December 2004

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{Today in David's city a Savior has been born to you ... } seepage24

December2004

feeling down? how to find joy when you feel joyless

6 ways: to stop being jealous of your co-workers 5 ways: to grow in intimacy with your spouse

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what does it really mean to ‘get ahead?’ f r o m

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happened to be passing through the church late one evening a few weeks ago. As I was walking through the gathering space, I crossed paths with someone who was bringing a donation of food for our parish food pantry. As I greeted her, she said, “Oh, I wish you hadn’t seen me here.” “Why is that?” I wondered. “I don’t like anyone to see me when I drop off my gift to the food pantry. I love knowing that I make a difference – I just don’t like the spotlight on me. I’d much rather work behind the scenes.”

I suspect that’s true for many people. The work they do to build up God’s kingdom is important to them. In fact, it’s vital in the truest sense of the word – it brings their faith to life and it adds life to their faith. At the same time, they seek no recognition for what they do because, for the vast majority, they are doing what their hearts tell them is the right thing to do; and for them, doing the right thing doesn’t merit any extra attention or adulation.

That’s a very positive way of thinking about the Tenth Commandment. You see, this commandment, which states, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s property,” is really all about our inner disposition toward others and their property – it is about where the focus of our hearts is. As Jesus reminds us, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt 6:21) Is our focus – what motivates our inner self – on amassing goods and goodies? Or is it focused on what is best, not for self, but for others, in such a way that we work with humility to build one another up rather tearing each other down?

The drive to get ahead at the expense of others is a cancer that has infected our American society for a long time. Yet with God’s help, we can overcome that pressure.

At our parish mission, I heard a story that helped put everything into perspective. There once was a young family who tried to live an upright life. The husband was a hard worker, while the wife stayed home to care for their children. They lived in a modest home in a small community and were active members of their parish. The husband, who was the bread-winner, had an office job at a local company. While not a part of the upper echelon, he worked hard each day, earning enough that the family could be considered middle class.

One day at lunch, several of the husband’s co-workers challenged him, saying, “You have a lot of potential. You have good skills for your position, the boss appreciates your work and you work hard. But you don’t work any overtime. In order to get noticed, you need to be more willing to spend late nights here or come in earlier in the morning. Of course, it would also mean that you’d have to give up some time with your wife and kids – maybe not go to as many school activities or be less helpful around the house.

That’s what you need to do if you want to get ahead.” To which the husband replied, “Ahead of what?”

As our hearts and minds move deeper into the quiet of Advent, preparing for the great feast of Christmas, perhaps we can spend time simplifying our lives rather than making them more complex. Perhaps we can focus our attention and energy on others to do what is good for them because it is good for us. And so our journey in FAITH continues.

As our hearts and minds move deeper into the quiet of Advent, preparing for the great feast of Christmas, perhaps we can spend time simplifying our lives rather than making them more complex.

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

Liturgical Calendar: St. Francis Xavier Dec 3 | St. John of Damascus, Doctor of the Church Dec 4 | St. Nicholas, Bishop Dec 6 | St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the

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f e a t u r e s

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14 profile: Why I left one

Dear Fr. Joe: Is it a sin to have stuff?

6 In the know with Fr. Joe – Fr. Joseph Krupp

retail job for this one Dave Kemler walked away from retailing – and into St. Vincent de Paul. Find out how Dave’s choice makes Jackson a better place.

what you’ll get out of this issue

– Bob Horning

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my story: Being green for Jesus – how this MSU professor’s spiritual journey led him to fight for the environment Joel Nigg’s interest in sustainability led to a mission to protect the environment, starting with his parish.

• Saying ‘no’ to being Scrooge.

8 From the Bishop – Bishop Carl F. Mengeling • A “green” workplace may be the result of envy. How can we avoid unhealthy competition?

15 Worklife – Tim Ryan

– Cate Preston

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• The love languages of intimacy.

• 5 ways to keep tabs on your credit.

• Where to find the time to pray.

• How you can have romance when you’re hurting.

18 Your Marriage Matters • Stop keeping up with the Joneses – how to handle envy.

19 The Journey – Dr. Cathleen McGreal • Where to find joy when you feel joyless – depression during the holidays.

20 Spiritual Fitness – Fr. Bill Ashbaugh

cover story: They gave up everything – why Mike and Linda Brown spent a year in Sierra Leone

Mike and Linda Brown put their lives on hold for a school year, and spent it in Sierra Leone, Africa. What kind of faith made this gift of time possible?

• What is my role in Welcome Home Sunday? How do I invite someone back?

26 Questions and answers about evangelization • What are we hoping for – how do we fill our hearts at Christmas?

30 The Last Word – Fr. Charles Irvin

– Nancy Schertzing

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culture: Shoes for St. Nick

A simple way to remember the saint behind Santa Claus.

24 You can come home again Debbie Hill never forgot what it was like to be a Catholic. After years away, she came home again.

– Elizabeth Martin Solsburg

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tor of the Church Dec 7 | Feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec 8 | St. Juan Diego, Hermit Dec 9 | St. Damasus I, Pope Dec 11 | St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Dec 13

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PUBLISHER

Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR

tell us what you think: send your letters to the editor

FAITH Magazine 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933

l e t t e r s @ f a i t h m a g . c o m

December 2004 • Volume 5 : Issue 9

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Patrick M. O’Brien MANAGING EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Elizabeth Martin Solsburg ASSISTANT EDITOR/STAFF WRITER

Jillane Job SUBSCRIPTIONS/SECRETARY

Evelyn Weitzel SUBSCRIPTIONS

Patrick Dally GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGNER

Rev. William Ashbaugh Sr. John Mary Corbett, O.P Bob Horning Rev. Joseph Krupp Patricia Majher Sr. Maria Gemma Martek, O.P. Cathleen McGreal Sr. Elizabeth Ann O’Reilly, O.P. Cate Preston Tim Ryan Sr. Maria Faustina Showalter, O.P. Nancy Schertzing CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Margaret Perrone PROOFREADING

Tom Gennara Christine Jones James Luning (cover) CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Wayne Case Vicki Bedard Patricia Garcia Diane Nowak Margaret Perrone James Rhadigan Ricardo Rodriguez David Rosenberg Rev. James Swiat Peter Wagner Sharon Wimple

your thoughts: on uncool kids and the loss of family farms Dear Fr. Ezop: I am writing regarding How to Raise an Uncool Kid. I think it’s a rather unfit attitude for a parent to take towards raising a child in hopes that their child may not become tainted to the everyday immoralities of being cool.

Rather, let’s teach our children the moralities of our Catholic faith, teach them the Catechism and the history of our Church.

After contemplating the ten rules I struggle to uncover the

positive effects of trying to model your son/daughter to be geeks. They are your children, but they are also God’s children; he has a plan for them. Don’t hold the reins too tight but rather step back and let them grow.

Image Source

Rev. Dwight Ezop

issue. The loss of family farms is a serious issue.

However, it is important to identify the true problems driving the loss of family farms.

While it has become popular to blame “big corporations” for this trend, the facts indicate this is incorrect.

– Trevor Rouillard

To the Editor: First of all, I want to thank you and your staff for your excellent work on FAITH Magazine. I also want to thank you for covering the “farm crisis” in the October

in the beginning

by Chris Sushynski

ADVISORY BOARD

Rose Robertson FAITHhelps

Tim Ryan FAITH Publishing Service

InnerWorkings PRINT MANAGEMENT FAITH (USPS 019993) is a membership publication of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing, 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933. Published monthly except February and August. Subscription rates are $15 per year. Individual issues are $2.50. Send all subscription information and address changes to 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933; (517) 342-2595; fax (517) 342-2537 or e-mail j job@dioceseoflansing.org. Periodicals Postage Paid at Lansing, MI or additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: FAITH, 300 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48933. ©Catholic Diocese of Lansing.

Christine Jones

Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling

James Luning

The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

According to USDA data, in 1997, non-family corporations owned only 0.4% of the farms.

Loss of land to urban sprawl and other uses eliminates many farms. Is this wrong? I don’t know. If the moral choice is to promote a broad base of land ownership, shouldn’t we encourage everyone to own a small acreage?

