April 2009

Kellie Dean of Dean Transportation

F A I T H

e x c l u s i v e

An interview with Michael Landon, Jr.

p a r e n t i n g

j o u r n e y

I hate my son’s lip ring!

How can I get him to take it out?

f r o m

t h e

b i s h o p

Christ is risen, Alleluia!

Easter greetings from Bishop Boyea

What can we learn about ourselves from

the current financial crisis? @

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

E-mail: editor@FAITHmag.com.

R

from the editor

ecently, I was reminded of the passing of a dubious one-year anniversary. The anniversary was that of the collapse of the huge investment bank Bear Stearns.

That bank’s failure in March 2008 set in motion a string of events that led to a national and worldwide financial calamity. Stock markets plunged, retirement savings shrank, foreclosures skyrocketed, employers downsized, unemployment has risen and a general sense of queasiness has become a regular part of daily life.

Not so long ago, we were being told that it was no problem if we wanted a bigger house. Funding was readily available and easy to obtain. The same applied for vehicles and other toys that could be parked in our garages or driveways. On a certain level, we were allowing ourselves to believe that not only did we want such things, but we actually needed them.

In the year since the collapse of Bear Stearns, we have begun to understand that the material goods that once seemed so important no longer have the same place in our lives. These painful experiences have offered us the opportunity to step back and re-evaluate our priorities. Are people more important than things? Is faith more important than material success? What is my true purpose in life? These questions have risen to the forefront of our

consciousness during the past year.

They also challenge us during Lent.

If we want to understand where we place our current priorities, we might try paying attention to where we spend our time. Tallying up the minutes (or hours) that we spend watching TV, surfing the Web, sending text messages, gossiping, smoking or engaging in other addictive behaviors could give us a sense of where we have either consciously or inadvertently placed our priorities.

This tally offers us the opportunity to restate our true priorities. But it is not without its own challenges. Simply saying that our children or a spouse or our faith are our top priority is not sufficient. These statements must also be translated into consistent and concrete action. A parent’s love for her children is revealed in loving action. Dedication

to one’s spouse is made real in both word and deed. Love for God cannot be kept to oneself. That love is meant to be shared and shown in thought, word and deed.

Challenging times offer us the opportunity to step back, evaluate and restate our priorities in life. In doing so, we have the opportunity to allow that which is truly important to fill the hollow places we have been sensing.

In time, the economy will recover.

Given time and opportunity, we can recover and emerge from this experience with a better sense of what truly matters in our lives.

We also have the opportunity to learn from the days of Lent. These days teach us that dying to self leads to new life. Lent always gives way to Easter and renewed life. And so our journey in FAITH continues.

local news

Seminarians and the pope Pictured at lower left are: James Rolph (Christ the King Parish, Ann Arbor) and Dan Westermann (St. Mary, Pinckney) third-year undergraduate seminarians who are spending the semester in Rome as part of their studies at St. John Vianney College Seminary.

The seminarians are waving a Diocese of Lansing flag as Pope Benedict passes.

Our March issue erroneously implied that all current students of St. Robert School were eligible for a $500 grant.

The $500 grant applies only to students from Holy Redeemer or Holy Rosary who live closer to Flushing, Grand Blanc or Fenton and choose to go to one of those schools, instead of driving to the three in Flint.

Page 18 of our March issue contains a photo of Father Joseph Sy Kim. It was mistakenly captioned.

Liturgical Calendar: St. Francis of Paola, hermit April 2 • St. Isidore, bishop and doctor of the church April 4 • Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion April 5 • Holy Thursday April 9 • Good Friday

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

Faith and Finance

Most Reverend Earl A. Boyea PUBLISHER

Rev. Dwight Ezop

EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

April 2009 • Volume 10: Issue 3

FAITH Publishing Ser v i c e Patrick M. O’Brien PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Elizabeth Martin Solsburg DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM PUBLISHING/ EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Joanne Eason DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICE

Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER/WEBMASTER

Janna Stellwag Abby Wieber

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jillane Job EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Patricia Oliver SECRETARY

InnerWorkings

PRINT MANAGEMENT

Andrew Peltcs

EDITORIAL INTERN

Doug Culp Kevin Duffy Dcn. Tom and JoAnne Fogle Rev. Joseph Krupp Dr. Gelasia Marquez Dr. Cathleen McGreal Nancy Schertzing Sister Ann Shields Michelle Sessions DiFranco

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Derek Melot

PROOFREADING

Carlson Productions Tom Gennara Sheri Kendrick James Luning (cover) Donald Quillan

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

ADVISORY BOARD

FAITH talked to Bishop Earl Boyea about his first year as bishop of Lansing.

Read this interview and learn a little more about the man who is the spiritual father of the Diocese of Lansing.

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FAITHPublishingService.com

Michael Landon, Jr. spent his childhood at TV studios with his famous father.

Now, he makes family-friendly films. His newest, The Velveteen Rabbit, releases on DVD March 17.

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4 parenting journey I hate my son’s lip ring! How can I get him to take it out? – Dr. Cathleen McGreal 5 money tip Don’t panic – Ted Zale 6 culture Jesus vs. the Easter Bunny. Lamb Bread helps win the contest. – Michelle Sessions DiFranco 8 in the know with Fr. Joe Why do we pray for the dead?

what you’ll get out of this issue

– Father Joseph Krupp

9 f act or fiction This month: Do we have to fight in a war? – Doug Culp 10 Theology 101 Who is Jesus? Everything depends on your answer. A year-long series on the church with Cardinal Justin Rigali – Cardinal

FAITHTM (USPS 019993) is a publication of FAITH Publishing Service, Catholic Diocese of Lansing, 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933. FAITHTM is a membership publication of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing and is published monthly except for February and August. To purchase a subscription, log onto FAITHmag.com. If you have a change of address, please contact your parish. Periodicals postage paid at Lansing, MI or additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FAITHTM, 209 Seymour Ave., Lansing, MI 48933 ©FAITH Publishing Service.

FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Publishing Service.

Most Rev. Carl F. Mengeling

FAITH Exclusive Interview with Michael Landon, Jr.

Justin Rigali

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9

FOUNDING PUBLISHER

12 spiritual fitness Talking back to the devil – Sister Ann Shields

5

Rev. Charles Irvin

FOUNDING EDITOR

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work life I caught a co-worker stealing am I a tattletale if I report her?

– Joanne Eason

of the Lord’s Passion April 10 • Holy Saturday April 11 • Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord April 12 • Divine Mercy Sunday April 19 • St. Anselm, bishop and doctor of the church April 21

columnists

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

Bishop Boyea’s first year in Lansing

inside this issue

Lynne Ridenour

The economy has tanked.

Everybody is worried about job loss and failing retirement accounts. And where is God in all of this? FAITH interviewed successful business leaders from around the Diocese of Lansing – they’re sharing some great financial tips, and insights about living faith-filled lives in frightening financial times.

I hate my son’s lip ring!

How can I get him to take it out?

T. Gennara

Dr. Cathleen McGreal is a psychology professor and certified spiritual advisor.

Even though he knew I objected, the first thing my son did when he went to college was to get his lip pierced.

Looking at that lip ring marring his handsome face is making me crazy.

How can I get him to take it out?

parenting journey

Q A

Generational differences in body art

Researchers studying cultural rites of passage talk about tattoos and piercings that are used to mark those who have left childhood and entered into maturity. In our society, there aren’t traditional markers that let us know when this transition takes place. In fact, each cohort has its own preferences for the body art, hair styles and clothing that it finds attractive.

Inevitably, control over body image passes from parent to adult child.

So, what do you do?

Q

My brother stopped talking to everyone in our family about a year ago. We honestly don’t know why, and he’s not responding to any overtures. This is tearing my parents apart – is there anything I can do?

There are people who react to problems by withdrawing from relationships and creating justifications for their behavior in their minds. Sadly, after a few days or months, they usually would like to make up, but just don’t know how.

Besides praying for your brother and for the union of your family, you can discuss the situation with the rest of the family and develop a unified response.

I would suggest using the written word to your advantage.

Instead of buying a commercial card, get a blank one and write to him about the good memories you have about being his sister and remind him how important he still is in your life. If you have e-mail, you can use that to share everything

A

Exploring issues of identity During adolescence and early adulthood, individuals explore different aspects of identity. A person might enter college as a chemistry major, but a geology course steers her in a new direction. Likewise, aspects of physical presentation change.

• This time of transition in the lives of young adults can be somewhat disconcerting because they, not you, are at the helm. Trust in the “navigational charts” you have provided throughout their first 18 years. Don’t try to take control of their ships!

• New friends come on board as key people in your child’s life.

Remember that when it comes to issues of clothing, physical appearance and music, these college friends are more knowledgeable than you!

• “Oh, Lord. The sea is so large and my boat is so small.”

Responding with “I told you so,” doesn’t help when adult children struggle with the consequences of their choices. Many of life’s lessons are learned through bad decisions and typically it’s best not to “rescue” your children. But, a little bit of emotional support goes a long way!

Our catechism notes that adult children gain the right to make their own choices, while parents drop down to the role of trusted advisors. (CCC, 2230)

How do I get my brother to speak to me?

Dr. Gelasia Marquez is a psychologist and family counselor.

S. Kendrick

letters what to the gets editor my goat

• Your son honored your wishes until he was out of your home. Perhaps he will agree to take out the lip ring during family meals and some of the family photographs

when he comes home to visit.

• Lip, eyebrow and tongue rings usually come out because a person gets a job that requires a different look, or when she decides to update her image. It’s as unlikely that you could convince a college student to remove a piercing as it was to prevent it in the first place!

• Your own reaction is in your control. Instead of letting the piercing “make you crazy,” concentrate on other characteristics when you’re together: his twinkling eyes, sense of humor, or quick wit.

that is going on in the family: births, illnesses, vacations – even small details like home improvement projects. The writing should be loving, caring and detailed. Keep writing even if you don’t get an answer.

If there is no response, take the next step: a surprise visit to his house. Give him a big hug so that he can feel your love and concern. Repeat the meeting experiences until he is less apprehensive about a family get-together.

When that time comes, however, you must remember that you are a goodwill ambassador and not a mediator. Every family member must go through the process of reconciliation without your intervention.

St. George, martyr; St. Adalbert, bishop and martyr April 23 • St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest and martyr April 24 • Feast of St. Mark, evangelist April 25 • St. Pete

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

am I a tattletale if I report her?

T. Gennara

I caught a coworker stealing Joanne Eason is a public relations and organizational expert.

Q

I found evidence that one of my coworkers is taking money from the petty cash fund. It’s not much, but it’s still stealing. The question is: Do I tell management? I want to be honest, but I don’t want to be labeled as a tattletale.

You can inform your boss of what you saw. Will this option cause turmoil in the workplace? Sure. Your coworker may or may not confess. Your employer may choose to set up a trap to catch the employee “in the act,” which would provide more solid proof that this employee or another is the thief. Either way, this scenario puts you knee-deep in the quagmire.

You can confront your coworker, who may or may

How can you choose which is best among these three options? Telling the truth and telling it well is always the best policy. Remember that Jesus told us, “The truth will set you free.” You have an obligation to your employer to ensure that organizational assets are preserved.

May your job bring you joy.

Don’t panic Ted Zale is a veteran financial counselor.

