of life should be regulated by their intelligence and will rather than through the specific rhythms of their own bodies.” (HV 3) To respond to these contemporary questions, the pope turns to the natural law which the Church is authorized to interpret and teach. The starting point must always be what God created and 14

FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

Follow Bishop Boyea on Twitter @BishopBoyea

yourstories PROFI L of a E DISCIP LE

PETE ‘STANDS UP’ for his faith Pete Burak’s story begins with warm memories of baseball, camp, family and school. That is, until the age of 8, when an injury left Pete with the prognosis that he would not be able to throw a ball for some time. After a few weeks of struggling to accept the dramatic shift, Pete found himself on his knees one night, giving it over to Jesus.

From that day on his knees, Pete has tried to stand up for his faith.

As the director of i.d.9:16, an outreach discipleship program of Renewal Ministries in Ann Arbor for young adults, he does just that.

Read more of Pete’s story at www.FAITHpub.com

For more information on discipleship groups, contact Craig Pohl, director of New Evangelization for the Diocese of Lansing, at 517.342.2509, or visit www.dioceseoflansing.org/new_evangelization. You may also contact your parish for small faith-sharing opportunities.

Visit www.id916.com for more information on this program for young adults in Ann Arbor.

By Jennifer Delvaux | Photography by Don Quillan

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E S U B A

FROM

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W .

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E F LI How Sisters Judy and Carol helped Jessie believe in herself

“A

T 7 YEARS OLD, I left my family’s Louisiana farm to live with my grown sister in Flint.

My sister Beatrice was like a sister and a mother,” Jessie Cummings explains. “She and her husband had jobs, so they had money. They would treat me real, real special – sent me to school and dressed me real nice. On the farm, we used to make skirts and vests out of flour bags, and we thought we was looking good! When Beatrice and I went back to our family at Christmas, I could see that my parents couldn’t really feed their eight kids. Beatrice gave me a stable home.

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By Nancy Rosebush Schertzing Photography by Jim Luning Follow FAITH Pub on

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“I

WISH THEY HAD LET ME stay with my sister. I really do, but when I was 15, they decided it was time for me to come back to the farm. I learned to drive a tractor to make

straight rows for planting stuff on. I would work some and go to school some. I did stop in the 11th grade ’cause I got pregnant.

“Going back, I want to cry, like I want to cry now. It was really hard because my dad said I had to get out because he didn’t want the responsibility of bringing another baby in. The boy that I married, it wasn’t no love marriage. We just got married because he had got me pregnant.

“It was murder in that marriage. He didn’t work or take care of the kids, and he just beat me. I had to marry him in order to survive but after I had kids people still had to give us food.

“Down in the South, men have power and the women none. I had four children by him. The fifth one, his name was Roosevelt, Jr., named after my husband, but he said the child wasn’t none of his. When the baby was 8 months old, I had to get something from my mama’s house and I left him alone with my husband. When I came back the baby was laying in bed. He was dead.

“I had nowhere else to go, til my sister Beatrice came and got us all – my children and my husband – and took us back to Flint where my husband got a job in construction. But it was cold up here, so he just left and went to New Orleans to become a loan shark. Somehow he must have done something to somebody because he ended up dead – stabbed seven times and throwed in the river in New Orleans.

“Then I met a man here and he was just as devious! He was abusive during our relationship, but I couldn’t get rid of him.

I thought, well maybe if I marry him the abuse will stop. It didn’t. If I just said something he would hit me with his fist.

“My neighbors and I had to call the police because he was always beating me. Finally the police put him out, but then he stalked me. He would drive by my plant when my shift ended, and if I seen him I turned around and went back into the women’s locker room. I used to sleep on the wooden 18

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benches in there all night. When the women would come in for work the next day I’d take wipes to clean up. I wasn’t smelling right, but whatever. I was scared to go home. I made meals for my kids during the weekend so they had food in case I didn’t make it back.

“When I finally made it home, I was trapped in my house from his stalking – driving by our house and shooting at it. I still got the bullet holes in the garage.

“One day one of the boys had got in trouble. The police called to say they was taking him to the juvenile facility, and I could come pick him up there. Well I said I can’t get out the house, but they said, ‘Well, we just called to let you know that.’

“I was scared, but I got in our van and headed in the opposite way I had seen my husband drive past. But somehow he saw me and caught up. When he pulled alongside me all I saw was the shotgun he had pointing at my face. I hit the gas, but he shot anyway and blew out the back window. The bullet came through my seat. I still got it in my back. He didn’t go to jail for long, but the abuse finally stopped.

“For a while I was on medical and mental health disability from the shop, sitting around the house gaining up to 450 pounds. My two daughters was coming here to the N.E.W. Life Center and they kept saying, ‘Mama, you should go up there, it’s nice.’ Brainwashing about the center!

“So one day I came up here. I was sitting with Sister Judy and she said, ‘Miss Jessie, is there anything I can do for you? Anything that you need?’ I just broke down and started crying. I’m not used to people doing things for me, and the way she asked me I felt I could tell she meant it.

“Sister asked me do I want to work? ‘All you need to do is sew a straight line.’ So I said yes. They saw I could do good work.

Before long I was making hospital scrubs and taking classes to help me get back in charge of my life. Now I’m down to around 270 pounds. I have my G.E.D. and I even had speech lessons ‘cause peoples had a hard time understanding my southern accent before. I’m a mother in my church, New Jerusalem Full Gospel Church. Most of the young ladies come to me.

“These sisters have played a beautiful, beautiful role in my life. They have seen me grow, and I have seen myself grow in their presence. They let you know you are somebody. I could see something in them. They free hearted, and they’re always here for me.

“Sister Carol says, ‘We don’t judge.’ In life we don’t know at that time why we be going through stuff. Once you start serving the Lord he’ll reveal stuff to you. Then you can look back over your life and see where he brought you from.

