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RUTH ABOOD RISKED IT ALL TO RESCUE HER BABY FROM LEBANON cover
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What do you say when your child doesn't want any part of church? work
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Do I need a career change or an attitude change?
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was presiding at a wedding recently – a middle-aged couple who were each entering into marriage for the second time. During my homily, I asked the congregation to tell me what came to mind when they thought of the word, “love.” There were many responses – affection, hearts, unity – but I suggested another that does not always come to mind: risk. When my two middle-aged friends made the commitment to marry, and to love each other through sickness and health, wealth or poverty, good times and bad, they had enough life experience to really understand the risk they were taking – they knew what it was like to be with someone during grave illness, they understood the pain of loss. But they chose to take that risk, to commit to the great benefit that is love. People sometimes ask me why there is a vocation crisis in the church – why we have so few priests and religious sisters. I don’t think it’s a vocation crisis – I believe it is a commitment crisis. Many people are afraid to take the risk of undertaking a lifetime’s worth of promises – they need to leave the back door open in order to find a way out. In this month’s issue of FAITH, we meet several people who took big risks in order to keep commitments – to a child, to themselves, to God. Ruth traveled to Lebanon to adopt her baby, John. When the bombs started falling, she was urged to leave. But Ruth did not have the paperwork to bring her baby with her – so she decided to stay with him until they could escape together. She risked her life to protect his. Sister Mary Ann was searching for something – and found it when she came to know Jesus. In the middle of a successful advertising career, she walked away from financial security and entered a religious order. Now, she helps other young women who are discerning their own calls, and she finds enormous joy in her loving commitment to God. Paco and Millie Lopez give generously to help migrant workers on the farms near their home. Even after busy days as parents and doctors, they sacrifice their time and sometimes their sleep in order to bring the Good News to their brothers and sisters. They commit to following Jesus’ commandment to “Love one another as I have loved you.” All of these people recognize the risk their commitments entail – the risk of loss, of injury, of loneliness, of exhaustion. But for each of them, the benefit of love balanced that risk. And so each of them said, “yes.” And so our journey in FAITH continues.
Many people are afraid to take the risk of undertaking a lifetime’s worth of promises – they need to leave the back door open in order to find a way out. In this month’s issue of FAITH, we meet several people who took big risks in order to keep commitments
Called to commit
what is our real vocation?
– Fr. Dwight Ezop is editor of FAITH Magazine and pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Jude.
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FAITH Magazine MayCalendar: 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com Liturgical St. Joseph the Worker May 1 | St. Athansius, Bishop and Doctor May 2 | Sts. Philip and James, Apostles May 3 | Blessed Damien Joseph de Vuester of
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Braving the bombs – Ruth risked it all to rescue her baby from Lebanon
in the know with Fr. Joe 6 Dear Fr. Joe: Who wrote the Bible? – Father Joseph Krupp
Ruth Abood was finalizing the adoption of her infant son in Lebanon. Just before she was scheduled to get on a flight home to Lansing, bombs started falling. Ruth was caught in the middle of an ancient conflict between Muslims and Jews. Find out how her faith got her through.
work life 9 The job or me? Do I need a career change or an attitude change? – Tim Ryan
your marriage matters 10 He says:When we’re on vacation, I want to see all the sights. She says: I want to sit on the beach. What do they do? – Tom and Jo Anne Fogle
the parenting journey
– Nancy Schertzing
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Happy Anniversary Diocese of Lansing! 2007 marks the 70th anniversary of our diocese. Read this brief history and peruse some of the photographs that illustrate our roots.
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w o r d s o f w i s d o m What do I know? Sister Mary Ann went from ad executive to the convent. Sister Mary Ann had a successful career in advertising. Read more about how God called her to a different life. – Marybeth Hicks
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o u r s to r y A life of humble service – Paco and Millie Lopez’s ministry to migrants. Paco and Millie are physicians – but they are also catechists with a mission. Find out how they spend their free time helping out at migrant worker camps in Washtenaw County. – Bob Horning
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11 My kid hates Mass. What do you say when your child doesn’t want any part of church? – Dr. Cathleen McGreal
theology 101 12 Exactly how is Jesus in the Eucharist? How is he present? A conversation about Christology with seminary professors. – Elizabeth Solsburg
spiritual fitness 24 Chastity – What the birds and bees and even elephants can teach us! – Father Bill Ashbaugh
culture 26 Need a refuge from mass marketing? Make it about Mary! – Michelle DiFranco
the last word 31 Chastity – what’s good about it? – Father Charles Irvin
ster of Moloka’i, Priest May 10 | Sts. Nereus, Achilleus and Pancras, Martyrs May 12 | St. Matthias, Apostle May 14 | St. Isidore May 15 | St. John I, Pope and Martyr May 18
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The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing
Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling PUBLISHER
Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR
May 2007 • Volume 8: Issue 4
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Dear Editor: Your thoughts on immigration and December’s issue
Rev. Dwight Ezop EDITOR IN CHIEF
Patrick M. O’Brien MANAGING EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Martin Solsburg ASSISTANT EDITOR
Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR/WEB DESIGNER
Jillane Job SUBSCRIPTIONS/SECRETARY
Sylvia Ranspach GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGN INTERN
Lindsey Walter EDITORIAL INTERN
Rev. William Ashbaugh Michelle Sessions DiFranco Elizabeth Grodi Marybeth Hicks Shanon Hoffman Bob Horning Rev. Joseph Krupp Tom and Jo Anne Fogle Bob Horning Cathleen McGreal Rick and Diane Peiffer Tim Ryan Jan Rynearson Nancy Schertzing Theresa McWilliams-Wessels CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Derek Melot Margaret Perrone PROOFREADING
Tom Gennara James Luning (cover) Phillip Shippert CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Vicki Bedard Wayne Case Michael Eichhorn Mary Jo Gillilland Diane Nowak Margaret Perrone Rev. Bernard Reilly James Rhadigan Ricardo Rodriguez Dcn. David Rosenberg Rev. James Swiat Peter Wagner Sharon Wimple ADVISORY BOARD
FAITH Publishing Ser vice Rev. Dwight Ezop CHAIRMAN
Patrick M. O’Brien PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Enomhen Odigie Abby Wieber GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Patricia Oliver SECRETARY
InnerWorkings PRINT MANAGEMENT FAITHPublishingService.com FAITHTM (USPS 01993) is a publication of FAITH Publishing Service, Catholic Diocese of Lansing, 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933. The Diocese of Lansing edition is published monthly except for February and August. National and parish editions are published bimonthly. To purchase a subscription for the Diocese of Lansing edition, log onto FAITHmag.com or to purchase a subscription for the national/parish edition, log onto FAITHcatholic. 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.
Dear Editor: Immigration, like so many current social issues, is both a political and moral issue, so it is appropriate for Christians to comment and be involved. Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor and be compassionate to those in poverty. However, illegal immigration violates our nation’s laws against entering the U.S. illegally, for whatever reason. There are millions of illegal immigrants from south of the border in the U.S. In these days of terrorist threats ... it is only prudent to protect national security. Why does Bishop Skylstad seem so concerned when the U.S. Border Patrol tries to do its job ...? The people crossing the border illegally have not been screened or taken appropriate steps to become legal U.S. citizens. This leaves the door open for criminals, drug smugglers, etc. ...
Megan lose [her parents]. On the day following her mother’s funeral, ... [Megan’s teacher] explained that Megan – Joe Zawacki ... would not be returning. Since then, I have thought about Megan, Corunna, MI prayed for her ... and wondered Dear Editor: what had happened to her. Thank you so much for Imagine my complete surprise the December 2006 to ... read Megan’s FAITH magazine story! The article was article, Happily Ever truly a gift from God. After. During the time I commend Kathleen McGlinchey and Megan DeShetler was her husband, Mark a first-grade student Graham, for the lovat St. Patrick School in ing care they have so White Lake Twp., our clearly and generously son Jake was …a classMegan DeShetler and provided for Megan mate. The parish and Kathleen McGlinchey through these years. school communities Thank you again for a heartprayed unceasingly for Megan and warming article. her parents during this unspeakably tragic time. Our hearts felt – Debbie Martin broken and helpless as we watched Williamston, MI criticism toward the government of Mexico, whose policies enrich its elected officials but impoverish their own people. ...
– D.J. Emch Goodrich, MI
Dear Editor: Hypocrisy can be defined as insincerity by virtue of pretending to have beliefs that one does not really possess. It is being currently exemplified by Vatican Cardinal Renato Martino who recently stated, “The United States’ plan to build a fence on the U.S.-Mexican border was ... inhuman.” Isn’t it just a bit ironic that this statement is made behind the Vatican’s own heavily fortified walls? ... Correct me if I’m wrong, but Jesus spoke to individuals about their moral obligations to the poor, not a government’s obligation to take any and all that wish to come. Perhaps the Vatican would be better served to direct their
Ascension of the Lord May 20 |St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs May 21 | St. Rita of Cascia, Religious May 22 | Blessed Louis-Zephirin Moreau May 24 | St. Bede the Ven
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Who’s the real patron saint of travelers? No, St. Christopher is a myth Saint Brendan of Clonfert Birthplace: Ireland Feast Day: May 16
Middle-school misery Playing the friendship game
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he back door slams shut. Seconds later, Jimmy stomps across the kitchen and into the dark living room, where he sinks dejectedly into an easy chair.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, because obviously something is wrong. “Nothing,” my son says from the shadows in the next room. “Well, clearly there’s something wrong, or you wouldn’t be so upset. What happened?” “Just the same thing that always happens,” he says, trading his seat in the dark for a chair at the kitchen table, where I’m sitting with my teenage daughters. His face is red and sweaty, and he’s fighting back a lump in his throat as he talks. “What always happens?” I ask, disconcerted that something is happening with the frequency of “always” and I’m completely unaware what that is. “Whenever we’re playing and there are three of us guys, it always turns out that the other two start picking on me and giving me a hard time. It’s always two against one. No one ever takes my side. Never.” I remember you’re not supposed to give much credence to statements
that include “always” and “never,” a gem I learned from the Ladies’ Home Journal feature Can this Marriage Be Saved? So I’m skeptical, though I can see Jimmy’s committed to his position. “Let’s start at the beginning,” I say in a calm, motherly voice. My son pours out his tale of woe. He and two buddies are playing outside. One buddy starts picking on Jimmy. The other friend laughs along. Jimmy gets defensive and emotional. They tease him for being defensive and emotional. Then they go inside to play a board game. The teasing cycle starts anew until finally, my son gives up and runs home in anger and frustration. “They didn’t even care about the Monopoly game,” he anguishes. “I had to move their pieces around the board and everything.” And they say girls are melodramatic. – Marybeth Hicks
Find out what happened with Jimmy’s drama, along with other essays, features and news briefs, only on FAITHmag.com.