Tracking your 401(k) or IRA is a daily roller-coaster ride that leaves you queasy more often than not. You’re

not alone. First, quit obsessing. Take the stock market ticker off of your computer’s desktop and find a new

hobby. Second, remember you’re in it for the long haul.

While periodically reviewing your investment mix is smart, yanking your money out of the market during troubled times usually isn’t. One plus to plunging prices: You’re

snapping up shares at bargain prices, which pays off when fortunes turn, Zale said. “You can’t time the market for both the tops and the bottoms,” he said.

“You must set a plan down on paper, do an asset allocation so you are diversified and build your wealth based on it. Getting in and out of the market is not normally profitable. Having a longterm plan increases your chance of success significantly.”

er Chanel, priest and martyr; St. Louis Mary de Montfort, priest April 28 • St. Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the church April 29 • St. Pius V, pope April 30

money tip

O

minous headlines about layoffs.

Soaring prices at the pump.

“For sale” signs and plummeting stock markets. Everywhere you turn lately, you see a test of your financial faith. Never fear. Here are commonsense tips to survive the current money crunch:

work life

A

Your discomfort about being a “tattletale” is understandable. However, if you saw your coworker confiscating funds, it’s probable that others in your company have as well; they are just as confounded about how to deal with this situation as you are.

Let’s look at your choices:

not deny the accusation. If you broach the subject with her, do it in private where you might say, “The other day I saw you taking money from the petty cash fund.” Leave it as an open statement and see where the conversation goes. Do let your coworker know that if she doesn’t inform your supervisor of the theft, then you will be obligated to do so.

This will more than likely end any collegial working relationship and may escalate into a your-story-versus-your-coworker’s-story situation that involves the entire office. However, your candor offered her an opportunity to make good on her behavior before being accused of a crime.

Or, you can do nothing. If you choose this option, keep a close eye on her from now on. This has ethical, as well as practical, consequences: If your employer later finds out you knew, you may be in trouble as well.

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

Jesus vs. the Easter Bunny Lamb bread helps win the contest

A

By Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Philip Shippert

culture

recent trip to Target made me rethink bringing my 2-year-old son anywhere just before lunchtime.

I was in the Easter section of the store looking for cupcake liners when I heard him yell, “candeeeeee!” There it stood.

A near life-sized cardboard cutout of the Easter Bunny perched beside a monolith of stacked candy. Knowing his screams would only escalate, I picked up the pace and headed for the next aisle. Bad idea. It was still everywhere in plain sight – candy, chocolate and other sugary paraphernalia. Just as I feared, my son turned into a monster – bellowing a roar of greed, impatience and appetite. How very Easter-like. I hurriedly rolled not one or two, but five aisles away until we were out of the danger zone.

With all of the marketing and commercialized clutter that herald Easter these days, the Easter Bunny rules supreme. Kids know it well. To them, it’s all about the candy embedded in the fake grass (that annoyingly sticks to the upholstery). For many, with the exception of a Lenten resolution and going to Easter Mass, there isn’t much out there to remind them of the true meaning of Easter. That job rests almost entirely on good old Mom and Dad. When my husband was growing up, there was one tangible item on the dinner table every Easter that was symbolic of our Savior, though. It might not be as sugary as a Cadbury Egg or jellybeans, but kids love it because it is creative and recognizable. The “Lamb Bread,” as it is simply named, takes the shape of an actual lamb.

If we, parents (or grandparents, aunts and uncles), take the time to explain its symbolism, it puts a few more points on the home-team score board during the annual Jesus-vs.-Easter Bunny rivalry.

Bread is, of course, representative of the body of Christ. The shape of

Lamb Bread 1 1/2 packages active dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (not hot) 1/2 teaspoon sugar 3/4 cup warm milk 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter (softened) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1 raisin Egg Wash 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water

Dissolve yeast, then sugar in warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.

In a large bowl, combine warm milk, sugar, butter and salt. Stir in yeast mixture. With a mixer or by hand, slowly mix in half of the flour until well blended. Continue to mix in more flour until a stiff dough is formed. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a bowl lightly greased with cooking oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and store in a warm place until dough doubles in size (about an hour).

Punch down the dough and separate into four even portions.

Roll first portion into a 9” x 6” oval (body) ¼” thick. Trim an inch off across the top and place onto a greased cookie sheet.

Roll another portion into a 9” rope. Divide as follows: one 4” section (head), two 1” sections (tail and ear), and two 1½ ” sections (legs). Shape head into an oval and attach to body. Pinch to seal. Shape nose and flatten head slightly. Roll each leg to 2” long ovals and attach to bottom of body. Pinch to seal. Shape tail and ear and attach. Pinch to seal.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk egg white and water in a small bowl.

Set aside.

Using the remaining dough, make 24-26 1” balls and then several ½” or smaller sized balls. Arrange the 1” balls over the main body leaving ¼” of border exposed. Arrange smaller balls between the larger balls and on top of the head. Insert a raisin for the eye and cut a vertical slit into each leg.

Brush with the egg wash and bake for 10 minutes. Quickly brush on more egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds over the head and body. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until lightly brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Enjoy! the lamb characterizes the sacrifice of Jesus. To the kids, the whole thing is “neat,” “cute,” or “cool” – and the boys usually vie for who gets to eat the head.

But if a little explanation can be given

before the bread is broken, kids can be given a little seed of understanding into the miracle of Christ – a seed that will hopefully one day bloom into an adult Catholic faith.

nates out of us loving each other.

How has your faith influenced your career? Your life?

My faith influences every aspect of my life – from my family life to my work. For example, I won’t make any film that goes against my worldview. I believe film and media influence culture, either positively or negatively. I take that seriously.

What have you been most proud of in your career?

There is not one particular film. But if I had to choose a single moment, I probably would go to a film called The Last Sin Eaters. There was a scene between a little girl and a “John the Baptist” character that is one of those moments in films – the moment where the entire film hinges on whether a particular scene works. And in that scene, they were sharing the Gospel and that moment was amazing.

What are your biggest challenges as a producer/director? It’s always a tiny miracle to get a film made. You have 90 pages of words and you have to convince someone to spend millions of dollars. There are good and bad films being made all the time. The common element is the buy-in. So, financing is always the greatest challenge.

A FAITH Exclusive Interview

M

ichael Landon, Jr. has a famous name, inherited from a famous father. FAITH talked to him about his father, his philosophy of movie-making, and his newest project – The Velveteen Rabbit – released on DVD March 17.

Tell us about the Velveteen Rabbit – what drew you to this story? It had been read to me as a child. I remember getting the warm fuzzies when I heard it. Revisiting the story, I loved the theme that love makes us real. I didn’t want to do an adaptation – I thought Margery Williams did the story perfectly. I wanted to tell it from the little boy’s point of view. So, it is based on the book, and is shot as live-action with some animation. We shot in Montreal, where I found the young actor who plays the little boy – Matthew Harbor. Tom Skerritt, Jane Seymour and Ellen Burstyn are the three main voices for the animated characters.

What do you hope children will learn? I’m hoping they will be entertained. There’s a lot of sorrow in the world – I hope that they’ll catch the joy in the film and that joy resoBy Elizabeth Solsburg

Did you ever work with your father? When I was a kid, I often went to the sets of Little House on the Prairie. There were always kids to play with there – like Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson. We were there all the time, playing tag and running around finding rattlesnakes. I got a chance to observe how every department did what it did; it was a great learning experience.

I did get to work with him as a film loader and assistant cameraman on Highway to Heaven. I was working directing his new show when he died. He was giving me a career break – I had spent 10 years working as cameraman, editor, almost every job in film and had finished up film school at AFI. Did he have an influence on your faith? His faith was an indirect influence on my own. Dad was not part of any organized faith – we did not go to church when I was a child.

His work spoke to that aspect of his life instead. I think he had trouble with organized religion because he had a very troubled childhood – his Catholic mother and Jewish father hated each other and used religion as a weapon in arguments.

The Velveteen Rabbit DVD is available in Christian bookstores. For more information, go to www.thevelveteenrabbitmovie.com.

FAITH interview

Michael Landon, Jr.

What was it like growing up with a famous father? Did he have an influence on your faith? My childhood was actually quite normal. He was not the “Hollywood dad” – he came home for dinner, he spent the weekends with us swimming and goofing off. I knew there was something different about him when we went out and people would take his picture and ask for autographs, but, most of the time, he was just Dad. We didn’t live in a big house until I was 10 and then we did the mansion thing.

Those years were not my favorite years – I preferred when we lived in the smaller house of my early childhood.

Dear Fr. Joe: T. Gennara

Why do we pray for the dead @

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

Q

Can you please tell me why Catholics pray for the deceased?

How about this: What if I made your question into two questions and answered both? One this month and one next? I’m just that good.

Why pray for the dead?

Well, to answer that, we have to step back a bit and look at how it all works in this great love story between God and us. I’m going to be using a lot of C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, especially the chapter called “Counting the Cost.” I strongly encourage everyone to check out that book.

Anyway, we begin with the simple premise that God, who is perfect, desires perfection for us. He hungers for us to “be perfect, as [Our] Father in Heaven is

in the know with Fr. Joe

A

Q:

cowboy rides into town on Friday, A stays three days and leaves on Friday.

How does he do it?

A: The horse’s name is Friday.

inner child who lives inside of each of us who wants what he wants when he wants it. It’s that part of us that lies and manipulates and is selfish. Finally, when we talk about the devil, we’re talking about that fallen angel who works hard to destroy, create chaos and lead us into sin. All three are our enemies.

Now, confronting these enemies are the grace, power and love of Jesus as he works in and through all of his creation.

We fight these enemies all our days and this fight, coupled with our sin and the sin around us, leave us with scars and battle damage.

Sometimes, the work of holiness is so hard, we even work against God. However, since we gave God permission to make us perfect, he never gives up.

So, what does this have to do with praying for the dead? Well, those of us

Why pray for the dead? Well, to answer that, we have to step back a bit and look at how it all works in this great love story between God and us. perfect.” This perfection that he desires for us is a difficult thing. But once we give God permission to do so, he will literally stop at nothing to get us there. The thing is, we’ve got three enemies working against us in this quest: the world, the flesh

and the devil. Let’s take a quick look at each.

When we talk about “the world,” we’re talking about a mind-set, a way of thinking that permeates our culture. It’s any message passed along to us that is contrary to the Gospel. Pope

John Paul II talked about “the culture of death” and that is a perfect example of what we mean by “the world,” When we talk about “the flesh,” we’re not talking about our skin. Our bodies are sacred. Instead, we’re talking about that spoiled

struggling for perfection through God are all on the same team wherever we are.

Some are here on earth: we fight, we struggle, we pray, we remain faithful, we never give up! We know this process begins on earth, but ends with

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

Being a disciple of Christ means that you may have to participate in a war.

fact or fiction?

Because of the disordered relationships among human societies, the danger of war is real. Consequently, there are moments when it becomes necessary and morally legitimate for citizens and governments to take up arms in self-defense after all efforts at peace have failed.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the church enumerates strict conditions for the legitimate use of military force:

fact or fiction?

Here are the facts: There is no question that the church is called to peace-making. However, the church understands that peace is not simply the absence of war. The possibility of peace requires the safeguarding of goods and of persons, free communication among all humans and respect for the dignity of all people, individually and collectively. This reflects a state of proper order that, in turn, produces the fruit of peace (CCC 2304).