“Now I see why he brought me here. All of this I went through was for me to be a servant of the Lord. In order to be chosen you’ve got to go through a real storm of life.

The Lord brought me through so I could give you a blessing. If I had a glow, it would be a rusty, dirty, ugly thing from all I been through. But the Lord brought me through all of this so he could give others a blessing through me.

“I am a chosen person of God, and I been a blessing all along. Now I can just see it.”

Catholic Charities agencies in the Diocese of Lansing: Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee & Hillsdale Counties www.catholiccharitiesjlhc.org 517.263.2191 Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County www.csswashtenaw.org 734.971.9781 Livingston County Catholic Charities www.livingstoncatholiccharities.org 517.545.5944 Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties www.catholiccharitiesflint.org 801.232.9950 St. Vincent Catholic Charities www.stvcc.org 517.323.4734

The St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center in Flint is a faith-based environment providing life skills and workplace training, which empowers women to become self-sufficient. The center trains impoverished Flint women to become seamstresses and earn a wage to improve their family’s financial stability. To learn more about the N.E.W. Life Center, visit: www.stlukenewlifectr.com.

Watch more of Jessie’s story on

YouTube.com/FAITHpub

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Left to right: Father Matt Fedewa, Sister Joanne Fedewa and Msgr. Sy Fedewa

TWO PRIESTS AND A SISTER WHO LIVE FOR GOD For the Fedewa siblings, ‘There isn’t enough time’ to do God’s work

I

s there a fragrance that evokes memories for you? For the Fedewa siblings, Msgr. Sylvester, Father Matthew and Sister Joanne, peppermint evokes wonderful memories of growing up on a mint farm between St. Johns and Westphalia. All three attribute their deep faith commitment to this homestead and the lived faith example of their loving parents. In fact, that is where Father Matt heard his vocational calling: “between the cow barn and house late one winter night. The bright moon was shining on the snow. I looked up at all the bright twinkling stars and had this feeling of infinity and that infinity must be God. I thought I could live my life serving someone that great.”

For Msgr. Sy, the eldest of the three, his calling announced itself through the enticement of higher education. “It was not uncommon for sons of farmers to only complete the eighth grade. There wasn’t an option for education if you were going to farm. My cousin was a seminarian and invited me to come see the seminary. I had no idea what a seminary would be like, but I was enthralled when I visited. I decided it would be a great place to go. I was encouraged and influenced by my eighth grade teacher to consider the priesthood,” he says.

Sister Joanne recalls how her family prayed the rosary daily 20

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and attended Catholic school: “I watched the sisters a lot and was impressed with their warm, cheerful, communal lifestyle.

Around the sixth grade, I began to hear a call from the Lord, but put it aside. I remember being at Mass on the feast of the Sacred Heart after graduating eighth grade, and it was very clear to me God was calling me to religious life. After Mass, my mother and I went to visit the sisters to discuss my decision.”

In spite of being three of 11 children, the concept of sibling rivalry is foreign to them. Mutual support, however, is unbridled.

Having collectively served the Flint area for 59 years, though

By Rose Robertson | Photography by Tom Gennara

never at the same parish, collaboration and mentoring are deep threads that run through their relationship with one another.

Msgr. Sy was the pastor at Holy Redeemer in Burton for 18 years and Father Matt served at St. Michael in Flint for 16 years. In 1989, Sister Joanne went to Christ the King to serve as pastoral coordinator. That same year, her brother, Msgr. Sy, left Flint to serve St. Gerard in Lansing, while continuing his work in the diocesan offices.

The three siblings are quick to acknowledge that they each bring different gifts to their ministerial roles, and are very proud of the others’ accomplishments. Msgr. Sy, a self-proclaimed workaholic, “enjoyed administration. My focus centered on marriage and family. I worked with the Marriage Tribunal, Family Ministry and Cursillo, and brought Marriage Encounter to our diocese.” Father Matt adds, “Father Sy was also responsible for raising funds to eliminate Flint Powers’ [High School] $4 million debt. It is one of his greatest gifts.”

In the 1960s, Father Matt had been teaching social justice during the civil rights movement and decided, “I needed to walk the talk so I signed up for St. Michael’s, located in an 80 percent African-American neighborhood. I invited five other churches to work together and began Catholic Urban Ministry. We started the Father DuKette Intercultural Center and then DuKette Catholic School [which closed in 2006]. My goal was to provide ministry that would attract the African-American culture of our area. I also brought a youth retreat – Teens Encounter Christ – to the diocese and the Koinonia Retreat to the parish.”

About the same time that Father Matt was developing Urban Ministry, Sister Joanne had a personal encounter with segregation: “I was in Gretna, Louisiana, and went to get on a bus with a black nun. I was going to sit in the back with her, but was not allowed to. I thought it terrible and unjust. We were both doing God’s work and we couldn’t sit together. This incident inspired me to work for justice and help break racial barriers. When Bishop [Kenneth] Povish invited me to serve at Christ the King, I was ready. While in administration there, we built a new church and hall. I am still there in a part-time capacity.”

Sister Joanne also helped begin a new religious community in 1975, the Sisters of the Living Word, an apostolic community with sisters serving the United States in the Midwest and the South. She says, “At Vatican II, Pope John said to open the doors and let the fresh air in. The Sisters of the Living Word are engaged in accomplishing this through new ways of freeing the oppressed.”

Fueled by their mutual support, each sibling also finds sustenance for their deep spirituality in select Scripture passages.

Father Matt cites John 12:24, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” That message of paschal mystery is so vital to him that it is already inscribed

on his grave marker. Msgr. Sy clings to the Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord …” Sister Joanne chuckles, “Mine depends on the day, but one that is special is Matthew 28:20, ‘I am always with you.’ My final vow mantra was and is, ‘Just Jesus Forever.’ It is inscribed in my ring and the basis for my commitment and life journey.”