Claim to fame: One of the great leaders of Irish Christianity, Brendan was born in Ireland around 464. He was raised by St. Ita, after which he completed his education with the bishop of Kerry. As St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, monastery life became a popular vocation, and Brendan became a monk. He gathered his own followers and settled as abbot in his own community. It is said that an angel appeared to give Brendan his order’s rules. Each day the monks prayed for several hours, observed long periods of silence, studied, ate just enough to survive and slept on cold floors in their cells. The monks also painstakingly copied manuscripts of Greek and Roman literature to create exquisite illuminated manuscripts. Best quote: A popular legend called The Voyage of St. Brendan tells how Brendan and a group of monks traveled in a wooden boat looking for the paradise of Adam and Eve. Brendan had enough supplies for 12 monks, but two more begged to go along. Brendan said, “Ye may sail with me, but one of you will go to perdition ere you return.” Near the end of the journey, one of them leapt overboard to escape a volcano, fulfilling Brendan’s prophecy. What made him a saint: Brendan became a missionary, traveling through Ireland to Europe, and even across the Atlantic. The monasteries he established became vital centers of art and learning. The most important one Brendan founded was Clonfert in Ireland, where as many as 3,000 monks may have lived. For many centuries, sailors have prayed to St. Brendan for protection, hoping that some day they would find the promised land — St. Brendan’s Isle. But Brendan’s true legacy lies in his tireless zeal, which introduced God’s teaching to many. Prayer: Dear Lord, as Brendan took risks to proclaim your word, help us to be risk-takers in our own lives for you. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. – Jan Rynearson
he Venerable, Priest and Doctor May 25 | St. Gregory VII, Pope May 25 | St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi, Virgin May 25 | St. Philip Neri, Priest May 26 | Pentecost May 27 | Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary May 31
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Dear Fr. Joe Who wrote the Bible?
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ell, lots of folks! The guide behind the whole thing is the Holy Spirit, of course, but let’s take a look at how the Spirit brought the Bible about. There has been a lot of discussion about this, particularly after the publication of the book The DaVinci Code (you can buy it in the fiction section of your bookstore), which claimed that the Emperor Constantine put the Bible together and selected which books went in and which didn’t. The first thing to remember is that the Bible is technically not just a book, but a collection of books written over a 2,000-year period. God spoke through rabbis and religious leaders before Christ and through the bishops and popes after. The Holy Spirit spoke to them and helped them select those writings that were divinely inspired. When you look at the New Testament, you see that, right away, our earliest leaders were noticing that some books were divinely inspired. Peter wrote that Paul’s writings were Scripture in II Peter 3:15 and 16 and Paul considered Luke’s writings the same way (I Timothy 5:18), as shown when he quotes from the Old Testament and the Gospel of Luke together – thereby giving them the same weight. Now, beyond that, we get The first thing to re- into the first generation of member is that the Christianity and see that Bible is technically many of our church fathers were working hard to name not just a book, which books were legitimate but a collection Scripture. I took these notes of books written over a 2,000-year in class at seminary and can’t period. God spoke remember whose class it was through rabbis and – I apologize for the lack of citation: religious leaders Clement of Rome (95 A.D.) before Christ and through the bishops mentioned eight New Testament books. Ignatius of and popes after. Antioch (A.D. 115) acknowledged seven books. Polycarp (A.D. 108), who sat at John the Apostle’s feet, promoted 15 books. Irenaeus mentioned 21 books (A.D. 185). Hippolytus recognized 22 books (A.D. 170-235). Beyond all this, church councils made the decisions about the rest. Despite Dan Brown’s fanciful musings,
Fr Joe Joke: Recently, I went to my doctor complaining of pain. “Where are you hurting?” asked the doctor. “You have to help me, I hurt all over,” I replied. “What do you mean, all over?” asked the doctor. “Be a little more specific.” I touched my right knee and yelled, “Ow, that hurts.” Then I touched my left cheek and again yelled, “Ouch! That hurts, too.” Then I touched her right earlobe, “Ow, even THAT hurts”, I cried. The doctor checked me thoughtfully for a moment and told me her diagnosis: “You have a broken finger.” I don’t think the Council of Nicea made any decisions about what books were admitted to the canons and which ones weren’t. (Any readers want to help me with that?) The councils that did were these: Hippo (sounds like a council I could be at) in 393 and Carthage in 397. They used the following questions to decide which books were Scripture: 1. Was the author an apostle, or someone with a close connection to an apostle? 2. Do (did) the people of God ac-
cept the writings as inspired? 3. Was the book consistent in doctrine and orthodoxy? 4. Did the book bear the signs of the morals and spirituality that were evidence of divine inspiration? So, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the leaders of our church, whom God chose, put the Bible together. We enjoy the fruits of their labor today and should thank the Lord every day for that. Enjoy another day in God’s presence! – Father Joseph Krupp
FAITH correction In Father Joe’s recent column about the Eucharistic fast, the time was mistakenly listed as one hour before Mass. The fast is one hour before Communion. FAITH regrets the error.
Send your questions to: “In the Know with Fr. Joe”, FAITH Magazine, 209 Seymour Ave., Lansing, MI 48933 or JoeInBlack@priest.com.
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Charismatic conference in Detroit Catholics from around the world gathered in Detroit’s Cobo Center Feb. 16-18, to commemorate “40 Years of Amazing Grace: Celebrating God’s Grace in the Renewal.” Almost 3,000 people learned about the history and future of the Catholic charismatic renewal and prayed for more outpouring of the Holy Spirit today. Members from Christ the King in Ann Arbor, Mt. Zion Catholic Pastoral Center in Flushing and St. Joseph in Howell were among the hundreds of people from the Lansing diocese who attended. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, the preacher to the papal household, was the keynote speaker. – Mark Phillips
Overview on the work of our Diocesan Coordinating Commission Bishop Mengeling has authorized a study of every component of the pastoral mission of the Diocese of Lansing in order to assess pastoral needs. The study includes a review of every parish and school. This thorough assessment will result in recommendations DIOC ES E OF LANS I NG G IN N for effective deployment of personnel and realignAN PL es tomorrow’s church ment of some parishes and schools. Some may wonder if this is needed. Others wish the process would be speedier. Some cannot see why the process is so detailed and seemingly burdensome. The Coordinating Commission has designed a process that will enable our Catholics to understand and evaluate the mission and assess the needs of their parish, school and region of our diocese. Their recommendations will be reviewed by the Coordinating Commission and presented to the bishop. These recommendations will assist the bishop in making decisions. Any effort that is comprehensive and worthwhile requires time and patience. Understandably, this can cause some impatience and frustration. We must never forget that this is a Christ-centered process that continues under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This pastoral initiative is unprecedented in the history of the Diocese of Lansing. It will enrich and guide the pastoral mission of our diocese for decades to come. We trust and hope in the Lord, who calls us and prospers the work of our hands.
Sharing the Wealth - a Catholic book club The Pastoral Planning Office has seen a wealth of good ideas come to life as the work of pastoral planning goes on in our parishes. We have been featuring one of these ideas each month on the diocesan Web page. Sometimes very successful projects can flow out of a very simple beginning, particularly when the ground is fertile and the rest of the environment is right. That certainly has been the case with the success of the Catholic Book Club at St. John the Evangelist, Fenton. Check it out at the “Sharing the Wealth” link at www.dioceseoflansing.org.
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“When I give, I give myself.” What year was Walt Whitman born? Widely known for his works such as Leaves of Grass (which, he felt, would never truly be finished) and Democratic Vistas, writer and poet Walt Whitman was born on May 31, WHAT YEAR? Attracting an audience of 200 people and hosted by Douglas Fairbanks and William C. de Mille, the very first awards ceremony of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, on May 16, WHAT YEAR? Gregory XIII, who transformed the Julian calendar into the Gregorian one we use today, was named pope on May 14, WHAT YEAR? His election was met with joy among Romans and foreigners alike. Eventually going on to hit 714 home runs and retire as a New York Yankee, the “Sultan of Swat,” Babe Ruth, hit his first major-league home run as a member of the Boston Red Sox on May 6, WHAT YEAR? Answers: 1819, 1929, 1572, 1915
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of all diocesan chancellors are women. (CARA Fall 2006)
FAITH asks: How has your mother been a role model for you? We asked students in Mrs. Tompkins’ third grade at St. Thomas Aquinas School in East Lansing, “How has your mother been a role model for you?”
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Matthew
Megan
Alex: My mom works nine hours a day but she still finds time for me and my sister. My mom stays home when I am sick. My mom helps me do my homework. I love my mom. Matthew: My mom is always nice to me. When my dog chews the couch cushions, she doesn’t yell at him. My mom taught me how to sew. She taught me how to clean my gerbil cage. Megan: My mom teaches me how to treat people equally. My mom loves me and my family. My mom takes her time to volunteer in my school. Roses are red, violets are blue. My mom is sweet and she loves me, too.
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what in the world? the top-10 Catholic News events this month
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Bush to meet pope President George W. Bush will stop in Rome to meet with the Holy Father and with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi during a June trip to Europe.
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New Michigan college A new foundation is working to raise $10 million to open a new Catholic liberal arts college, the College of Saints Peter and Paul, reported The Detroit News.
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No plans for reunification The archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams, told reporters that there is no immediate plan to reunite the Anglican and Catholic churches.
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San Diego Diocese bankrupt The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said it planned to file for bankruptcy protection to put off going to trial in more than 140 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests.
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Los Angeles marathon generates vocation awareness The archdiocesan Run for Vocations enlisted dozens of participants who included priests, religious and laity, all adorned in bright green T-shirts bearing the pledge, “I do not run aimlessly.”