It becomes obvious there are no simple answers. We have to factor in the moral obligation to care for wildlife, the land, and our task to feed a growing world in the face of many upcoming challenges. I hope your readers will consider these issues further and think about where their food comes from!

– Barry Bradford, Graduate student,

Give the gift of FAITH: Order a subscription today (517) 342-2595

© Chris Sushynski

Department of Animal Science Michigan State University

“Ah, boys? I don’t think so...”

Thank you DSA donors: for supporting ministries of the Diocese of Lansing

St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church Dec 14 | St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church Dec 21 | St. John of Kanty, Priest Dec 23 | Christmas Dec 25 | Feast of the Holy Family o

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how he made his friend – the king – an enemy o n l i n e

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how does the Church interact with the modern world? like a mother

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St. Thomas Becket born: 1118 on St. Thomas Day died: 1170 Feast: Dec. 29

Gaudium et Spes:

Eye Wire

Modernization, the industrial revolution, war, the spread of totalitarian regimes and economic disparity among nations were but a few of the global societal pressures weighing upon humanity. In the 1960s, the Second Vatican Council looked at the modern world and decided that it was time for the Church, as a wise mother, to speak to her children about all that was happening. Gaudium et Spes was written in this light.

God has endeavored throughout history to protect and nurture us by means of natural law, the commandments and the law of love in Jesus Christ.

Because God loves us, He gives us law not to inhibit us or to diminish our dignity, but rather to allow us to live in total freedom. Parents know what is good for their children, teaching them and setting limits to protect them so that children may live fully and freely within those boundaries. In the same way, Jesus gave us the Church as our mother, to help us along our journey to the destiny God has intended for us – the eternal joy of heaven. As a wise mother, she makes pronouncements and teaches us through her magisterium. She carries each of us in her maternal heart, guarding and guiding us. She helps us discern right from wrong, not to set down arbitrary laws or rules but to help us abide by God’s laws – for our own good, both here on earth and in eternity.

If we view the Church as she really is – a wise and loving mother who seeks to nurture and deliver her children safely into the arms of God, rather than as merely an organization or hierarchical structure – we realize that she does have a say in the affairs of humanity.

Read the rest of this article by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist only on FAITHmag.com

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Claim to fame: Thomas was a rowdy young man, soul-friend to King Henry II, and chancellor of England. He lost his king’s friendship after being named archbishop of Canterbury and his martyrdom was precipitated by Henry’s alleged comment, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?”

Little-known fact: One day, while hunting, Thomas’ falcon swooped down on a duck and was caught in the river. Thomas jumped in after and was carried downstream, where a stopped mill wheel saved his life. This daring act marked the character of his entire career.

Defining moment: Thomas studied for the Church and was ordained a deacon in 1154. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died in 1161, Henry named Thomas to the vacancy. Thomas refused, but was overruled and took office in May, 1162.

Famous quote: In refusing the archbishopric, Thomas predicted the course of the rest of his life and of his relationship with the king, “Should God permit me to be the archbishop of Canterbury, I would soon lose your Majesty’s favor, and the affection with which you honor me would be changed into hatred.”

Why is he a saint?: From the day of his election, Thomas gave up his luxuries and lively life. He wore a hair shirt and lived ascetically. He resigned the chancellorship of England and became outspoken in his defense of Church rights against usurpation by the Crown. His attitudes earned him a lengthy exile, but the pope eventually sent him home.

Thomas immediately excommunicated three bishops who had sworn fealty to Henry rather than to the pope. The king was furious.

How did he die?: Four knights decided to rid their king of his “troublesome priest,” and marched into the cathedral on Dec. 29.

They struck his head with their swords. As he fell, mortally wounded, Thomas murmured, “For the name of Jesus and in defense of the Church, I am willing to die.”

When the king heard the news, he did public penance in Canterbury Cathedral.

Patron of whom?: St. Thomas is the patron of secular clergy in England, of Exeter College and of Portsmouth, England.

Remember then how our fathers worked out their salvation; remember the sufferings through which the Church has grown and the storms the ship of Peter has weathered because it has Christ on board. (from a letter written by St. Thomas)

oly Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Dec 26 | St. John, Apostle and Evangelist Dec 27 | Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs Dec 28 | St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr Dec 29 | St. Sylvester, Pope Dec 31

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Fr. Joe: is it a sin to have stuff?

Dear Fr. Joe: Is it a sin to have stuff? In the Gospels Jesus seems to imply that we should give it all to the poor. But then everyone would be be poor. What is really being asked of us?

J

esus is asking us something very easy to express and very difficult to do – allow nothing to own us.

See, owning possessions is a good thing, but having the possessions own us is not.

So, how do we tell the difference?

First of all, if we own something we can part with it at a moment’s notice. Unless it is a necessity, we need to avoid being attached to anything we don’t need.

I must say that I have been on the receiving end of some astounding generosity in the last year, and it has compelled me to be more generous in my own life. I have been challenged by others to sacrifice for others. I am trying to live the simple idea that giving out of my surplus is nice but giving out of my need is vital.

I feel freer than I ever have before. Go figure, Jesus was right.

I think it goes back to a fundamental attitude that Jesus challenges us to embrace. You and I are to see the world around us as our family. When December 2004

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T. Gennara

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I say this, there is the danger of us making it a “wouldn’t it be nice” statement, but it is so much more than that. Jesus has made it so. You and I are connected by the body of Christ in an irrevocable way to the people of the world. That starving child in Bosnia – that’s your son. The child dying of AIDS in Africa – your daughter. All of us are connected in the very body of Christ, and their pain is our pain. We must stop hoarding for ourselves and begin to sacrifice for the good of our biological family and our spiritual family.

Not too long ago, a friend and I were watching TV. The program we were watching

One time at seminary, we were going through the lunch line. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. Someone had made a note and posted it on the tray of apples. The note said, “Take only ONE. God is watching.”

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. On that pile was a note written in a different hand that stated, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.” was touring the homes of various movie stars. They got to the home of a very “socially conscious” movie star and the tour was astounding. In this gargantuan home, two massive rooms were built and designed for gift wrapping.

Trust me, you read that right.

Two huge rooms were set aside for the exclusive purpose of wrapping presents.

When we saw this, my friend turned to me and said, “No kidding, Joe, that guy is going to have to stand in front of God and answer for that.” He was right. Absolutely 100 percent right. We took it to the next step and challenged ourselves. What do I have that I don’t need? Would I be willing to part with it to make someone’s life better? www.FAITHmag.com

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what year was the Pledge recognized? h i s t o r y

55%

of Americans would continue to work if they won $10 million in the lottery.

q u i z

Gallup 09/14/04

p o l l

CNS

The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and recommended its recitation in American classrooms on December 28, WHAT YEAR? The pledge had been written more than 50 years earlier in honor of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World, and was already a staple in many classrooms.

Father Edward Flanagan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha, founded Boys’ Town, a home for poor and troubled youth, on December 1, WHAT YEAR? Since its founding, the organization, now called Girls’ and Boys’ Town, has expanded to 16 sites in 12 states and the District of Columbia.

The holiday television classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” made its debut on December 9, WHAT YEAR? One of the show’s most notable moments is Linus’ recitation of scripture to answer Charlie Brown’s request that someone explain the meaning of Christmas.

Joseph Mohr, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol, “Silent Night,” was born on December 11, WHAT YEAR? The Austrian priest wrote the poem, “Stille Nacht,” two years before Franz Gruber set it to music and played it on guitar at a Christmas Eve service in Obendorf.

what is your favorite Christmas tradition?

We asked middle-school students in the Religious Education program at St. Elizabeth Parish, Tecumseh: What is your favorite Christmas tradition, other than giving or receiving gifts?

Going to my aunt’s and uncle’s house to see most of my relatives.

Katelyn (age 12)

Decorating our Christmas tree.

Cody (age 13)

My favorite tradition is setting up our Christmas tree as a family and putting on our ornaments.