All three agree that ministry opened doors in areas they never imagined, and they share their one collective regret: “There isn’t enough time to do all the things we’d like to.” As a testament to this statement, though all three are in their 80s, not one of them is fully retired: Msgr. Sylvester remains involved with the Cursillo movement; Father Matthew is a certified spiritual director; and Sister Joanne continues part-time ministry at Christ the King and volunteers weekly at a hospice center.

Just as their parents endowed them with a rich legacy of faith and love, the Fedewa siblings continue to bestow that heritage through their tireless inspiration, vision and commitment to God’s people.

For more information on discerning a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life, contact Father John Linden, director of vocations, at 517.342.2507, or Dawn Hausmann, director of consecrated vocations, at 517.342.2506, or visit www.dioceseoflansing.org/vocations.

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COMPOSING THEIR LIVES TOGETHER Ralph and Tina make music for God

R

alph and Tina Votapek’s gracious home of 46 years looks like any other. The dining room table covered in papers and the soft colonial style furniture attest to a comfortable, busy life.

“I don’t really see why FAITH would want to interview us,” Ralph muses from his recliner. “We’ve had problems along life’s way, like most people, but none has been insurmountable. God’s been good to us.”

Seated on the couch, Tina nods. “On the outside we’re just normal people.”

Ralph interjects, “Maybe we are among the few professional classical musicians blessed with combining normal family life with concertizing!”

Indeed. As members of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing, Ralph and Tina throughout the years were always supportive of the music ministry, and gladly helped out wherever they were needed – with the adult choir, the children’s music ministry, both in church and in the school, and for special liturgies.

Tina continues, “We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last December. Our children are grown and all happily married.” She gestures toward the family photos around the room. “Everyone’s healthy, and we’ve been able to keep working together,” Tina continues, nodding imperceptibly toward the two grand pianos filling a third of the living room.

Snuggled side-by-side with the keyboards facing each other, the large black and smaller brown concert grand pianos provide a perfect metaphor for the life of this typical couple belonging in two worlds.

Two grand pianos in the living room can feel normal for people who have composed 22

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By Nancy Rosebush Schertzing | Photography by Tom Gennara

their life around music together.

“Our parents weren’t musical because they both came from large families with little means,” Ralph explains, “but my mother and Tina’s father were especially supportive and encouraged our interest. They both believed that if God gives you a talent you have a responsibility to use it.”

“To use the gifts you’ve been given is a pathway to happiness,” Tina agrees. “We were both at Julliard in New York doing graduate work when our piano teacher, Rosina Lhevinne, introduced us. Her students recognized her as a match-maker, and in our case she was right. We are indebted to her.”

Ralph nods, “We were lucky enough to have met through music, and now we’re sharing it with our children. Paul (clarinet), Kathryn (violin) and Mark (cello) are all successful professional musicians.

Music is also important in the lives of our five grandchildren.”

Tina smiles, “After Ralph won the first Van Cliburn competition, he toured as a concert pianist all over the world. We lived in New York when our first two children were born, then, just before our youngest was born, he accepted a position at Michigan State University in the College of Music.”

Ralph says, “Teaching gave me a chance to perform in concert but also to develop musical talent in others.”

“For us, music is more than a job. It’s a vocation – something we love and that we feel is good for other people,” Tina explains. “I loved taking care of our children and we both helped foster their musical talents. When our youngest child was midway through high school, I also joined the faculty at MSU.” “Tina and I perform together either recording or in recitals for two pianos and four hands,” says Ralph. “Our family has collaborated musically throughout the years. We still perform together, though less frequently now because we live far apart.”

“Ralph and I tend to feel music alike. We have conversations about what a piece of music expresses to each of us. As performers, we’re always looking for what the composer is trying to express. It’s more than notes on a page.”

“Saves time when you rehearse,” Ralph quips.

“Many musicians enjoy the thrill of playing with each other,” Tina smiles. “How expressive, dynamic or subtle you are often depends on person-to-person interaction during the performance. The whole point is

the interaction within the group to express the composer’s intentions. To be really fine-tuned you have to spend a lot of time working together.”

Ralph leans forward, “So many factors play into the quality of a performance – acoustics, health, rapport with other performers and with your audience. I can only think of a few performances that really stand out when everything came together and I achieved the excellence I was seeking. In spite of this, if the preparation is good, I am usually fairly calm and enjoy the anticipation.

“At our home parish, St. Thomas Aquinas, we performed in concert and during special Masses such as Christmas Eve and Easter over the years. I played piano and Tina played either piano or organ – usually accompanying other musicians or the choir in sacred music. The recordings they sold from these events helped pay for the organ and choir tours to different Catholic communities worldwide.

“It surprised me the last few times I played in church, that I actually felt very nervous.

I want to do it well because I’m playing not just for the people, but Ralph glances up to the ceiling] for a higher purpose too.”

Tina laughs lightly. “That reminds me of a quote from Thomas Merton where he talks about how everything – the incense, the words, the music – are all peripheral because the Lord is on the altar. It helps me focus on the core of why we’re there. It helps remind me what’s truly important in life.

“We talk all the time about how we have to appreciate every moment while we have it. At 75, Ralph still does 20 to 30 concerts each year. We occasionally play together in recital for two pianos.

“When you think about the future, how can you possibly know?” Tina asks. “We have to be open to what God brings into our lives and try to think and do what would honor our love the most.”

“If you go before I do, I’ll still play the piano,” Ralph chuckles, “and clean the basement.”

Tina shakes her head and smiles at her musical and life partner. “And I will try to live in a way that would keep you living in and with me.”

Ralph smiles back, “Music is a solace.

Whether we play or listen, together or alone, it lives on.”