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Church declared a pilgrimage shrine One of the jewels of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, San Juan de los Lagos Church, officially became an archdiocesan shrine Feb. 11.
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Religion unifies Europe Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco of Madrid has stated that “religion is the greatest unifying factor in Europe; the Catholic Church is the greatest unifying phenomenon in the European Union.”
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Brazil preparing open-air Mass On May 13, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida; on May 11 he will canonize Blessed Antonio de Santa Ana.
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Culture of peace necessary Catholic patriarchs and bishops in Lebanon said there is a dire need to “cultivate the culture of peace and democracy in the country and preserve freedom of expression.” FAITH Magazine
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Bibles for Olympics A leader of China’s Catholic affairs association is calling on the nation’s government to encourage Christians to donate Bibles to hotels for next year’s Beijing Olympics.
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Pope John Paul II waves at a Mass in Paris.
Cause for John Paul II advances
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he closing session of the investigation of Pope John Paul II’s life and virtues was scheduled to take place on the second anniversary of his death. The solemn opening of the diocesan phase took place June 28, 2005, less than three months after John Paul II’s death. In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow and John Paul II’s former secretary, said, “Now the word passes to the curia in Rome.” After the closing of the diocesan investigation, the Roman phase will begin with the elaboration of a report to be prepared by a collaborator of the postulator of the cause, Monsignor Slawomir Oder, under the guidance of a relator of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. That congregation will also receive the documents relating to the miracles attributed to John Paul II’s intercession. Monsignor Oder revealed that the investigation is concentrating especially on the case of a French nun who was cured inexplicably
of Parkinson’s disease. Cardinal Dziwisz, who was John Paul II’s assistant for 40 years, said: “Juridically, the beatification allows for only one ... devotion of a local character, namely, in the Diocese of Krakow. In this, perhaps, there is a contradiction, as he has surmounted all the barriers; he belongs to the whole world.” The cardinal continued: “It is certainly possible to ‘make the leap’ to beatification and begin immediately with the process to make him a saint. However, this depends on the Holy Father. “For a long time, the process of beatification did not exist; there was only canonization. Beatification is a juridical rule. The Holy Father can decide otherwise.” – ZENIT
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Holy See: sexes are different but equal
the job or me? do I need a career change or an attitude change?
REUTERS/Andy Soloman
Equality for women will only be accomplished if the differences and complementarities between the sexes are recognized, a representative of the Vatican says. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy Archbishop Migliore See’s permanent observer to the United Nations, said that at the 61st session of the U.N. General Assembly, which focused on “the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.” “The legitimate quest for equality between men and women has achieved positive results in the area of equality of rights,” the archbishop said. “This quest needs to be accompanied by the awareness that equality goes hand in hand with and does not endanger, much less contradict, the recognition of both the differences and complementarities between men and women. Archbishop Migliore’s address came on the International Day of the Woman, celebrated each March 8. – ZENIT
REUTERS/Vatican
Melbourne prelate protests cloning threat Responding to media reports about legislation to introduce “therapeutic” human cloning, Melbourne’s archbishop called on the government to resist Archbishop Hart such moves. A message posted on the archdiocesan Web site recalled the church’s position on cloning. “If such (media) reports are true, then a very serious ethical debate would need to be conducted in the community,” Archbishop Denis Hart said. “There are issues of enormous importance at stake here. “To allow human embryos to be deliberately created and then destroyed for scientific research is always unethical.” The Web site added: “The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne will be monitoring developments on this matter very carefully in the times ahead. “The archbishop will communicate his concerns and perspectives … once further details are known of the state government’s intentions.” – ZENIT
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Lately, Ken has just been “going through the motions” at work.
en says: For a long time I felt unfulfilled by my job. I wanted to do something that had more meaning. A few years ago, I attempted to make a career change by going back to school and earning a degree in another field. I even took a buy-out from a good position, thinking that God was calling me in another direction. After almost 10 months of searching for what I thought were obvious new career possibilities, I ended up right back in my previous profession. I wasn’t quite sure why this happened, but figured maybe this is where I’m supposed to be. So I accepted it and went about my business. That contentment didn’t last long. It was tough to get up in the morning. I wasn’t excited about my work and was afraid that the lack of enthusiasm would show in my performance. My confidence was unsteady because I still wanted to do well. None of this is making any sense to me. Why does God have me doing something where I don’t feel I belong or that I’m not doing well? returned when I admitted my The expert says: weakness and said, “I don’t At one point, I too was know what’s right for me. becoming disheartened God, you know me better because I had no sense of than I know myself, you take direction or vision as to what over.” It’s very liberating to I should be doing. I started truly relinquish this control. seeing a spiritual director To do this, it is about a year ago, Only when we let also necessary to and he told me maintain a discithat this distress go of our pride, our agendas and plined prayer life. was actually a Only when we our power do we critical step in let go of our pride, begin to experiour spiritual journey. This ence the freedom our agendas and our power do we is where in God’s power. begin to experiwe start letting go of our own ence the freedom in God’s power. Paul spoke of this plans, because we liberty in his second letter to realize how little we the Corinthians. “My grace is really know about sufficient for you, for power ourselves. We then is made perfect in weakness. begin to understand I will rather boast most gladly how little we can of my weaknesses in order control and thus that the power of Christ may how dependent we dwell in me.” (2 Cor12:9) are upon God to direct our lives. – Tim Ryan The contentment
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Who’s the giver here? Here’s an important question to ask yourself: “Am I more of a giver or a taker?” The amount of sustained romance and success in your marriage may depend on your answer. The healthiest marriages are the ones where both spouses are givers.
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We’ve all got to go sometime Although we may avoid thinking about death, it’s important to think about those we would leave behind. If you haven’t appointed a guardian for your children and provided for them financially, make a will or trust now!
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ike and Cyndi have been planning a vacation to Hawaii for a year. But they have very different ideas about what they want to do when they get there.
When we’re on vacation, I want to see all the sights! Mike says: Cyndi and I have always dreamed of going to Hawaii – the warm breezes, the palm trees, the surf. And now we’re finally getting our chance. However, I guess we didn’t really talk about why it was we wanted to go. I want to hike up to the volcanoes – really experience the islands. Cyndi doesn’t want to do anything except sit on the beach!
I want to sit on the beach! Cyndi says: When I think of Hawaii, I think of orchids and romantic walks on the beach. I want to lie in the sand all day and soak up the sun. This is the first vacation we’ve taken in years where it’s just the two of us – no kids, no pets, no responsibilities. I’m afraid that if we follow Mike’s schedule, we’re going to come back more tired than before we went. When I go on vacation, I really want to “vacate.”
He said She said what do they do?
Jo Anne says, “This is an easy one – just tell him which beach you will be on!” I, on the other hand, believe a different approach may be needed so that both may enjoy the aloha spirit. Clearly, Mike identified the central issue when he said, “I guess we didn’t really talk about why it was we wanted to go …” This is not an unusual situation when dreams are involved. No two people are going to “dream” identically. We are unique individuals first and married couples second. Simply because we are “two becoming one” in our marriage does not mean that we see things in the same way. Our eyes are filtered by our experiences and therefore we see things mostly as unique individuals. The longer we are married, the greater chance we have of our visions merging, because we have had so many
Deacon Tom Fogle is director of family life ministry, a ministry supported by the DSA.
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p a r e n t i n g
shared experiences. Our first recommendation is for Mike and Cyndi to communicate realistically, share feelings with each other and work toward a compromise. By nature, vacations are limited by time, so you cannot expect to fulfill every wish on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The initial shared dream of going to Hawaii is now a close reality. Now what? First, sit down together and begin the planning process by making the easy decisions first: What flight? What hotel? How long are we going to stay? Where will we eat? Do we rent a car? After answering these “easy” questions, we recommend that Mike and Cyndi ask four more questions: Why is it important for us as a couple to go to Hawaii? How does it make me feel to help you satisfy your dream? How will our marriage relationship be strengthened by going to Hawaii at this time? Is this what we believe God wants us to do? An easy way to accomplish this is for Mike and Cyndi to use oldfashioned pencil and paper. Divide the paper into two columns labeled “Mike” and “Cyndi.” On the left side, write the question and place the answers under each person’s column. Where both answers match, an agreement is reached and the total plan is getting closer to satisfying each other’s needs, wants and desires. Where both have different ideas and answers, list the pros and cons of each answer, then discuss the results. If Mike and Cyndi focus on meeting each other’s needs and not their own, they will be surprised with the results. They will discover a littleknown fact that their individual needs will be met beyond their expectations if they focus on their spouse’s wants and desires. The results become a gift and not an imposed obligation. – Tom and Jo Anne Fogle
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“I don’t want to go to Mass” What do you say when your child doesn’t want any part of church?
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What’s good about us? When we talk about communication in marriage, we often seem to focus on problems and how to handle them. Take a few minutes to look at the bright side – sit down to talk about what is working in your marriage, what both of you are doing right. Positive reinforcement can keep the good times rolling! time
As parents, how do we deal with adolescents who are distancing themselves from the church?
hen I was 11, Msgr. Galvin spotted me wandering around the church courtyard – a sorrowful child in a crowd of people who had just attended services for my grandma. His suggestion that we head into the rectory for a quick piece of cake was just the distraction I needed. Rectories and convents were mysterious worlds whispered about on our school playground. Monsignor’s kind words shared over a treat helped my healing process begin. In recent years, when I described my visit to the rectory, faces grow somber until listeners realize they are hearing a simple tale of a compassionate priest. But the initial tension reveals underlying concerns about those who found abuse rather than healing through the church, and those whose stories were kept in the shadows. As our children mature and confront these issues, some become disillusioned. Issues involving the ordination of women and married men are challenging to others. As parents, how do we deal with adolescents who distance themselves from the church?
Make decisions about church attendance. Set household expectations for church attendance rather than having weekly battles. How flexible are your family’s options? Is an evening Mass a possibility? Perhaps late Saturday evenings and a sleep-deprived teen are contributing to the problem. Is there a Catholic friend who could be picked up on the way to church and brought home for dinner?
Put your faith into action. It’s about time ...! Share a prayer together. There is recent empirical data that indicates, “A family that prays together stays together.” Divorce rates for couples who regularly pray out loud together (more than just at meal times) is only .01percent (one couple in a thousand) compared to one couple in two for all first marriages in the United States.
