May 2012

T H E

OF

THE

CATHOLIC

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p a s t o r a l

l e t t e r :

Bishop responds to urgent need in the Church

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord a Pastoral response to declining participation in the Church

DIOCESE

OF

LANSING

www.FAITHmag.com I May 2012 I $2.50

s p i r i t u a l f i t n e s s :

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Let the Holy Spirit radically change your life

Why do my co-workers insult soldiers?

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contents 6 yourlife Most Reverend Earl Boyea PUBLISHER

Rev. Dwight Ezop

EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

May 2012 • Volume 13: Issue 4

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Jim Berlucchi | Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Kevin Duffy | Doug Culp | Dcn. Tom and JoAnne Fogle | Bob Horning |Rev. Charles Irvin | Paul Jarzembowski | Rev. Joseph Krupp | Dr. Gelasia Marquez | Dr. Cathleen McGreal | Nancy Schertzing | Sister Ann Shields CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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FAITHTM (USPS 019993) is a publication of FAITH Catholic, Diocese of Lansing, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906-5550. FAITHTM is a membership publication of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing and is published monthly except for February and August. To purchase a subscription, log on to FAITHmag.com. If you have a change of address, please contact your parish. Periodicals postage paid in Lansing, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FAITHTM, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing MI 48906-5550. ©2011 FAITH Catholic. FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Catholic.

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table of contents

6 work life Why do my co-workers insult soldiers?

8 parenting journey I am a widower – How do I tell my children I am in a new relationship?

8 conflict resolution Why should I have to take care of our aging parents?

8 marriage matters She says: “I don’t want to call my mother-in-law ‘Mom.’” He says: “My mom loves her – what’s the problem?” What do they do?

10 culture Growing in faith

12 yourfaith 12 in the know with Father Joe What do you have to do to be excommunicated?

14 best homily Father Geoff Rose, OSFS – chaplain at Lumen Christi High School, Jackson 15 morality everyday Loving love and loving babies 16 theology 101 How are we to make sense of God’s justice in the Old Testament?

18 spiritual fitness Let the Holy Spirit radically change your life

J. Luning

The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

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20 yourstories 20 pastoral letter Bishop responds to urgent need in the Church

24 cover story Dr. Dan Heffernan brings medical care to those who cannot afford it

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Liturgical calendar: St. Joseph the Worker May 1 | St. Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church May 2 | Feast of Ss. Philip and James, apostles May 3

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from the editors

Where has everybody gone?

And how can we bring them back home?

W

hen I look around the pews in my parish church, I see empty spaces that used to be full.

Long-time parishioners tell me the 9:45 a.m. Mass once was standing-room only – now, you can get a seat even if you arrive at the last minute. So, where has everybody gone? And is there something we can do to bring them back?

This phenomenon is not unique to my parish – if you look at the numbers on page

T. Gennara

Elizabeth Solsburg is editorial director of FAITH Magazine. She can be reached at esolsburg@FAITHcatholic.com

21, you will see that most of our parishes have declining Mass attendance numbers. Some people have suggested this is because Michigan’s population is declining – but if you check the column of U.S. Census data, you’ll see that’s not really the answer. For example, in Lenawee County, where I live, the population grew a very small amount – one percent. But the number of Catholics attending Mass dropped by more than 21 percent. There is not a single county in our diocese in which Mass attendance did not decline – even in locations with double digit population increases.

saint of the month

St. Philip Neri

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This is an urgent problem in our Church – because these numbers are not just empty statistics. They represent people – my nephew, your aunt, our children. These are members of our family who are no longer coming to the dinner table, who are no longer present at our family gatherings. Think about how you would feel if your family members stopped showing up for Thanksgiving.

What would you be willing to do to encourage them to come back?

That is where we are as a Church right now – and that is why Bishop Boyea has written his first pastoral letter, Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord, which you can read more about on page 20.

Our bishop is keenly aware of the gaping holes in our pews, and is calling on all of us to reach out to the members of our community who are no longer active in the life of the Church. It is up to us to invite them home and to make them

“Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.”

Please read Bishop Boyea’s pastoral letter, talk to your pastor and parish pastoral council about what you can do to engage in this important task, and become Christ’s body in this world.

Philip joined the Priesthood in 1551 and in 1556, The Oratory was founded where hymns, scripture study, and lectures became well known.

The Patron Saint of U.S. Special Forces

Philip commonly mingled with all society types, leading discussions about God and theology.

St. Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy in 1515. He gave up worldly goods as a young adult and in 1548, co-founded a fraternity to minister to poor pilgrims in Rome.

He died after a day of hearing confessions and receiving guests. St. Philip is the Patron Saint of U.S. Special Forces.

FAITH Magazine / May 2012 / www.FAITHmag.com

welcome.

You may be asking yourself, “How do I do that?” Catholics are often uncomfortable with the idea of evangelization. So the pastoral letter also includes some resources that parishes can use to develop effective means of spreading the Good News. And that is the most important thing to remember – this is good news we want to share – the news that we are loved by the One who created us, and who desires a relationship with us, and who needs us. As St. Teresa of Avila said,

– Story and illustrations by Chris Sushynski

Philip is born in Florence, Italy.

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka’i, priest May 10 | Ss. Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs; St. Pancras, martyr May 12 | F

75th CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF LANSING

Anniversar y

of

the

Diocese

of

Lansing

The Diocese of Lansing celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Throughout the year, we’ll be presenting pieces of our history, thanks to our diocesan historian, Msgr. George Michalek.

Chancery fire

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hile a chaplain in France during World War I, Father Joseph Albers was wounded three times and gassed. He received the Silver Star for bravery. A year after becoming the first bishop of Lansing, he came close to death again.

On Jan. 10, 1938, a fire started in the front room of the building where he lived, one half of which served as the chancery and the other half as the rectory for St. Mary Cathedral Parish.

The fire swept along the hallway and burned in some of the adjoining rooms and through the ceiling to the interior of the roof before reaching Bishop Alber’s bedroom above the chancery.

Awakened by the smoke, he went to the rear stairway, but was blocked from escape by dense smoke. He then went to

He founds the fraternity in 1548.

asked, “Where am I? What happened?” He was then taken to the hospital. He had deep cuts in his left leg just above the ankle and the knee.

By the next day, the bishop’s condition had At the time of the fire in 1938, the middle building greatly improved. was the rectory and chancery.

Within five days, he was able to work from his bedside. the front of the building, but again was Because the room where the fire driven back by flames and smoke. He started was so badly burned, the cause later said, “I returned to my bedroom; was never determined. Water from the I started toward the window and fell. hoses poured through the floor into the That’s all I remember.” diocesan office below, damaging papers, The fire department arrived shortly desks, typewriters and other equipafter 7 a.m. and immediately called for help; six companies eventually battled the ment. Many of the documents of early diocesan life were destroyed. Valuable blaze. Capt. Hugh Fisher, who served in sacred objects and religious art work the 82nd Division with the bishop in the also were ruined by the smoke and fire. war, and George Webber of Station No. 1 Damage to the chancery was estimated found Bishop Albers on the floor, carried at $10,000. him down a ladder and took him to the Three firemen were slightly injured in dining room of the adjoining rectory. the blaze.

Since the bishop had almost stopped breathing, the firemen worked on him with an inhalator and doctors adminisMuch of the information for this article tered stimulants to revive his heart. After came from news clippings from the Lansing a half-hour, the bishop responded and State Journal at the time of the event.

Philip mingled with all people.

He died at the age of 79.

Feast of St. Matthias, apostle May 14 | St. Isidore May 15 | Ascension of the Lord May 17 | St. John I, pope and martyr May 18 | St. Christopher Magallanes, priest and his companions, martyrs, May 21

work life

Q

My husband is in the Army. I work in an office where many people oppose the war. They seem to think all members of the military are violent thugs. I am hurt when I hear anti-military comments – what can I do?

a

You’re to be commended for your loyalty, both to your husband and to his colleagues in arms who defend our nation. The hurt that you feel is provoked not by mere ego sensitivity, but by noble sentiments. You hurt for right reasons and this speaks well of you.

You identify two different issues. The first is opposition to a military engagement. This is a political position on which reasonable people will have strong disagreements. You’re as likely to change their views as them changing yours. So I would leave it alone.

The second issue is quite different – an ill-informed, sweeping stereotype: “All members of the military are violent thugs.” If your coworkers really hold this view, it’s much easier to address.

So obviously distorted, it’s easy to counter. Very few would hold to it. Therefore, it’s

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also unpopular.

You ask, “What can I do?”

So, I assume you want to take action. I’ll also assume your motive is not merely to avoid feeling hurt, but chiefly to defend the truth, as well as the honor, of the honorable.

Tactically, you might consider the proverb:

Always distinguish. You can help others examine their thinking by asking simple questions. “Do you really think that all of the men and women in uniform are violent types? Do you have firsthand knowledge or evidence? Have you served in the military? If so, were you a violent thug?”

(Better hold on that one). You get the point. Questions help us make distinctions and better understand our thinking.

You also might want to share one of the studies that affirm that the U.S. military is one of the most trusted institutions for ethical standards and conduct.