Bailey (age 12)

Answers: 1945, 1917, 1965, 1792

winter – the St. Vincent de Paul You may be reading this and thinking my approach is too radi- Society (and others) can make it happen. That money you were cal. I suggest to you that our saving up to buy something you approach is not radical enough. may not need can go to someIt is quite possible we can be so one who doesn’t busy taking care of All of us are con- have food, courtesy ourselves and our nected in the very of the people at immediate loved Loaves and Fishes. ones that we forget body of Christ, You get the idea, there is a world out and their pain is our pain. We must right? Please underthere in need. We must draw ourselves stop hoarding for stand that Jesus ourselves and demands this of us out of our narrow begin to sacrifice because he knows view of the world for the good of the truth – this menand be challenged our biological tality will set us free. to work hard to We were created to make other people’s family and our spiritual family. live for others – and lives livable. living for others will So, how do we make us whole. do it? I guess today would be a I had another idea about how good day for all of us to go we can take Jesus’ teaching to through our stuff and see what we can part with. That shirt you the next level. I believe one of wear once a year would probaour most valuable tools in this bly keep someone warmer this society is our time. Look how we

associate time with money – “saving time,” “investing time,” “time well spent” and of course, the obvious one, “time is money.”

So, let’s start investing our time.

Volunteer at your local Catholic school. Volunteer for St. Vincent de Paul or Loaves and Fishes.

Help out a brother or sister by giving your most valuable assets, your time and energy. I hope this challenge starts us all on the

path to Jesus.

Enjoy another day in God’s presence.

– Fr. Joseph Krupp

Send your questions to: “In the Know with Fr. Joe” FAITH Magazine 300 W. Ottawa Lansing, MI 48933 Or: JoeInBlack@priest.com

Online Discussion Forums: This month’s topics on FAITHmag.com • Have you had to deal with envy in the workplace? How? • How do you choose what charities to support?

• What do you do to keep “Christ in Christmas?”

Visit FAITHmag.com, then click FAITH forums to discuss these and other interesting topics with Fr. Jeffrey Njus.

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saying ‘no’ to being a Scrooge having desires is natural – but we must control our desires and not let them control us f r o m

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The timing is perfect for this reflection on the Tenth Commandment.

It’s December – the month of Christmas. It fits because the immense “yes” behind the “no” to avarice is generosity! That means being a giver of gifts, the very meaning of Christmas. Christmas appeals to our inherent identity as beings made in the image and likeness of God. Our higher nature and our best instincts triumph. Christmas is the most anticipated, awaited and prepared of all our celebrations. The season is cheerful with our happy mood of giving and receiving. The source of this blessed sharing is the greatest gift from whom all gifts flow; it is the Father’s gift of his Son to be our Savior.

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www.FAITHmag.com

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J. Luning

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ickens’ A Christmas Carol is a perennial favorite at this In the story of the sower and seed, the greedy person is so time. Scrooge is the tragic miser. His “yes” is to intent on worldly matters that the seed (Word of God) is avarice. His “no” is to generosity. Indeed, our reflection on the choked by the rampant and lush weeds. (cf Matt 13) The parable Tenth Commandment and Christmas go together. In grade of the banquet features a greedy man who excuses himself school, the meaning of words like “avarice” and “covetousness” because earthly goods take up all his time. (cf Matt 22:1-14) Another were way beyond me and other students. But words that parable is about the rich man who is far more frenzied. He meant the same thing were everyday talk. Over and over we enlarges his barns for more and says to himself, “Relax! Eat said or heard – “tightwad, penny-pincher, stingy, greedy, heartily, drink well, enjoy yourself.” That night he dies. Jesus cheapskate” and more. We knew what they meant and they says, “That’s the way with the man who grows rich for self, were not nice to say about anybody. instead of growing rich in the sight of God.” (cf Luke 12:13-21) Coveting relates to a good and necessary power God has There are countless stories of generosity, past and present. placed in us that can get out of control or even go berserk.

Here’s one – before confirmation, I often have the pleasure of That good and necessary power is desire. Desires are rooted in meeting each candidate and sponsor. A goodly number of sponour nature and spur us to pursue nature’s aims, sors are grandparents. They laugh when I say “Aha, such as food, drink, sex, things and all our other a grandmother! That means presents.” One of these The season is needs. Desire plays a key role in seeking the spiri- cheerful with our charming grandmothers shot back, “Tell me about tual aims with the help of God’s grace. it.” I said, “You tell me later at the reception.” It was happy mood of The commandments teach us to control our giving and receiv- easy to locate the family at the reception. She was desires so that they do not control us. They guide ing. The source of the family matriarch in the middle of the largest our desires toward goodness and true happiness in this blessed shar- group in the hall. I learned that she and others live solidarity with others. The tenth educates our ing is the greatest in one of those large upper New York cities – either desire for things and especially things that belong gift from whom all Syracuse, Rochester or Albany. After we got to others. The more familiar word for “covetousgifts flow; it is the acquainted, they placed me next to her. At the first ness” is “avarice.” It is a deformity and perversion Father’s gift of his opportunity I asked, “Tell me about it.” When she of our useful desires for goods. It is disordered and Son to be our told about her 23 grandchildren and great-grandexcessive. Avarice is an intense and insistent drive Savior. children, I remarked, “All for things, money and possessions that beats down their baptisms, first comour reason and will and leads to serious sin. Avarice is a cruel munions, confirmations, plus birthdays, tyrant that whips up, in its slave, an obsessive pursuit of graduations, etc. must wear you out and drain your purse. You must be broke.” things. The question to ask ourselves is, “Do I own things or With a grandmotherly smile she replied, do things own me?”

“Bishop, they’re all I’ve got. They’re Like other commandments, behind the “no” to avarice of the tenth is an immense “yes” to generosity. The earthly gifts my life. And what could I do better with my money?” There wasbestowed by God are powerful tools for our expressions of n’t a hint of “burden, expense, love. They make mutual giving and sharing possible. Our sacrifice” and “being-taken-forcommon efforts in acquiring, owning and using the gifts of God knit the human family together and inspire mutual love granted sometimes” and “never even a ‘thank you!’” Her goal and helpfulness. Jesus dramatically affirms the importance was to affirm the Catholic faith of material things as our means of love. He will judge us of her youngsters and their by the measure of our use of them. Our use of these gifts is families – and to keep her famiour ticket for attaining the lasting riches of the eternal comly close. She rarely missed the munity of love. three sacraments of initiation Christ does not condemn possessions and riches – nor the for each child because she rich – but only avarice. He warns of its effects for the greedy believed her presence told person who is only concerned about a secure future in this everyone that their Catholic faith world. In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches that our use of God’s gifts is important. for others is the basis for the Final Judgment. Earlier he warned, “Do not lay up for yourselves an earthly treasure; thieves break in and steal; moths and rust corrode. Remember, – Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling where your heart is; there is your treasure.” (cf Matt 6:19) is the fourth bishop of Lansing

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Mike and Linda Brown lived quiet middle-class American lives in Flint. Mike was CEO of the Genesee County United Way, and Linda was Director of Religious Education at St. Michael Parish. When they were young, they’d had dreams of serving in the Peace Corps. With five kids to feed, clothe and put through college, however, that dream had been buried.

In 2001, as their youngest child prepared to graduate from high school, Mike and Linda’s old dream stirred again. Their baby was heading off to a year of international travel in the fall. Their other children had already embarked on school or professional careers. Their only surviving parent, December 2004

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Linda’s 81-year-old mother, enjoyed good health. They were both ready to make career changes. Perhaps most importantly, laughs Linda, “We both still liked each other and enjoyed working together.”

They renewed their dream of international service.

By Nancy Schertzing | Photography by James Luning

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To learn more about opportunities to serve as a lay missionary, contact the

A

fter much prayer and discussion, Mike and Linda visited their diocesan offices and found a book called Response 2001, a Directory of Full-time Faithbased Volunteer Opportunities. Over 100 pages of volunteer programs with descriptions, requirements and contact information, Response gave Mike and Linda a framework for their search. They applied to five programs. They got four rejections.

The Salesian Missionaries alone accepted their application. Though they had never worked with a married couple before, their contact explained, the Salesians needed people with Mike and Linda’s qualifications to further their mission of serving poor youths through education, especially in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. They invited Mike and Linda to enter a process of education and discernment before committing to the mission. The Browns accepted.