If your church sponsors meals for the homeless, a food cupboard or other service opportunity, consider becoming involved as a family. Allowing God to use their hands to benefit others helps adolescents see the benefit of working in the community.
Encourage prayer despite the disillusionment. Relationships with God are active and real. That means that all emotions can be shared, including anger about what happens within the church. Problems exist, and all our feelings can be shared in prayer.
Listen without defensiveness. A mature faith confronts the shadow side of life as well as the joy. Try not to be drawn into a power struggle or to become defensive. Remember that, as concerned as you are about the spiritual well-being of your children, God’s tender compassion is even greater. Many priests who knew St. Monica thought that her constant prayers for her pagan son would not be answered in the way she hoped. Yet after 17 years, St. Augustine converted to Catholicism. Trust God to continue to offer opportunities for your children to be nourished by his word, his body and his blood. – Dr. Cathleen McGreal
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t h e o l o g y
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theo lo g ian o f the m o nth
St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
This very young saint is one of the doctors of the church, a title granted to those who possess eminent learning, a high degree of sanctity, and have been proclaimed as such by the church.
Exactly how is Jesus in the
How is he present?
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his year, FAITH is exploring Christology – the study of Jesus Christ. We asked several eminent seminary professors some questions about Jesus. Their answers are enlightening and thought-provoking.
Meet the professors Father Acklin
Father Muller
Father Stevens
Father Thomas Acklin is a monk of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa. He is a graduate of Duqesne University, St. Vincent Seminary, The Catholic University of Louvain and Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute. Father Earl Muller is The Bishop Kevin M. Britt Professor of Theology/Christology at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. He formerly taught at Marquette University in Wisconsin. Father Gladstone Stevens is on the faculty of St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore.
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FAITH: Tell us about Jesus as Eucharist. How is he present? How and why did he do it? How does it tie into our Jewish roots? Father Muller: In the modern period, it’s difficult to talk about the mechanics of how the Eucharist is possible. We’ve made it more difficult, because the way we talk about substance has changed. To us, substance means “this collection of atoms.” Whereas, in the medieval period, when these definitions were being established, there were different definitions. It wasn’t an atomistic understanding – it really looked more at unity. When you have an atomistic understanding, you consider the unity
Her elder sister, Pauline, entered the Carmelite convent when Therese was 9. Shortly thereafter, while Therese was desperately ill with fever, she prayed to Mary, a statue of whom was in her room. She saw the statue smile and was instantly cured. After being turned down herself at the Carmelite convent because of her age, Therese petitioned the bishop and the pope and was finally admitted. She died at age 24, still a novice. Her Little Way, a journal of her small daily sacrifices and her trust in Jesus, was published by Pauline, and appealed to thousands of Catholics who were trying to do the same. Within 28 years, she had been canonized.
What is the Eucharist? yoo'-kәr-ĭst The sacrament whereby bread and wine become the body and blood FM0507 layout-front.indd 12
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WHO
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A Y E A R - L O N G C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H T H E O L O G I A N S
Heresy! Adoptionism: Jesus was adopted, not begotten Jesus was the son of God – but not until he was adopted as an adult. That’s adoptionism in a nutshell. Adherents to this heresy, in the second century, believed that Christ did not exist until he was born as a man. God tested him, and because Jesus passed the tests, God adopted him and gave him supernatural powers. Then, because he was so good and holy, God raised him from the dead and elevated him to divinity. Adoptionism was a way to deal with who Jesus really was – God or man. Paul’s letter to the Colossians refutes this heresy with what we now call the doctrine of hypostatic union – Jesus is both God and man. (Col. 2:9) This heresy was condemned by Pope Victor near the end of the second century, but reared its head again in the eighth century. In that version, adherents believed that Jesus was the son of God in his divinity, but was only adopted as the first-born of God in his humanity. This variation on the theme was condemned in 798 by Pope Leo III in a council in Rome.
of a thing as being secondary. Father Stevens: There is a So, for instance, when you look food theme in the Scriptures. So at a rock, you can keep breaking many of Jesus’ controversies inlittle pieces off it. The problem is volve eating. This theme reaches that with human reality, there is a its height in the Eucharist. It is unity to this collection of atoms unhelpful to debate whether it that the modern way of talking is a sacrifice or a meal. If we about substance reunderstand sacrifice We have a conally can’t get at. We as bringing about stant need to be need to recapture fellowship, then it in fellowship with doesn’t mean there is some of that though God. Jesus prom- a difference. We have in order to understand the reality of the ised to be with us a constant need to Eucharist – otherwise “until the end of be in fellowship with we look at this collec- the age” and this is God. Jesus promised tion of atoms and ask one of the ways he to be with us “until the where Christ is. The accomplishes that. end of the age” and Gospels make it clear this is one of the ways that Jesus delighted in touching he accomplishes that. And why people. The physicality of the bread and wine? It continues the Eucharist allows him to continue mystery of the incarnation – it to touch his people throughout is the glory of God in humble time and space. form. Thomas Aquinas says that
w h a t d o e s th a t symbol mean?
Anchor The anchor is one of the oldest symbols of Christianity. As a long-understood representation of safety, it epitomizes hope in salvation through Jesus. Anchors appear in epitaphs in the catacombs and are often styled with a crossbar representing the cross of Christ in a subtle message.
Bible Quiz I am one of Paul’s helpers who am I? My name may suggest a Greek god to you, but I am a devout Christian. I was a good friend and helper to Paul – he mentions the work I did in the name of the Gospels at Corinth. For some reason, people do listen to me – sometimes I’m told I have “charisma.” I taught about Jesus to everyone I met – I am a true believer. I hadn’t heard the whole story though – I wasn’t there when the Holy Spirit descended
on the believers in Jerusalem at Pentecost. However, Priscilla and Aquila taught me everything they had learned from Paul about the way of the Lord. You know, some people think I am the author of the letter to the Hebrews – maybe and maybe not. As Origen wrote, “God only knows.” Who am I? Turn to page 30 for the answer
this is another way in which God accommodates himself to our human condition. He doesn’t simply give up food; he becomes food for us. There is an older word, viaticum, or food for the journey. It reminds us of the Passover journey – food for the nation of Israel as they are on a journey to the Promised Land. The Eucharist is our food for the journey. Father Acklin: Eucharist is the new Passover, the new paschal lamb, the new covenant. These connections with the Passover law are important. There was an integral connection between Christianity and Judaism until Christians were expelled from the Temple and Paul’s apostolate to the Gentiles began to grow. A Jewish element that is important when we are talking about real presence is the word “remember.” We talk about the Last Supper as a memorial – and must recall that the Jewish understanding of a memorial is a remembrance that makes present. When Jesus says, “Do this in memory of me,” he is saying that “On the day you do this, that day I will be with you.” He continues to give himself to us in the Eucharist. When we pray, “Lord, remember your church ...,” we are saying, “Lord, be present to our church, to our brothers and sisters – Lord, be present to those who have died.” – Elizabeth Solsburg
blood of Christ. From the Greek word for grateful or thankful. FM0507 layout-front.indd 13
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n Aug. 4, 1937, the 300th birthday of Father Marquette, the Diocese of Lansing was created. Territory that had belonged to the Dioceses of Baltimore (in 1789), Bardstown (1808), Cincinnati (1821) and Detroit (1833) now became part of a diocese for the Catholic population of southwest Michigan. The first bishop, Joseph Henry Albers, was installed at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing. During the ceremony, Bishop Albers addressed the congregation: The Vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, through his representative, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Archbishop of Detroit, has this day established the Diocese of Lansing. From this moment, the Church of Lansing takes its place in the family of the dioceses of the world, acknowledging Detroit as its metropolitan see and Rome as the solicitous mother of all the churches. On this historic occasion, Lansing, the capital of the important State of Michigan, takes a world position as the seat of government of one of the divisions of the Kingdom of Christ. The establishment of the newest diocese of Michigan naturally reminds us of our association with our neighboring dioceses – Grand Rapids, founded 55 years ago; and Marquette, organized as a vicariate 84 years ago. As a diocese, it is 80 years old. Our metropolitan see of Detroit has completed its 104th year. Bishop Albers remained as bishop of Lansing until his death on Dec. 1, 1965. He is often called “The Builder.” He was succeeded by Bishop Alexander Mieczyslaw Zaleski, “The Pastor.” Bishop Zaleski served as coadjutor bishop and apostolic administrator from Dec. 15, 1964, to Dec. 1, 1965 and then as bishop from Dec. 1, 1965 to May 16, 1975, the date of his death. On Dec. 11, 1975, Bishop Kenneth Joseph Povish, “The Teacher,” became bishop of Lansing, and served in that capacity until Nov. 7, 1995. At that time, he was appointed apostolic administrator until Jan. 4, 1996. He served the people of the diocese in his capacity as former bishop until his death on Sept. 5, 2003. Bishop Carl F. Mengeling, “The Evangelizer,” succeeded Bishop Povish on Jan. 25, 1996. He has led the diocese into the information age, has dealt with the clergy sex abuse scandals and was the bishop of the Jubilee year. As bishop, he established FAITH Magazine, a tool for evangelization to all the Catholics in the diocese.
Bishop Joseph H. Albers
Bishop Alexander M. Zaleski
Bishop Kenneth J. Povish
Bishop Carl F. Mengeling
Photos (from top): The rectory and chancery (middle building) in 1938, Archbishop Dearden and Bishop Albers commemorating the 25th anniversary of the diocese, Adrian Dominican sisters in 1948, Bishop Mengeling’s episcopal ordination, Groundbreaking of Bethany House Main: The Cathedral of St. Mary, Lansing, MI
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BRAVING THE
BOMB RUTH ABOOD RISKED IT ALL TO RESCUE HER BABY FR c
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By Nancy Schertzing | Photography by Jim Luning
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n April 22, 2006, he appeared on the steps of the local Catholic church. His mother, probably a child herself, had broken strict Lebanese taboos by giving birth outside of wedlock. To protect herself and her family, she anonymously handed her baby over to the church and set him on an adventure through ancient hatreds and foreign lands, all within the safe harbor of one human heart.