1. The damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain; 2. A ll other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; 3. There must be serious prospects of success; 4. The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.

The evaluation of these conditions as “justifying war” belongs to those who have the responsibility for the common good (2309). – Doug Culp

Next month: Why do we pray to saints?

A Decade of FAITH FAITH Magazine will be 10 in 2009! As we gear up for this important anniversary, we are going to be looking back at some of the great stories from the past decade, and finding out, “And then what happened?”

In May 2007, we told the story of Ruth Abood braving bombs in Lebanon to bring home her infant son, John Christopher. After uterine cancer had left Ruth unable to have additional children, she and her husband Chris chose to adopt a child from Lebanon. Ruth shared their survival story of bringing John home after

Lebanon came under attack from Israeli war planes.

And then what happened?

Ruth is savoring every minute with John, now 3, Chris and her daughter Ellen. Their moments are sweeter because Ruth’s cancer returned last year in her lungs and has spread to other vital organs. “My life has gone through a twist,” Ruth says, “but I’ve thought

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a lot about this. Even if I had known I’d only live to 40, I wouldn’t do anything differently if I could do it over. If I look at my life’s purpose, I would say it was to bring John home.”

Ruth and her family welcome and would appreciate your prayers.

10 years of FAITH

our perfection in heaven.

Those of us here on earth, fighting the good fight, are the part of the team that is called “The saints on earth.”

Now, for us saints on earth, as long as we let him, God will finish his quest to make us perfect.

In the same way that we pray for our living teammates, our brothers and sisters, we also pray for those who have gone before us and who may now be in the process of perfection we know as purgatory.

Enjoy another day in God’s presence!

10

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

Who is Jesus?

Everything depends on your answer Cardinal Justin Rigali is the archbishop of Philadelphia. He serves on many committees at the Vatican, and attended the Second Vatican Council. FAITH is honored to ask this eminent Catholic churchman and scholar some questions about the Catholic Church in the new millennium.

Q

What are the most critical theological issues facing the church today?

A

theology 101

There are two very important things facing the church – and the whole world. The first is the issue of the primacy of God. This is God’s world. We are created by God. We were given life by God. It is God who has created the world and human beings – and it is God who has determined how we are to live.

This necessitates a recognition of his rule, his presence, his primacy. In other words, we can’t just do anything we want. We have to recognize God has put into our hearts a very special law. We know when something is evil,

Church of the month The power and vitality of the Christian Faith has long inspired tremendous works of art on the part of believers. One has only to consider the beauty of many of our principal churches to realize the transcendent beauty of our faith. For example, consider:

Notre Dame de Paris

The Sacred Scriptures teach us “to get wisdom, to get understanding!” (Proverbs 4:5) Now it is time to put yourself to the test to see how far along you are in this quest by completing this proverb. Remember, no peeking into your Bible!

____________________, but a wish fulfilled is a tree of life. a. Hope deferred makes the heart sick b. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life c. A tranquil mind gives life to the body

(Answer: a – Prov 13:12)

Words of wisdom – can you complete the proverb?

Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral in Paris, France, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. It is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France’s most famous architects.

The name Notre Dame means “Our Lady” in French and it was one of

and, in some profound way, we know when something is good. We have consciences that have to be constantly instructed, but we know our conscience speaks to us in terms of what God is asking. What God has written into our nature and is part of the way he made us is present to us through our consciences.

After the recognition of the primacy of God, the second issue is the divinity of Christ. In other words, Christ himself asked, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?”

And this is a question all of us must ask and answer, because this is the very basis of how we act. Jesus Christ is the son of the living God. The church has a beautiful prayer about this: “Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.” He is true God because he is divine like his Father, and he is true man because he is human like his mother and like us. Jesus Christ, then, being true God and true man, is the one who came on earth in order to lead us to salvation. He is the one who came to teach us, lead us, guide us, shepherd us. And everything we do in life will depend on whether or not we recognize Jesus: “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is

A theology professor once remarked that there were no new heresies, just old ones repackaged. To test the truth of this statement, consider this recent real-life scenario and see if you can name the error involved: Is there really a hell?

A coach jokingly threatens students with “hell” if they do not show up for practice on time. The students earnestly ask if it was true that such an offense could merit hell. The coach responds, “Oh no, I’m not even sure there is a hell.”

What is at stake?

The truthfulness of the Word of God and the gift of free will.

What is the truth?

The comment made by the coach is consistent with universalism and originism, both of which teach that he?” He is the son of God, the son of the Virgin Mary. He is our one mediator with the Father, he is the one who teaches us how to live and love and serve. destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state.

Origin:

the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or

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Are you a heretic?

In 1160, because the church in Paris had become the “parish church of the kings of Europe,” Bishop Maurice de Sully deemed the current Parisian cathedral unworthy of its lofty role, and had it demolished. Construction on the new cathedral began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII, and was completed around 1345.

because God is love everyone will be saved in the end (Originism includes Satan as well). The problem is that this view contradicts the testimony of the Gospels, which paint a very different picture – that hell, or existence devoid of the presence of God, definitely exists. If the teacher is right, then the Word of God is not truthful and cannot be trusted.

Also, this position does not ultimately respect the gift of free will because it suggests that God will “force” someone against his or her will to spend eternity in communion with the Blessed Trinity. In short, free will necessarily implies the option of hell or we are left with a God who is not truthful about the existence of our free will; a God who is not faithful to the gift of free will (we may have it, but it can be taken away at any moment); and a God who is not loving, for love will not force itself upon another.

On our view of both of these theological issues depends so much. As a matter of fact, everything else we think and do depends on this.

– Elizabeth Solsburg and Douglas Culp

Notable Features: •T he Bells - There are five bells at Notre Dame. The great bourdon bell, Emmanuel, weighs just over 13 tons, and is tolled to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and services.

• Point Zéro - the reference point for distances along the highways starting in Paris is situated in the square in front of the cathedral. Tradition holds that tourists who stand on Point Zéro will one day return to Paris.

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FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

Talking back to the devil Lenten spiritual exercises T. Gennara

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

Exercises: How do we defeat temptation?

spiritual fitness

One step that is little used is the step Jesus himself took.

He quoted Scripture to defeat the enemy. How can quoting words defeat the often powerful battles in the mind and soul? Remember: Jesus’ word is different than any other word you read or speak. His word has life-giving grace (the very life of Christ) flowing through it into you. Perhaps this Lent, it would be good to see what are the two biggest temptations and sins in your life. Look up the names of those temptations in a concordance (a Bible dictionary), and see the Scriptural passages that contain the word. Start reading them, pick out several that are pertinent to your situation and ask God to equip you to fight the enemy.

Remember, it is not magic or some superstitious practice.

Reading and rereading the passages allow God’s light to penetrate your heart, mind and spirit. Jesus says, I am the truth. The truth is living; the very presence of Jesus empowers his word to make a difference in your life. When Jesus fights the temptations in his life, he teaches us how to fight them in a most effective way. Of course, we need to do other things that help to put us on solid ground. Most importantly, stay away from the near occasions of sin – those people, places or things that make us vulnerable to temptation.

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his month is the heart of Lent. May the grace of God not be in vain in our hearts over the coming weeks.

In the last two columns, I spoke of the power of God’s word especially as it is found in the Gospel of Mark. The first Sunday Gospel of this month continues to be taken from the Gospel of Mark 1:12-15. Just a few short verses. Easy to overlook. But stop – here we have a brief summary of Jesus being tempted

by Satan. Read this passage and then read Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus responds to the temptations flung at him by quoting Scripture. Jesus is teaching you how to respond to the temptations that afflict you – lust, anger, pornography, alcoholism, drugs and other forms of addiction, serious lack of faith or hope. Jesus says “Fear not.”

Transfiguration In Mark 9:2-10, Jesus takes three of his disciples up on the high mountain, where he is transfigured before them.

Pope John Paul II used to love this passage very much and often commented on it. In summary, he said, Jesus took them up the mountain and revealed his divinity to them so that they would have the faith and hope to descend that mountain and, very shortly after, climb Mount Calvary.

While the disciples did not fully understand the vision on Mt. Tabor, it enabled them to trust him more and it gave them grace to endure the horrors of the crucifixion and not totally give up their faith. Jesus knows every detail of what he has asked you to carry in your personal life. Read this Gospel passage again and again and ask the Lord to strengthen your faith and hope through the grace flowing from the revelation of Christ’s divinity on Mt. Tabor.

Clearing out your house Read John 2:13-25. Here, Jesus physically cleanses the temple by driving out all the trading and bargaining that

13 is going on within the temple precincts. Jesus is angry because they are conducting secular business in a place set apart for the worship of God. Ask yourself: How do you respect the presence of the Lord in your parish church? But even more important, is “your house.” Are your own body, mind and spirit being cleansed in an ongoing way in order to receive him worthily in Communion? Do you frequent the sacrament of confession?

God’s enormous love –

the angel of judgment Saint Vincent Ferrer

to weep and spent some time just gazing on her miniature features. She could do nothing for herself. She had never accomplished anything.

Breathing was her main work at that point. But the Father who created her did so in his image and likeness. We are infinitely precious to God – our dignity is beyond our own understanding. Jesus paid the price on our behalf. Take some time this Lent to reflect on God’s love for you and your infinite worth in his eyes. Don’t let the standards of the world – beauty, wealth, sex, power – or your successes and failures determine your value. Let God’s own words speak to your heart and mind!

So often, as the Scripture tells us, we are actually perverse enough to prefer the works of darkness. But, if we have made such choices, it is never too late to turn around and walk toward the Light that is Jesus.

We are infinitely precious to God – our dignity is beyond our own understanding.

reflect on God’s love for you and your infinite worth in his eyes.”

saint of the month

In the Gospel of John 3:14-21, Jesus Feast Day: April 5 Patron saint: brick makers, tells Nicodemus that only if he is lifted builders, construction workers, up on the cross will people come to plumbers and tile makers believe in him. How often do you stop Canonized: 1455 and think of the enormity of God’s love Meaning of name: from the Latin vincere, “to conquer.” for you! Many years ago, when my Claim to fame: At age religious community first began to do 18 he entered the Dominican foster care work for medically fragile Order during the time of the babies, we received a newborn who Great Schism – the church’s division under multiple popes. only weighed Vincent campaigned fruitlessly three pounds What would you die for? to end the schism. He spent (think of a five20 years preaching throughout pound bag of Read John 12:20-33. I would Europe about sin, death, God’s sugar and you urge you to focus first on the point judgments and eternity. Vincent’s realize how very sermons were so powerful that I am about to make. This passage many people returned to their small she was.) is particularly rich – I could write Catholic faith.

One night, two columns just on these verses.

Why is he a saint? Vincent shortly after we But, for this time, I would urge you lay dying when he saw a vision received her, I to pay attention to verses 24 and of Christ, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic. As a result of was feeding her 25. If we are to truly be a disciple milk from a tiny this vision, he was miraculously of Christ, then we must be ready to cured. He began preaching about bottle. Someone the last judgment and the need die to those things that are alien to called my name, of penance. Because of this, discipleship. You can’t call yourself a Jesus paid and in the Christian – a follower of Christ – if Vincent came to be known as darkened room, the “angel of judgment.” Though you are not going about the business the price on Vincent spoke only his native I turned my of denying your own selfish wants our behalf.