They began researching Sierra Leone, beginning with finding it on a map and learning about the horrific warfare that had only recently been quelled in its countryside. The Republic of Sierra Leone, half the size of Illinois, sits atop an untold wealth of diamonds. But wealth is not always a treasure.

The “blood diamonds” of Sierra Leone, as they are known, have brought unimaginable horror and misery to the people of this West African nation. Throughout its history, outside powers have exploited Sierra Leone’s diamond resources and hoarded their profits without regard for the host country. Building on this history of exploitation, Sierra Leone recently endured a civil war waged to terrorize its government into ceding control December 2004

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and diamond rights to neighboring Liberia.

From 1991 to 2002, Revolutionary United Front rebels ravaged villages and towns throughout the country, killing over 50,000 people and maiming countless more.

United Nations war crimes courts continue to uncover the unspeakable crimes – rape, mutilation, torching, massacre.

Whole towns were hacked to death, beginning with the children – while their parents, awaiting the same fate – were forced to watch or listen from afar. Children, some as young as five, were kidnaped and forced into the rebel army.

Amputation by machete became a rebel signature.

The campaign of terror lasted a decade, until the United Nations and West African forces mounted a military response and crushed the rebels. Sierra Leone is now trying to recover, but a legacy of poverty remains. Ranked by the UN as the least-developed nation in the world, Sierra Leone’s average annual income is $160 and its average life expectancy is just 42 years. Its infrastructure was decimated in the war. Only 31 percent of the population can read. Those who do receive an education often find no job market.

Though foreign aid flows into Sierra Leone, government

employees skim much of it off two pieces of chalk each day as they process it. If aid money to write all lessons on the does reach its target audience, blackboard. Classes often it arrives only in sporadic include up to 50 students. trickles, often months behind Enter Mike and Linda schedule. Not surprisingly, the Brown. Their qualifications various charities operating in made them ideally suited for Sierra Leone try to the task at hand, bypass the govern- The Republic of but there were ment and work Sierra Leone, half enormous personal directly with the sacrifices involved. the size of Illinois, citizens.

They would sits atop an untold One of those wealth of diamonds. receive no income charities, the for their year of But wealth is not Salesian always a treasure. service, but their Missionaries, operpersonal financial ates a system of 14 schools, responsibilities would remain. spread across 25 miles in rural From renting their house to areas. Following the Salesian establishing trusts for their mission of helping poor and children’s college tuition and disadvantaged youth primarily living expenses, Mike and through education, Salesian Linda would have to sacrifice priests and brothers operate time and money to keep their the schools and a Catholic family’s lives running smoothparish on a shoestring budget. ly if they decided to go.

The schools have neither After much soul-searching books nor paper. Teachers get and the final Salesian discernwww.FAITHmag.com

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Personal photos courtesy of Mike and Linda Brown

act the Department of Vocation Services, (517) 342-2506, or Catholic Network of Volunteer Service at 1-800-543-5046, www.cnvs.org.

priests and used his knowledge ment session, the Browns committed to serve one school of the nonprofit community to connect with other aid groups year in Sierra Leone. They went home to make their final on behalf of local polio and war victims. preparations. On August 30, From the moment they 2002, they touched down in arrived, it was clear they had Sierra Leone and headed to entered another world. Coming the Salesian Mission. from a middle class backThey settled quickly into ground in the world’s wealthiest their jobs, working seven days nation, and going into the a week with room, board and poorest nation on health care their earth, the Browns only payment.

“The spirit of the didn’t know what Linda taught people is just to expect. They English part-time amazing,” Mike knew that nearly and worked in the marvels. “It was 70 percent of all parish on projects beautiful to see from RCIA to how grateful they Sierra Leoneans organizing altar were for anything lived below the servers. Mike we could share ... ” poverty line. They worked at the knew about the youth center, organizing and “blood diamond” horrors of the coaching a basketball team and past decade. What they didn’t know is that Sierra Leone poscoordinating special events. He sesses a magical beauty, both in also wrote and administered its landscape and its people. some grants for the Salesian

“The spirit of the people is just amazing,” Mike marvels.

“It was beautiful to see how grateful they were for anything we could share – plastic bags, cardboard boxes, our interest in their lives.” Linda agrees, “One thing we learned is the value of the items we take for granted each day.” Plastic tableware was rinsed and used repeatedly. Plastic bags were prized for carrying anything gathered or purchased. Even plastic burlap bags were made into rugs or disassembled and each thread used for tie-dyeing.

“They work so hard, and they are so smart,” Linda adds.

“Most people are subsistence farmers who do things like tiedying or gathering wild fruit to survive and earn a little extra money. Lots of the students who could afford the $8.00 annual tuition for school walked miles each day to come and learn.” Mike adds, “There were sometimes 50 students per class, but they all wanted to be there. There was no disruption or complaining.

They were there to learn, and that attitude and dedication always showed through.”

While they admired their neighbors’ thrift and strong work ethic, Mike and Linda most appreciated the Sierra Leoneans’ warmth and openness. “We walked through their lives every day,” says

Linda. “Teeth brushing, showering – they did it in the open.

And as we walked by on our way to Mass or work, they waved at us and went on with their business. The people were completely unpretentious and so welcoming.”

“I felt as much at peace as I’ve ever felt,” Mike recalls. “In our society, whatever you do, you must do it at a fast pace.

The things we worry about here – so much can go wrong because we’re so complicated,” he explains. “In that society the pace of life was so different. There were fewer complications. I had time.”

Recalling their volunteer hours and the measures they took before leaving home, Linda says, “We did give a lot.

And, yes, we did sacrifice some things, but we received so much more than we gave.”

Citing such intangible benefits as connecting to people and viewing the world differently, Linda continues, “We went over there with some young people who decided to stay beyond their year. I know why they stayed.”

“After hearing about the atrocities and what these people went through, you’d never believe they went through it.

They are so hopeful and forgiving. We went over there expecting the worst,” Linda muses.

“But we got the very best.”

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why I left one retail job for this one how Dave’s choice to work for St. Vincent de Paul makes Jackson a better place

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hen Alisha* died, she left her four young children without a home.

They were not eligible to live in their government-subsidized apartment without a parent, and they needed “everything.” The children’s two fathers decided to join forces, move in together and raise their children together. There was only one problem – they had no jobs and no money.

Enter David Kemler, the manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Jackson.

When a social service agency sent the family over to St. Vincent, they had a commitment from Grace Church to guarantee rent, but the Family Independence Agency wouldn’t let the children stay with their fathers unless certain requirements were met, like a bed for each child. The Thrift Store set them up with beds, appliances and the December 2004

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basic necessities of life. David says the family’s gratitude and appreciation made his day – and the day of everyone who works at the store.

David has been the store manager for three years, after spending 31 years in retail.

He sees this job as a chance to combine his experience in adult faith formation at St. Catherine Laboure Parish, *Not her real name

Concord, with his retailing background. David says this is a ministry, and he’s grateful to be doing what he loves for a living. He credits Connie, his wife of 26 years, for bringing home an income that allows him to work for a

nonprofit organization.

David says people know that Saint Vincent de Paul is a place where they can go for help. “We deal with people with problems, who have been beaten down by life, who have no money. In retail, clients can be viewed in terms of potential dollars and cents for the store. If you have no money, you get no product. Here, if someone has real needs, we will stand on our heads to meet them.

Our goal is to see Christ in everyone who comes in, and serve them accordingly, even if they don’t smell good or are acting unpleasantly.

“There is no more invisible person than the one living in poverty. Those with so much sometimes have no idea what is happening just three blocks from them. They wouldn’t understand if they saw a mother in here telling her child she can’t afford to buy

A Moment in the Life of a Volunteer It is usually food that Debbie, a single mother, receives from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Recently though, during a food delivery, Mary Jo Kelley, president of the St. Mary conference of the Society, was able to give her a Bible and a crucifix as well. “Debbie was so excited,” Mary Jo said. “She kept telling me that when I come into her house, I will see the crucifix hanging on her wall.”