On the other side of the globe, Ruth Abood took the call from their adoption attorney. There was a baby available – a newborn boy found on the steps of the church orphanage in a small village outside Beirut. The local priest would release the “foundling” for adoption if Ruth and Chris were willing to commit. “This is what we’d waited for,” Ruth explains. “When I was 27, I had uterine cancer, so Chris and I always knew we would adopt. Before the cancer, I’d given birth to my daughter, Ellie, so I know how wonderful it is to welcome a child into life. It was the same with John. From the moment we got the call, he was our son. “Ten days later, Chris and I traveled to Lebanon to meet John Christopher for the first time,” Ruth smiles. “His foster family took good care of him and helped us get to know him. After a week, Chris had to return to his [neurosurgery] practice, and I came home to our daughter Ellie. But we went back twice over the next two months.” Like other abandoned babies in Lebanon, John had no birth certificate. Without birth papers from his native land, Ruth and Chris could not bring him into the United States. So, while they were in Lebanon, they worked with local authorities to get John’s birth certificate. And in the United States, they worked through the usual adoption channels to complete John’s immigration paperwork as quickly as possible. FAITH Magazine
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BS FROM LEBANON
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n their last visit, Ruth saw Chris off at the Beirut airport – expecting to join him at home a week later and hoping John would soon join them for good. With the help of Chris’ cousins living in Beirut, Ruth settled into a week with her baby boy. She savored every minute with John before she had to leave him again. But the night before Ruth’s scheduled return, everything changed. Israeli bombs, targeting Hezbollah insurgents, rained down on the Beirut airport and other strategic sites in Lebanon. Ruth called home, waking Chris in the dead of night. “They’re telling me the Beirut airport is bombed out, Chris. Can you turn on CNN and tell me what’s happening?” Incredulous, Chris watched as his TV glowed with familiar images of bombs falling on his ancestral home. But this time, they were trapping his wife and son in the ancient hatreds of Jewish and Muslim neighbors. “The first few days, whenever I called home, Chris would say, ‘They’re telling me there might be a forced evacuation for all Americans. If that happens you’ll have to leave the baby.’ Another time he said, ‘They’re saying you should come home.’ I knew he was probably right, and he was very concerned about our safety. But I also knew I would have to find a different solution. I didn’t respond. “Finally, during one of these calls I told him I was not leaving Lebanon without John. As soon as I said that, calm came over his voice. ‘OK. That’s settled then’ – and we talked about provisions and where to stay. I know he wanted the decision [to stay] to be mine alone, but I think he was relieved that I wasn’t leaving our baby behind. “Chris’ relatives are caught in the middle like most Lebanese Christians,” Ruth explains. “They take it all in stride. During our cousin’s ninth birthday party, for example, a bomb hit nearby. The apartment was shaking, but no one missed a beat in singing Happy Birthday. Yet they were totally focused on keeping John and me safe and getting us out of Lebanon. They hosted us at their apartments, drove us FAITH Magazine
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everywhere and helped with John in so many ways. “Early in the bombing campaign, I went to the local pharmacy and asked to buy all their baby formula, thinking I needed enough for John if the bombing closed everything down. The pharmacist looked at me in disgust as if I were the only one who needed formula for my baby. He told me, ‘You’re an American, why don’t you get out like all the others?’ When I told him I was adopting a baby from Lebanon, he softened a little bit. But he told me I could buy one can a day like everyone else. My cousin Myrna bought one a day also, so we quickly had enough to last a month or more. “The next two weeks passed in
a blur. I moved with the cousins from location to location, trying to stay safe. Once we left a spot we couldn’t expect to get back because the Israelis bombed roads and bridges. “If there’s anything that really went right, it’s that Chris left before the bombing started. He worked constantly to get John’s paperwork approved for immigration. He saw a story on CNN one day of a Lebanese baby who came to the
Chris Abood looks over h
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Chris watched as his TV glowed with familiar images of bombs falling on his ancestral home. But this time, they were trapping his wife and son in the ancient hatreds of Jewish and Muslim neighbors.
r e s o u r c e
Adopting? Many of our Catholic Charities agencies provide assistance in arranging adoptions or can steer you in the right direction. For more information, call your local Catholic Charities agency: Adrian: Catholic Charities of Lenawee, 517.263.2191 Ann Arbor: Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, 734.971.9781 Davison: Outreach East, 810.653.7711
United States under a humanitarian parole. So he immediately called our senators and congressman to get them to try that, along with a temporary immigrant visa. He was always calm and reassuring on the phone whenever I called. No matter how close the bombs were landing, I never felt that he wasn’t going to get us home. “Finally, about two weeks into the bombing, Chris told me the paperwork was ready. I had to report
Flint: Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, 810.232.9950 Catholic Outreach, 810.234.4693 Howell: Livingston County Catholic Social Services, 517.545.5944 Jackson: Catholic Charities of Jackson, 517.782.2551 and 517.782.4430
to the American Embassy and get us and offered food and support. I myself and John out of Lebanon. look back and see their faces and Chris’ American cousin, Nawal, had all the people who helped us along also been with us adopting their the way on this incredible advendaughter, Terese – so the four of us ture. They were the presence of went to the embassy together the God for us.” next morning at 7. We Still, one faceless I remember won- stranger stands out waited in the hot sun dering if John’s for almost two hours, most in Ruth’s mind birth mother was – the one reflected in along with hundreds watching.” Ruth’s her young son’s smiles of others trying to get out. When I finally gave eyes fill with tears. and tears. “I hoped she them my name, they “When we made it could see that he to the U.S., Nawal and had the paperwork was safe.” waiting for us. Over I were interviewed on the next four hours, Larry King Live. So we processed both temporary many emotions! But I remember immigrant visas and humanitarian wondering if John’s birth mother paroles for both babies and we were was watching.” Ruth’s eyes fill with cleared to go. They sent us directly tears. “I hoped she could see that to Beirut Harbor for evacuation. he was safe.” “Late that day, we boarded a Ruth smiles, “I wish she cruise ship that had been taken could know how very much he over for American evacuations. is loved.” The boat rocked from bomb blasts falling around us until sundown, when we were escorted out of Beirut Harbor by an American destroyer on our left and an aircraft carrier on our right. Nawal and I gave the babies a quick shower and lay down in the single bed with John and Terese safe between us. That was the only sleep we would get for three days. “From Cyprus to Germany and then on home, we traveled with the help of countless strangers from U.S. Marines to Greek and Muslim women who welcomed
Lansing: St. Vincent Catholic Charities, 517.323.4734 Cristo Rey Community Center, 517.373.4700
over his son’s paperwork.
Owosso: Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, 989.723.8239
Visit www.FAITHmag.com for more stories about happenings in our church.
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From ad executive to religious sister – Sister Mary Ann Foggin
FAITH Magazine
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By Marybeth Hicks | Photography by Tom Gennara
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or Sister Mary Ann Foggin, director of vocation services for the Diocese of Lansing, the road to a vocation was unconventional, to say the least. A successful advertising executive, Sister Mary Ann was a high achiever on the professional fast track. Until God stepped in. How did an advertising executive end up in the Servants of God’s Love? I became a sister in 1998. I was an older vocation, in that I came to this life at age 40. Typically, a woman finds her vocation between the ages of 18 and 35, and this is usually stipulated by the church because it’s presumed that, after a certain point, it’s hard to be “formed” to a life of obedience to God. But there are many communities now that are open to older vocations.
other said God wanted me to know that he loved me and to trust him. I still felt this was a step that made me too fearful – I mean, I had been very successful and I couldn’t just walk away from my career. How would I live? Then, a Christian friend at work said she was inspired to share a Bible verse with me – “You cannot serve both God and man.” This was the confirmation I needed that it was time to quit, so I submitted my resignation that very day. My boss offered me a sum of money to stay on long enough to train my successor – and this was the money I needed to live on while I continued to listen to God calling me. So of course, God did provide for me because I trusted him. Eventually I started visiting communities and looking for a place that felt like the right fit. When I found the Servants of God’s Love, I finally heard the Lord say, “Your heart has found its home.” What would you tell your younger self? What’s important in life is not what you do, but who you are. I had that backward for way too long!
I was raised a Catholic, but I had no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In my 30s, I experienced a crisis as my job was in jeopardy and, at the same time, it became clear I would not be getting married as I had expected. My life was spinning out of control. Over a While I hadn’t had a personal relationship with the Lord, for some reason I always felt close to the Blessed Mother, and it was at this point that she intervened in my life. I was inspired to read about the messages of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje, and I heard her words that God loves us; all we have to do is say, “Yes, I love you, too.”
When have you seen true wisdom? I’m one of five girls in my family, and my dad would always say to us, “I’ll always be proud of you as long as you can look in the mirror and be proud of three-day who you are.” But look how long it took me to period, I felt the understand what he was talking about! Lord calling me
to quit my job. My response was pretty much, “Well that’s lovely Lord, but no thanks.”
After I read this, I had a dream in which the Lord said to me, “I found you.” This was an amazing experience of his love. The next morning I woke up and decided to go to Mass. I hadn’t been to Mass in 10 years – I had no idea even what time Mass might be – but I went to the cathedral at 6:30 in the morning and the janitor opened the door for me. He told me Mass started at 6:45. All through it I cried, because for the first time I understood what I had been seeking. What happened next? How did you get from that moment to deciding you were meant to become a sister? I knew at the moment that I had found what I was looking for, but it took another two years for God to call me away from the life I was living. Over a three-day period, I felt the Lord calling me to quit my job. My response was pretty much, “Well that’s lovely Lord, but no thanks.” But this persistent sense stayed with me that this was his request, so I asked two women who were my prayer partners to pray about it. One told me that the Lord’s answer was that God would provide for me; the
What are your defining characteristics? I’m very “type A” – a control freak. I need all the details worked out in order to feel comfortable, which, of course, is why I needed to know how God would provide for me before I let him do it.
What is your biggest disappointment in life? Well, everything happens in God’s time, but I wish I could have lived the life I’m living now 10 years earlier. But the Lord knew what it would take to get me here, and he waited patiently for me. What is your greatest joy? Jesus, without a doubt! What question would you ask God if you could? How did my car keys end up in the garbage last week? We looked everywhere for them and finally I decided to look in the trash, and there they were! The big questions? God has answered all of those already. When you get to heaven, what do you hope God will say to you? “I found you.” I feel chosen when I am aware of his presence in my life. I tell young girls that if God’s love calls you to this life it isn’t a sacrifice. There’s nothing better.