The various honor codes (quite compelling) also can be

9 marriage matters

10 culture

T. Gennara

Why do my co-workers insult soldiers?

8 parenting journey

P. Shippert

yourlife

inside:

Jim Berlucchi is an educator, executive coach, speaker and author, Jim Berlucchi is the Executive Director of the Spitzer Center, whose mission is to build cultures of evangelization (www.spitzercenter.org). good fodder for discussion.

Good luck. Sometimes a person is so bound to his opinion that contrary facts won’t budge him (indomitable ignorance). But most people will be open, if approached in a tactful and kind way.

Never deny. Seldom affirm. Always distinguish.

Never deny. To directly deny another’s opinion fails to persuade. It raises hackles and strengthens their position.

As my Grandfather Curry often said: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Seldom affirm. You’re already doing this by rejecting an ignorant stereotype. Many strongly held views are simply wrong, so we need to discriminate according to the truth.

This is the virtue of prudence.

FAITH Magazine / May 2012 / www.FAITHmag.com

St. Rita of Cascia, religious May 22 | St. Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi, virgin May 25 | St. Philip Neri, priest May 26

Follow Bishop Earl Boyea on

Facebook and Twitter • Follow FAITH magazine on Facebook and Twitter: search for faithmag • Follow the Diocese of Lansing on Facebook and Twitter • Sign up for parishioner e-news at www.dioceseoflansing.org • Go to www.FAITHmag.com for monthly digital editions of FAITH magazine • Free iPhone/iPad app for FAITH magazine: search for faithmag

Contact: Father John Linden, Director of seminarians

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517.342.2507

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www.dioceseoflansing.org/vocations

Y O U R

L I F E

parenting journey

IHowam a widower do I tell my children I am in a new relationship?

Q

a

I am a widower with two young children. I met someone I want to marry, and we’ve been quietly dating for about a year. When and how do I tell the kids? Will they be OK with a new mother?

Not a new mother. Clarify that your new wife is not a replacement for their mom. Rather than a new mother, they have a new family member who cares for them. Allow time for them to adjust to the relationship. They may, in time, feel comfortable acknowledging the relationship by adopting a term associated with motherhood. Start out slowly and let them use her first name, if that seems most comfortable. Emphasize that their maternal grandparents and other relatives always will be a part of their lives; your new wife’s family means more people to care about them, not people that you want them to love instead of others.

My sister has freeloaded off my parents for years.

Now they need some financial help and care-taking, and everybody expects me to do it! What do I do? derly parents are capable, they should be involved in an open discussion of issues directly related to their futures. Be sure to involve all siblings in the discussion, even the “longdistance” ones. If they can’t be there, use Skype. They need to be kept well-informed.

FAITH Magazine / May 2012 / www.FAITHmag.com

conflict resolution

The goal of the meeting will be to prepare a list of your parents’ needs. Each sibling should acknowledge his or her own limitations – financial, physical and emotional. Siblings can then divide up the responsibilities and either perform them themselves or pay someone to perform them. By rationing and monetizing their responsibilities, it becomes clear to everyone that elder care is a job that belongs to all children.

S. Kendrick

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3:12)

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

Why should I have to take care of our aging parents?

In 1 Timothy 5:8, we are reminded to “provide for relatives and especially family members.” Not to do so “denies the faith.” The duty towards our parents and elders is a priority.

Communication is critical. I suggest a family meeting. If el-

Dealing with change. Your children have experienced a loss that they will be processing throughout life. They may be concerned about losing you, as well, to this new relationship – or even to death. Keep this in mind and try to establish a daily schedule that is predictable. Regular family dinners, bedtime rituals and other opportunities for interaction will help them feel secure. Incorporate your fiancée into the family activities.

Keep in mind that adjustment takes time and patience: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians T. Gennara

Telling the kids. Set aside a block of time when you will be free of distractions.

Emotional news doesn’t mix well with hunger or sleepiness, so consider those factors when choosing a time. A comfortable spot in your home, perhaps where you read stories, is a better location than a public setting. Be matter-of-fact and explain that you are going to get married – don’t make it sound negotiable based on their reactions. They may respond that they want Mommy back; acknowledge their feelings. Explain that you will make sure they remember their mom. Let them know that all questions are OK to ask.

This isn’t a one-time discussion, because they will continue to sort out their thoughts. Be ready to explain again, listen carefully.

Dr. Gelasia Marquez is a psychologist and family counselor.

Pentecost May 27 | Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary May 31

She

SayS:

“I don’t want to call my mother-in-law ‘Mom.’”

he

“My mom loves her – what’s the problem?”

Michelle says: My mother-inlaw insists that I call her “Mom.” I am very close to my mother, and feel uncomfortable using that name for anyone else. Josh wants me to just give in to make his mother happy.

T

SayS: Josh says: What’s the big deal? My mom always wanted a daughter and I think Michelle should be grateful Mom is so fond of her. Can’t she do this small thing to avoid hurting my mother’s feelings?

What

do they do?

his situation makes me smile as it brings back memories of when Tom and I were newly married. I remember this same feeling of not wanting to call his mother “Mom.” It made me uncomfortable and it seemed to me, at the time, to be disrespectful to my own mother.

Tom thought it perfectly fine and normal to use that endearing term and did not understand my hesitation. After a few visits at his parents, I talked with his mother about my feelings of addressing her as “Mom.” She gave me a hug of assurance and told me to do what was comfortable for me. For some mysterious reason, from that time on, it seemed like the right thing to do.

doing what she felt right, Josh’s mother simply succumbed to her mother-in-law’s wishes. Michelle would be doing herself and her mother-in-law a great service in the long run by not complying with her mother-in-law’s wishes until she feels comfortable – if ever.

An important dynamic here is the process of how Josh and Michelle should approach the subject with Josh’s mother. It would be a mistake for Michelle to just give in to make Josh’s mother happy; that is a short-term fix that could have long-term conse-

quences for all members of the families.

Without doubt, we all desire to have a good relationship with our immediate family and our in-laws and our extended families.

However, the most important relationship is between Josh and Michelle. How does this issue affect their relationship?

Josh’s desire to “just go along with it to make Mother happy” runs counter to his first allegiance, his primary concern, which is to his wife, Michelle. It is apparent that Josh and Michelle need to have a few more conversations focused on this topic. Start with exploring the feelings both have concerning this subject.

Then, Josh needs to introduce the matter to his mother; it is not Michelle’s responsibility.

We would like to add that parents also have a responsibility to make adjustments.

Sometimes it takes the newly married couple to remind them of that fact.

T. Gennara

Tom, on the other hand, did not feel uncomfortable calling my mother “Mom” from the very beginning. Unlike Michelle, neither of our mothers “insisted” on us calling them by a particular title or name.

There are several family dynamics at play in this situation and most are below the radar to Josh and Michelle.

For example, when a parent “insists” on their children (and their spouses) acting or behaving in a particular manner, it most often is a result of their own past experience and what they were asked to do.

In this case, most likely Josh’s mother was asked by her mother-in-law to call her “Mom” and, even though she most likely felt uncomfortable about it, she complied to keep peace in the family. Instead of

your marriage matters

Deacon Tom Fogle and JoAnne Fogle help prepare couples for marriage.

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Y O U R

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culture

Growing in

faith

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FAITH Magazine / May 2012 / www.FAITHmag.com

I

’ll never forget the day when, newly married, I walked into my kitchen and found several bunches of uprooted weeds on my granite countertops. I was horrified and found myself wondering about the man to whom I had just said, “I do.” Upon entering the kitchen, my husband saw the look on my face and explained that those “weeds” were the remaining herbs from the garden he was preparing to winterize and that “we” had to do something with them quickly before they went bad. Oh great. So in addition to cleaning up the bug-infested vegetation in my newly renovated home, I had to rethink my meal plan for the week.

Over time, I have come to love my husband’s garden, in all its seasons. Late May, in particular, is a time that brings a tinge of excitement for what lies ahead. The tender new plants grace the dark soil and foretell the bounty that is to come from the earth.

But along with the edible come also the fragrant and the beautiful. The herbs and flowers that we place around our garden each year assure that all of our senses are filled with the majesty and miracle of life that during the winter seems so completely lost and gone.

Often, I am reminded of the symbolism and meaning that plants and gardens play in Scripture and in our faith. The

Garden of Eden was God’s earthly paradise. The inexplicable scent of roses has been perceived by saints and by those who have received miraculous visions of our Blessed Mother. Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane when he needed most to find peace and feel close to his Father. All of these things seem to suggest that the beauty of the earth’s produce is as important and special to our Lord as it is to us. To work with the earth and plants can be a way of cultivating and participating in the beauty of our Lord’s creation. As my father-in-law says every year as he puts his vegetable garden in behind his garage, “A garden is like a prayer.”

suggestions along with a quote.

When potting herbs and flowers, I have enhanced the otherwise mundane terra cotta pot with a religious quote that relates to the plant.