Spanish people of all languages head and my in order that others might see Jesus were able to understand what he Take some body to see who said. His biographers believe he through you and be drawn to him.

That’s not just some “pious piffle,” time this Lent was speaking. had the ability to speak in tongues to communicate the word of God. When I turned as a friend of mine calls holy words to Best quote: Vincent’s back, the baby that are not backed up by action. favorite saying was, “Whatever was nowhere to We have got to walk the walk. It is you do, think not of yourselves, be seen. It was a but of God.” possible for Christianity to fade from heart-stopping our life as Americans, as human How he died: Vincent Ferrer died at the age of 69 from a moment, until beings, unless we are willing to die fever.

I realized that to selfish ambition; unless we are when I shifted willing to put our money where our my body, she mouth is; unless we are willing to had slipped down in the chair between me and the arm pay the price of dying to sin so that God may be glorified; of the chair. Fumbling through the covers, I raised her up unless we are willing to choose Gospel values over those of while thanking God that she was not harmed. Right then, the world. May this Lent be a time where each of us makes I “heard” the Lord. (That is, a thought came into my head one personal decision to give up or change something in which I knew was not mine.) “If she were the only person our lives that is opposed to the Gospel. May God speak to on the face of this earth, I would have died for her!” I began your heart!

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ny parent would be willing to die for his or her child. But who would be willing to die for someone on death row, if we had a death row here in Michigan? Not many, I would guess. Christ has died. This is the incredible mystery of Holy Week. Jesus died for us sinners, not because we deserved it, not because we were good sons and daughters to our Heavenly Father. Only love, a love far beyond our poor ability to comprehend, could explain this. But it does not stop there. The Father in heaven sent his son for that purpose. A parent may be willing to die for the child, but what parent would send that child to die for someone else, especially someone who did not deserve it? Again, only love can explain that. When we say, “God is love,” we often think of that God and that love in the abstract. That is not very helpful for us. Rather, love is all about pouring oneself out for others. Thus, the Father pours out his son and the son pours out his blood and life, for us. That is what love means when we say, “God is love.”

It is a rarity for someone to believe that, at the end of life, there is absolutely nothing more, that it is all completely over. Most of us believe there is some soul or spirit or life force or energy that continues after our death. Christ is risen. Unless it had been revealed by Jesus himself, no one of us would have beBishop Earl A. Boyea is the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Lansing. lieved our bodies would also share in that afterlife. The idea things flow from this. Our lives matter. What we do on this earth that our material reality, our bodies, could be so transformed as has eternal implications. And there will be a judgment. There to endure forever, as to share in the divine life which our souls has to be. Certainly, we pray for mercy and we believe firmly will share, boggles the mind. Now we know our sharing in this that God is perfectly merciful. Otherwise, he would not have bodily resurrection will not take place until the end of the world. sent his son to die for us. But we also believe God is perfectly Still, even to anticipate that these arms and legs will somehow just. How God holds those two together is another mystery, but share one day in eternal glory is another incredible mystery of that is for God to resolve. We all know Holy Week. There are many implications of cases where we hope that justice of this mystery. The first implication is will prevail in the end, since it does not that our material world is, as the Book look like it always prevails here on earth. of Genesis states, good. Our bodies are Christ’s return also means that we are not traps or prisons of our souls. Rather, forward looking. Of course, we are they are temples of the Holy Spirit and, always to live in the present. Still we recthus, deserve respect and honor. The ognize that this is all going somewhere second implication is that we are to care and this gives us hope. for our bodies as temples and for our All of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and physical world as the good gift given Easter Sunday gets wrapped up into to us. We are to be good stewards of every Sunday celebration of the Mass in creation. which we participate. Each Mass renews It’s not over till it’s over. We get so the death of our Lord; each Mass caught up in our everyday lives and proclaims the life of Christ which is now events that we tend to forget where ours; each Mass gives us the sacred all this is heading. We lose sight of the body and blood of Jesus that we share fact that there will be a judgment. St. until he comes again.

Matthew’s image of the judge separating Thus, a Blessed Easter to all of the sheep from the goats based on how you. Know that you are remembered well they treated the least of his brothers in all the Masses celebrated by me. In each of the Masses and sisters is one we really do not think much about. Christ you celebrate, please join your lives more closely to that will come again. We are looking forward to Christ’s return of Christ. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will to judge the living and the dead, and to take us with him. This come again. is yet another incredible mystery of Holy Week. Again, some

Christ is risen, Alleluia!

Easter greetings

J. Carlson

from the bishop

from Bishop Boyea

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FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

A year in the life of a bishop Happy Anniversary Bishop Boyea!

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n April 2008, Bishop Earl Boyea became the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Lansing. Since coming to Lansing from the Archdiocese of Detroit, he has faced the challenges of implementing the diocesan pastoral plan and Michigan’s failing economy. We talked to Bishop Boyea about his first year and his hopes for the future.

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What have been your most significant accomplishments? I would say that the most important thing for me this past year has been getting to know so many wonderful people. That includes the priests. I know a good number of them relatively well now and very much appreciate the ministry of our priests. I don’t know the names of a lot of the deacons, but I’ve met a lot of them and I was involved in their convocation. That was a great experience for me – they are a fine group of men. I was particularly impressed with their engagement in our migrant work, hospital work and prison work. And there are other people involved – it’s been great meeting all the people involved in those ministries.

I’ve loved meeting all the sisters. I met with the Adrian Dominican Sisters; I said Mass for the retired sisters and met with their leadership. I also met with Mother Assumpta’s community – the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. I’ve met with the Sisters of God’s Love and some of the Alma sisters (Religious Sisters of Mercy) who live and work in our diocese.

T. Gennara

When we talked a year ago, you said that one of your priorities was getting to know your priests. Have you? Do you feel as if you know them? I feel as if I do.

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How do you like Lansing? It’s a big change from Detroit. The only downside is the tremendous amount of driving I’ve had to do, especially when the weather is bad. But apart from that, I really enjoy this diocese with all its variety. It’s a great place to be. I really enjoy it!

T. Gennara

You came to us from being an auxiliary bishop in Detroit. What is the biggest change in being an ordinary?

The biggest change is that I am ultimately responsible for the faith life of this community – the Diocese of Lansing. Although I had significant responsibilities as an auxiliary bishop, I wasn’t the one who was ultimately responsible.

1. Bishop Carl Mengeling hands over “the keys to the diocese” to Bishop Earl Boyea. 2. Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit and Bishop Boyea at Bishop Boyea’s Installation Mass. 3. Vespers at St. Mary Cathedral the evening before the Installation Mass. 4. Bishop Boyea celebrates the Eucharist at his first Mass. 5. Bishop Boyea chats at the luncheon after his first Mass.

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What would you like the people of the diocese to know about their priests? I’d like them to know how deeply committed they are to the service of the Lord and his church, and how much they love their people. That’s on the one hand. On the other hand, I’d like them to understand how human their priests are – how human we all are. And, as humans, we all make mistakes. As I have mentioned in the past, I don’t claim that I am infallible or don’t make mistakes. But for some reason, by God’s grace and the will of the Holy Spirit, I am the bishop of the diocese. So the decisions I make are the ones that get implemented. I am well aware that in the long run, looking back, someone might say, “That 3 was a mistake.” And it very well may be. But I can only do the best I can with the grace God gives me.

M. Tiller

And you have had to make some very tough decisions, haven’t you? I have had to make many more tough decisions than I anticipated doing in my first year. It’s been very hard – closing schools and parishes, dealing with clerical problems, dealing with the finances of the diocese. None of these things have been things I have wanted to do.

I tend to be a fiscal conservative, and we could see this fall that we were going to be in difficulties, so that necessitated the cuts.

I am hopeful we are in good stead for next year and don’t have to do anything more. In January 2010, I am hopeful that we can plan, during the following fiscal year, to reverse the rollbacks on staff hours that we have had to implement.

As you are moving into your second year, what are your goals and plans for the future?

The big thing is trying to find some way to help parents keep their children in Catholic education through some form of tuition assistance.

Additionally, we are blessed with a number of seminarians.

Five years ago, we only had 15; now, we have almost 40.

We could easily be more than 40 this fall. The Holy Spirit is working here!

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J. Anderson

What are your major concerns about the church today?

I think it focuses on young people. They are my major concern.

I think we have 35,000 or 40,000 Catholic college students in the diocese, and we’re not reaching them. I’ve done q-and-a sessions at our Newman Centers, and there will be 50-100 kids there. Where are the other thousands?

That’s why I think our schools are so important. I’ve visited

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I’ve also gotten to know a number of the consecrated virgins who live in our diocese. I am the episcopal liaison for the national group. And then all the laity – I’ve done about 10 parish visitations where I’ve met parish councils, finance councils and staff.

Really, meeting so many wonderful people has been the highlight of the whole year and I’ve enjoyed that a great deal.

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1. Bishop Boyea throws out the first pitch at a Lansing Lugnuts game. 2. Bishop Boyea dedicates the parish center at St. Agnes, Flint. 3. Bishop Boyea commissions new lay ecclesial ministers. 4. Bishop Boyea at the golf outing for vocations. 5. Bishop Boyea presides at the closing of Sacred Heart Parish, Flint. 6. Bishop Boyea’s first ordination in the Diocese of Lansing: Mark Rutherford to the transitional diaconate.

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FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

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all four of our diocesan high schools, and they are excellent places. I am very pleased with our chaplains, principals, leadership, and the faith of the young people. We need to keep building on that. We need to do more to form the faith of our teens and our young adults. We have a lot of very fine youth groups in our diocese – we need to expand on those and imitate them. For instance, there is a great one in St. Mary in Chelsea and also at Good Shepherd in Montrose. And I know there are many others!

What is the mark of a good youth group? I think where the leaders are prayerful, and the prayer is seen to affect their lives. That becomes the best model for young people and they are attracted to that – where their leaders are really alive with Christ.

So, essentially, we need more saints.

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Is there something else you’d like to share with all of us? Just that I really enjoy the confirmations I’ve done. I always enjoyed confirmation as an auxiliary bishop, but it’s been a particular joy to celebrate the sacrament as the father of this diocese.

And I think one of the most exciting celebrations of that for me was when the Jackson parishes joined together and had a group confirmation at Lumen Christi. There were 199 kids confirmed and it was a great celebration! I really felt the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

I pray, and ask the people of the diocese to pray for me, that I might be a good instrument of that gift of the Holy Spirit.

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What do you do for fun? I like to read, I try to walk every day – although I don’t always succeed at that. And I play handball still. Deacon Mike Murray, our diocesan attorney, and I play handball every other week or so. I’ve been playing handball since ninth grade and I’m happy I’ve been able to continue that.

J. Carlson

How does your faith strengthen you for the difficult role you have to fulfill as bishop? I would say in two ways. First of all, my daily prayer really becomes a hinge for all that I do and it’s a great refuge and consolation for me.

Second, and ultimately, I recognize that this is the Lord’s church.

This is the Lord’s diocese; these are the Lord’s people. And he will care for them. At the end of the day, like Pope John XXIII, I can say, “Lord these are your people. I have done my best and I am going to bed.” I really believe that this is the spouse of the Lord and he will take care of her.