Click on www.DioceseOfLansing.org to read more about vocation services, a ministry supported by the DSA.
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p r o f i l e
a life of humble
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aco and Millie Lopez have been involved with migrant workers since 1992 at the DuRusel Potato Farm near Manchester. They are creating a family for the workers who are away from their homes for six months.
Paco: I remember years ago when we were asked to attend a meeting for those interested in working with migrant workers. My gut reaction was that it wasn’t for me. I preferred doing things that are more intellectual. Millie: But we went anyway and later found ourselves one Friday night out at the farm at 6 p.m., going from house to house, talking with the people. FAITH Magazine
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We were there until midnight. Now we go at least twice per week during growing season (MayOctober), and a half dozen other people, most of whom are also parishioners at St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor, also go on a regular basis.
Paco and Millie Lopez’s ministry to migrants
Millie: The migrants leave their extended families and their communities behind in South Texas or Mexico in order to provide for their families, and to give their children more opportunity than they had. It is a strain moving twice each year. They live in trailers, row apartments and cottage-style duplexes – some with dirt floors. In some trailers, there might be three related families with seven or eight children.
Bob Horning ByByKimberly Laux | Photography by Tom Gennara
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I like to talk, but if I don’t also walk the walk, no one will believe what I say.
Paco: In cities and towns in much of Latin America, the church is right in the city square and is at the center of community life. Our goal is to provide a family for them while they are in Michigan. By teaching these people the faith, and getting them to participate in the sacraments, we can bring them into a church family here. Some of the workers have a basic piety, but most are not well-catechized. Our classes give basic instruction for first Communion, confirmation and marriage, but we also encourage a personal relationship with Jesus. Millie: As we invite them into the church family, we often end up being invited into their natural families in return. We are godparents for three children, and were sponsors for two who were confirmed. During the winter months, we keep in contact on the phone with some of the workers, and three years ago we went to Texas to visit them. Paco: It’s amazing to see God work right before our eyes. One example is Apolonio, who has three children but was not married. After taking classes, he was baptized, confirmed and received first Communion from Bishop Mengeling when he came to say Mass. He cried when the bishop assured him that all of his sins really would be washed away in baptism. Latino men don’t cry in public. Then, one month later, he was married in the church, and now he is one of the spiritual leaders in the camp. Another is Geraldo, who had been a Jehovah’s Witness. He was also baptized, confirmed and married. This is significant for these two men in a culture where religion is often relegated to the women. Our greatest joy is having unmarried couples come to classes and eventually ask to be married in the church. That strengthens the family and the church.
Millie: Serving the migrants is a natural extension of who we are as Catholics. For example, in our jobs as physicians, there are times we have to take a stand against things like abortion or embryonic stem cell research. We strive to be good doctors and hold to our principles. If you love Jesus, you attempt to live his way. We try to bring the same approach to the migrant workers. We share our faith – and even do a little medical work when appropriate. Paco: Service is at the core of being a disciple of Jesus. Working with these people is a way of loving Christ. But being around the poor has been good for us, too. Since we are fairly well off, it keeps us Jesus-centered. We have worked hard to get what we have, but we don’t want the trappings to own us. Many times we stop and ask ourselves before buying something, “Do we really need that?” Another benefit has been that we have had to learn our faith well enough to teach it to others. Of course, the more you learn, the more zealous you become. Then, we need to try to live a holy life, hold to a high standard. I like to talk, but if I don’t also walk the walk, no one will believe what I say. Millie: Attending a Cursillo weekend while in school was important for both of us. My family growing up in Puerto Rico was devoutly Catholic. We said the rosary together every night. But the Cursillo brought my faith more alive. Paco: Before we were married, I would call Millie, but sometimes she would say she couldn’t talk because they were saying the rosary. I couldn’t understand that. Then in medical school, I also went on a Cursillo weekend. It was life-changing for me. I came to know the love of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Now we
have an urge to share that love with the migrant workers. Our goal is that all of them become practicing Catholics.
Our goal is to provide a family for them while they are in Michigan. By teaching these people the faith, and getting them to participate in the sacraments, we can bring them into a church family here.
Millie: Everyone responds well to Paco’s teaching and they are inquisitive, because he is down to earth in what he says and is approachable. Even the youth. They challenge him at times, but in a way of seeking the truth. Paco: Maybe because I am an immigrant myself, I understand better the life and situation of these people. My family left Cuba in 1968, nine years after Castro came to power. We lived in Spain and Puerto Rico before coming to the United States. Millie: While the work is rewarding, there are also difficult parts. There are times after a busy day at work that we just want to go home, relax and be with our daughters (Maria Esperanza, 4, and Maria Christina, 3, are both adopted). But we head to the farm instead.
r e s o u r c e
Migrant ministry For more information about ministry to migrants and to Hispanic Catholics, especially in the Midwest, visit the Web site of the Midwest Catholic Association of Hispanic Ministry (Asociacion Catolica del Medio Oeste para el Ministerio Hispano) at http://mwcahm. org/state.shtml.
Paco: When we see the people respond to the catechesis, it is inspiring. It renews and refreshes us. They put us to shame the way they live their faith. One 70year-old man, Valeriano, hadn’t gone to confession in 35 years. Once he did, he began getting up at four in the morning to pray before work. They work sunup to sundown, six days per week, making little pay. Still they come to meetings during the week and Mass on Sunday. Millie: They always dress in their best for Mass, as if they were visiting someone special. Yet when it comes time to kneel on the dirt floor, they don’t worry about their clothes. And many of them are so sharp. If they had the chances we do, they could do anything with their lives
Your DSA dollars support ministry to migrant workers. For more information, visit www.dioceseoflansing.org.
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s p i r i t u a l
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Chastity
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likeness means we want to make ourselves a gift to God and others. The virtue of chastity governs our sexual desire and helps integrate those desires within the human person so that we can offer ourselves to God and others in a good and wholesome way. Some want to compartmentalize their sexual behavior and separate it from their religious behavior and life with God. Chastity brings an integration of sexual desires and a single-heartedness to a person. There is no divorce between loving God, loving neighbor, loving family members, loving spouse or loving self. In a sex-crazed culture, this aspect of chastity is overlooked. Some see chastity as only a “no” to sex. It is often seen as being priggish or prudish in a puritanical sense. But chastity helps us truly love as we are loved by God. Sexual desire especially needs to come under the gentle mastery of the Holy Spirit and human reason. When we fail in this area, there can be painful and dire consequences. Some have said that we act more like animals and beasts than human beings. Actually, animals and beasts may be acting much better, for they do what they do because of instinct. We do what we do by choice. Speaking of animals, there are a number of things we can learn from animals about chaste living. Back to the birds and bees (and elephants)! For example, quite a few bird species are monogamous. Penguins often take only one mate in a lifetime – and engage in the mating act only once a year! And what about the bees? St. Francis de Sales used an image that can be useful in thinking about the reward of chaste
remember the first time I heard a talk What the birds and bees and about sex. Our even elephants can teach us! teacher announced, “Today we are going to talk about the birds and the integrated into the whole human person. God has made us in some bees.” The guys went to one class and like other animals; we have the girls to another. All through the class ways instincts and physical characteristics I kept wondering, “What do birds and that help us survive and thrive on the earth. We share many common bees have to do with this?” Of course, after much thought, I soon realized what they meant. God knit sex into the fabric of creation. “Be fertile and multiply,” God said to all creatures. “Fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gn 1:28) Sometimes you would think the world only heard that and nothing else the Lord said. Our culture is saturated with sexual images. It is true and important to remember that God “looked at all he had made and found it very good.” Sex included! None of us would be here without it. God intended sex, like all human actions, to be FAITH Magazine
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traits. We must remember, however, we are not made in their image and likeness, but rather in the image and likeness of God. God blesses us with reason and graces our souls with virtues that take the reins of our physical passions, instincts and desires – and brings our behavior to a perfection that leads to God. That includes sexual behavior. A part of being made in God’s image and
May 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com
3/27/07 3:03:16 PM
God blesses us with reason and graces our souls with virtues that take the reins of our physical passions, instincts and desires – and brings our behavior to a perfection that leads to God. That includes sexual behavior.
behavior. Chaste people are like honey bees in that they make the world sweet. “Honey” is the end result of a virtuous life. If we live a life of chastity, and work at it, we will have plenty of honey in our lives now, and certainly at the end! Another image using honey was more negative, looking at the consequences of disregarding chastity. He pointed out that bees, when they are not careful, can get caught in their own honey. It can cover their wings and bodies and in some cases they don’t escape. Killed by too much honey. Well, what about the elephants? OK, believe it or not, I was talking to a priest who is a missionary of St. Francis de Sales. Father Kurian grew up in India and lived in Africa for many years. He liked the fact that St. Francis de Sales used the example set by elephants to teach about chastity! “The elephant is not only a huge beast, but the most dignified and most intelligent animal which lives on earth. I wish to tell you an instance of its excellence. In never changes its mate and loves tenderly the one it has chosen. However, it does not mate with it except every third year, and that for five days only, and so secretly that it is not seen doing the act. Nevertheless, it is seen on the sixth day on which, before anything else, it goes straight to the river. There it washes completely its whole body without any wish to return to the flock before it is purified. Are not these beautiful and chaste characteristics of such an animal an invitation to the married?” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Ch. 39 par. 7)
After picking myself off the floor from laughter, I was further moved to read more from St. Francis de Sales, who is a doctor of the church by the way. I would recommend readers to his book, Introduction to the Devout Life. It is filled with heavenly wisdom! Even if the biology is a little off in places, his theology and practical insights are dead on!
Spiritual Exercise ways to strengthen chastity
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Pray. Devotion to God will lead to greater purity and greater chastity. Read Psalm 51. King David may have written this after he committed the sins of adultery and murder, which followed his sin of lust for Bathsheba. His sexual desires were out of control. God’s love is what we truly desire, not the lust of the body. Sexual integration recognizes that the only true and lasting union is with God. That relation is abundantly fertile. As the heart grows in love for God, one desires God more and longs for all that God desires for the soul. God desires us to be pure, so that one is more able to see the beauty of God reflected in one’s own soul.