Follow these simple directions. If you need a few ideas for some fragrant, colorful or delicious plants to enjoy year-round, I supply a few

• Medium or large terra cotta pot(s) • Flowerpot liner(s) or slightly smaller plastic pot(s) to fit inside • Acrylic craft paint • 1” or larger paintbrush • Water based polyurethane spray • 8.5” x 11” patterned paper

T. Gennara

Religiously referenced pots

Michelle DiFranco is a designer and the busy mom of two children.

• Printer • Scissors • Glue stick Begin by sealing the inside of the pot with two coats of water-based polyurethane and let dry completely.

Decide on a paint style and apply two coats of acrylic paint to the outside of the pot.

Type and print out the quote (and name of plant, if

you wish). Trim and adhere to the front of the painted pot. Cut out a paper frame and apply it over the printed piece.

Apply two to three coats of polyurethane on the outside to protect and seal your decorated pot and allow to dry completely. Plant desired herbs or flowers in plastic liner or pot and place inside the decorated pot.

• Roses: “God intervenes to allow the smell of perfume whenever he wants.” – Padre Pio • Mustard: “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.” – Luke 13:18-19 • Lavender: “Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment.” – John 12:3 • Lemon Grass: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.” – Psalms 103:15 • Lily: “Think how the lilies grow; they never have to spin or weave; yet, I assure you, not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of them.” – Luke 12:27 • Tomato: “Plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.” – Jeremiah 29:5 “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds.” – St. Basil • Aloe: “I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.” – Proverbs 7:17

Photography by Philip Shippert

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yourfaith in the know with Father Joe

What do you have to do to be excommunicated?

Q

a

I’ve read news reports about bishops saying that certain people were automatically excommunicated. What do you have to do to be excommunicated?

Well, I’m hoping you are asking this because you want to know and not as some sort of goal. But all kidding aside, this is coming up more and more, isn’t it? So, let’s get right to it.

First of all, the word “excommunication” literally means “out of communion.” With that in mind, we have to look at the idea of communion: What does it mean?

Father John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary has a really fantastic definition of communion:

In Christian parlance the most sacred expression for any one of different forms of togetherness.

As communion between God and the human soul in the divine indwelling; between Christ and the recipient of the Eucharist in holy Communion; among all who belong to the Mystical Body in heaven, purgatory, and on earth in the Communion of Saints; and among those who belong to the

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Catholic Church as a communion of the faithful.

(Etym. Latin communio, sharing unity, association; participation.)

In other words, to be in communion means to be together; the deeper the communion we have with God and the Church, the better the communion. Like any relationship, we understand there are certain things that can really damage the relationship/connection.

Now, when we look at the Blessed Sacrament, we are looking at what, among other things, the Church calls the “sign and

18 spiritual fitness

T. Gennara

Dear Fr. Joe:

source of” that communion – got it?

So, when we receive the Eucharist, we do so as a sign of our unity with the Church, which is only possible because of the Eucharist we are receiving! This is one of the many reasons that we call the Eucharist or Communion the blessed Sacrament.

Now we are finally to your question! In automatic excommunications, we as a Church recognize there are some things we do that are so damaging to our souls they sever our unity with the Church. The effects of these sins are so profound it takes a deliberate act on God’s part to heal the wounds and restore the unity we’ve lost – we’ll get to that in a minute.

So, what are these acts? I’ve listed them below in the briefest way I can:

16 theology 101

Send your questions to: “In the Know with Fr. Joe” FAITH Magazine, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906 Or: JoeInBlack@priest.com Offenses that merit automatic excommunication: • Apostasy (the total repudiation of the Christian faith) • Heresy (the obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of a truth which must be believed by divine and Catholic faith.)

• Schism (the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him.)

• Profaning the Eucharist • Physically attacking the pope • A priest absolving his partner in a sin against the 6th Commandment • Bishops who consecrate new

What is the hardest part about skydiving?

The ground.

FAITH Magazine / May 2012 / www.FAITHmag.com

Illustration by Bob Patten

bishops without the pope’s directive • A priest who reveals or acts on what he hears in confession • A person procuring a completed abortion (in the Diocese of Lansing and in some other dioceses, the bishop has given his priests the faculties to remit the penalty of excommunication in the sacrament of reconciliation.)

It’s possible that the following people may not be punished for the offenses: • People who aren’t yet 16 • People who didn’t know and had no opportunity to know that their action was wrong • People who acted out of force or fear of force • People mentally unable to think things through first • A person who reasonably believed they fit one or more of the exceptions I just listed

So, why does the Church do this? Why would she automatically excommunicate someone?

Well, it’s not so much that the Church says “No communion for you!” as much as we, by our words or actions say “I have left communion.” There are times when, out of faithfulness to his conscience and his duties as bishop, we may hear an explicit comment from the bishop that a person or persons are excommunicated, but make no mistake, often what the bishop is proclaiming is not a declaration but a revelation: He’s not doing something as much as naming what someone did to themselves.

What are the consequences of being automatically excommunicated? Well, the person is still considered Catholic and still has all the duties of that relationship, including going to Mass and the like. These persons are, however to refrain from receiv-

ing Communion.

Why, you may ask, do we say the person is still Catholic and should go to Mass if they are to refrain from receiving Communion? The answer ties into the “why” of the excommunication itself: Excommunication is a “medicinal” act. Its purpose is to bring about healing and conversion, not to inflict pain. Catholics who are excommunicated – except those guilty of apostasy, heresy and schism – are still in full communion with the Church – still members of the Catholic family. It’s like the loving parent who deprives us of some of the benefits of the family to help us see how valuable we are to the family and the family to us. This is not the same as someone who is not in full communion with the Church, but has not been excommunicated – such as non-Catholic Christians of good faith.

Let’s say it works. Let’s say

one of our Catholic brothers or sisters experiences this and wants to rejoin the family. What can they do?

Generally, it depends on the sin that brought them there.

Sometimes, a declaration of repentance to the proper person/persons or a reading of the Creed will do it – other times, it requires a private meeting with a bishop or a priest, if the bishop approves. And in some situations, it is necessary that the person needs to work with the Holy See. Persons who are excommunicated are, to my knowledge, always given exactly what needs to happen in order for them to come back to The Table.

As a side note, it used to be an automatic excommunication for anyone who physically assaulted a priest, but that was removed – don’t get any ideas!

Enjoy another day in God’s presence!

best homily

FAITH Magazine asked Father Geoff Rose, OSFS chaplain at Lumen Christi High School, Jackson

J

If you could give only one more homily, what would you say to God’s people?

esus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This great paradox holds the key to our life, our faith and our salvation. Let’s work these realities in reverse order.

The saving act of the cross is wrapped in this paradox. Jesus chooses not to save his life, but to give it up as “a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Ironically, this action was set in motion by us; we humans could not grasp the truth as it was given to us. We had so distorted the reality that even as it took flesh and dwelt among us – teaching, healing, challenging – we spent most of our time just being amazed by the signs, but never looking at what the signs pointed us towards. Some just tried to trick and trap it, since what it seemed to be asking of us was more than we were willing to give. As humanity sought to silence the truth, smash the mirror that reflected our broken selves all too well, it is our very action that God uses to save ourselves from ourselves.

The cross is about much more than expiation of our sins. It is primarily an action of love – an action that testifies, in blood, to the great paradox.

And if we back up just one day from the cross, we find Jesus

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giving us the greatest gift he could, the Eucharist. As he sweats blood in the garden asking God if there is some other way to accomplish God’s plan, Jesus testifies to the great paradox. He accepts with courage and love the power of the great paradox, to lose his own life is to find it.

In every aspect of Jesus’ life, the context is this great paradox.

Jesus chose Judas as an apostle, even as he would have known what this would do to his own life, his own concern. When we were kids and choosing teams for a neighborhood game, did we do so with our own concern in mind or were we willing to lose that concern for his sake? Would Jesus assemble a team of winners or of the “least of these.” (Remember where he said we would find him in Matthew 25.)

Every spring break, I take students from Lumen Christi to do mission work in Jamaica. And while the motivations for coming can vary, the reality is that these students make a choice to give up a week of vacation to serve others. And what they find is that the more they give up, the more they are given and blessed.

In the final analysis, Jesus isn’t telling us how he would like us to live, but speaking of a universal truth – he couldn’t change this if he wanted to. We cannot see the very life we have been blessed with as “mine,’’ but, rather, as a gift to be shared. So, we pray for the grace to see our life as a gift, in order that we may effectively give it up for Jesus’ sake.

Based on an interview by Douglas Culp | Photography by Don Quillan

Y O U R

F A I T H

morality everyday

Loving love and loving babies

T

he Catholic Church loves love and loves babies – and teaches that contraception works against both. It has always taught that anything done before, during or after the marital act to attempt to thwart its procreative possibilities always is wrong. Indeed, all Christian churches up until 1930 taught that contraception was wrong; even the great Hindu Ghandi was opposed to contraception.

Keep in mind that chemical contraceptives are deadly. They are abortion-inducing drugs that sometimes work by preventing the implantation of newly conceived human beings. Sexually transmitted diseases are the result of the promiscuous sex enabled by contraception. One out of four pregnancies is aborted.