For Mary Jo, that makes her twenty-five weekly volunteer hours worth it. “I feel like I am supposed to be doing this,” she says.

When Mary Jo began volunteering three years ago, she thought she would just be helping with the books. Somehow she was elected president – “just temporarily, though, until we find a permanent replacement.” That has been over a year. “But ... I like being busy, and it is a way to repay the Lord for how he has taken care of me and my children in the thirty-one years since my husband died.”

By Bob Horming | Photography by Christine Jones

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Envious?

6 ways to stop being jealous of co-workers

him a twenty cent toy.”

Of course, some days are harder than others.

David remembers a woman who had been stranded in Jackson when her companion was arrested for possession of drugs. She had been to an agency and felt she hadn’t gotten the help she needed. At that point, she was angry, scared and convinced that “everyone in Jackson was mean.” A St. Vincent volunteer, who lived across the street from the agency, saw the young woman walking down the street in tears and stopped her to see what was wrong. She brought her to the thrift store “... because I knew you could help.” And David did. He called Ellie White at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Parish, and she came over with a bus ticket for the young woman. They gave her a backpack filled with basics and got her on the bus home. David hopes she left with a better feeling about Jackson and the people in it.

Because he never knows when things will be donated to the store, or how much, Kemler says that prayer is constant and essential in his ministry. “I have learned not to slot God in one hour on Sunday or for a few

ministry focus

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a result of a challenge by a French university student claiming that the Catholic Church once did good works, but no longer. In response, Blessed Frederic Ozanam started the society in 1833.

In 2003, the Jackson council alone distributed $39,000 worth of food and $66,000 in financial aid, clothes, other goods and services, among 4,832 needy people.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a powerful presence around the Diocese of Lansing: St. Thomas Conference 517 Elizabeth St. Ann Arbor, 48104 Particular Council of Flint 1912 North Franklin Flint, 48506 Jackson Council 1812 Spring Arbor Rd. Jackson, 49203 Jackson Store 1509 E. Michigan Ave., Jackson, 49202 (517) 784-0609 Lansing Council 1020 S. Washington Lansing, 48910 (517) 484-5395 www.FAITHmag.com

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have a friend who had a good job that offered the opportunity for lots of overtime. He was a dedicated employee, yet struck a good balance between his work and personal time.

While many of his co-workers needed overtime to make payments on expensive vehicles, toys or homes, my friend and his wife were content with a more modest but comfortable lifestyle, which allowed him to turn down many overtime hours in order to attend Boy Scout activities. He found more fulfillment in serving as a Scout leader than he did in keeping up with his co-workers.

The Catechism teaches us that envy comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself or herself to live in humility (CC 2540). What does it mean to live in humility? I think my friend is a good example – here’s what I learned from him: 1 Stop measuring my value according to the material standards of others.

2 Search out and be open to the purpose to which God is calling me.

3 My gifts and talents are meant to serve others, not to glorify myself.

4 Trust my sense of purpose. Decisions in my life should be directly aligned with the pursuit of that purpose, not simply material gain.

5 Energy and joy come from serving others, and that’s contagious.

6 Rejoice in the merits and success of others.

Regrettably, pride catches up with all of us at times and we wonder why someone else has a better job, makes more money or has more than we do.

We then do whatever is necessary to advance in our jobs so we can accumulate what others have; convinced we will then be happy. But the Catechism teaches that envy is “sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them ... envy represents ... a refusal of charity.” (CCC 2539, 2540) In other words, as long as we are motivated primarily by pursuing what others have, we will never be happy. Instead, we must heed Mother Teresa’s lesson that peace comes from using our gifts to serve others.

My friend is a living example of someone who found contentment in sharing his gifts rather than in chasing material success because of envy. He seeks God’s kingdom first, trusting he will receive what he needs. (Matt 6:3233) By the way – he was able to retire at the ripe old age of 48.

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Here, if someone has real needs, we will stand on our heads to meet them. Our goal is to see Christ in everyone who comes in, and serve them accordingly.

minutes in the morning or evening. I pray when I’m on the phone, in the store, in my car. And the Lord provides.”

For the needy in Jackson, one way the Lord provides is through David Kemler and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Brand X

ww oo r r kk l l i i f f ee

– Tim Ryan

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being green for Jesus how this MSU professor’s spiritual journey led him to fight for the environment

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s Catholics, we are called to guard creation, whether by protecting the life of an unborn child, attending to the needs of an elderly parent or caring for our planet.

Joel Nigg, a psychology professor at Michigan State University, founded a group called Catholics for a Just and Sustainable World at St. John Student Parish in East Lansing. The group focuses on the depletion of the earth’s resources and a just, sustainable future for the global community.

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than we need. “It’s sustainable if it can be replenished,” explains Joel, “... it means meeting the needs of the first generation in ways that do not interfere with future generations. It’s a practical principle, because if all countries don’t do that, what will happen to our grandchildren?”

“We’re using up resources faster than they are being replenished – things like oil, wood, even water. For centuries we could burn wood for

resources and call it ‘economic gain.’ The goal is to reuse indefinitely. The solutions exist.” He suggests organic farming and drip irrigation.

In addition to buying locallygrown, organic produce, Joel mentions the option of green fuel, but it’s really not sustainpower, available through the able. Now we’re seeing masutility companies, to lessen sive depletions, although we’ll carbon emissions. “You can be the last to feel it here [in the opt for 100 percent, or 50 US],” Joel says. “If our econopercent or 25 percent of my relies on people being green power.” poor, it’s not just. I shouldn’t Joel describes the need to take more than what I need, if read the signs the Holy Spirit you don’t have enough. Other sends, “One of my beliefs as a countries lack our plenty. It’s a Christian is that God is in hismoral issue. It’s not fair for us tory, giving us signs. ... What to use resources up so that we are the signs saying now? can live in luxury, while others We have signs that say what don’t have anything because we’re doing isn’t working, there’s not enough with global clito go around. By mate change, Other countries definition, if it’s resource deplelack our plenty. sustainable, every- It’s a moral issue. tion, rising gas one has enough. prices and species It’s not fair for us Sustainability ties it to use resources extinction.” all together. It puts up so that we can Joel’s personal you in harmony spiritual journey live in luxury, while with the earth.” was guided by others don’t have Sustainability is anything because reading the signs, not a choice there’s not enough literally. “I went between a healthy to go around. through a spiritual economy or a crisis in 2001. I healthy environment; but a was questioning my purpose, call to support both, Joel my value and my faith. I was explains. “It made me realize led, [in a conversation with my we can solve both at the same aunt] to three books, which time. You can’t have economic brought me back to a deeper development without the faith.” These books were The environment; can’t have a Return of the Prodigal Son by healthy economy without top- Henri Nouwen, The Journal of soil, fish, water. [Ask yourself], John Woolman by John ‘What is my personal sacrifice Woolman, and Natural that I am called to make?’ The Capitalism by Paul Hawken. cross for us may be to give up Joel describes the impact of material energy use.”

Nouwen’s book – “He talks Joel says an immediate shift about the love of God, and is needed. “[We] use up what the prodigal son really

By Cate Preston | Photography by Tom Gennara

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means. What is liberating for me is how can I relate to the older son. I tried to please others, to prove my self-worth, no longer simply living in God’s love but trying to earn it. My life was spent being driven to succeed, to impress. [I learned] God’s love is just there. Nothing you’ll do will change that. You don’t need to do anything.”

For Joel, there is a sense of freedom that helps him feel content with his limitations as one man in the battle for sustainability.

“You’re never sure what God is doing, where he’ll ask you to go next. ... I’m trying to gain freedom by doing what God wants me to do and what makes me feel complete. I no longer have patience for people who say ‘I cannot do that.’”

Joel’s interest in the environment, and the faith aspect to sustainability, is what spurred him to get involved in his parish. “I love the environment but people are more important than the environment.

When I started this journey I asked myself, ‘I’m just one guy, whatever can I do?’ I had a conversation with my sister; she and I shared in the journey of returning to our faith. She asked me if I had introduced myself to my priest. At the same time, I was praying about how to implement sustainability in my parish. I was praying for my next step, and my sister was telling me to introduce myself to

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my priest.” Joel laughs, at the concept that again his prayers were answered through a conversation.