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In prayer, ask for chastity. Pray for a desire to be chaste and pure of heart, free of lust. You cannot gain the gift if there is no desire for the gift within you.
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Guard against curiosity! Priests hear everything under the sun in the confessional. In my pastoral experience, curiosity has killed the cat on many occasions. What is on this TV channel? What is on this Web site? What will happen if I click open this e-mail? Most of the time people do know what will happen, but curiosity drives them on. “The young are apt to imagine that of which they are ignorant to be wondrous sweet, and as the foolish moth hovers around a light, and, persisting in coming too near, perishes in its inquisitive folly, so they perish through their unwise approach to forbidden pleasures.” (Introduction to the Devout Life)
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Impurity is like tar on the soul, not dirt. Dirt comes off pretty fast. Tar sticks!
Be quick to turn away from anything that would lead to impurity. Impurity can grow quickly! It is easier to turn away quickly from the temptation than to heal the wound and clean one who is already immersed in the tar. Impurity is like tar on the soul, not dirt. Dirt comes off pretty fast. Tar sticks! To get it off takes stronger cleansers – like fasting, prayer, penance, the sacrament of reconciliation, the Eucharist! All are powerful means to scrub off the tar of impurity.
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Seek out good friendships with people who also seek purity. Read good books, watch movies and TV shows that will not compromise the virtue. Ponder and read holy things, especially the Word of God. For God’s Word is pure, “and it will make those pure who study it.” (St Francis de Sales)
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Especially and always stay close to Jesus Christ crucified, both spiritually in your thoughts and meditations – and actually in holy Communion.
– Father BIll Ashbaugh
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Need a refuge from mass marketing?
make it about
Mary FAITH Magazine
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May 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com
By Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Phillip Shippert
3/27/07 3:03:33 PM
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s a relatively new mom, I am growing more and more sensitive to the corrosive effects of crude marketing and indecent media. On one recent occasion, I visited Best Buy to get some rechargeable batteries; but drifted off-course toward the sea of flashing flat-screen TVs that made up a third of the store. I stopped in my tracks, looked up at one of them and started to daydream. I imagined the Iron Chef plating his chateaubriand with béarnaise sauce on the nice 42-inch plasma that would be hanging above my fireplace.
I pictured large vistas of the Italian Alps on the Travel Channel filling my living room. But in a moment, the spell was broken as I shuddered at the thought of my children seeing 42 flat-screen inches of the inappropriate shows and commercials that permeate TV. Discouraged, I continued to walk toward those boring rechargeable batteries. Often, when we turn on a TV, launch the Internet or tune into our iPods, we come in contact with lots of messages and imagery that are contrary to what is really good for us. Our culture makes it Where can we a challenge to be chaste before marriage or even in marriage. We are told it is unfashionable to be find role models who exhibit selfdecent when it comes to what we wear. Where control, decency, in today’s world do we look to or purity? Thankfind imagery that honors God? Where can we find role models fully, as Catholics, we don’t have to who exhibit self-control, delook very far. cency, or purity? Thankfully, as Catholics, we don’t have to look very far. There is no better role model of grace and purity than the Blessed Mother. Is it a coincidence that May is the month of Mary, as well as the month that celebrates Mother’s Day? After all, she is the spiritual mother of all of us. When we find ourselves tempted to stray from God through our actions or words, we can look to her for strength. Whether we pray a whole rosary or a quick Hail Mary, we can ask her to intercede before God for us. Here are a couple of cool projects that lend themselves to just that. One is a rosary box and the other, a framed image to hang on a wall or place on a table. Both involve collage, which is one of my favorite art techniques. Collage is basically an assembly of different images to create a new whole image. These in particular have a shabby chic look and feel, but don’t limit yourself to that style. You can do almost anything, since there are thousands of different papers and stamps out there. Whatever your design, consider it art to add to your own home or to give as a gift on Mother’s Day. Most importantly, consider it imagery that does honor God as well as our Blessed Mother.
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For both projects, you will need the following: • A small unfinished wood box • An unfinished wood picture frame • Several sheets of scrapbook or collage paper for background • Prayer card or any printed image of the Blessed Mother • Floral or ornamental stamps • Inkpads in colors of choice (for stamping) • Decoupage medium (for adhesive and finishing) • A medium-sized paintbrush For the rosary box, simply cut out background paper and adhere (with decoupage medium) to all sides and top of the unfinished wood box. Stamp any design you wish to add more color and texture to your collage. Cut the contour of the Blessed Mother image and adhere on top of box lid. Using a paintbrush, apply a coat of the decoupage medium all over the finished box and let dry. For the framed image, cut out background paper and adhere to the front and sides of the unfinished wood frame. Stamp any design you wish for additional color and texture. Apply a coat of the decoupage medium all over the finished frame and let dry. For the image inside, create a collaged design using background papers, stamps and the printed image of the Blessed Mother. Frame the final image. More ideas: Don’t limit your collage to just paper and stamping. Use any recycled findings, such as metal charms or pieces from a board game. Since rubber stamps are sometimes pricey, use scrapbook paper with printed images instead. There are several out there.
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l o c a l
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Winners of the Alleluia Award
Liturgy conference recognizes liturgical excellence
Martha Goode, Seeker of Justice Award winner
“Salute to the Stars” honor contributors St. Mary students and their food bank
St. Mary students collect two tons of food Children from St. Mary Parish, Pinckney collected 4,000 pounds of food for the poor. Students in the school and in St. Mary’s religious education program more than tripled last year’s total. The students donated nonperishable food and personal items to the parish food pantry.
Brighton parish gets newest school in diocese A former General Motors training facility turned into a state-of-the-art elementary school when St. Patrick School in Brighton expanded to accommodate the parish’s 2,000 families. The $10million-dollar building boasts new science, music and art rooms; a circular computer lab; a media center/library; a chapel overlooking the woods; separate wings for grades 1-5 and 6-8; and carpet everywhere. The school opened Sept.5, less than seven months after ground was broken. Each classroom is built to handle 30 students and each grade has two classrooms.
Flint parish offers martial arts Christ the King in Flint hosted a Teamforce Martial Arts class in its education center with participants from the surrounding community and church youth. Master Gary Brown, a 5th Degree Black Belt of the Mu Sa Tang Soo Do federation, instructed the students. FAITH Magazine
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Livingston County Catholic Social Services (LCCSS) will host the third annual “Salute to the Stars” on April 21 to recognize four individuals who have made significant contributions to the quality of life in the community and to raise funds for agency programs and services. LCCSS will honor Patricia HeaslipMortensen, of St. George Lutheran Church in Brighton, for her work with “Fish & Loaves Commuity;” Deacon Endre Doran, a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Howell, for his role in “God’s Kitchen;” and Judy Geiger, a member of Shalom Lutheran Church in Pinckney, for her work with “Community Kitchen in Christ.” These three individuals were recognized for their gifts of feeding the hungry. Martha Goode, the coordinator of youth ministry at St. Patrick Catholic Church will be honored with the “Seeker of Justice” Award. This award is bestowed on an individual in recognition of his or her commitment to social justice, particularly as it empowers low-income people. For 10 years, Martha has worked with teens and young adult members of St. Patrick Church.
At the 10th annual diocesan Liturgy Conference on Feb. 6, six people were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the liturgical life of their parishes and diocese. Dr. Robert Wolf, music director of at St. Patrick, Brighton; Patricia Scherer, liturgist and RCIA director with St. Francis, Ann Arbor and St. Joseph, Dexter; Father William Lugger, pastor of St. Casimir Parish, Lansing; Cecilia Costigan, music director at St. Gerard, Lansing; Father Francis George, pastor of St. John the Baptist, Howell; and Mary Melewitz, director at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson received an “Alleluia Award” in “grateful recognition of devoted service to God and his liturgical assemblies.”
Bishop Mengeling and children who are entering the church
Rite of Election Bishop Mengeling presided over the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at the parishes of St. Mary Magdalen, Brighton; St. Thomas Aquinas, East Lansing; Christ the King, Ann Arbor; and St. John the Evangelist, Davison. This year, 356 catechumens and 553 candidates entered the Catholic Church in parishes in the Diocese of Lansing.
May 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com
3/27/07 3:04:02 PM
Volunteers still working in flooddamaged New Orleans For the third time in one year, Lansing-area volunteers traveled to New Orleans to help Hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their flood-damaged homes. Jim Miner, volunteer team leader, learned about Operation Helping Hands, a relief effort of Catholic Charities, New Orleans, in 2006. Since then, a total of 43 volunteers have logged more than 1,500 hours gutting 13 homes to the stud walls for poor, elderly or disabled homeowners in the city. The most recent group of volunteers included seven women and 10 men; they were housed at the Carrollton Avenue United Methodist Church. To learn more about Operation Helping Hands, please contact Jim Miner at jim@minercom.com.
First silent auction and dinner held by Rainbow Homes Rainbow Homes, a mid-Michigan Christian-supported residential program that helps people with disabilities live happy and independent lives, held their first silent auction and dinner Feb. 10 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Lansing, with 130 people in attendance. Many people, churches, businesses, organizations, family members, board members and concerned advocates were involved. Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and Father John Byers offered their parish center for the event. Knights of Columbus of IHM Council 10542 and Grand Knight Dan Rienecke prepared the meal, Meridian Christian Church in Holt generously staged the event. And the Lansing area community kindly donated to the silent auction. Rainbow Homes was able to profit $8,000.
Chelsea Knights conduct Philippine relief fund drive The Chelsea Knights sponsored a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Philippine Relief on Feb. 9 at St. Mary Catholic Church and collected close to $2,000 for the Servants of Charity and their missions. Typhoon Durian devastated a school, a clinic and a religious house owned by the Servants of Charity in Legazpi City last November. Donations are still being accepted; please make checks out to “Servants of Charity” and mail to Servants of Charity, Attention: Joe Yekulis, 16195 Old US-12, Chelsea, MI, 48118 with “Philippine Relief” written in the ledger.