Chemical contraceptives are classified as group 1 carcinogens – the same as cigarettes. They also cause blood clots, depression, weight gain and a host of other bad side effects.

Contraception contributes to divorce in many ways, largely by inhibiting good preparation for marriage. Having sex before marriage greatly increases the incidence of divorce – and nearly everyone has sex before marriage now. In the United States, 68 percent of children are born out of wedlock or born into households that will fragment through divorce.

John Paul II explained that contraceptive sex and noncontraceptive sex (sex open to babies) “say” or “express” two very different things. The sexual act, by its very nature, expresses a willingness to give one’s self completely to another; it profoundly affirms the goodness of the other and confirms one’s commitment to another. Expressing the willingness to be a parent with another

does all that. Those who use contraception falsify that speech; they are not saying with their bodies that they are willing to be parents with each other. Even if contracepting couples intend to express committed love to each other, their acts can speak only the desire to have a momentary union with another. Those open to life are saying with their sexual acts; “I am willing to procreate with you; to help make another you; someone with your laugh, your smile, your walk, and most importantly who will be raised with your values. I want to have an unlimited future and an irrevocable bond with you.” That is an act that expresses love and the desire to bond and in fact creates a loving bond.

Contraception also damages our relationship with God. It trivializes the great gifts of sexuality and fertility. In having children, spouses are “co-creators” with God. A human life is of inestimable value; a human soul is destined to share a blissful eternity with God, the angels and saints. When engaging in sexual intercourse spouses are inviting God to perform his creative act of bringing a new human soul into existence: they supply the sperm and egg; God provides the soul.

The wisdom of the Church on contraception is not mere human wisdom; it is divine wisdom.

By Dr. Janet Smith

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Y O U R

F A I T H The great flood

theology 101

How are we to make sense of God’s justice

in the Old Testament?

In the Old Testament, the people seem to experience God’s justice more so than God’s mercy. For example, God destroys all of the Egyptians and yet mercifully spares Abraham’s son, Isaac, but not Jephthah’s daughter. How accurate is this view of God and how are we to make sense of it?

First, it is important to note that we are dealing with narrative literature. This means that the texts are telling a story based on historical events, but with a

theological purpose.

With this in mind, we also have to understand more about the Hebrew view of humanity when considering such concepts as the application of justice. For the Hebrews, identity originated and resided in the group. Identity was communal in

nature. As such, what is good affects the whole group, just as what is bad affects the whole group. From this, we get the Old Testament saying, “The sins of the father are visited upon the children.” (Exodus 20:5) Consequently, one can begin to see why God’s justice seems to be applied in a blanket fashion.

In contrast, today we think in more individualistic terms. We see punishment as something merited by the individual and limited to the individual. This is a relatively new view of humanity, historically speaking, and contributes to the harshness we sometimes attribute to God in the Old Testament.

Interestingly, in the New Testament, the Church is dealt with as a community and not as individual Christians and/or disciples. Further, in Catholic thought, we speak of a treasury of the merits of the saints that we benefit from here and now. In other words, the Hebrew understanding of what is good is good for all and that sin affects all is continued into Christianity, although it is often muted in Catholicism in the United States today.

For example, the celebration of the Mass and the reception of Holy Communion is not simply an act of individuals encountering Christ, but the encounter of a communion of individuals, the Church, with the Lord.

One other noteworthy consideration is the Hebrew understanding of justice.

In the Old Testament, justice refers to “right-relationship,” whereas in English, and even in Latin, justice has a more legal connotation. To the Hebrews, the world was created in this “just” state. When things went wrong (here sin is understood as a disordering of the universe), there were consequences to the “right-relationship” being disrupted. We see this with Adam and Eve. With the disorder of sin entering the world, everything is “thrown off” and we lose ourselves in the process.

Then we come to the cross of Christ that sets things right again, or re-establishes justice, and delivers God’s judgment on humanity, i.e. mercy and forgiveness. So, in reality, there is no distinction between God’s justice and God’s mercy. Justice, or the right-

SEmINARY PROFESSORS TALk SCRIPTURE Father Robert Schoenstene, S.S.L., is an assistant professor, Department of Biblical Exegesis and Proclamation, University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

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Elizabeth Nagel, S.S.D., is a professor in the Department of Biblical Exegesis and Proclamation, University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

relationship between God and humanity, which is the necessary condition for life, is one with mercy, or the proper spirit and use of power, which is that we may have life and have it more fully. – Father Sheoenstene The notion that the God of the Old Testament is a stern God, objectively meting out justice to people as their actions deserve is incorrect and is sustainable only when individual verses or texts are interpreted out of context. In some way, the Bible traces the slow path of human understanding towards true knowledge of God, knowledge that was finally revealed clearly in the incarnation of God’s Son. Along the early stages of this path, we find people acting on incomplete views of who God is and what God asks. An example of this would be texts in which God is perceived to command Israel to kill other peoples when, in fact, at the time, such killing is the only type of justice that people could imagine. It took more than 1,000 years of reflection on what God was teaching them through their experiences for people to see that, in the divine view, no killing of another human is acceptable.

This long trail finally brought them to the point where they could at least intellectually understand Jesus’ teaching to “love your enemies; do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27) When the so-called “sacrifice of Isaac” is read in its context, we see that the author is not writing about God’s mercy to Isaac, but rather about the faith of Abraham. Genesis 22:1 states plainly that “God tested Abraham.” The horror of the command reveals what having faith in God entails.

The context of the story of Jephthah’s daughter is the Book of Judges, a book written down 600 years after the events it describes and whose purpose is to trace the downward spiral of the divinehuman relationship that resulted from God’s people doing “whatever was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) The story of Jephthah occurs along the downward spiral. In this context, we see that God did not ask for a sacrifice from Jephthah.

This was Jephthah’s bright idea. The story shows how wrong we can be when we forget about God and follow merely human traditions. – Professor Nagel

Vatican II

Q:

Did Vatican II represent a change in the Church’s understanding of Mary?

A:

The Second Vatican Council devoted a full chapter in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) to Mary. From the beginning, the council’s intention was never to offer a complete doctrine of Mary, rather, it wanted to reaffirm the Church’s special love for Mary and her connection to Christ’s work.

In particular, the “change” the council sought was to unite the two very different understandings of Mary’s relationship with Christ to her relationship with the Church.

In going about this, the council asserted that Mary is rightly “acknowledged and honored as being truly the mother of God and of the redeemer.” At the same time, she is also “united to all those who are to be saved” by virtue of her humanity. Consequently, “she is clearly the mother of the members of Christ ... since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.”

In this way, the council basically

identified Mary as both the mother of God and the mother of the Church.

Pope Paul VI would formally confer the title on Mary as mother of the Church during the closing of the council.

Q:

What about calling for the establishment of a cult of Mary? Wasn’t this a change?

A:

It is true that the council expressed its approval of, and encouragement for, rightly honoring Mary “by a special cult in the Church.”

However, this did not represent a change. A cult of Mary always has existed in the Church, although it is different from “the cult of adoration, which is offered equally to the Incarnate Word and to the Father and the Holy Spirit.”

The council again emphasized that Church-approved forms of piety toward the Mother of God do not take away or add anything to the centrality and uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Instead they both honor Mary and ensure that the Son of God is “rightly known, loved and glorified.”

For this reason, the council encouraged “all the sons [and daughters] of the Church” to generously foster the Church-recommended practices and exercises of devotion toward Mary.

Catechism quiz

Q:

Prayer in the Church is a living tradition that includes words, melodies, gestures, and iconography that reflect historic, social and cultural contexts. Prayers can be communal or personal prayer, vocal or interior, yet all forms share in the one way of Christian prayer. What is this one way?

A:

Jesus Christ. “There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ … it has access to the Father only if we pray ‘in the name’ of Jesus. The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father.” – CCC 2664 Interview and sidebars by Doug Culp

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Y O U R

F A I T H

spiritual fitness

Let the Holy Spirit radically change your life

We are given the gift of the Spirit in baptism, and that gift is confirmed in us in the sacrament of confirmation.

The gift of the Spirit is given so that we will be equipped to go out with the Gospel message, just as the first disciples did, and that our testimony will be accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit in the manner Christ intended.

Jesus, the only beloved son of the Father, became flesh to make a way for us to return to God after the sin of our first parents, to restore to us our infinite dignity as sons and daughters of the Father. We must believe that God was willing to die for us, to ransom us by his death, from eternal death; that he loved us so much that he would die for us, even while we were mired in

Spiritual exercises for the month of may

sin and paying no attention to this heroic act on our behalf.

We must have faith that the mercy of God is so infinite that, no matter what sins we have committed, he will forgive us and restore our baptismal dignity to us. “We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another, but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing and regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our savior so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs

ary 2012, p. 389)

May this Pentecost be a day for receiving greater faith, which the Holy Spirit always desires to give to us. Praying this way over a period of time radically changed my life. May you experience the same grace to really know the Father you truly have in heaven; to embrace the Son as your savior and redeemer, to become more and more the temple of the Holy Spirit that God created you to be. Happy season of preparation and Happy Pentecost.