RALPH HAS BROUGHT WORLD-CLASS MUSIC TO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS PARISH Ralph Votapek is professor emeritus of piano and former artist in residence at the Michigan State University College of Music. Gold Medalist of the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he also won the prestigious Naumburg Award.

Frequently featured as the Chicago Symphony’s guest soloist, Mr. Votapek has played with the Philadelphia Orchestra; the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; the Boston Pops; the Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis and National Symphonies; and other top ensembles. He has performed internationally in London, Taiwan, Russia, Japan, South Korea and various Latin American countries and has recorded on various labels.

To learn more about your church’s music ministry or about opportunities to become involved, contact your local parish.

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SPECIAL REPORT: Apostolic Visitation Final Report

O

n Dec. 22, 2008, the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) announced the Apostolic Visitation of institutes of women religious in the United States. While individual reports will most likely be sent to the institutes that hosted on-site visits and to the institutes where specific areas of concern were identified, the visitation was officially completed with the congregation’s issuance of its final report on Dec. 16, 2014.

A visitation, not an investigation According to the official website for the Apostolic Visitation, a visitation is “a formal but personal process, initiated at the highest

levels of the Catholic Church, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.” Visitations, as noted in the final report, are a normal instrument of governance in religious life.

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE PROCESS Mother Clare Millea, ASCJ, was charged with overseeing the Apostolic Visitation.

The superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus since 2004 and a Connecticut native, Mother Clare had complete administrative authority during the visitation, and personally conducted many of the inquiries and visits. The final report expressed gratitude to Mother Clare for “having carried out this task in such a pastoral and professional manner.”

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Past, present, future In its final report, the CICLSAL praised the overall contributions that women religious in the United States have made and continue to make in the Church’s evangelizing mission. In particular, the CICLSAL noted their care for the “spiritual, moral, educational, physical and social needs of countless individuals, especially the poor and marginalized”; their educational apostolate in Catholic schools which “fostered the personal development and nourished the faith of countless young people and helped the church community in the USA to flourish”; and their establishment of the great majority of Catholic health care systems in the country.

At the same time, the CICLSAL expressed the hope that the self-assessment and dialogue sparked by the visitation might contribute to “the revitalization and strengthening of religious institutes in fidelity to Christ, to the Church and to their founding charisms.” The final report also concluded with a call to all the faithful for their support of women religious and for their active promotion of vocations to the religious life.

Catholic News Agency

Associated Press Photo

Mother Mary Clare Millea, left, and Sister Agnes Mary Donovan leave at the end of a press conference at the Vatican.

In particular, the Apostolic Visitation was directed to those institutes which engage in apostolic ministry and which have a generalate, provincialate and/or initial formation program. It did not include cloistered contemplative communities. According to the final report, the focus throughout the various phases of the Apostolic Visitation was on the “vocation to religious life as lived by the members of religious institutes who publicly profess the evangelical counsels and exercise some external apostolic work in the United States.”

The CICLSAL made it clear that the visitation was not connected to the doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious being conducted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The focus of the visitation was individual congregations rather than leadership organizations.

D. Quillan Don Quillan

THE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS Most religious institutes require the profession of the three evangelical counsels, or rules of life. These counsels are for those who desire the surest way to perfection. Canon law (c.599c.601) explains the three counsels as follows:

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2015 YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE

Vow of Chastity Entails the obligation of perfect self-restraint in celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

Vow of Poverty Refers to a life poor in both fact and spirit that requires both dependence and limitation in the “use and disposition” of goods according to the rules of the religious order.

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Vow of Obedience Requires the submission of the person to the will of the legitimate superior as to his or her place of living, schedule and rules of the order.

THE FOUR PHASES

• Despite the great variation that exists across religious institutes in the U.S., the overall trend of an aging, diminishing membership, combined with a lack of new vocations, is shared by a large majority.

• The visitation found that the majority of women religious have a strong sense of the history of their institute and the charism of their foundress/founder.

• The majority of religious institutes are “intensifying their efforts to share their charism with lay collaborators and those whom they serve so that the charism might continue to enrich the life of the Church.”

• Candidates to the apostolic religious life tend to be older, more educated and more culturally diverse than in the past.

• Candidates also are trending in the direction of wanting to live in formative communities and of wanting to be externally recognizable as consecrated women.

• Finally, the trend among candidates is that of having extensive professional backgrounds, but less prior theological and spiritual formation.

The visitation took place between 2009 and 2012 and was divided into four phases: Phase I: All superiors general of institutes of women religious involved in the visitation were invited to speak with or write to the visitator (Mother Clare) to share their hopes and concerns for their institute.

Phase II: Empirical data and qualitative information regarding the spiritual, community and ministerial life of the individual congregations were gathered.

Phase III: On-site visits by visitation teams to a representative sample of 90 religious institutes were made.

Phase IV: Compilation and presentation of a final report and an executive summary to CICLSAL as well as individual reports to the specific institutes occurred.

CNS photo/Paul Haring

NOW TRENDING …

Vatican press conference for release of final report of Vatican-ordered visitation of U.S. communities of women religious.

THE FINAL REPORT BY THE NUMBERS …

75-79

Median age of apostolic women religious in the U.S.

341

Religious institutes involved in the Visitation

405

Total number of entities involved in the Visitation

50,000

Approximate number of women religious in the aforementioned institutes

125,000

Approximate number of women religious in the mid-1960s

During a Jan. 31, 2014, news conference, the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, outlined plans for the Year of Consecrated Life.

The cardinal expected the year would conclude on the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council decree on the renewal of religious life, Perfectae Caritatis.

The cardinal, according to Catholic News Service, went on to say, “We are also convinced that in these 50 years, consecrated life has followed a fruitful path of renewal – certainly not without difficulties and struggles. In this year, we want to recognize and confess our weaknesses, but we also want to show the world with strength and joy the holiness and vitality that are present in consecrated life.”