J. Carlson

What gives you hope? The people, really. There are a lot of very fine and faith-filled people. The priests, the deacons, the consecrated men and women, the seminarians, the lay staff, the volunteers, the lay ecclesial ministers, the pastoral coordinators – all of them. I really have not seen any serious personnel problem in this diocese – I have been incredibly impressed. That’s what made the diocesan staff cutbacks so difficult.

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1. Bishop Boyea greets a parishioner during a parish visit to St. Peter, Eaton Rapids. 2. Bishop Boyea spends many hours administering the business of the diocese. 3. Bishop Boyea confirms a student at St. James, Mason. 4. Ash Wednesday at St. John Student Parish. 5. Bishop Boyea signs the Book of the Elect at the Rite of Election.

cover story J. Luning

Coming from a Catholic family, I learned that God puts us all in the position to help others�

FAITH asks Kellie Dean What does your company do? Though our company is best known for our motor coach service, our main business is providing transportation to public school districts in Michigan, both to regular and special needs students.

What is the reason for your success? If there is a reason for our success, I would say it comes from lots of hard work and from hiring good people. I am proud to have employees who drive safely and show care and concern for the special needs kids they transport. I respect and appreciate the job they do, and they feel as though they contribute to making life better for the kids.

Another important ingredient is to try to do the right thing.

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You can’t always control the outside circumstances, but you can control how you treat people. I want to treat people with integrity and run the business honestly and provide safe service. Everyone should be treated respectfully and equally, from employees to customers to everyone you meet.

What is your background? I received a degree in special education from Michigan State University. I worked as a teacher and administrator in the field for 12 years before getting into transportation.

How does your faith affect your job? Coming from a Catholic family, I learned that God puts us all in the position to help others. I tell people that the thing we have to offer is wheels, and I try to put them to use for the community. For instance, we provide transportation for MSU students at St. John’s Student

By Bob Horning | Photography by Jim Luning and Tom Gennara

In this economic crisis, business leaders struggle to keep businesses afloat and employees working. FAITH talked to Catholic business leaders about their businesses, about how they keep faith a part of their everyday lives and about what you can do to survive financially.

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Nam Title: P e: Kellie Dean r Compa esident and C EO ny: Dea n Tr Type o f Busin ailways es Numbe Transportation s: r of em plo Parish: St. Thom yees: 1,000 East La as Aquinas, nsing

Parish when they go on trips to help others during spring break.

One of our other projects is helping Dr. John Shinsky, a former classmate and MSU football teammate of mine, build an orphanage in Matamoros, Mexico, by sending buses loaded with desks, chairs, bedding and construction supplies.

We provided 24-hour shuttle service for the building trades and spectators during the recent ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show in Holt when they built a new house for a family whose father had died.

My goal is to share our resources to assist or better the Michigan communities in which we are involved. We provide transportation for the homeless and for the needy so they can get meals and medical help. We were also able to send buses to New Orleans full of food, clothes, toys, anything to help after Hurricane Katrina. I was the area director of Special Olympics for many years and still help out with transportation

to those events.

All of that isn’t to toot my own horn. Many businesses give back to the community. We do it because we are able and because people need help. But it wouldn’t be possible without good employees. We have 1,000, and so I have learned what to look for in a good worker. Here is what I would tell people looking for a job these days: What do people need to do to succeed? You have to be extremely persistent. When you apply, have a presentable physical appearance. Try to be optimistic and make a good impression. Be knowledgeable of the potential employer’s business. Be a team player, willing to develop skills that would help you grow in the company. But be willing to start at an entry-level position and work your way up. Show hard work and enthusiasm.

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

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20 FAITH asks C.J. Heidisch

cover story

What common mistakes do people make in their jobs? Inappropriate use of their time while on the job, such as excessive use of the phone and/or Internet for personal use; impoliteness and impatience toward the customer; lacking the desire to improve themselves through self study courses, continuing education or seminars; and, in our business specifically, lack of confidentiality. With identity fraud being so prevalent today, confidentiality is a must.

What is the core philosophy that has made you a success? The work principles I followed to reach my defined success were based on the example of my dad. He had strong business ethics and worked hard. I admired him because, coming from the “old country,” he taught himself English and earned the position of supervisor at a major bread factory. When the business filed for bankruptcy, my dad had to start from the ground-up again, but accepted the challenge because of his hy family responsibilities. Through his Biograp isch example, I’ve maintained that you .J. Heid ame: C Owner N work hard for what you want, and Title: tive : Innova ts y n a accept humility in order to accomp cep Com ce ce Con plish what is necessary to meet Insuran ess: Insuran in 0 s 1 u : B s e f ye your responsibilities.

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What should people be doing right now about their financial issues? What are the biggest mistakes people make? Reduce debt. I can’t stress that enough. Do without if you really don’t need something, and concentrate on reducing debt. Set aside a minimum amount of your earnings per month and deposit it in a safe financial instrument. Too many people see a sale item and buy on emotion something they don’t really need. Move unnecessary items to the bottom of your list of personal needs.

How do you balance work and home? In the beginning of my business career, it was easy for me to put in long days because my husband worked long hours. Then health issues arose, which was a blessing, because it caused us to re-think our lives. As important as work is, without health, nothing much matters. It’s important to take time for yourself and family. And it takes a commitment to allot that time amid a hectic schedule. Mike and I, both “type A” people, decided there would be no more 7a.m.-to-10 p.m. working hours. He retired. I cut back my hours, which leaves time for us.

What do you recommend for someone out of work?

Being out of work is emotionally hard. It affects your self-re-

Potential employers will be impressed that you weren’t idle while unemployed.”

spect, not to mention the inability to meet your financial responsibilities. So do something while looking for a job, whether it is volunteer work, a home project or self-improvement classes. It’s a way of maintaining your confidence and self-worth. Potential employers will be impressed that you weren’t idle while unemployed.

How do you bring your faith to your work? It’s funny, but for many years I felt that talking religion at work was unacceptable. Then we joined St. John the Evangelist and I was inspired by how freely the parishioners talk about their faith.

It became an easy transition to bring my faith into the workplace. I no longer hesitate to mention God’s name or the need to pray, whether it is with another co-worker or a customer.

We need faith in God in our lives.

What are the benefits of belonging to a parish? I would urge anyone who has not joined a Catholic parish to pursue membership. The fellowship and support system provided within a parish is immeasurable. Belonging to a parish, you are sharing your love for God with others through prayer and solemn services as well as having the opportunity to participate in the youth and family activities offered through the parish.

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

FAITH asks Bob Chapman

T. Gennara

What should people be doing about their financial issues? What are their biggest mistakes? It seems our core values as a country have dissipated over the years. We have developed an entitlement mentality when, in fact, we aren’t entitled to anything. Our desire for instant gratification has hurt us personally and put the whole country into financial crisis.

For instance, our attitude has been that since our home equity was going up with the rise in housing values, we could take that money and go on a nice vacation. We did that, instead of saving our money. Then when home values decreased, or people lost their jobs, there was no financial safety net.

We have become a debt-driven society instead of a savingsdriven one. Years ago, you didn’t buy anything you didn’t have cash for, except your house and maybe a car. And for a house, you had to make a 20 percent down payment. That has gradually lowered to zero, which meant there were a lot of risky loans out there. The reality is that not everyone is ready for homeownership. I have to place a share of the blame for that on the greed in my industry.

It took us a while to get into the predicament we are in, and will take a long time to get out. I don’t see things turning

around until at least the end of 2010. There is a lot of pain to face yet. We have come to believe there shouldn’t be any pain involved, but it doesn’t work that way.

Any specific advice on steps people can take? There are several things people can do who find themselves in a tough financial situation. The first is to step back and be honest about your situation, recognize the need to change it and have the discipline and will to do so. Make a three to five-year plan to adjust your lifestyle. Recognize that instant gratification is bad and it got us into this mess.

Then, do three things: 1. Decide between the things you need to have and those you desire to have.

2. Save.

3. Reduce debt.

The amount of debt most people have is way out of proportion to what it should be. Debt adds stress to our life and robs inner peace. Sometimes we go into debt because we want people to believe we are something we aren’t. So we buy things we can’t afford. Simplify your life and your quality of life will improve. Talk to your bank Biograp or whoever you owe – they will hy Name: B work with you to reduce your ob Cha Title: pm Compa President and an debt.

Cut up your credit cards if n C (Chairm y: United Ban EO they are causing debt. corp, an of

Inc. the Boa Bank an rd of d Type o Trust – Washte United f Busin What do you recommend ess: Ba naw) n a k n in d g for people out of work, or for fi na Numbe r of em nce p current employees in order lo yee Parish: St. Thom s: 283 to keep their jobs? Taking ownas the Apo stle, ership of your life is a key. Same Ann Arb or

We have become a debt-driven society instead of a savings- driven one.”

thing if you are job hunting or want to keep your job. Don’t expect the company to do it for you. Their responsibility is to train you and tell you what’s expected. After that, it’s up to you.

Management is looking for that ownership in employees. Beyond that, they look for people with a passion for their work. They leave a better impression than the person who is just waiting for lunch or the end of the work day.

Be engaged in your work and have a positive attitude. If you don’t have these attitudes, you will be miserable in your job, and that may mean you should look at what your passion is, and follow that to a different job. Your happiness won’t come from making money, but from doing what you enjoy.

What is the benefit of belonging to a parish? The benefit of belonging to a parish is that it brings the faith portion of balance into your life, by being part of a faith-based community where people share similar values and beliefs and the opportunity to grow spiritually.

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What is the core philosophy of your success? My dad formulated our mission statement 40 years ago. We want to be morally conscious, community conscious, have integrity – and be a fun place to work. Since our business can be cutthroat, and everyone thinks it is overpriced, we make sure the customer is happy when we are finished. I have an open-door policy for employees. They can come in at any time to talk with me about any problem.

What are the biggest mistakes people make with financial issues? As the credit crisis indicates, most people live beyond their means. Sometimes it requires tough conversations to tell someone they may not need that new house or car right now. Growing up with eight siblings, we passed our clothes on to our brothers or sisters. We went camping instead of staying at hotels.

Today it seems that every kid needs a cell phone, an iPod, a laptop. Maybe they don’t. All of our electronic gadgetry and games can lead us away from community. They

can stifle relationship and communication instead of improve it. I think that mind-set is starting to change; people are saying things like, “We really don’t need another TV.” How do you balance work and home? My dad didn’t live at work, and I learned from him. Nor do I expect my employees to live at work. Only rarely does anyone here work six days a week.

It’s important to go home. I have three children who play sports. Being at their games and being with family are more important than any job. If someone needs to come in late for family reasons, or leaves early to coach a team, we encourage that.

If someone is working extreme hours, we figure there’s a better way to do the job.

Of our 200 employees, 20 are relatives, including five of my siblings, so we have some built-in family-work balance.

What do you recommend for someone out of work? A person may need to get more schooling or job-specific training. Everyone needs at least basic computer skills. Having a strong back and a willingness to work may get you an entry-level position, but only low pay.

We have been looking for qualified technicians in one of our offices for years.

It pays well, but requires a five-year apprenticeship to work up to that level.

How do you incorporate your faith with your work? My father was great at leading by example. I don’t do as well.