“So I met with Fr. Mark, and talked with him about my mission. We had our first meeting in November of 2002. It’s not just an environmental group. It’s really about the world community and how we fit in. It’s about social justice.”

Joel compares his mission to that of John Woolman, a Quaker abolitionist who lived in the 1700s and sought to convert hearts.

“Woolman’s message struck me. I don’t need to worry about others, but just do what I can do. We tend to latch on to what we’re passionate about. When it comes to the environment, what I try to do is talk about my personal sacrifice.

I have moved so that I’m able to walk to work. Now,

I buy gas about once a month, instead of once a week. I buy locally-grown produce and eat organic food. There is sacrifice in the cost; I pay about 75 percent more. My house was built in a sustainable way, on a shaded lot, so I don’t need air conditioning.

I use compact fluorescent lights (CFL). I have the luxury to do these things, so I felt called to do it.”

St. John Student Parish has since implemented earth friendly practices, including a special Earth Day liturgy, the use of CFL bulbs and free-trade coffee after Sunday Masses.

Joel concludes, “The goal is to evangelize the parish ... the Holy Sprit is telling us, me, to make some changes.

We have a moral obligation to use prudence, and common sense. ...

People are in poverty, are homeless or starving to death. We have a moral obligation to stop this. Every day, we hear bishops’ statements about stopping abortion but never hear about global warming. It, too, is a life issue.” ministry focus

Visit the parish Web site at www.msu.edu/~stjohnsp/, and select the Christian Service link for information on how to start a group at your home parish, information on Michigan Interfaith Power and Light or to attend a Catholics for a Just and Sustainable World meeting. The group offers speakers, email newsletters and service opportunities.

This greenhouse was built for religious sisters – not plants The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known to most as the IHMs, spent two and a half years renovating their motherhouse in Monroe, Mich., focusing on care for the earth as well as care for their elderly sisters. The $56 million renovation included: • Geothermal well for heating and cooling.

• Gray-water system that pumps sink and shower water out to a constructed wetland where it is cleaned and returned to the system for use in the toilets.

• Improved use of natural light, and paints low in volatile organic compounds.

The project received a Clean Air Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an Honorary Affiliate Member Award from the American Institute of Architects and a $6,000 community energy project grant from the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services.

According to Sr. Janet Ryan, “Our founders’ call was to respond to the needs of the world. In this century, we’ve come to understand the Earth is abandoned in many ways.

People don’t realize it’s a living organism and must be treated with care. We consider sustainability a moral mandate for the 21st century.” Fittingly, the motherhouse reopened on Earth Day, 2003. For more information, visit www.ihmsisters.org.

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your marriage matters Digital Vision

a continuing series to help you strengthen your marriage

5 ways to keep tabs on your credit m o n e y

t i p

Hopefully your payment habits and credit history were part of an open discussion before marriage, and you share the same bill-paying attitudes now. Our habits are tracked daily, and readily shared with any inquiring lender. These habits can make or break a family’s future. What rate of interest, how much “down”, or whether credit is granted rests on your credit score.

Follow these tips to stay on top of your credit rating:

A strong credit history will work to open doors for your family so you can reach your financial goals. – John Morris

it’s what you do that matters! t i m e

m a t t e r s

Quality is not the same as quantity!

Sitting down in the evening with the family to watch a T.V. program is not the same as sitting down for an evening of games and interactive fun. Simply staying at home and “doing” individual things without active family interaction doesn’t accomplish the goal of building up the family unit. Fixing supper together, eating at the same time – at the same table – and cleaning up the kitchen together can be enjoyable, even if it only takes 20-30 minutes. Make your time together “quality time.” – Tom and JoAnne Fogle Time tip: No one claims not to have time to pray before meals because it would put you behind schedule for the day. The same is true when prayers are integrated into other areas in your family life. Designate events or places that will automatically trigger a prayer – for example, when you drive past a church or cemetery. (Tip from Time Management for Catholics by Dave Durand) December 2004

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love languages: 5 ways to grow in intimacy c o n n e c t i n g

Growing in love over the years of marriage doesn’t happen by itself. You can’t take it for granted. You need to learn the great languages that communicate love. The second greatest commandment says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Shouldn’t this apply to our spouses most of all? Many of us interpret this to mean we should love our spouses in exactly the same way as we would want to be loved. Wrong! Each of us experiences love uniquely.

For example, if a husband is very busy and comes home one night with flowers and candy, he might think he’s really pouring on the love. But perhaps his wife would feel more loved if they simply spent more time together. In my own relationship with my wife Patty, if I want to really tell her how much I love her, I can do things around the house that need to be done. Here are five languages of love that are described in Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages. Figure out your love languages and share them with your spouse. Then find creative ways to communicate this.

1 2 3 4 5

Words of affirmation Quality time Receiving gifts Acts of service Physical touch – Tony Sperendi

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1 Learn what a good credit score is. The higher the better.

2 Obtain your credit report occasionally. It may have wrong or old information. You have a right to see your report.

3 Pay off any old disputes or collections, then make sure reports reflect that.

4 Do everything in writing, and be patient. Bureaucracies move s-l-o-w-l-y.

5 Pay bills on time! Do you know what you gain by paying late fees on a loan? Nothing!

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Lansing area Worldwide Marriage Encounter is holding a Marriage Encounter weekend March 5-7, 2005 at the Hampton Inn in Lansing. Call (877) 743-3615 for more information.

are you tired of keeping up with the Joneses?

m o m e n t

Asking for and Accepting Help Him: It’s hard for us to ask for help, yet you asked for some water at the well.

Her: It’s hard to admit we’re not perfect. Our sins, small and large, pile up like stones, building a wall between us.

Together: We each in our own ways have been unloving, unforgiving, nursing grudges under crusty shells. Deliver us from ourselves!

Her: We often like to put “us” first – Yet you prayed we’d put others’ needs before our own.

Him: You set aside your glory to put on our flesh. Can we not put aside our pride?

– Pat Nischan

hurt and forgiveness: how can we have romance when we’re not getting along? r o m a n c e

&

i n t i m a c y

For romance to take place, couples have to enjoy being in each other’s presence in and out of the bedroom. That can be very difficult when there has been a build-up of hurts or resentments. In his book, Rekindle the Passion While Raising Your Kids, Anthony J. Garcia talks about how intimacy comes in many forms. Most of us only want the warm and fuzzy, gentle, sustaining, low-conflict form of intimacy. But there is also the intimacy of honest conversation, where anger and conflict are directly faced.

Many of us try to avoid this scarier side of intimacy. It is important, however, for a couple to confront and discuss openly those things that come between them. We must be as committed to having the same kind of passion for communication and conflict resolution as we have for physical intimacy. Learn to practice forgiveness, and don’t let hurts build up over time just to keep the peace. Confront them and “fight” for the marriage. The deepest intimacy occurs when we seek and offer forgiveness. Many couples have testified that “making up” after a big disagreement has led to some of the most romantic moments of their marriage. – Rick and Diane Peiffer

What can I do when my family envies the lifestyle of other families?

Keeping up with the Joneses is the title of Susan J. Matt’s recent book, which notes that this popular phrase was first used in 1910.

By 1926, an essay in the Christian Advocate illustrated the way consumers had rewritten the Tenth Commandment – “Thou shalt not be outdone by thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not be outdone by thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his car, nor anything – irrespective of its price or thine own ability – anything that is thy neighbor’s.” Envy helped mass marketers sell products. In earlier centuries, most people didn’t have detailed knowledge about the lifestyles of the wealthy. As people learned more about luxuries, envy became acceptable, according to the wisdom of the world.

To avoid envy, figure out why you feel “green.”

Is it pride? A longing for status? One who envies will never be satisfied. There is always something else to own, more money to possess. A proverb from the Talmud says, “At first, evil inclination is as slender as a spider’s thread, and then it becomes strong as rope.”

Envy was called “the diabolical sin” according to St. Augustine (CCC #2539) and it is easy to see envy beginning as the slender thread.