In the final report of the Apostolic Visitation, it was noted that some of the religious institutes refused to participate fully in the process due to suspicions as to the motives behind the process.

In response, the CICLSAL cited the Year of Consecrated Life as a “graced opportunity for all of us within the Church – religious, clergy and laity – to take those steps toward forgiveness and reconciliation which will offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternal communion to all.”

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yourcommunity things to do: Feb. 28, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., St. Paul in Owosso will host a 12-hour scrapping/crafting event. Cost of $40 includes meals. Contact Char Richardson at 989.413.8838 to reserve your space.

March 13, Lansing Catholic Singles invite all singles mid-30s and older to join them at 5:30 p.m. for happy hour at The Black Rose, 206 S. Washington Sq., for some early St. Patrick’s Day fun and fellowship. For more information, call 517.321.7886 or email lansingcatholicsingles@live.com. New members always are welcome.

March 15, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Francis Church in Ann Arbor will host a Women’s Health Expo in its school gym; included are free health screenings, blood pressure and glucose checks, and raffle prizes and giveaways.

March. 17, 6:30 p.m, St. Michael Parish School in Grand Ledge will hold its Kindergarten Parent Information Night; March 18, 6:30 p.m., it will have a 3-year-old Preschool Roundup; and March 19, 6:30 p.m., it will hold a 4-yearold Preschool Roundup. To register, call 517.627.2167.

Craft Bazaar in the Parish Activity Center, 310 N. Cherry St., Flushing. More than 100 Michigan crafters will be offering one-of-a kind crafts. No vendors. Admission is free.

Lunch is available. For information, call 810.845.0554.

March 21, 6 p.m.-midnight, St. Joseph School, St. Johns will have its St. Joseph Feast and Raffle in the school gym. Tickets are $50 per person and are available in the church or school office, or by contacting Chris Kowatch at 989.640.6550 or Jason Harr at 989.640.1479.

March 21, St. Paul School dinner and auction, “Blue Waves Beach Ball,” to chase away the winter blues. Call St. Paul School in Owosso at 989.725.7766 for tickets and information.

March 21-23, a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend in Lansing is an opportunity for married couples to get away from the rest of the world and really focus on each other. For information, contact Harry and Karen Potter at 888.628.7433 or apply online at wwme.org.

March 28, 10 a.m.-noon, “Celebrating St. Teresa’s 500th Birthday”: The secular Carmelites in Ann Arbor, St. John of the Cross Fraternity, invite all to join them in celebrating the birthday of St. Teresa of March 20-21, the Michigan Catholic Avila. A free family-oriented event of fun, Young Adult games and eats Conference will with opportunities be held at St. to learn more about Nazareth Association Student Gerard Parish, the spiritual life of Scholarships: Deadline for applica4437 W. Willow this great mystic tions is March 15. The Nazareth AssoHwy., Lansing. and Doctor of the ciation is made up of alumni and friends For ages 18-39, Church at Christ who wish to honor and continue the married, single, the King Parish legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of those in religious Center, 2600 Via Nazareth, Mich. Available are $1,000 life, those searching, Sacra in Ann Arbor. renewal scholarships for juniors or all are welcome.

Preceded by 9 a.m. seniors at a Catholic college or uniFor information Mass in the church. versity for the 2015-2016 academic or to register, visit For information, year. Applications to apply are at www. micyac2.org. contact ssemakula@ nazarethassociation.org. Questions, call wowway.com.

Priscilla Swiat at 269.679.4822.

March 20-22, REFLECT April 9-11, Holy Weekend for Spirit Parish, 9565 mid-life singles, mid-30s to 50s, at St. Musch Rd. in Brighton will host a Rummage Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Cost of Sale from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on April 9-10 $160 includes meals, lodging and materials. and 9 a.m.-noon on April 11.

Take a chance and get involved. For information and to register: 989.450.0993, April 17-19, St. Francis of Assisi, Ann reflect.michigan@gmail.com or visit www.

Arbor, St. John the Baptist, Hartland, ReflectRetreat.com. and Holy Family, Grand Blanc are joining together to host a large high school March 21, St. Robert Bellarmine’s Council youth retreat. This is open to any teen in of Catholic Women is hosting its Spring high school. More details can be found by

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FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

MARCH CAFÉ EVENTS The Catholic Community of St. Jude in DeWitt invites you to participate in our Lenten Faith Enrichment Program: Growing and Becoming a Dynamic Catholic. Sessions are at 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. on Feb. 19, Feb. 25, March 5, March 12 and March 19 at 7 p.m. Child care and transportation can be provided if requested in advance by calling Terry Humenik at 517.669.8335, ext. 18 or by emailing terryhumenik@stjudedewitt. com. Join us as we continue to develop our lives as disciples.

April 11, Christ the King Parish, 4000 Ave Maria Dr. in Ann Arbor will host “Beyond the Upper Room Seminar.” Registration is 8:15 a.m., Mass at 9 a.m. and the seminar is 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The seminar offers talks and workshops for personal reflection on topics about spiritual life. Cost is $15 and includes continental breakfast and lunch. For information or to register, contact Kathy at 734.330.4255 or katherineniemiec@gmail.com.

Registration forms also are available at www.ctkcc.net. contacting the high school youth ministry director at any of these parishes.

April 18-19, Catholic Engaged Encounter of Mid-Michigan at Maryville Center in Holly will have a marriage preparation program, which emphasizes the relationship of couples in terms of their sacramental commitment. The engaged couples focus on individual and couple reflections about the marriage they are about to enter and on their relationship to each other and to God. For more information, visit www.lansingcee.org or call Sue and Wayne Fransted at 810.588.4181 or email info@ lansingcee.org.