T. Gennara

O

n the last Sunday of this month, May 27, we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, known as the birthday of the Church. This is the day on which the disciples received the gift promised by Jesus Christ: that when he had risen from the dead, he would send his Spirit to all who believed in him.

in hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-8) This saying is sure. This is the living word of God. These words, coming from the Holy Spirit, have power to change our life.

I pray that this Pentecost may not just be an acknowledgement of an act of God centuries ago, but that, as you pray to receive greater faith, you may come to know, love and serve him even more faithfully.

An author, Sister Ruth Burrows, from England, wrote this about faith: “Faith is not a thing of the mind, it is not an intellectual certainty or a felt conviction of the heart. It is a sustained decision to take God with utter seriousness as the God of my life. It is to live out each hour in a practical, concrete affirmation that God is Father and he is “in heaven.” It is a decision to shift the center of our lives from ourselves to him, to forego self- interest and make his interests, his will, our sole concern …” (Magnificat, Febru-

Sister Ann Shields is a renowned author and a member of the Servants of God’s Love. Questions can be addressed to Sister Ann Shields, Renewal Ministries, 230 Collingwood, Suite 240, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

For more complete teaching: A free booklet, “Captured by Mercy” is available by calling 1.800.282.4789.

A CD, “Captured by Mercy” is available for $10. Order by writing Renewal Ministries, Att: Jan Sauter, 230 Collingwood, Suite 240, Ann Arbor, MI 48103.

(Check payable to Renewal Ministries) “Welcome the Spiritual Gifts” by Peter Herbeck is a free booklet. Order by calling 1.800.282.4789.

Read Acts chapters 1-4. Reflect on the effects and the fruits of the coming of the Holy Spirit on those first apostles and disciples.

Read John 3:16. Reflect on whether you believe this for yourself; that God loved you so much that he would send his only Son to die for you.

Read Titus 3:3-8. Read them again and again until the truth sinks in – you are a son/daughter of God. You have infinite dignity and the Holy Spirit who dwells in you through baptism and confirmation seeks to unite you with the Father and the Son, to share life with you

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Carlson Productions

pastoral letter

F

AITH spoke with Bishop Boyea about his first pastoral letter, Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord, a call to all of us to participate in the New Evangelization proclaimed by Pope Benedict. This pastoral also is a response to the declining participation in the life of the Church that you can read about on the preceding page.

FAITH: What prompted the pastoral letter?

Bishop: What really prompted it was the desire to increase Catholic participation, not just in the attendance at Mass, but in all aspects of parish life. All of us should be participating in sacraments, in corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and in prayer. It is my hope that all of the faithful become more fully engaged in the life of the parish.

Bishop responds to urgent need in the Church

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord a Pastoral response to declining participation in the Church

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FAITH: After reading this pastoral, what should the laity be doing differently? What is our call?

Bishop: The key group in this New Evangelization are our parish councils. They are so critical to our parishes, and their members should be the leaders in helping Catholics to understand their roles as missionaries. Of course, this missionary activity should happen in your own community, but all of us also must all be able and willing to carry the Gospel to wider society.

Finally, Jesus tells them to go to all the nations.

No one is to be left out because all peoples deserve to hear this Good News, even when they do not know how much they need it.

We should not hold it back only for From the pastoral letter:

ourselves; we should not put it under a bushel basket; rather, we need to proclaim this Good News to everyone. We fail Jesus and any person we are close to when we neglect to introduce them to each other.

This is an urgent task. The end of the world will come someday. It rather surprises me that it has not already happened. In fact, one of my daily prayers is that Jesus will come again in glory – and soon. It will happen. Let it not be said by any one of us that we neglected to carry out Jesus’ last command, that we failed to share the greatest gift in the world – the salvation of souls. Even if the world does not end today, an end will certainly come for many people this day and tomorrow. Someone’s eternal life may depend upon it. As St. Paul wrote: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (I Corinthians 9: 16) Sisters and brothers, it may be that fatigue has settled upon us regarding our faith. We need to wake from that lethargy, not only for ourselves, but for all the nations. (Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord – 6,7)

FAITH: What are you asking of the priests?

Bishop: Really, our priests are responsible

J. Luning

mass attendance from 2001 to 2009 NORTHEAST REGION

NORTHWEST REGION CLINTON/SHIAWASSEE VICARIATE

GENESEE VICARIATE

Clinton County

Shiawassee County

Eaton County

Ingham County

-1.7% -13.9% -8.7% -16.8% EATON/INGHAM VICARIATE

JACKSON VICARIATE

for encouraging and supporting this mission. They minister to the spiritual needs of the laity, and are instrumental in the sacramental life of the parish but the primary responsibility of this mission to evangelize lies with the laity.

As disciples, From the we need a strong pastoral faith and a close letter: relationship with Jesus. Our own community of fellow believers, our parishes, will nourish us for the mission ahead. This is how St. Paul puts it: And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for, in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So that, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:9-10).

This pastoral letter is primarily directed to you, my sisters and brothers, who are members of the Household of Faith. Few who have left the Church or have not really heard of Christ will ever read these words.

So we are the ones who must become more engaged in the life of the Church and so help to build up the Body of Christ. Then we can fulfill the mission of Christ to go forth. (Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord – 13,14)

FAITH: How will the diocese support this?

Jackson County

-24.9%

SOUTHERN REGION Hillsdale County

Lenawee County

-12.6% -21.1% LENAWEE/HILLSDALE VICARIATE

Genesee County

-19%

EASTERN REGION

LIVINGSTON VICARIATE

Livingston County

-13.3% WASHTENAW VICARIATE

Washtenaw County

-8.5%

Diocese of Lansing

-14%

Mas attendance compared to change in population

by County from 2001-2009 Pop. Clinton 16.4%

Mass

Pop.

-1.7%

Jackson 1.1%

-24.9%

Eaton 4%

-8.7%

Genesee -2.4%

-19%

Livingston 15.3%

-13.3%

Hillsdale 0.4%

-12.6%

Shiawassee -1.5%

-13.9%

Ingham 0.5%

-16.8%

Washtenaw 6.8%

-8.5%

Diocese of Lansing 2000 to 2009 First Communions: Decreased by 18% Infant/Child Baptisms: Decreased0.00% by 33% Confirmations: ‐5.00% ‐10.00% Decreased by 13% ‐15.00% Funerals: ‐20.00% Decreased‐25.00% by 0.4% ‐30.00% Marriages: ‐35.00% Decreased by 44%

Lenawee 1%

Mass -21.1%

0.00% ‐5.00% ‐10.00% ‐15.00%

First Com

‐20.00%

Bap8sms

‐25.00%

Confirma

‐30.00%

Funerals

‐35.00% ‐40.00%

First Communions

Marriage

Bap8sms (Infant) Confirma8ons

‐45.00%

Funerals

‐50.00%

Marriages

‐40.00% ‐45.00% ‐50.00%

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Bishop: The diocese can encourage this process, and provide necessary resources, but this must be accomplished at the local level. People experience the Church through their own community – their parish.

It is here that we need to begin – to reach out to those of our family who are no longer present among us in our community life.

FAITH: What will be our biggest challenge?

Bishop: There are several challenges. One is that we need to learn to break out of our normal mode of acting. We have fallen into certain patterns of behavior, and we continue to do them even when they don’t work.

We need to find new and creative ways to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We are all to be missionaries.

We need to meet people where they are – to value them and their own experiences as preparations to receive the Good News of Jesus Christ. Then, we invite them to Jesus because we believe in this Christian life and we are happy living it. We want to share our joy with others. Just as missionaries of every generation have crossed oceans to bring truth to those who yearn for it, so must we help people see what fulfills the longing of every human heart.

Our own witness of how faith in God has made a difference in our lives can demonstrate to others how their own restlessness can be satisfied. Our joy, of course, is the best witness we can give.

From the pastoral letter:

T. Gennara

(Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord – 52)

The second, and most important, challenge is that we all need a deep infusion of courage from the Holy Spirit. we need to pray for that so that we are strengthened to do what needs to be accomplished. Without this guidance from the Spirit, we are merely acting on our own.

Lansing will be an opportunity for the celebration of our faith and a public renewal of that faith, to “profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world” as Benedict XVI has requested (Porta fidei,

FAITH: What gives you hope?

Bishop: What gives me the most hope is the sure knowledge that this is the will of Christ. Jesus wants us to go forth and has promised us help. I believe this great renewal in the Church will happen if we pray, open ourselves to God and give ourselves to the task.

FAITH: In your pastoral letter you talk about the task force you appointed to study this issue. What are the fruits of that group?

Bishop: It served the primary purpose of getting us moving, helping us break out of a pattern, getting us to stop doing the same things we’ve always done that are no longer working. I am grateful to them for all their help.

From the pastoral letter:

In addition, this solemn gathering of the Church of the Diocese of

8). (Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord – 67)

FAITH: As we prepare for the 75th anniversary of the diocese, how are your challenges different from those of the first bishop?

Bishop: I don’t think much about the differences in the challenges, but I believe our blessings are even greater than what Bishop Albers had when this diocese started. We have a wonderful group of priests, and great people working in our parishes. I think we are very fortunate.