Those who envy take pleasure when misfortune befalls others and the envious may turn to sinful means to obtain what they want.

It is reasonable to have the desire to own the same things as other people, but those who are not envious recognize it may not be possible to do so, and are not consumed with the need to acquire.

Give of your time and talent.

Envy is based on comparison, but the comparison is limited to those who have more worldly possessions and power. When we imitate Christ by serving others we have the opportunity to extend our comparisons in different directions. Volunteer to help refugees settle into the community or spend time at a local food bank. The heart that is giving feels the blessings God has given, a comparison that is unlikely to generate envy.

It takes effort.

There are many temptations that promise happiness but actually provide only short-term pleasures. True happiness flows from our relationship with our beloved Creator.

The Holy Spirit helps us pray and the Eucharist nourishes us. It takes effort and deliberate choices to avoid envy. Contentment is counter-cultural in our society, but as the Gospel tells us, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

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p r a y e r

j o u r n e y

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t h e

– Dr. Cathleen McGreal

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feeling down? how to find joy when you feel joyless – beating depression during the holidays s p i r i t u a l

f i t n e s s

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We all go through times when we are down or low. Some people suffer from this more than others, especially during the holidays.

Why is this? Holidays are supposed to be fun and joyful! Many times they are, but they also can open up painful memories and instill extra anxieties. Sometimes depression is related to a chemical imbalance caused by a lack of light.

The winter blues are real; doctors have studied the condition for a while, and appropriately, named it Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. During the winter months, daylight wanes and darkness grows, triggering chemical changes in our bodies that can lead to sadness or anxiety.

Of course, the holidays bring other factors that can trigger “the blues.” They add stress to people who are already stressed, work for people who are already overworked and expectations on those already pushed to the limit. There are increased financial and social demands. People may feel overwhelmed because they have to shop, go to parties, host parties themselves, decorate, send cards – and do it all in a couple weeks. Somewhere in all this, we can lose Jesus. Now that is depressing!

Also, because holidays are often very special family times, those who have lost loved ones may feel their absence more acutely. Holidays become a painful reminder of loss. And then, of course, we all are faced with the emptiness of over-commercialization which blurs the true meaning of the season and real source of our joy – Jesus Christ.

How can a person deal with the blues that can come in this season? We cannot be little Grinches who try to steal Christmas, nor December 2004

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his has been difficult for me to write, because just before I was asked to write it, I was going through a dark time myself! God’s timing, though.

I’ll reveal some of the fruit of my own struggle. How can we work through our dark times – and even find joy – when we feel joyless?

Focus on the present. Do not compare today with the “days of the past.”

When you notice yourself feeling sad, say to yourself, “No! Hot!” Consider the gift of the moment and express your faith that God is with you. A simple sign of the cross or praying the Our Father may be helpful.

Repetition is the mother of learning, so keep working on this new mental habit.

Good feelings will eventually follow.

Sadness is often associated with loneliness. When we are down, we do not want to be with others. Resist this. Be like the shepherds who went to Bethlehem – volun-

teer some time by visiting hospitals or nursing homes. Jesus is there. Go Christmas caroling. Jesus is there. Say “yes” to party invitations. Do not be a Scrooge. Jesus is there.

Take some time to enjoy the beauty of the season. Turn on some Christmas music. Take a walk or drive to enjoy the lights and decorations. Live in the moment. Some people hate snow – but really look at a snowflake sometime and appreciate its intricate and delicate beauty. God created it for us. Think about the wondrous gift of Jesus. God made everything through him and for him. Jesus is the central point of the whole universe.

He is not only the reason for the season.

He is the reason for everything. Can we really ever make a big enough deal out of His birth? “God so loved the world that He gave us his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die, but might have eternal life .” (Jn 3:16) God bless you and have a merry Christmas!

Scrooges who “bah! humbug!” it away.

Feelings of gloom do not go away by turning off the season.

One thing I have found helpful is to understand that dejection is not an enemy, but a

sign. It is emotional darkness that points us to “move on, change your attitude and thinking.”

My little nephew was reaching for a hot plate and someone yelled, “NO! HOT!” He stopped immediately. The words “No! Hot!” were a

For our Spiritual Fitness this Christmas season, we practice being present to the “present” of Jesus Christ.

Make a list of all the activities you think you must do. Cut out what is unnecessary; prioritize. Include time for quiet and rest, time for immediate family and especially, time for Jesus. Remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

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sign he understood. When people suffer feelJust hearing that proclamation can bring us ings of melancholy, they may become frozen in out of a dark place. The present, the here and a place of pain or anxiety. The dark feelings now, is the moment at which eternity touches produce more sad thoughts that, in turn, prous. God is eternally now. Now is the acceptduce more bad feelings. “O what a able time. Now is the day of salvawretch I am,” says St Paul. “Who How can a person tion. God makes every day and will save me from this? Thanks be deal with the blues every moment new.

If we start to think of sadness as to God for Jesus Christ our Lord.” that can come in (cf. Romans 7:13-25) this season? We a sign that says, “No! Hot!,” we can begin to break the pattern of Yes, Jesus saves us from all cannot be little things! He saves us from this. To Grinches who try dark thoughts and feelings. We draw out of our distress we to steal Christmas, can turn our thoughts to Jesus, make a choice to draw close to nor Scrooges who our light. His light shines in the darkness and the darkness does Jesus. We stand in his light. “bah! humbug!” not overcome it. (John 1:2) So when When we do, the darkness it away. shrinks. How interesting to we focus on dark feelings, we know that to treat SAD, the sufferer is treatmust hear our minds say, “No! Hot! Do not go ed by being exposed to more light! He or there.” Instead, seek Jesus. Say his name. she feels better by being in the light!

Think about him as a baby in the manger.

The Good News of this season is this, How poor. How little. He wants you to be “Today in David’s city a Savior has been born there with him. He is happy you are there to you, the Messiah and Lord .” (Lk 2:11) Today! with him.

What does depression sound like? Here is a first person account It takes the greatest effort to get out of bed in the morning. I am tired all day, yet when night comes, sleep evades me. I stare at the ceiling, wondering what has happened to my life, and what will become of me.

Nothing is getting done at work.

I have projects to complete, but I can’t think. I try to focus on my work and I get lost.

I keep wondering when the boss will discover how little I have accomplished.

My wife does not understand.

She keeps telling me to “snap out of it.” I'm irritable all the time, and yell at the kids, then I feel terrible later.

Nothing is fun any more.

I can’t read, and the music

I used to enjoy so much does nothing for me. I am bored, but I feel like doing nothing.

There are times, when I’m alone, that I think that life is hopeless and meaningless and I can’t go on much longer. – Anonymous

How do you know if you’re depressed?

What if you’re not just feeling “down in the dumps,” or if you’ve been “blue” for a long time?

The following are some signs of clinical depression. If you have experienced several of these symptoms for more than two weeks, you should call a mental health professional: • Concentration is often impaired.

• Inability to experience pleasure.

When the shepherds were in the fields, it was night. But in the darkness, God was there!

Angels exploded the darkness and the message given to the shepherds was believed! The shepherds did not just sit around after the angels told them that a Messiah had been born. They were not frozen in the darkness.

The light of God was breaking through and moving them to act. They chose to act in faith and considered the possibility that the Messiah had come to them. When they acted in faith at that moment, they found Jesus!

The same will be true for us in this holiday season. Jesus said, “Your father in heaven knows all that you need. Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides.”

(Matt 6:33) In our holiday madness, we must not miss the moment!

Jesus is there.

– Fr. Bill Ashbaugh

• Increase in self-critical thoughts with a voice in the back of one’s mind providing a constant barrage of harsh, negative statements.

• Sleep disturbance or inability to fall back to sleep • Feeling fatigued after 12 hours of sleep.

• Decrease in appetite or food loses its taste.

• Feelings of guilt, helplessness and/or hopelessness.

• Thoughts of suicide.

• Increased isolation.

• Missing deadlines or a drop in standards.

• Change in personality.

• Increased alcohol/drug use.

Clinical depression is treatable, usually with a combination of cognitive therapy and medication.