April 19, 4 p.m. doors open for Unite-

LENTEN MEALS St. Mary, Chelsea’s Knights of Columbus Lenten fish fry is Feb. 20-March 27, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Every Wednesday, Feb. 25-April 1, 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., St. Mary Parish, 807 St. Mary Blvd. in Charlotte, will have Lenten soup and bread dinner featuring a variety of homemade soups, breads and desserts. There also will be presentations of Mass Matters-We are Called to Glory, a series on the sacrament of the Eucharist. No cost.

Fridays during Lent, 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., St. Patrick, 5671 Whitmore Lake Rd. in Ann Arbor will serve fish dinners with a variety of sides in the parish hall. Beer and wine are available/ donation. Cost: $9 adults; $8 seniors; $6 children 5-11. Takeout available.

Feb. 26-March 19, 6 p.m., Lenten soup and substance at St. Paul Parish’s Father Kolenski Hall in Owosso.

Enjoy different soups and speakers each week. This year, we will hear about prayer, fasting, almsgiving and reconciliation. For information, call the parish office at 989.723.4277.

Davison Knights of Columbus Council 4090: Fish fries begin Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18 and continue each Friday of Lent through Good Friday, April 3, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Options include shrimp, baked fish, baked potato, fish tacos and macaroni and cheese.

For information, call 810.653.4090.

St. Anthony of Padua in Hillsdale will have fish bakes on March 6 and 20, 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.; a Knights of Columbus Irish Dinner on March 14, 6 p.m.; and the fourth Friday Community Supper on March 27, 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

All are invited to attend.

Disciples of Christ Concert at Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center, Ypsilanti, hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist and Spiritus Sanctus Academy. Concert begins at 5 p.m.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the performers, visit www.uniteconcert.com.

April 24, Marriage Matters Jackson welcomes Tony Dungy, former NFL player and coach, as a presenter at the Michigan Theatre in Jackson to speak about marriage and family. Dungy is co-author of Uncommon Marriage, with his wife Lauren, which he’ll share with attendees at the special evening event. Tickets are $35 and available at www.MarriageMattersJackson. com, or call 517.796.5116.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, 810.232.9950 or ccsgc.org St. Patrick’s Day box lunch sale. Enjoy a delicious corned beef and Swiss sandwich on rye, pickle, coleslaw, chips and dessert for only $6. The drive-thru will be open March 17 at 901 Chippewa St., Flint. Free delivery available in Genesee County for lunch orders of 10 or more. To reserve your box lunch, call 810.232.9950, ext. 325/ 226, or visit www. ccsgc.org. WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation program: March 13-14 at St. Mary Queen of Angels in Swartz Creek. Cost: $75. Preregistration with payment is required. Call 810.232.9950 for information.

Livingston County Catholic Charities, 517.545.5944 or livingstoncatholiccharities.org Celebrating 30 years of service: March 21, 2015, a Salute to the Stars and celebrity dance completion with a 5 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Church in Howell, followed at 6:30 p.m. with a celebration at Cleary College’s Johnson Center in Howell. Included are: dinner, raffles, dance competition and dancing. Tickets: $60 each or $440 for a table of eight. Platinum sponsors: Dr. Edward Loniewski and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital. For information or tickets, contact Julie at 517.545.5944.

Two WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation programs: March 20, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and March 21, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., LCCC, 2020 E. Grand River, Ste. 104, Howell; and April 20, 6:30 p.m. and April 21, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., St. Patrick, 711 Rickett Rd., Brighton in the Adult Faith Formation Center, Rm. A. Cost: $75. Pre-registration with pay-

RETREATS St. Francis Retreat and Conference Center, DeWitt, www.stfrancis.ws or 866.669.8321 April 11, Women Friends, Sister Friends: Come away for the day to refresh, renew and honor the friendship between sisters and those with whom we have formed a sister-friend relationship. This year we also will honor those women in our past and present who have inspired and shaped us through the years.

Weber Retreat and Conference Center, Adrian, www.weber.adriandominicans.org or 517.266.4000 March 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., “Enneagram of Personality Workshop, Part 1.”

ment is required. Limited class sizes. Register early by calling LCCC at 517.545.5944.

Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, 734.971.9781 or csswashtenaw.org WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation program: Session times are Fridays, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m.–noon.

Cost: $95. Pre-registration with payment is required. Space is limited, so register early by calling 734.971.9781, ext. 421 or visiting www.csswashtenaw.org. Dates and locations are: March 6-7, St. Thomas the Apostle, 530 Elizabeth, Ann Arbor; March 27-28, St. Mary, 14200 E. Old US12, Chelsea; and April 17-18, St. Joseph, 3430 Dover St., Dexter.

St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Lansing, 517.323.4734 or stvcc.org You can help change a child’s life by becoming a foster parent. There is a growing need for foster families in mid-Michigan. We invite you to attend an orientation session March 4 to learn more about how you can make an impact. Please contact Natalie Marshall at 517.323.4734, ext.1614 or marshan@ stvcc.org to reserve your spot.

Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties, 517.782.2551 or catholiccharitiesjlhc.org Two WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation programs will be held at Queen of the Miraculous Medal’s Seton Hall, 606 S. Wisner St., Jackson: March 20, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. and March 21, 9 a.m.-noon; and May 15, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. and May 16, 9 a.m.-noon.

Cost: $75. Pre-registration with payment is required. To register, call Catholic Charities at 517.782.2551.

Cost: $35, includes lunch. March 28, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., “A Day of Contemplative Prayer – Mediation and Mindfulness Practice.” Cost: $35, includes lunch. March 29-April 2, Sun., 6:30 p.m.-Thurs., 1 p.m., “Holy Week Retreat: The Passion in the 21st Century.” Cost $300, commuter $150 – deposit of $25 is nonrefundable.