FAITH: The pope has proclaimed a year of faith for the whole Church and you are calling for a diocesan year of prayer to accompany that. What should people do for the Year of Faith/ Year of Prayer?

Bishop: I think that the aim of our prayers should be to beg the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with that missionary zeal. And through

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that, we can be renewed and reconverted.

We need to be a beacon of light to the world, not hidden under a bushel basket. All of that can only be accomplished with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus calls us his friends. Friendship is built on communicating with one another. Prayer is communicating, and so we need to pray. However, Jesus cannot tell us how much he and his Father love us unless we stop and listen to him first. One of the most beautiful images in the New Testament is of Jesus knocking on our doors and waiting outside for us to let him in (Revelation 3:20). He does not want to barge in. Real love, his love, always respects our freedom. And in our noise-filled world, his gentle rap at the door can sometimes seem no louder than a small whispering wind (I Kings 19:11-13).

We also need to pray because the task ahead is daunting. In begging for God’s help, we acknowledge that what we cannot do ourselves can be accomplished by the grace of God. How else can we be moved from lethargy to an active faith? How else will we have the courage to conquer the world with love and the Word of God? Prayer is opening that door so that God’s will may be done in our lives. God will then reign in our hearts and not just in our heads.

Then we can become “living stones” in God’s “spiritual house.” (Go and announce the From the pastoral letter:

My hope is that all diocesan events will take on the prayer for courage.

FAITH: What do you think the next 75 years will look like?

Bishop: Seventy years from now, someone not even born yet will be the bishop.

Men not yet born will be the priests. I hope people will look at this time period and say that this diocese was and is a great sign of the presence of the Church in our world, that we opened ourselves to God’s grace and allowed that to shine in our midst.

Throughout history, there have been several great religious awakenings, and they have been primarily Protestant. I would like people to think this was a time of great awakening in the Church and that we were central to it.

From the pastoral letter:

Recently, there has been a real flowering of new kinds of witness-

ing to Jesus. These are often called ecclesial movements or new communities in the Church. Again, these are not programs, but commitments – choices made by individuals to engage Christ in common with others. These communities, whose only purpose is to build up the Body of Christ, are the result of the ever-creative energy of the Holy Spirit. ...

Of course, the most fundamental ecclesial movement should be each parish. Thus each parish must, above all else, beg for God’s grace and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, especially as that parish gathers in the Lord’s Upper Room every Sunday to sing and pray with great joy. In that assembly, we await the gifts of God that will help us be the people we were created to be and the people we long to be for the salvation of the world. (Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord – 32-33)

Gospel of the Lord – 16-17)

There will be several Masses, penance services that are on a diocesan level, but most of these things will need to be local.

Announcing:

CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF LANSING Aug. 2012 - Dec. 2013

August 3, 2012: beginning of the Diocesan Year of Prayer August, 4 2012: anniversary of the formal establishment of the Diocese of Lansing October 11, 2012: beginning of the Year of Faith called by Pope Benedict XVI November 24, 2013: ending of the Year of Faith December 9, 2013: 100th anniversary of the Cathedral and ending of the Diocesan Year of Prayer October 2014: Diocesan Conference on Evangelization and Discipleship

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c o v e r

s t o r y

By Nancy Schertzing Photography by Jim Luning

r. Dan Heffernan’s Hope Clinic in Ypsilanti provides free medical and dental care to the

poor. Why does Dan devote his skill and time to helping those most in need? The answer is in the title of his memoir, The Call to Serve God’s Beloved Poor: A Life Blessed. In telling his experience of growing up in Depression-era Detroit through World War II, Dr. Daniel Heffernan recounts touching stories of an American boyhood filled with love, friendship and faith. Though his family knew hunger, they always found food to share with emaciated men who knocked at the back door. Though they lived in segregated Detroit, they learned that on hot summer days water cools black skin the same as it does white.

When he met Bev Light in his third year of medical school, he learned that God’s love can transform and guide lives in wondrous and unexpected ways.

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O

n page nine, he describes the foundation of their 58-year marriage: “We did know that we wanted our Lord, Jesus, to be the focus of our life together. Over the years, we learned more of what this meant. It meant surrendering our lives completely to him, then doing it over again, repeatedly.” Their life’s journey has followed a number of movements in the Catholic Church, always reflecting Christ’s call of ministry to the poor.

After their wedding, Dan and Bev were soon blessed with the first of six children. They moved to Midland, where Dan began a family medical practice. Soon, the Heffernans joined the Christian Family Movement (CFM), studying the body of Christ through Scripture and applying Christ’s teachings in their own lives. They and other CFM couples reached out to the families of migrant farm workers who labored in nearby Bay County in the fertile Saginaw Valley.

While the CFM couples served migrants’ spiritual needs, Dan recognized unmet medical needs and began providing free medical assistance – first from his station wagon, then from his office and, within a year, from the county health department facility.

Most summers of the 1960s, Dr. Dan led this medical service, engaging more than 150 volunteer health-care providers in treating the needs of the migrant families, from urgent medical conditions to immunizations. They worked for free and without a budget, serving hundreds of God’s beloved poor.

One season, however, they discovered that Bay County had earned a $400,000 federal grant to provide medical services to migrant families. County officials made it clear they didn’t want trespassers on their turf and Dr. Dan’s migrant health clinic came to an end.

Half a century later, Dr. Dan describes that experience as if it were yesterday.

“Filled with righteous indignation, I went before the Lord, complaining in prayer and asked him why he let this happen to me (and my clinic). What I sensed

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the Lord saying took me by surprise. I discerned no sympathy for my hurt and angry feelings. The Lord spoke to me clearly, ‘I wanted you to experience something that I had done. This is my work,’ he said.”

“Hearing this has radically changed how I think about any of the works of mercy in which I have been involved since then. These truly are his works. I feel very honored, humbled and blessed to be allowed to serve God’s beloved poor,” he said.

Through the Cursillo and Charismatic movements in the Catholic Church, Dan

and Bev found ways to deepen and energize their personal and marital commitment to God. After accepting the Holy Spirit more fully into their lives, they were inspired to move south to join a Charismatic community in Ann Arbor. Here, in 1982, God spoke again to Dr. Dan and changed the direction of his life.

Dan explains, “He told me very clearly and distinctly, ‘You are a Fat Cat. There is no place for a Fat Cat among my people.’ After giving this word serious consideration and prayer, I shared it publicly and resigned from my position of leadership. The following Sunday, while driving to Mass, I asked the Lord to show me what he had for me to do. That same day, three different people came to me.” Dr. Dan writes of how each person shared a need or a vision of healthcare services for indigent or outcast people. He continues, “God was saying to me, ‘This is serious business, be generous with your time and talents, but don’t be wasteful.’ Within a few months, Hope Medical Clinic began.”

Dr. Dan provided medical services, as he had in Bay County, and Bev took care of paperwork and office management duties.

“Hope, as it is affectionately called, has continued since that time. It now consists of a nearly full-time medical clinic and dental clinic, a food bank, a weekend hot meal program, a free laundry service for the needy and a direct assistance program. Through the years, Hope has helped initiate temporary housing for high risk children and for women and men in transition from prison or drug treatment programs. We also opened a

Finding Hope Hope, an interdenominational Christian medical, dental and social services organization located in Ypsilanti, seeks to provide compassionate, practical help to those in need. Funded by a combination of private grants and contributions, this 501(c)3 maximizes the impact of every dollar by using volunteer services and donations.

You can support Hope’s ministry by sending donations to Hope Clinic, P.O. Box 980311, Ypsilanti, MI 48198-0311. To support Hope Clinic International, send your contribution to P.O. Box 980573, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. Those who contribute $25 or more can receive a complimentary copy of Dr. Dan’s memoir, The Call to Serve God’s Beloved Poor: A Life Blessed. Please include a written request with your contribution.

Hope also welcomes donations of personal care items or nonperishable, kidfriendly food. Volunteer services from medical, dental or mental health professionals; receptionists; data-entry providers; and prayer partners are especially appreciated!

To discuss ways you, your church and organization can help do the Lord’s work through Hope, call Connie Hallom at 734.961.0548. Visit Hope’s website at www.thehopeclinic.org to learn more about this amazing ministry.

restaurant to feed the poor with dignity,” he said.

Hope also has spawned various prison and jail ministry efforts. Based on their success, Dan, Bev and the Hope team have supported the development of free medical clinics in urban Wayne County; in a small, neighboring town, Chelsea; and in rural Appalachia. Inspired by their son’s experience, Dan and Bev also helped establish Hope Clinic International to serve medical needs in Managua, Nicaragua, and towns and villages across the country.

Since the publication of Dr. Dan’s memoirs in 2008, Hope Clinic has built a new facility at 518 Harriet St. in Ypsilanti. This spacious new building offers indigent patients medical, dental and pharmacy services, in addition to housing the food bank, weekend dinners, emergency finan-

cial and basic needs assistance and a free laundry service called “Wash with Care.”

In addition, more than 125 medical specialists affiliated with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and the University of Michigan Health System serve Hope patients free of charge through clinics and direct services.