We want to be successful, but do it without cheating anyone. If we aren’t viable, we are no help to employees, customers or in contributing to the community.

So I pray to be able to stay on an even keel amidst stress and to make good decisions. Praying the rosary on the way to work and when I run helps with that.

What are the benefits of belonging to a Catholic parish? I have always considered it a privilege and a benefit to be a part of the local Catholic community and belong to our local Catholic parish. I’m proud that I was able to go to Catholic schools; now our children do.

As a businessman, it helps me to stay connected to the parish community and stay connected with the other business people who belong to our parish. We advertise our business in several parish bulletins around greater Flint. We also help with various fundraising efforts in our parish. Staying connected to our parish helps to keep my moral compass intact when running my business.

hy

Biograp

T. Gennara

cover story

FAITH asks Dominic Goyette

Goyette ominic and D : e m t Na residen Title: P ity owner al r majo echanic yette M mbing, o G : y n lu Compa Business: P trical f Type o g, cooling, elec : 200 heatin f employees oly ro eH Numbe : Church of th c Parish y, Grand Blan Famil

If someone is working extreme hours, we figure there’s a better way to do the job.”

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T. Gennara

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

If you have great employees, you will have a great company.”

FAITH asks Joseph D. Reid What mistakes do employees commonly make? One of the mistakes employees make is not recognizing everyone is important to the common purpose – to have a winning company.

To believe in the company and be loyal to its objectives is crucial; otherwise, you can’t be enthused about your work.

Even the guy at the bottom rung needs to be quick to pitch in when help is needed, even if it’s not in his immediate sphere. If you have great employees, you will have a great company. Of course, management has to lead by example. It’s a two-way street.

How does your faith affect your work? You can’t separate the two. Because we live in a multicultural society, I can’t disrespect the beliefs of others.

So, it’s usually our deeds and personal

conduct, not our words, that are the most persuasive indication of our faith.

I go to Mass each morning at St. Mary Cathedral to reflect upon the previous day and the upcoming day. I pray for strength, for wisdom to deal with difficult issues, for compassion towards those I interact with and for humility to know that success is given to me, but not due me.

What should people be doing about their financial issues? I don’t see the current economic situation improving any time soon. And that means we need to live more frugally in our utilization of resources. Excesses and excessive expectations have caused a lot of damage.

We need to live more responsibly.

Access to credit has been the foundation of the economic development of our country, but it has been abused by overreaching by both the borrower and the lender. We have been let down by our regulatory structure. Healthy credit

transactions need to be restored to restore our economy.

Biograp

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Name: Title: C Joseph D. Re id Compa hairman and C ny: Cap E itol Ban O corp Limite Type o f Busin d ess: Ba Numbe and finance nking r of em p Parish: loyees: 2,00 0 S Student t. John Parish, East La nsing

How do you balance work and home?

I don’t think you can ever achieve balance more than temporarily, but you keep trying. Many of the demands upon us come from work, but the more important things are at home. So there are times when you have to take from your work time to be at home. Financial success is the tip of the iceberg. If you aren’t a success at home, as well as other areas, are you really a success? I have three incredibly wonderful adult children; they all live close to me. I am proud of that. Am I spiritually successful? That’s not for me to decide.

24 FAITH asks Carol Littleton

cover story

T. Gennara

How does your faith affect your work? When I first started as a nurse, my prayer was, “Lord, make me a good nurse, help me to do things well, and to learn from my patients.” Today, my prayer is geared more to my role as CEO: “Lord, help me to be a good leader, good role model for my staff, to be what you want me to be today.” That question, “What would Jesus do?” is perfect for those working in health care because of the moral and ethical issues that arise, and because we deal with the intimate aspects of peoples’ lives every day.

I find nursing matches my personality. I have grown in my relationship to God through caring for patients, by listening to them, helphy: ing them Biograp and their ittleton Carol L .N. at a families Name: R l EO and cope Title: C ecialty hospita care s ll sma p iness: Health 00 with es: 1 f Bus Type o r of employe arish, death Numbe : St. Joseph P and Parish Dexter the grief process.

I will pray with patients or family members in their room or chapel if they want to.

I encourage new employees to do the same. I ask them to take care of the patient as they would a family member, with compassion. There are no excuses for not serving others. In serving others, we serve Christ.

The other day, I helped someone with their billing. It only took about 20 minutes, but they were relieved and grateful.

That made my day. There is joy in helping people.

Being a nurse can be viewed as a “calling.” My niece is considering a career change and was praying about what God wanted her to do with her life. Recently, when she witnessed a car accident, she stopped to help. A couple of nurses also stopped; they took charge of the injured, comforted them and provided care until emergency medical people arrived. My niece noticed their kindness and commitment. She knew then that she wanted to help some way in the medical field. She is currently pursuing a career in nursing.

What is the philosophy that has made you successful? As a CEO, as with any work, you need a passion for what you do when you get up every morning and go to work. Without passion, it becomes a chore. Because of the challenges that nurses face daily, I don’t believe it is the right career for someone who is looking only for job security or a high salary.

Without passion, it becomes a chore.”

What are the biggest mistakes people make in their jobs?

I will speak of nursing again, but it applies to any field. Having a “just a job” attitude; not caring or not having compassion for those they serve. Someone willing to do whatever it takes to care for patients will go far and be promoted. Nurses who will not empty a bedpan occasionally, or feel they are above such menial tasks, do a disservice to the patient.

Nurses and all healthcare employees need to show up every day with a compassionate heart and a willingness to work hard. Their job is important, whether they are a doctor, nurse or technician.

How do you balance work and home? I am a workaholic, so it’s difficult for me.

Fortunately, nurses can have flexible schedules. When my children were young, I would change my hours and make myself go home. I became adept at delegating, both at work and home, so I had more quality time with my family. I also let a lot of unimportant things go at home. Being with my family was much more fun than always having a clean house.

In addition, I always arranged work schedules so I could attend special events at their school and accompany them on field trips.

What is the benefit of belonging to Catholic parish?

Celebrating the Eucharist as a community with others that believe as you do; being able to have a common goal and talking to others that have your beliefs; being able to talk about being Catholic, and the freedom to express your love and your relationship with Jesus. When my sons were young, it was wonderful to have them in a supportive Catholic community (parish) and meet friends with like beliefs.

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FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

FAITH asks Bob Richardson

How do you give back to the community?

Someone told me I give away more food than I sell. I feel that helping the community is the right thing to do, especially since they pay my bills.

When I was younger and had less money, I contributed my time. Now I am able to provide food for community church events, Red Cross, Relay for Life and our annual “Feed a Friend” program, in which I provide our customers with a low-cost meal, while at the same time encouraging them to donate non-perishable food items, which we Biograp hy: then deliver Name: to local food B Title: R ob Richardson estaura banks and nt own Co Type o mpany: Subw er pantries. fB ay

T. Gennara

What makes a great employee? Employees must first understand and follow the policies and procedures set by Subway and the Michigan health department. We believe an employee who brings a smile and positive attitude to the customers each day encourages great customer service, a positive environment and a great work ethic.

ees – and my employees know them. We work together when we can; today they helped me deliver sandwiches for lunch to St. John’s School in Jackson. I attend all of my daughter’s high school basketball games. We enjoy things together as a family, but, of course, they understand there are times I have to be absent because the business provides for us.

What core philosophy has led to your success? We have always strived for long-term financial benefits for all of our employees. We understand for many of our employees this is their first job, a stepping stone. Therefore, we strive to make it a positive step and an environment with excellent benefits for everyone. My wife and our management staff are instrumental in making this happen. Our benefits range from birthday flowers and baseball games to low-cost health care and a contributing retirement program. Our philosophy encourages long-term employment, while leading to financial success and stability.

Everyone knows I am a Catholic, and I love to discuss religion with people.”

What should people be doing about their financial issues? People need to remember to live within their means – don’t spend more than you earn. Trying to keep up with friends and neighbors isn’t necessary; providing for your family is. When it’s possible, try to put aside for a “rainy day.”

How do you balance work and family? My wife and two daughters help out often at the stores. They know my employ-

Numbe usiness: Re staur r of Parish: employees: 1 ant 40 St. Rita Clark L Parish, ake

How do you integrate your faith with work? Faith is a big part of my being.

Everyone knows I am a Catholic, and I love to discuss religion with people. I want to make the world a better place, and I am grateful to be in the position to help others. It’s important to let people know I am Christian first.

What is the benefit of belonging to a Catholic parish? In a word – people. You’re exposed to good people; and I enjoy people.

How one church is responding to the economic crisis St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Ann Arbor has a model program

Although few really predicted our country’s current economic crisis, Father Jim McDougall at St. Francis long ago recognized the need for parishes to address an area that is a central part of all of our lives: work. As a result, St. Francis developed a unique, multi-pronged approach.

26 Business Leaders Support Business leaders are always challenged to integrate faith while running successful businesses. There was a need for a support group that was grounded in realism, not solely focused on piety. Leaders ask themselves questions like, “How do I keep a business alive and deal with health care and fair wages and the pressures that come with that?” They discuss the issues with others who are dealing with the same kinds of things. There is time to talk about the teachings of the church and the difficulties of trying to live them in a competitive business environment.

The group is open to everyone, not just parishioners. They meet on the second Saturday of the month at 8:30 a.m. at the parish.

Call 734.769.2550 for more information. The group also sponsors a yearly breakfast forum for business people in October and November.

High-profile speakers come in to discuss the challenges of living the faith while doing business successfully.

grocery bills in half and how to deal with foreclosure.

•F rugal Francis provides tips in the bulletin for ways that people can cut expenses and save money. It’s a way to tap into the collective wisdom of everyone in the parish and “share the wealth.”

The parish recognizes that people need support during all kinds of life changes, not just financial difficulties, and so also offers professional counseling, Stephen ministry, spiritual direction, marriage assistance, healthcare ministry and ministry for divorced and separated people.

Lent at St. Francis centered on “Finding God in Troubled Times.” Parishioners wrote articles for the parish bulletin on the topic, and it was also the theme of the parish’s Lenten mini-mission.

All of the parish programs are done by parishioners for parishioners. As Father Jim says, “We’re here to help each other and be there for each other.”

What are other parishes doing to help?

cover story

Parishioners find help here at home Parishioners at St. Francis help each other deal with getting through troubled times.

• The Job Seekers’ Network facilitates news about open jobs and networking with potential employers and employees. People can also get advice about corporate culture and expectations from others who are already working in specific career fields.

• Fiscal Assistance offers workshops on a variety of financial topics.

Participants learn how to pay down debt, engage in financial planning, and integrate values and money management. Workshops are free. Topics have included cutting your

St. John the Evangelist in Davison offers Helping Unemployed Persons (HUP) to work online with Career Works/Michigan Alliance to place resumes and find gainful employment. The center has 10 computers and a volunteer staff to assist.

Contact Marji Theodoroff, 810.654.0028, or Bernie and Rosie Tholl, 810.245.8559.