C E L E B R AT I N G 2 0 Y E A R S

1993 – 2013

FIND A CATHOLIC CHURCH ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

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Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist to host Unite Concert in April

On Jan. 12, Bishop Earl Boyea appointed Deborah Amato as chair of the Department of Evangelization and Lay Formation. Amato has been serving the diocese as director of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry since August 2010.

Deborah began her career working in the computer industry as a business owner, consultant and programming trainer. After leaving the computer industry in 2000, she worked in parish and school ministry in various roles such as RCIA coordinator, sacramental preparation, adult faith formation and middle school religion teacher. Her bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University is in interdisciplinary studies, and, in April 2012, she completed a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Deborah has been married to Mark for 25 years, and they have four children and nine grandchildren.

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Ann Arbor, invite you to attend the Unite Concert at Eastern Michigan Convocation Center, 779 N. Hewitt Rd., Ypsilanti, April 19, at 5 p.m. Amy Grant will be the featured singer for the family-friendly event. Other singers will be Matt Maher, Sanctus Real, Ike Ndola, Jon Guerra and the Dominican Sisters of Mary.

Sister Joan Dominic Rasmussen said the concert has secured sponsorships, but more are needed. One incentive offered to sponsors is for a donation of $10,000, $1,000 will be donated to a charity of their choice. Tickets range in price – $12, $20, $35 and $40 – to make it affordable for people to attend. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Sally Wager at 734.996.4245.

To purchase tickets to the concert, visit UniteConcert.com.

T. Gennara

New department chair of the Department of Evangelization and Lay Formation

Knitting for a Difference In 2007, 10 women from St. Catherine Labouré Parish in Concord started Knitting for a Difference, which makes caps for charities. “At first, we thought we might knit a few hundred caps,” says Joyce Rochow, a member of the group. Since that time, the group has knitted 10,000 hats and donated them throughout Michigan and beyond.

Organizations that have received Knitting for a Difference hats include Catholic Charities, hospitals, clinics and health centers.

Applications are available at DioceseofLansing.org/schools or your school office • Application Deadline is March 16, 2015 • Eligible grades are 6th-11th at any Diocese of Lansing Catholic school

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FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

• $750 scholarships for students in grades 6th, 7th and 8th • $1,000 scholarships for students in 9th,10th and 11th grades

D. Quillan

Holy Spirit Parish dedicates a new school Bishop Earl Boyea celebrated Mass and blessed the new school at Holy Spirit Parish, Brighton on Jan. 10. The school opened after Christmas break with 65 students. The bishop thanked the people gathered in the church for their contributions to the school project. After Mass, Bishop Boyea blessed the statue of St. Philomena in the school, as it was her feast day.

The students, parents and staff of Holy Spirit Catholic School thanked those who contributed to the “Gift from You” campaign, and those who were responsible for the design and construction of the building.

Father John Rocus, pastor of the parish, welcomed the students their first day of school. “We look forward with hope and confidence that we will be able to attract more families to our little school,” he said.

Infiniti Coaches’ Challenge The St. Louis Center in Chelsea has a chance to win $100,000 again this year in the Infiniti Coaches’ Challenge hosted by ESPN. During the challenge, fans can vote for their favorite charity nominated by college basketball’s top coaches. John Beilein, head coach at the University of Michigan, has once again named St. Louis Center as his charity.

If you would like to vote for the St. Louis Center, visit promo. espn.go.com/espn/contests/infiniti/2015 and cast your vote.

Jackson County Child Advocacy Center earns national accreditation The Jackson County Child Advocacy Center (JCCAC), a program of Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties, has been awarded accreditation by the National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process. The National Children’s Alliance is the accrediting agency for children’s advocacy centers across the country.

The JCCAC provides a coordinated response to children who have been sexually abused or severely physically abused, bringing together many state agencies and the child protection medical team from University of Michigan, all in an effort to prevent further victimization of the child. Accreditation by the National Children’s Alliance denotes excellence in service.

Diocese of Lansing Pilgrimage to the World Meeting of Families and Papal Mass, Philadelphia, September 2015 Includes: conference (Sept. 21-28 • Hotel package only) • Round trip motorcoach • Admission to Gianna transportation to Molla’s testimony Philadelphia • Three dinners • Registration fees for • S EPTA pass for weekend World Meeting of Families commute to Mass September 21-28, 2015 $2,034 per person double occupancy

September 24-28, 2015 $1,134 per person double occupancy

Triple and quad occupancy available For more information, or to find out about the early registration discount, contact Chris Shewchuck: 810.333.2945 or visit ctscentral.net

If you have been abused or victimized by someone representing the Catholic Church Please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing.

We encourage you to come forward and speak out. Every diocese in the United States now has a Victim Assistance Coordinator who is available to obtain support for your needs, to help make a formal complaint of abuse to the diocese, and to arrange a personal meeting with the bishop or his representative if you desire.

The Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Diocese of Lansing is: Adrienne Rowland, LMSW, ACSW; 1.888.308.6252; arowlandvac@dioceseoflansing.org.