Sitting in his modest office, where he still works two half-days a week, a retired Dr. Dan reflects on more than a halfcentury of implementing God’s works.

“Here, it’s pure medicine. We don’t charge people, so we don’t even talk about money. Our volunteers and doctors who treat our patients off-site tell me, ‘Dan, if you see them for nothing, we’ll do it for nothing.’ And our volunteers tell us it’s a real pleasure to be at Hope Clinic.

Everybody is smiling and peaceful. That’s the effect of the Holy Spirit.

“Bev and I were obedient in responding to the Lord’s direction in starting up these ministries. This is his work and, as expected, he has directed it from the beginning. Hope has been blessed with an excellent Board of Directors, an exceptional executive director and staff of 15 full-time employees and 22 part-time staff-members, as well as more than 300 volunteers every month.

According to Dr. Dan, “It is obvious that the needs we see are far greater than Hope Clinic and Hope Clinic International are able to meet. Only the Lord can satisfy the many needs we confront daily.

We at Hope Clinic continue to depend entirely on Him in caring for his people.

He is our God. We are his people and followers. May he be blessed and praised forever!”

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yourcommun things to do

May café events:

things to do

Apr. 18, St. Mary Queen of Angels Parish in Swartz Creek will offer its second Alpha Course, beginning with an introductory dinner. This 10-week introduction to Christianity offers answers to some of life’s key questions. Each weekly session begins with an informal dinner, followed by a large group DVD and talk and ends with table group discussions and interaction. Visit alphausa.org/catholic or contact Raffy Urgino at 810.635.3240 or email rurgino@smqa.net for

Apr. 20, 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. and May 20, noon-3:30 p.m., Wines for Humanity will be at Christ the King in Flint. All are welcome to attend. For information, call the parish office, 810.233.0402 Apr. 28, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., you are invited to join us for A Walk to Emmaus at Christ the King in Flint. Sister Carrie Miller, SLW, from Chicago will lead us in a reflection on the Scripture story. Lunch is included. A free will offering is accepted.

RSVP by Apr. 21 by calling 810.233.0402.

May 3, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m., St. Casimir, Lansing’s annual Card Party – come play cards, board games or just visit with friends, and enjoy desserts and beverages. Door prizes and raffles galore during the evening. Top prize is $500. Tickets are available at the door, which opens at 6 p.m.

May 5, St. John the Evangelist Parish in Jackson will have Basic Training in Young Adult Ministry. If you are in leadership

– or interested in leadership – in a parish or vicariate young adult ministry, you are invited to register and attend. Please contact Pat Rinker at 571.342.2485 if you have any questions.

May 11, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. and May 12, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., plants, summer bulbs and garden items sale at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Book

Michigan Catholic Campus Ministry Association (MCCMA) will have its spring gathering, May 15-16 at St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt. Check in is before lunch on Tuesday and the event concludes with lunch on Wednesday. Father Phil Shangraw is our keynote speaker with a reflection on development of the human person and the role of the campus minister. To register, visit dioceseoflansing.org/campusministry/2012_MCCMA_Spring_Conference_Reg.pdf

signing by advanced master gardener, author and garden society coordinator Margaret Realy. For information, call 866.669.8321.

May 12, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Steak and Song at St. Thomas Aquinas school gym in East Lansing. Proceeds will benefit the formation of the St. Thomas Aquinas Music Scholar-

ship Fund, which will provide Catholic students with money toward their studies at Michigan State University. Reduced price tickets are available in advance by contacting the parish office at 517.351.7215.

May 15-17, Sight Impaired Retreat at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. For more information, contact Chris Root

Nov. 9-15, Holy Land Pilgrimage with Father Anthony Strouse, parochial vicar of St. Thomas Aquinas/St. John Church and Student Center in East Lansing, will visit Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Cana, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and more. Also, an optional excursion to the Qumran, the Dead Sea and Masada. The cost for double occupancy, including airfare, is $3,449. A $250 deposit is required to reserve your spot. Space is limited.

To register and for more information, contact Fuller Travel at 517.321.0578 or fullerla@sbcglobal.net.

Catholic Charities St. Vincent Catholic Charities, 2800 W. Willow St., Lansing, 517.323.4734 or www.stvcc.org May 5, 5:30 p.m., take a Journey of Hope and learn about the life – transforming services provided in your communit. Or schedule a tour around your availability – invite friends and family. Or we can bring the journey to your church, home or business. To attend this tour or schedule one, call Rhonda Abood, 517.323.4734 ext. 1204 or www.stvcc.org.

Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw, 4925 Packard, Ann Arbor, csswashtenaw.org May 4-5, We C.A.R.E., a diocesan communication and relationship enhancement program for couples getting married, will be held at CSSW, 4925 Packard and May18-19 at St. Francis of Assisi, 2150 Frieze, Ann Arbor. To register, call CSSW at 734.971.9781 ex. 420 or visit its website.

June 9, 9a.m.-4 p.m., SMART Steps for Stepfamilies is a

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more information or to sign up.

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diocesan marriage prep program for couples remarrying. Pre-registration with payment is required. Cost: $75. Registration deadline is June 1. The registration form is on the website. For information, call 734.971.9781, ext. 401.

Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, 810.232.3418 ext. 376 or www.catholicchartiesflint.org/ childwelfare.aspx Adoption information meetings are held in Flint the second Tuesday of each month, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.; and in Owosso the third Tuesday of May, July, Sept. and Nov., 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Livingston County Catholic Charities, 517.545.5944, www.livingstoncatholiccharities.org May 18, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and May19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., We C.A.R.E diocesan communication and relationship enhancement program for couples getting married at St. Patrick Parish, Brighton, room A. Registration fee is $75. For information or to register, call 517.545.5944.

nity at 517.342.2462 or croot@ dioceseoflansing.org.

May 18-20, Worldwide Marriage Encounter Enrichment Weekend will be held at the Weber Center in Adrian. Help make your good marriage great. For more information or to register, contact Harry and Karen Porter at 810.629.2829 or visit www. section6.wwme.org/.

Lansing Catholic singles invites all mid-life singles mid-30s60s May 19, 8 p.m., for bowling at City Limits in Mason. Cost is $11 (w/shoes) or $8 (no shoes).

Space is limited RSVP and payment due by May 9. For more information, call 517.321.7886 or email lansingcatholicsingles@ live.com.

May 19, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., the Guild of Gardeners from St. Joseph Parish in Dexter is holding a perennial plant sale at the church, located at the southwest corner of Mast and North Territorial Roads. There will be a variety of hardy Michigan plants for sale at reasonable prices. For information, call 734.255.3605.

June 3, 9:45 a.m. Mass, St. Mary of Good Counsel in Adrian will recognize its parishioners who are part of the high school graduating class of 2012.

July 14, Lansing Catholic Singles will be a hosting a picnic for Michigan mid-life, single Catholics ages mid-30s-60s at Burchfield Park in Holt at the North Bluff picnic shelter. Rain or shine. Starts at noon, eat at 1 p.m. Bring your own beverage and a dish to pass. Meet new friends in a faith-filled environment of fun and fellowship. For cost and further information, visit www.LansingCatholicSingles. com.

by attending Aug. 14-16 at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Registration is required before July 27. Brochures are available in your church’s gathering space, or contact Diane at 517.342.2465 or darzberger@ dioceseoflansing.org.

Catholic Charities golf fundraiser – July 23 at Travis Pointe Country Club, Ann Arbor. Don’t miss an opportunity to play at one of the finest golf courses in

the area at the Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County’s Chip-in Fore Children Golf Outing. Check-in is 8 a.m.; 9 a.m.

Shotgun Start; and 2:30 p.m.

Awards Banquet. All net proceeds from the event benefit the families of the Washtenaw Child Advocacy Center and Father Patrick Jackson House programs of CSSW. For information, call 734.971.9781 ext. 313 or visit www.csswashtenaw.org for registration and sponsorship.

Summer programs for deaf participants – Holley Institute’s 2012 summer schedule will include Christian Youth Leadership Week for ages 13-18 led by Father Michael Depcik. Also, two Family Weeks will focus on reading strategies and culture/language based for deaf students.

For more information, please contact the summer program coordinator at 313.343.4084 or Kathryn.Kinville@stjohn.org.

Summer Scripture Days 2012 – Looking for a better understanding of the Book of Revelation? Join us at Summer Scripture Days as Bishop Earl Boyea conducts our study of the apocalyptic literature.

Empower your knowledge

Bishop Earl Boyea announces the following assignments, all to take effect Wed., June 27, 2012: Reverend Thomas Butler from pastor of Ss. Charles and Helena Parish, Clio and canonical pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Otisville, to senior priest status; Reverend Richard Eberle, OSFS, resignation of pastorate of Sacred Heart Parish, Hudson and canonical pastorate of St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Manitou Beach; Reverend Joseph Krupp from chaplain of St. John Student Center of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, East Lansing, to pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Hudson and St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Manitou Beach; Reverend Robert McGraw from pastor of St. Agnes Parish, Fowlerville, to pastor of Ss. Charles and Helena Parish, Clio, and canonical pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Otisville; Reverend Eoin Murphy from administrator of St. Joseph Parish, St. Johns, to senior priest status, returning to his home diocese, the Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland; and Reverend Michael Williams from pastor of St. Thérèse Lisieux Parish, Lansing, to pastor of St. Joseph Parish, St. Johns.