St. Mary in Williamston is holding Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Fortyfour singles and couples from the parish and the surrounding community are paying down debt, started savings, learned to budget and increased their tithes as they achieve financial stability. The parish will be offering this class again this summer. For information, contact the parish at 517.655.2620.

things to do: Communal penance service will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church April 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The Catholic Community of St. Jude offers a Tenebrae Service: Song of the Shadows. Join us at 801 N. Bridge St, DeWitt, April 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Ss. Charles and Helena in Clio will have a soup and bread supper April 2 at 6 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by a presentation of the Gospel of Mark. A free-will donation will be taken. For more information, call Sister Kathy Lange at 810.686.9861.

A dramatization of the living last supper, “Do this in remembrance of me,” will be April 5, Palm Sunday at 7 p.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church, 515 E. Knights St., in Eaton Rapids. A free-will offering will be accepted.

A Protecting God’s Children awareness session for adults will be April 14, 6:30 p.m. at St. Gerard in Lansing.

For information, contact Sally Ellis the Safe Environment coordinator at 517.342.2551.

You can pre-register for a session at www.virtus.org. Please do not call the hosting parish to pre-register.

Annual Spring card party at St. Casimir in Lansing is April 30. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Desserts, raffles and door prizes throughout the evening. All are welcome to attend.

St. James in Mason’s Women’s Club will host its semi-annual Rummage Sale April 18. Please bring donated items for the sale on April 13 to Cave Hall.

There will be a Swiss steak dinner at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Lansing April 19,12:30 p.m.-3 p.m.

Eight Great Dates will be offered for married couples at St. Francis of Assisi, Ann Arbor from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. April 4 and18 and May 2 and 16.

To register, call 734.821.2125 or visit www.stfrancisa2.com.

27 every Sunday at 9 a.m.; and St. John the Evangelist, Fenton, call parish office for schedule at 810.629.2251 or visit its Web site at www.stjohnfenton.org.

St. Joseph Academy in Adrian will have its 16th Annual Gala April 25, 6:30 p.m. to midnight. For ticket information, call 517.263.4898 or e-mail info@sjaschool.org.

Mother Teresa House Spring Dinner and Fundraising Event is April 23 at the Kellogg Center at Michigan State University. For information, contact Joe Harrison at 517.930.2491.

“What makes us Catholic?”

For individuals who need to be confirmed or wish to inquire about the Catholic faith this eight week series gives an overview of the history and teachings of the Catholic Church. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m., at the Catholic Community of St. Jude, 801 N. Bridge St. in DeWitt.

For more information or to register, contact Jack Armstrong at 517.669.8341.

Pilgrimage to Israel/Holy Land with Father Andrew Czajkowski, St. John the Evangelist, Davison, Nov. 10-19. Cost: $3,479. There are 30 seats available. For information, call 810.653.2377.

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor will host an Annulment Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon on June 6. The presenter is Eileen Jaramillo, MDiv, JCL, a tribunal judge. You can register by contacting Virginia Mikola at 734.994.9194.

Spring Fling Luncheon and Fashion Show hosted by the Holy Redeemer Council of Catholic Women is April 25 in the Family Life Center, 1227 E. Bristol Rd, Burton. Please make your reservation before April18 by calling Mary Behil at 810.659.5311.

ASL interpreted liturgies in the Diocese of Lansing: St. Agnes, Fowlerville, first Saturday at 5 p.m., second Sunday at 9 a.m., and all other Sundays at 11 a.m.; St. Joseph, Howell, first Sunday of the month at noon; St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor,

Roy Schoeman, author of the book Salvation is from the Jews, will be speaking at Holy Spirit Church April 25 at 5 p.m. He will present his conversion story on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

For information, call the church office at 810.231.9199.

Praying with Body, Mind and Spirit – Finding our Joy, April 25, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center, 23333 Schoolcraft, Detroit.

To register, call 313.535.9563.

Catholic Separated and Divorce in Ann Arbor meet the second and fourth Thursday of the month at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. For further information, call Virginia at 734.994.9194.

St. Paul in Owosso bereavement support group meets from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Mondays in the convent. Call 517.725.7980 for information.

Fourth annual Steak and Song fundraiser for the St. Thomas Aquinas Music Ministry will be April 25, 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m., at 915 Alton, East Lansing. Contact the church office, 517.351.7215, for tickets.

Pinckney Pro-life sponsors Lifetalks for youth groups or other organizations.

St. John, Davison presents: Coffee and Faith Enrichment – every third Wed., 6:30 p.m. at Big Apple Bagel, 9434 Lapeer Rd, Davison Crossings. For more information, contact Marji Theodoroff at 810.654.0028.

Theology on Tap is Tues., April 21, 7 p.m. at the Arbor Brewing Co., 114 E. Washington, Ann Arbor. For information, contact Jen Delvaux at 734.821.2126 or jen@stfrancisa2. org.

April 27-30, the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership Annual Conference will host a liaison group session relating to catechesis and disability on April 29, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Join us! Dearborn Michigan Hyatt, Archdiocese of Detroit. To register or for additional information, visit www.nccl.org.

Diocesan In-service - Child Sexual Predators – Protecting Children On-line will be offered April 23. An afternoon session, 1p.m.

-4 p.m., at St. Patrick, Brighton and an evening session, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. p.m., at St. Mary Cathedral Hall, Lansing. For information, contact Margaret Grima, 517.342.2486 or e-mail mgrima@dioceseoflansing.org.

At our retreat centers St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt program, 866.669.8321.

April 23, Administrative Support Assistants Day, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., presenters: Father Larry Delaney and Mary Tardif.

Dominican Center at Marywood in Grand Rapids programs: to register call 616.454.1241 or online at www.dominicancenter.com: Lenten Retreat on Suffering, April 3-4; The Friendship of Women, April 25; Unwrapping God’s Gifts, April18; and Hatha Yoga, Tuesdays, March 3-April 21, 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Weber Center, Adrian, 517.266.4000: Let’s Talk Easter Season and Pentecost facilitated by Father Martin Iott, OP, April 16, (Choose afternoon or evening session) 2-3:30 p.m. or 6:30-8 p.m.

For information, call Tracy at 734.426.4740 or e-mail ppl@pinckneyprolife.org.

celebration Mass with Bishop Boyea on April 25 at 5 p.m.

Dinner and dance to follow.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s next retreat is in Lansing at the Hampton Inn, April 24-26. To register, contact Harry and Karen Porter at 888.628.7433 or online at www.wwme.org.

Retreat for persons with disabilities will be at St. Michael School, Grand Ledge, April 25, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Reservations are required. For information, call Joann Davis at 517.342.2497 or e-mail jdavis@dioceseoflansing.org.

Catholic singles, ages 30-60, in Genesee county meet for activities and get-togethers.

For information, call Mary at 810.635.0989.

St. Joseph in Howell – women interested in volunteering at Camp Valley, a women’s prison in Ypsilanti, can contact Deacon Endre Doran at 517.546.0090.

SS. Charles and Helena in Clio announces retire our debt

The Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing offers a senior program Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, call 517.372.4700.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School’s eighth Annual Educational Trust Fund Benefit is May 9 at the Four Point Sheraton.

For information, call Colleen Pierce at 734.821.2208 or email cpierce@stfrancisa2.org.

community

Laus Deo – First, Lansing Regional Youth Day – June 6. It will feature music by Christ Padgett, Phatmass and Point 5 Covenant and internationally recognized speaker Father Stan Fortuna. Online ticket sales are now available at www. stmarywilliamston.com/lausdeo-209/tickets.html.Tickets are limited to 450. Ticket price covers admission and lunch. For more information, contact Adam Janke at 517.655.2520 or email ajanke@stmarywilliamston. com

Special Shroud of Turin exhibit at Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg will be April 10, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and April 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-will donations are accepted. For information, call the church office at 810.231.9199.

April café events

my storycafé

A Retrouvaille weekend is April 17-19, at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Its a lifeline for trouble marriages. For information, call 866.669.8321.

FAITH interview

28 federal strike force and worked undercover as a pedophile. I was on a team with members from the Cook County Sheriffs’ Police, the U.S. Postal Inspectors and the FBI. We worked in the Midwest, infiltrating the underground culture of pedophiles – we ended up meeting them at places like the petting zoo to look at kids and having them offer us child porn, or actually try to sell children to us for sex. I was at John Wayne Gacy’s house when they were digging up the bodies, so I knew the worst-case scenarios that were happening.

I began to realize that every time we were doing a case, we were finding computers. Molesters are always on the cutting edge of technology and, at that time, computers were the next frontier.

When I got pulled back to the sheriffs’ police in 1997, I started the first unit in the country that looked online for child sexual predators. At that point, predators were using computers to talk to children on bulletin boards. Then they moved to the social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. And they are constantly looking for the next avenue to find their victims.

Undercover as a pedophile Bob Farley teachs you how to protect your child from online sexual predators

F

or more than 30 years, Robert Hugh Farley has been committed to protecting the children of the world from killers, physical abusers, molesters and sexual predators. He has served as a highly decorated police detective, a deputy United States marshal and is currently an international child sexual exploitation consultant for INTERPOL. He also teaches and writes for the VIRTUS program.

He is a former Catholic seminarian and a fourth-generation police officer. FAITH asked him for some ways to protect children from predators.

What is this training all about?

Even though the training says “protecting children online,” we need to remember that this is really child abuse training.

Because of the technology component, we sometimes forget this; it’s even been a problem for police officers. They perceive online predators as a computer crime instead of as child abuse. This is the biggest

misunderstanding of this crime – it’s not a computer problem. Thinking that it is overshadows the fundamental issue that this is child abuse.

What have you learned working undercover as a predator?

I bring training from a unique point of view. In the early 1990s, I worked on a

What’s the newest danger out there for children?

Because of the efforts of different agencies, these people are moving from computers to cell phones. And that’s because children are moving to cell phones. Parents go to the store to buy their kids a cell phone and the child says, “I want that one.” They end up having a phone that has Internet access.

So even if you are doing the right thing at home with the computer, like keeping it in a public room in the house and limiting access to certain sites, the kids can now go anywhere on the Web with the phone. And, as a parent, if you grabbed their phone and read the text messages on it, you probably cannot even read the language – because the kids have their own language.

At my seminars, I show people how you can get into MySpace, even if it’s marked private. I show them how cell phones have built-in cameras and videos and kids are posting them on social networking sites. Predators find this stuff, right click the photos and put them on child porn sites.

Kids are also talking to each other on

By Elizabeth Solsburg

FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

Young adults and a pastoral response to pornography

the computer through Web phone technology. It is really easy to get a program to capture that whole conversation and then post it on some porn site.

And we see kids who post their cell phone numbers on social networking sites – predators troll those sites and get in touch with a child first by texting.

They take their photos and put them on predator Web sites.

What is the best way to protect my child?

The best way to protect your kids is to go to the training. Make sure to sit down with your kids and talk with them about what you learn. You should ask them about their Facebook and MySpace pages. People are always asking me if they should forbid their children from having MySpace or Facebook. And I tell them that this is one of those things that the kids will do anyway. No matter what

individualism, self-identity and the struggle between online relationships and real life.

Want to see what there is to help? Check the diocesan Web site for the full resource list. You can also check out: • Bustedhalo.com – A great Web site for young adults that has interesting articles and discussions on relationships and sexuality.

•R etreats – Here’s a way to form some healthy relationships, renew your spirit and relax. Check the diocesan webpage for upcoming young adult retreats.

• Check your local parish for a young adult ministry group for support in living out the Christian life with a faith-filled community.