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Reuters

pope watch

Reuters

What POPE FRANCIS has been saying and doing recently

Huge crowds greet the pope in Sri Lanka, Philippines During Pope Francis’ week-long trip to Asia in mid-January, he called for reconciliation in Sri Lanka, which is still recovering from an ethnic conflict that lasted for 37 years, and stressed the need to care for the world’s poor while visiting the Philippines. On Sunday, Jan. 18, more than 6 million people gathered in Rizal Park in Manila for the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis. The crowd waited for hours in the rain for the afternoon Mass. According to Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, “We think … this is the largest event in the history of the popes.” Father Lombardi added that about 5 million people gathered in the same area in 1995 for a Mass celebrated by Pope St. John Paul II. In Sri Lanka, on a former battleground, the pope held a prayer service for those who lost their lives during the island nation’s decades-long civil war, which devastated the country. Pope Francis explained that finding forgiveness after such a bloody war “can only be done by overcoming evil with good, and by cultivating those virtues which foster reconciliation.” He also stressed that, “The process of healing also needs to include the pursuit of truth.” While in Sri Lanka, Pope Francis can30

onized the country’s first saint, Reverend Giuseppe Vaz. In the Philippines, Pope Francis braved a tropical storm to visit with survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the country in November 2013. “I wanted to come to be with you,” the pontiff said during his homily at the open-air Mass in Tacloban, “A little bit late, but I am here.” Because of the rain and strong winds during the Mass, the pope wore the same kind of yellow poncho as many in the crowd.

FAITH Magazine • March 2015 • www.FAITHpub.com

As he arrived at the Colombo airport in Sri Lanka on Jan. 13, Pope Francis received a warm welcome

ALL MEMBERS

OF SOCIETY MUST

WORK TOGETHER;

ALL MUST HAVE A

VOICE

Speaking on Jan. 13 upon his arrival in Sri Lanka, on healing and reconciliation after civil war.

On Jan. 16, Pope Francis was greeted

by Philippines’ President Benigno Aquino when he visited the presidential palace in Manila.

Reuters

Before Mass at Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 8, Pope Francis waved to the crowds from his popemobile while donning the same plastic rain poncho as the crowd.

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MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR St. Gregory of Nyssa Feast Day: March 9

PILGRIMAGE Aug. 24-Sept. 3, Imperial Cities Tour: Looking for the trip of your lifetime? Join Father Andrew Czajkowski, St. John, Davison and fellow travelers for a tour of Europe’s finest cities – Prague, Budapest and Vienna – and a great Old World experience. Included is roundtrip from Davison to Detroit Metro Airport, 11 days, 14 meals, hotels, fees, tour guide, bus driver, air taxes and fees/surcharges and transfers. Early bird booking: double $3,949; single $4,699. Save $200 before Feb. 25. For more information, call 810.653.2377 or visit www.stjohndavison.org.

Nov. 8-17, join Father Mark Rutherford and John and Marjorie Jeter on a 10-day Catholic Family Pilgrimage to Italy. Pilgrimage includes roundtrip airfare from Detroit to Rome, daily Mass and professional Catholic European tour escorts. Some of the daily sightseeing includes Assisi, the National Shrine of St. Maria Goretti in Nettuno, the eucharistic miracle of Orvieto and the Sunday noon Angelus with Pope Francis. Space is limited. Call Corporate Travel Service at 313.565.8888, ext. 121/150, or visit www.pilgrimagesbycts.com for reservations and information.

I

n the creation account found in the Book of Genesis, we learn that all was well in God’s creation. Everything was good. The last sentence of Genesis, Chapter 2, tells us: “And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.”

Chapter 3 of Genesis opens up with the serpent slithering into the Garden tempting Adam and Eve. They ate of it and we are told, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” (Gen 3:7) What sort of nakedness are we talking about? If physical nakedness did not cause Adam and Eve to be ashamed, then what did? The answer is that their relationship with God was torn away. Having separated themselves from the love of God, they were naked and exposed to all that was not of God. They were stripped away from God’s power. They were now vulnerable to the forces of chaos. Like Lucifer, the serpent, who was once the mightiest of God’s angels – the light-bearer – they now lived in darkness, last word that sort of darkness in which evil lurks and works to separate Father Charles Irvin is the everything from God and leave us founding editor naked and exposed to the forces of FAITH Magazine and is of darkness and chaos. retired.

Now we see in greater depth what Jesus was talking about in the beatitudes when he declared: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me …” (Mt 25:34-36) To be sure, we need to take care of the physical needs of others, but we must not overlook providing for their spiritual food and drink, reaching out with Pope Francis to those who are homeless, to those who have no spiritual home or family and to those who are naked and powerless in the face of the moral and spiritual forces of evil that are at work in this world’s darkness. Those who do not believe in God will end up believing in anything. Those who have nothing above them will be held captive and victimized by all that is around them.

In baptism, we are clothed again and we put on Christ, the Risen Lord, who once again comes to us in a garden, the Garden of the Resurrection.

Go, clothe the naked.

T. Gennara

Every Christian is called to holiness. By living out this call in our own state of life, a call that necessarily tends toward perfection in love, we can help others grow in holiness as well.

The Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium puts it this way: “It is therefore quite clear that all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love, and by this holiness a more human manner of life is fostered also in earthly society.” (para. 40) The story of the fourth century saint Gregory of Nyssa bears witness to this reality. St. Gregory was known as one of the “Cappadocian Fathers”, along with his brother, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus. However, the family of St. Gregory was steeped in holy men and women. In addition to St. Gregory and St. Basil, three other siblings went on to become saints: St. Macrina the Younger, St. Naucratius and St. Peter of Sebaste.

St. Gregory’s parents were the primary witnesses for these saints as they grew up. As a couple, they had suffered persecution for their faith including, as St. Gregory tells us, having their goods confiscated for confessing Christ. St. Gregory’s grandmother, Macrina the Elder, is revered as a saint and his grandfather was martyred for the faith during the persecution of the Roman Emperor Maximinus II. St. Gregory attended the first Council of Constantinople in 381, during which the Nicene Creed was confirmed. The Trinitarian discourse of the Cappadocian Fathers was influential at this council. St. Gregory also traveled to Arabia to settle disputes among the churches in that region. He is thought of as an original thinker, and is well-known for his theological writings on the Trinity and universal salvation.

St. Gregory and his family serve as an example of the responsibility we have to each other to both walk the path to holiness ourselves and to help our brothers and sisters in Christ along the way.

CLOTHING THE NAKED

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