CRHP workshop held at St. John-Fenton On Jan. 20, Frank Wardega, 60, of Sterling Heights, presented an all-day workshop on Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) at St. John the Evangelist Activity Center in Fenton. More than 300 men and women from the parish have participated in the program. Wardega was first a participant in CRHP in Cleveland in 1977, when he helped minister a program for another parish.“In 1979, I began to lead such weekends,” said Wardega. “Two years later, I began to teach others to lead weekends.” When asked what CRHP means to him, he said, “CRHP, for me, was the doorway to an adult life with Christ.” – Jan Rynearson
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Dr. Coleen Kelly Mast
Virtue taught by author, radio talk show host Author and radio talk show host Dr. Coleen Kelly Mast was the speaker at the Victorian Brunch/Fashion Show sponsored by Fenton Area Right-To-Life. She told grandmothers, mothers and daughters attending that they should help their relationships grow through respecting, caring for and helping one another. “Men learn generosity through women,” she said. Her topic was What A Girl Wants? Respect. Virtue, love and inner beauty were included in the lecture. “Girls want to be beautiful; that’s why they spend so much time in the bathroom,” said Mast. “A girl wants to be beautiful deep in her inner soul, she wants to love and be loved.” Mast said some advertising is the work of the devil. “We are told what to eat, what to wear and where to spend our money,” she said. “With fashions, you might have to purchase two or three tops to cover up the basic body parts. Dr. Mast can be reached through www.sexrespect.com, www.respectincorporated.com or wwwavemaria radio.net. – Jan Rynearson
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things to do: The Second Annual Steak and Song at St. Thomas Aquinas in East Lansing will be held Saturday, April 28 from 5:30-8 p.m. in the school gym on Alton Road. A steak dinner with all the trimmings will be served and the children, youth and adult choirs will sing both secular and religious songs throughout the evening. Contact the church office at 517.351.7215 for tickets; they are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. A children’s menu will be available for $5. St. Mary School to offer free recycling. Beginning March 9, residents and local organizations will be able to use a new, no-cost paper recycling program at St. Mary School in Pinckney. Neighbors may drop off paper in a green and yellow “Paper Retriever” bin seven days a week. St. Mary School is located at 10601 Dexter-Pinckney Road in Putnam Township, next to Pinckney Community High School. The recycling service accepts newspaper, magazines, shopping catalogs, office and school papers (including colored paper), shredded and intact mail. Cardboard, plastic, metal, old telephone books and glass are not accepted. The Diocese of Grand Rapids and the Diocese of Lansing present A Joint Day of Reflection on May 12 at the Diocesan Center in Lansing in preparation for the 10th National Black Catholic Congress. The planning session will take place from 1-4 p.m., followed by Mass at St. Mary Cathedral at 5 p.m. To RSVP, please contact Ron Landfair at 517.342.2496 or rlandfair@dioceseoflansing.org. Is your marriage breaking your heart? Are you thinking about separation or divorce? RetrouFAITH Magazine
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May Readings
vaille can help. Meetings will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Lansing and will take place April 13-15. For more information, please call 517.290.5596 or see www.retrouvaille.org. A Spring Stampede will take place Saturday, April 28 at Immaculate Conception Church in the Fr. Joseph Strzelewicz Family Center in Milan. Tickets are $125 for dinner for two, catered by Hotel Hickman Wild West Adventures. Dancing and music will be provided by the Step Aside Band. A reverse raffle will be held with a grand prize of a minimum of $5,000/ maximum of $7,500. Proceeds to benefit Immaculate Conception Parish; you need not be present to win. Feel free to wear your Western attire. For tickets, call the office at 734.439.2030, ext. 5. The group Puente Catolico Latino attempts to bridge the practical and spiritual needs of Hispanics. It meets 6-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month. For details, call 734.426.5514 or ortiz4519@earthlink.net. El grupo Puente Catolico Latino se dedica a asistir las necesidades practicas y espirituales de los Hispanos. Nos reunimos de 6 a 8:30 de la noche en el primer y el tercer Sabado del mes. Para detalles, llame 734-426-5514, o communicase con ortiz4519@earthlink.net. Prison Ministry needs volunteers. If you can visit prisoners at the Huron Valley Men’s Facility, please call Tim Metts at 517.342.2495. Training is provided.
Late Nite Catechism 2 will be held April 20 at 8 p.m. in Clio High School. Tickets are still available – call the Ss. Charles and Helena church office at 810.686.9861. Cost is $30.
May 2007 | www.FAITHmag.com
Sunday, May 6 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 14:21-27 Ps 145:8-9,10-11,12-13 Rv 21:1-5a Jn 13:31-33a,34-35 At the Weber Center
The Living Flame of Love of John of the Cross will take place June 1-3, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday until 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Weber Center in Adrian. The presenter will be Mary Meegan, OP. To register or for more information, please call the Weber Center at 517.266.4000. Living Mindfully throughout the Day will take place April 2022, beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m. and will go until Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Weber Center in Adrian. The presenter will be Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB. To register or for more information, please call the Weber Center at 517.266.4000. Would you like an event published in FAITH? The deadline for the July/Aug. issue is May 9. Send information to esolsburg@ faithpublishing service.com.
Sunday, May 13 Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 15:1-2,22-29 Ps 67:2-3,5,6,8 (4) Rv 21:10-14, 22-23 Jn 14:23-29 Sunday, May 20 The Ascension of the Lord Acts 7:55-60 Ps 97:1-2,6-7,9 (1a,9a) Rev 22:12-14,16-17,20 Jn 17:20-26 Sunday, May 27 Pentecost Acts 2:1-11 Ps 104:1,24,29-30,31,34 1 Cor 12:3b-7,12-13 or Rom 8:8-17 Jn 20:19-23 or 14:15-16,23b-26
At the St. Francis Retreat Center For information on the following, call the Retreat Center at 866 669-8321. May 11-12 Mother/Daughter Retreat This retreat is an invitation for the women of your family to pray, share, listen, rest and be together. May 18-20, 2007 REFLECT A singles retreat for adults in their mid-30s to 50s. May 19 My Unknown Child, My Loss Beyond Words An adult grief recovery retreat day for Catholic women and men who have suffered a loss through miscarriage, still birth, or neonatal death.
Answer to Bible Quiz (p.13) Apollos 3/27/07 3:04:31 PM
l a s t
Hundreds of ministries are supported by DSA Throughout our diocese, hundreds of people let the light of Christ shine into the lives of those around them. In this issue, you have met people who are letting their light shine at the various stages of life. And you have discovered how your DSA donation is making that possible. From everyone who has been helped by these many ministries, thank you! Catholic Charities: Life Justice, Natural Family Planning, Restorative Justice, Black Catholic and Multicultural Ministry, Hispanic & Migrant Ministries, Catholic Deaf/HH Ministry, Ministry with Persons with disAbilities, Outreach Catholic Charities Agencies: Catholic Charities of Jackson, Catholic Charities of Shiawassee & Genesee Counties, St. Vincent Catholic Charities of Lansing, Catholic Charities of Lenawee, Catholic Social Services of Livingston, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw, Catholic Outreach, Cristo Rey Community Center Chancery Services: Bishop’s Office (The Curia), Diocesan Archives, Diocesan Tribunal, Council of Vicars, Diocesan Ecumenical Officer, Vicar for Religious, Scholarships for Religious Communications: Media Contact, TV Outreach Mass, DioceseofLansing.org, video production, Voices Alive Newsletter, In-house Publishing Education and Catechesis: Catechesis, Evangelization, Family Life, Catholic Schools’ central administration and instructional programs, Young Adult Ministry, Youth Ministry, Campus Ministry, Office of Worship Finance: Development Office, Diocesan Property Management, Environmental Issues, Information Technology Services, Diocesan Services Appeal (DSA), Central Services Accounting, Parish Audit Services, Stewardship Initiative, Loss Prevention Services for parish maintenance staff, Workshops and seminars for parish bookkeepers/business managers, Annual Financial Report Office of Pastoral Planning: Diocesan Strategic Pastoral Planning, Diocesan Pastoral Council, Parish Pastoral Council Formation, Coordinating Commission Formation: The Office of Seminarians, Office of Deacons, Office of Lay Ecclesial Ministry, Vocation Services, Continuing Education for Priests, Priestly Life & Ministry Other: Hospital Ministry, Sacred Heart Chapel, Council of Catholic Women, Support of Infirm and Retired Priests, Presbyteral Council, St. Francis Retreat Center, Bethany House, Priests’ Special Ministry Assignments
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Chastity
what’s good about it?
For the early Christians, and for Christians of our day, chastity means being open to God, being available to God, being able to respond to God’s whispers in our hearts and souls.
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et’s talk about chastity and not about sex. I want to share with you now what the early Christians valued in the idea of chastity. This isn’t some sort of “Catholic thing”, although many people think it’s a Catholic hang-up. When you think about it deeply, you begin to see it differently than the world thinks about chastity. Maybe it isn’t true that the Catholic Church is “hung up on sex.” Maybe it’s the secular world that’s really obsessed with it. You see, the early Christians lived in a world that fawned on sex gods and goddesses just as much as we do. Sex, for many people, both then and now, is everything. So is lust. Not just sexual lust, but lust for things – for more and more things that clutter our houses, basements and garages. Lust for power and control over others. Lust for money. Lust for popularity. Lust for anything and everything but the things of God. For the early Christians, and for Christians of our day, chastity means being open to God, being available to God, being able to respond to God’s whispers in our hearts and souls. Chastity means being open to God’s Word, not just the words of those who say “I love you” in order to get what they want out of you and then leave. Where are we? At what level are we living? Are we available to God? Many a father is unavailable to his children, as well as being unavailable to his wife. Many of us have ignored and forgotten our fathers and mothers, leaving them alone while being “too busy” to spend time with them and share words of love with them. Chastity is a form of poverty. The early Christians valued both of these as virtues. Why? Because they both require that we admit we don’t have it all – we recognize we need the love that can only come from God, who is Love itself. We deceive ourselves when we think and act as if we are totally independent. That makes us users of the people and things around us rather than sharers. A person whose life is cluttered is an unchaste person, one who does not recognize his or her limits. We do, after all, have some needs that are legitimate. If our needs are not met, we only rape the world and the people around us in anger and frustration. Chastity allows us to be humane, gentle, sensitive, and kind. That isn’t just a “Catholic thing” – it’s a human thing. – Father Charles Irvin
3/27/07 3:04:36 PM
DSA Weekend 2007: Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22
notes:
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3/27/07 3:04:47 PM