At our retreat centers: Weber Center, 1257 E. Siena Heights Dr., Adrian, 517.266.4000 or www.weber.adriandominicans.org June 6, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Laff Jest for the Health of It! You will learn the benefits of laughter, which is a nutrient to the wellbeing of your body, mind and spirit. Cost: $35 – includes lunch.

June 11-16, Holy Land Pilgrimage at Weber Center – an opportunity for you to experience a journey and place without leaving the country.

Dominican Center at Marywood, 2025 Fulton St, E., Grand Rapids, 616.454.1241 or www.grdominicans.org June 11-15, Women and the Word seminar with Barbara Reid, OP, and keynote Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP – this is an opportunity to explore creative ways to get in touch with your spirit. June 10-12, a Journey into Silence – a six-day retreat at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Cost is $390.

St. Francis Retreat Center, 703 E. Main St., DeWitt, 866.669.8321 or www.stfrancis.ws June 28, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., a walking tour of the gardens with reception and slide show afterwards. Book signing by advanced master gardener, author and garden society coordinator, Margaret Realy preceding the event at the St. Francis Gift & Book Store. Tickets are $10, available online at www.stfrancis.ws or at the SFRC gift/book store.

July 14 or 28, 9 a.m.-noon, two separate Garden Stepping Stones classes. Be a part of the new garden – Walk in Peace – by participating in one of these classes. You will make two stepping stones, one for your home and the other for the retreat center garden. Cost is $25. Register at www.stfrancis.ws.

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Christ the King parishioners receive advisory appointments

An Echoing Call by Marcy Keefe-Slager Marcy Keefe-Slager is a St. John the Evangelist, Jackson parishioner who has written An Echoing Call, which tells her life story through poetry.

Her poem Many Selves says “… I live my priesthood most freely, most effectively, as a laywoman in the Church.”

Marcy entered the Franciscan Convent and she faithfully followed her vocation as a sister for 30 years.

Later, she left the convent and became the chaplain at Foote Hospital, Jackson. In Oxygen and Such Marcy shares “… Only with plenty of ‘Oxygen’ will I be able to minister to others.”

She married Harvey Slager in1992.

Her poem Marriage Matters states “…

In word, in action, in spirit, husband and wife channel God’s grace to each other, and to others.”

Almost two years ago, Marcy, who never smoked, was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Now God and oxygen are her constant companions.

Her ending poem, A Response to God’s Echoing Call, says “… My soul thrives on proclaiming with Francis, ‘My God and my All.’” Her book of poetry is available at Amazon.com or by calling Marcy at 517.750.9112. – By Jan Hoffbauer

Deacon Dan Foley of Christ the King in Ann Arbor has been appointed to a four-year term on the National Advisory Council to the U.S. Conference of Foley Martin Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. Deacon Foley recently completed co-chairing Bishop Boyea’s Task Force on Engagement and Discipleship, proposing a plan on evangelization for the Diocese of Lansing.

Christ the King parishioner Dr. Ralph Martin, director of graduate theology programs in the new evangelization and assistant professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to a five-year term as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. Dr. Martin is president of Renewal Ministries and author of many books, including The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints.

Newly released Catholic music CD – Silent Cry Kristie Gulock is a homeschooling mom of six children. She and her family attend Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor. Her newly released CD, Silent Cry, includes original songs for praise and worship, as well as meditative songs. She and her friends also have posted a powerful pro-life video on YouTube at Silent Cry – Kristie G Music. To listen to songs from her CD, visit her website, www.kristiegmusic.com.

Jackson hosts end hunger dance Pat Robertson, St. John the Evangelist’s director of family ministry, helped sponsor a St. Patrick’s Day Dance at Jackson Catholic Middle School. The money raised goes to Frost Elementary School where every Friday 30 needy students are given a backpack filled with food to help through the weekend.

Pat says, “There is no reason for anyone to be hungry in the United States. The Bible says if someone is hungry, you feed them. We are trying to do that.”

If you would like to help feed the hungry, contact the Food Bank at 269.964.3663.

Suds for St. Vincent Catholic Charities in Lansing St. Paul School has many different charitable events during the Lenten season and one of these was to collect laundry detergent for St. Vincent Catholic Charities.

Since laundry detergent is a necessity, there always is a need for it. Many people who cannot afford to purchase it rely on St. Vincent. The staff and students collected and donated 101 bottles/boxes of detergent.

St. Patrick Catholic Church celebrates 180 years of faith, family and community service In March, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brighton kicked off the first of several events commemorating its 180th anniversary. A short presentation marked the official start

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of the 180th commemoration at the church’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Dinner in the Parish Life Center at 710 Rickett Road.

The presentation included a

FAITH Magazine / May 2012 / www.FAITHmag.com

short video, a historic exhibit and an exhibit by the students at St. Patrick Catholic School North Campus. The exhibits had photos, artifacts (including a quilt made in 1885 by parishioners) and a short history of the church’s 180 years as a faith community, beginning in

1831-32 with its first church – a crude log cabin.

For information about anniversary events planned throughout the year, contact Sheryl James at 810.227.7506 or sheryljames1@at.net, or the parish at 810.229.9863.

For more local news, visit www.FAITHmag.com

How should we be generous?

B

ut when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3). This teaching of Jesus is primarily concerned with keeping us from being puffed up with pride and selfsatisfaction. There is more to it, however, because generosity is likewise an extension of unconditional love, the sort of total self-giving that Jesus exemplified by dying for us on the cross.

It is the quality of giving without entailing conditions that I want to point out here.

Have you known others who are generous but really are giving money in order to get something in return, who give in order to influence the recipient to do this, that, or another thing? Those who give money to politicians are not really being generous at all; they are investing in an outcome they want. Can you think of times when you have given in similar fashion, given in order to get in return an outcome in your recipient’s behavior? Is that love on your part?

But generosity isn’t just about money; it’s about other things too.

What about being generous with our forgiveness? Are we generous there? God has been infinitely generous in giving us his forgiveness.

The next time you are in church, spend a few moments gazing on the image of Christ nailed to

last word a cross. Think about how generous God has been in giving you his forgiveness and then consider your own generosity in forgiving others.

Then there’s our time. Sometimes time is more precious to us than money. We need to be generous in sharing our time, particularly with our loved ones. Then, too, there are lots of kids who are starved for time and affection from their parents. Are we generous in listening to what they have to say, in hearing what’s in their hearts?

Finally, instead of being narrow, restrictive, and judgmental of others, let’s you and I be more generous in our opinions of them. Let’s be generous in every way we can and not count the cost. God didn’t!

Father Charles Irvin is the founding editor of FAITH Magazine and is retired.

Victim assistance coordinator If you have been abused or victimized by someone representing the Catholic Church, please believe in the possibility for hope, help and healing. We encourage you to come forward and speak out. Every diocese in the United States now has a victim assistance coordinator who is available to obtain support for your needs, to help make a formal complaint of abuse to the diocese and to arrange a personal meeting with the bishop or his representative if you desire.

The victim assistance coordinator for the Diocese of Lansing is Adrienne Rowland, LMSW,ACSW. Her telephone number is 1.888.3086252; and her email is arowlandvac@dioceseoflansing.org.

The Diocese of Lansing celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year Can you identify this parish?

Coordinadora de asistencia a las víctimas Si has sido víctima de abuso por alguien que representa la Iglesia Católica, por favor, cree en la posibilidad de esperanza, de ayuda y sanación. Te exhortamos a presentarte y declarar.

Cada (arqui) diócesis/eparquía en Estados Unidos tiene ahora un coordinador o coordinadora de asistencia a las víctimas a quien puedes acudir para que te apoye en tus necesidades, te ayude a hacer una denuncia formal de abuso ante la (arqui)diócesis/eparquía, y a solicitar una reunión personal con el obispo o su representante, si así lo deseas.

La coordinadora de asistencia a las víctimas en tu (arqui) diócesis/ eparquía es Adrienne Rowland, LMSW,ACSW, 1.888.308.6252 or arowlandvac@dioceseoflansing.org

If you recognise this parish, drop us a line on our Facebook page. Answer next month!

Last month’s answer: High school cheerleaders at St Mary, Star of the Sea, Jackson.

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notes:

Responding to the Church’s need for ministers grounded in theology and professionally prepared for ministry, Siena Heights University and the Diocese of Lansing have collaborated to offer the Program in Theological Studies. This is a certificate program consisting of 12 courses equaling 36 hours of undergraduate theology credit.

• Flexible scheduling designed to meet the needs of adult students • Tuition help may be available from your diocese or parish with recommendation • Visit these websites to learn more: sienaheights.edu/Locations/DioceseofLansing.aspx dioceseoflansing.org/layministry/index.html

Contact: Deborah Amato | Diocese of Lansing | Director, Office of Lay Ecclesial Ministry | 517.342.2512 | damato@dioceseoflansing.org

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