If your parish does not have a group, check out the young adult page with the Diocese of Lansing for programs and links to regional groups – www.dioceseoflansing.org/youngadult/index.html •F or an extensive list of resources for young adults and those who minister to them, go to www.DioceseofLansing.org or www.FAITHmag.com.

you think, they can access computers at school, the library, a friend’s house. It is best to educate them about the dangers that are out there. They need to understand that when something is on the Internet, it is there forever. I have victims who ask if we can get the information about them off the Internet. And all I can do is say that we’ll try, because no one knows how many people have simply right-clicked and saved an image. And those people can put the image back out there any time.

In a traditional child abuse situation, if we are dealing with a child being raped by her father, for example, we say, “This is not your fault. You did nothing to deserve this.” In the online cases, the children often don’t think they are victims, because they have fallen in love. Predators tell the kids they are beautiful and special, and they say what they know the children want to hear. They have inside knowledge of what that is because the kids have already posted their innermost secrets on their social networking pages.

What’s different about this kind of abuse?

With online predation, we often encounter the compliant victim: the victim who has been enticed and seduced over the Internet. These children have fallen in love with the offenders. When we look at their text messages or e-mails, we’ll see them saying, “I love you” to their abusers.

What are some tips we need to know?

• You must learn the technology. That is the trick to protecting your children. Get a child to show you how to text. Then, when they are sleeping, grab the phone and see what they have been saying and to whom.

• Find out which social network sites are most popular in your area. Tell your children they must “friend” you on their Facebook and MySpace pages. And then get online and be aware of what’s going on in their social networks.

Bob Farley will be giving seminars on protecting children from online predators on April 23 in the Diocese of Lansing.

They are scheduled from 1-4 p.m. at St. Patrick, Brighton and 7-9 p.m. at St. Mary Cathedral Hall, Lansing For more information, go to www.dioceseoflansing. org or call 517.342.2555

hopeful not helpless

Whether through a stumble on the Internet, a dorm mate’s magazine or a film from a friend, young adults are frequently exposed to pornographic material. Most will ignore it, some may glance in curiosity, others will begin an unfortunate journey towards addiction. At a time of life when young adults are seeking to form relationships that will last a lifetime, pornography becomes a dangerous and heartbreaking threat.

With the Bishop’s Committee on the Pastoral Response to Pornography, we are seeking to offer hope to those suffering from an addiction to pornography. If you or someone you know is struggling with this all-too-common affliction, there is hope.

We have resources, both for individuals and the faith community, for young adults and young adult ministry. Knowing that young adults in particular are connected to the Internet, we have the resources available on the diocesan Web site at www.dioceseoflansing.org.

These resources are to help individuals and parishes address some of the root causes and issues behind addiction to pornography. One major area is the role of media. Media play a significant role as they are the delivery mechanisms and are increasingly easy to access anonymously. Beyond the more obvious, we are addressing issues like the need for relationships,

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30 Father Maurice Hayes celebrates 40 years as a priest Father Maurice Hayes was born in Sunfish, Ky., on Feb. 12, 1943.

His family later moved to Indiana, where he began his studies in the Franciscan seminaries of Indiana, Ohio and Minnesota. He was ordained on Jan. 4, 1969.

Father Maurice was assigned to Holy Cross Church in June 2005 as pastor.

Holy Cross Church will celebrate his 40th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood at noon on June 7 – with his favorite Polka Mass.

Knights of Columbus honor one of their own On Feb.1, 2009, the Lansing Diocese Knights of Columbus honored the past State Deputy Thomas Clark and his wife, Doris, who are parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor. Permission was granted by State Deputy John R. Moody to conduct First, Second and Third degree exemplifications at the St. Louis Center near Chelsea, paying tribute to the tireless efforts this couple have given to the church, the Knights of Columbus and the community.

local news

St. Mary Parish Durand – Lazarus Project

Be our guest The “Be Our Guest” club members will have more space beginning March 9. The Livingston County Catholic Social Services Adult Day Care program will open at its new location at 2020 E Grand River, Suite 103, Howell, to provide services for up to 20 guests with dementia.

According to Mark Robinson, executive director, the space has doubled to 2,760 square feet.

“We offer a sliding scale, from $2 an hour up to $16 an hour. The scale is based on the income of the person being served, so it is less a burden on the care-giver,” commented Mark.

Pam Bolam, program supervisor, said she wants each day to be meaningful for the guests in a supervised setting.

For more information, call Pam at 517.546.9910. – Jan Hoffbauer

Rick Sherry receives Michigan High School Coaches Association award Rick Sherry served as wrestling coach at Addison High School for 30 years; his wrestlers won state championships five times.

In October, Rick was awarded the Michigan High School Coaches Association Award as coach of the year for wrestling.

Winning awards isn’t new to Rick, but that is not what motivated

St. Mary has developed an advocacy program aimed at helping parishioners in need of resources and guidance.

The Lazarus Project opened its doors six months ago and has helped many people in the community. Phase II of the project is to bring workshops to the parish to help people in such areas as: job search, Internet and computer classes, resume writing, financial planning, health resources, interviewing techniques and more.

The Lazarus Project office is located in St. Mary’s Fr. Hay Educational Building. It is operated by volunteers and is financed through contributions. A car raffle and other events are being planned to help raise funds to continue to finance this program.

St. Thomas Aquinas School celebrates service This year’s theme for Catholic Schools Week was “Celebrate Service.” A group of local dentists decided to volunteer their time and talents to provide free dental services to the village of La Esperanza, Honduras, on a mission trip in February. The students at St. Thomas Aquinas wanted to help the dentists on their mission. The entire school collected and boxed up school supplies for the children of Honduras and the dentist group took the much-needed supplies with them on their mission. Twelve overflowing boxes were collected and the students were proud to present their gifts to Dr. Behnke and join in prayer with Father Mark Inglot as he blessed the dentists and all the school supplies with a special blessing. Together we can make a difference!

The school also was recognized for its participation in the Boots with a Bonus 2009 event. St. Vincent Catholic Charities expressed appreciation to the students, families and staff of St. Thomas Aquinas School for participating during Catholic Schools Week.

him as a wrestling coach.

“The highlight for me was getting to coach the kids and interact with them every day,” commented Rick and added, “I wanted them to improve every day and be the best person they could be.”

Rick shared that he was very grateful God put him in that position for so many years. He feels it was divine intervention that landed him the position at Division IV Addison High School. – Jan Hoffbauer

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FAITH Magazine / April 2009 / www.FAITHmag.com

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School’s service project – Home of Hope Orphanage

This year, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Ann Arbor has been sponsoring a year-long service project to help build a playground area for the Home of Hope orphanage in Kochi, India. Prathyasha Bhavan (Home of Hope) is an orphanage for 80 abandoned,

St. Francis of Assisi’s Sunday Mass goes global

2009 Silent Auction and Dinner a Success!

Rainbow Homes would like to thank all who participated by donating items, buying tickets and purchasing items at their Silent Auction and Dinner.

The evening was attended by 190 friends of Rainbow Homes. More than 120 items/baskets were received for the silent auction. Because of the generous donations and support of Rainbow Homes, a profit of more than $12,000 was made.

Rainbow Homes would like to extend a special thank you to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Father John Byers, IHM Knights of Columbus Council #10542, St. Casimir Knights of Columbus Council #9711 and volunteers from Meridian Christian Church in Okemos.

Bishop Earl Boyea recently met with the staff of the Central Service Departments and announced a restructuring that will result in a 2009-10 fiscal year reduction of the expense of operating those offices. Faced with reduced revenue, Bishop Boyea stated that good stewardship of the resources of the diocese require these changes.

The annual Diocesan Services Appeal (DSA) fell short of goal this year by approximately $700,000.

Through reduced work hours, retirements, and the elimination of certain positions, the restructuring will result in reductions equivalent to five full-time staff. This, coupled with the merging of certain offices and ministries, will realize anticipated savings for the coming fiscal year of approximately $900,000.

Highlights of the plan include the elimination of three full-time staff positions and a reduction in hours of a number of office director and support staff positions. Further savings will be realized by the Department of Communications becoming a part of FAITH, and the elimination of the Office of Evangelization. All remaining staff will see a reduction in salary and benefits.

Bishop Boyea stated that in the current economy, “We must use the resources of the diocese in the most effective manner. This plan makes no claim to being without mistakes. It is the best that I could do and we will have to live with my limitations in this matter.

By the grace of God and the will of the Holy See, it is my prudent judgment which has been entrusted with the care of this diocese, which I am coming to love more and more every day, even through these difficult kinds of decisions.”

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St. Pius X’s music ministry lifts everyone’s spirit Fr. J Thomas Munle y

Sing to the Lord with a joyful sound! That’s what members of the St. Pius X adult choir do in Flint. Under the direction of Diane Pierce, they not only lead the congregation in song each Sunday, they have also joined combined choirs from area churches for penance services and participated in the Regional Mission Choir at Whiting Auditorium in Flint. This year, along with instrumentalists from the University of Michigan-Flint, they presented “A Festival of Carols” during Advent and will perform the Lenten/Easter Cantata “Once Upon a Tree” on April 3 at 7 p.m. at the church.

On sale now www.FAITHPublishingService.com

FAITH Publishing Service and the Diocese of Lansing are pleased to announce the publication of Father J. Thomas Munley’s new book, Lunch Break with God – 30 Bite-Size Reflections to Feed Your Spirit.

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local news

St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Ann Arbor now livestreams its 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass via the Internet. This makes the Mass available to all of its shut-ins and those who cannot attend Mass. The Mass is available to anyone in our diocese or world who has a computer with broadband capability. To see the Mass each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. simply go to: www.stfrancisA2. com and click on the 10:30 Mass link.

Diocesan Central Services cuts positions, reduces budget

neglected and abused girls.

To help raise money for this project, thirdand fifth-grade students and parents sponsored a week-long used book sale to benefit Home of Hope during Catholic Schools Week. The idea was to involve students in an active way in their service project. Both the St. Francis community and the Home of Hope profitted from the recycling opportunity and low cost books.

More than 3,000 books and movies were donated and almost $1,400 was collected.

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notes:

Diocese of Lansing Communications A new structure to serve you better Bishop Earl Boyea has consolidated all diocesan communications into FAITH LCP

Products and Services: Online: DioceseofLansing.org FAITHmag.com Parish online FAITH database Print: FAITH Magazine VOICES Alive!

Diocese of Lansing Directory TV and Radio: Televised Outreach Mass Radio Mass from Resurrection Parish Electronic Media: Weekly priest e-news Monthly parishioner e-news p l e a s e

r e c y c l e

Public Relations: Media relations Diocesan spokesperson Creative Services: Graphic design services Marketing and communications planning and consultation Printing and mailing services Liturgical Products: Liturgical Commission Publishings Homilies and Commentaries Liturgy products Liturgicalcommission.org Parishposters.com

Palm Sunday, April 5, at 7 p.m., the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the MSU College of Music will present An Evening of Sacred Music at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing.

David Rayl and Sandra Snow will conduct the MSU Chorale and Women’s Chamber Ensemble, along with a 17-piece Baroquesized orchestra composed of members of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Tickets for An Evening of Sacred Music are $15 for adults and $7 for students. Tickets are available online at www.LansingSymphony.org or by calling 517. 487.5001.