(Dartmouth College, Dept of Counseling and Human Development)

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t’s easy amid the commercialization of the Christmas season to forget that Santa Claus has his origins in a third-century bishop of our faith named St. Nicholas.

According to a Web site devoted to this venerated man (www.stnicholascenter.org), St. Nicholas was born in 271 A.D. in Patara, a village in Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the needy, the sick and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God when he entered a monastery and later became its abbot.

In recognition of his devout nature, he was made Bishop of Myra while still a very young man.

Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith and was exiled and imprisoned. After his release, he participated in the Council of Nicaea in 325. He is thought to have died around December 6, 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic of sorts – called manna – formed in his grave.

To celebrate St. Nicholas’ feast in the traditional way, why not encourage your children to switch from a Christmas stocking to a shoe this year? For young children, creating a “wooden” shoe out of felt or foam can be an easy-to-assemble craft project.

To start, draw and cut out for them a three-part outline of a wooden shoe – two mirror-image sides and a base.

A length of seven or eight inches is a good size.

Tack the pieces together with thread or yarn; joined together, they should form an upright shoe that bulges a bit in the middle.

Have your kids decorate the shoe with paints, glitter, foam pieces, bells, ribbons, beads, etc. And advise them to set it out on December 5 in anticipation of St. Nicholas’ arrival.

This liquid substance was said to have healing powers and helped foster the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death later became a day of celebration – St. Nicholas Day. Over the years, many legends have risen up around St. Nicholas. One of these involves a poor father who had no money to apply to dowries for his three daughters, who were then in danger of being sold into slavery. Hearing of the family’s plight, St. Nicholas was said to have anonymously tossed a bag of gold through an open window in their home. The bag landed in stockings or shoes left to dry by a fire. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes in anticipation of gifts from St. Nicholas.

This is a particularly strong tradition in the Netherlands, where children leave wooden shoes filled with carrots and hay outside their door on St. Nicholas’ eve. The unusual stuffing is meant to feed St. Nicholas’ steed, a white horse.

If the child who owns the shoes has been good, he or she is rewarded with candies such as chocolate coins, which harken back to the legend of the three daughters. Cookies in the shape of alphabet letters, fruits and small gifts may also be left inside the shoes.

red garment), his appearance (a long white beard), and the concept of a Santa helper. In the Netherlands, Sinterklass is accompanied by a fellow named Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) who assists him in his rounds and sometimes disciplines those children who are found a little wanting.

can read them The Story of Saint Nicholas, written by Victor Hoagland, C.P. and reproduced online at http://sss.cprtyon.org/prayer/c hild/nick.html.

Your final job is to fill it with chocolate coins, cookies, fruit, nuts or small toys.

When they come out of their bedrooms on the morning of St. Nicholas’ day, you

Enduring Dutch Christmas customs Other Dutch traditions that have influenced our celebration of Christmas may be found in Santa’s outfit (a

The many churches of St. Nicholas As the St. Nicholas Center Web site notes, its namesake is so widely revered that 2,000 churches have been named after him worldwide. In Michigan, those structures include St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church (Grand Rapids), St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church (Detroit), St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Churches (Ann Arbor and Troy), St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Burton), and St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church (Cross Village).

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You can come home again Debbie Hill never forgot what it was like to be Catholic – why did she come back?

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ebbie Jean Hill “never forgot the smell of lavender and holy water” in the convent at Resurrection Parish when she was a child. Her mother cleaned the nuns’ residence, and Debbie sometimes tagged along. She had been baptized at Resurrection and taught her catechism by the nuns whose house her mother cleaned.

Eventually, she was confirmed. And then, like many others, she left the Church.

It was a few things that caused it – one of the nuns had frightened her to the point of speechlessness in Religious Education. Sister had thrown some of the boys, including Debbie’s brother Joe, up against the wall when she was angry. The girls were belittled.

Debbie was “afraid to raise my hand to ask to go to the bathroom, and afraid of what would happen if I didn’t.” And most of all, although she loved the Baltimore Catechism they used in class, she was afraid to ask questions about what Sister was teaching.

Then she grew up and met a wonderful man, Keith Hill.

They wanted to get married, and had a deadline – her brother was the best man and he was home on a brief shore leave from the Navy. But Keith needed an annulment and there wasn’t time to get one before her brother had to leave again. So Keith and Debbie were married in the Methodist church where Keith was a member and they began a life together as Methodists.

On their first anniversary, Keith became ill – his juvenile diabetes flaring dramatically.

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Over the course of the next 19 years, he would lose his legs, his sight, most of his hearing and eventually, his life. Debbie thought they might never have a child due to Keith’s health problems, but they were blessed with one son, Keven. He was baptized as a Methodist and raised in his father’s faith.

For Debbie, the Amish community near Keven is the great miracle of Ovid, finding a deep sense of her life, and his father’s life. peace and holiness there. She When he was only three, and her employer, Keven called 9-1-1 an orthopedic suras Keith lapsed Debbie wishes all into a diabetic Catholics who have geon, still donate free medical servcoma. Debbie left could feel the rushed home from same peace, grace ices to the Amish work to find the and love she experi- and Debbie is grateful to them paramedics resus- ences in Christ’s citating her huspresence. She says, for their constant band, and credits “It costs you nothing prayers for her ailing husband. But Keven with saving but your time.” it wasn’t home for his life. her; she missed the angels, the Although Debbie attended the Methodist church, she was saints and the Eucharist.

As Keith developed endstill searching for her spiritual stage renal disease in 1995, home. She spent a lot of time in the 1980s with members of Debbie read to him from

spiritual literature, including descriptions of heaven with its host of angels. It seemed to quiet Keith’s agitation and fear. On the last day of his life, 14 days before their 20th anniversary, Keith began humming quietly in his hospital bed and raised his arms up as if in prayer. No one could force his arms down, and when Debbie asked him if he saw angels, his face lit up with a smile. He slipped into a final coma a few minutes later, and Debbie thanks God for his peaceful death.

Debbie was devastated after losing Keith, but continued to search for God and his home for her. She began asking her mother questions,

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looking for the answers she couldn’t get from her childhood religion teacher. Her mother, Frances, was thrilled; change was the peace that all of her six children had left overwhelmed her the first time she went to a Friday the Church by the time they night Adoration and Holy were adults and Debbie was Hour at Resurrection. She the first one who seemed to says that walking into the be making the journey back. church was coming home In 2002, Debbie needed and she has never missed a major artery surgery and her Friday night since then. mother came to the hospital Debbie wishes all Catholics with a bottle of holy water from Lourdes. As she blessed who have left could feel the same peace, grace and love Debbie, there were tears in she experiences in Christ’s both their eyes. presence. She says, “It costs In July of that year, Frances you nothing but your time.” was diagnosed with cancer.

The priest and nuns had She died within 14 days of the changed, too. Debbie was diagnosis. Debbie’s sister, Libby, called Fr. Koenigsknecht amazed at how patient her parish priests are and how at Resurrection and he came much time they spend with down to Holt to anoint parishioners. She was excited Frances. Debbie says that Fr. by all the youth activities and K, as everyone calls him, opportunities, because she brought her mother peace believes the today’s youth are and helped bring their family the future of the Church, just home. as “we are yesterday’s future.”

Debbie began to haunt the If we don’t give teens time church after her mother’s and attention, death; she says they will leave. she “might have The biggest Debbie was the driven Fr. K nuts” change was the first member of with all her ques- peace that overtions. But he whelmed her the her family to answered them first time she went return to the Church after her all, and Debbie to a Friday night mother’s death, says his patience Adoration and but she wasn’t the with her was a Holy Hour at last. Her sister sign that the Resurrection.

Susan came back, Church had really and brought her husband changed.

Walter, who had never been She noticed other changes baptized. He was welcomed as well – carpeting, the into the Church at the Easter removal of the altar rail, girl altar servers – but the biggest Vigil of 2004. Her sister Libby

Welcome Home!

Welcome Home Sunday is Dec. 5. Participating parishes in the Diocese of Lansing will host special activities to invite Catholics who have been away for a while to Remember, Reconnect and Renew. Some of the planned Welcome Home campaign events include: • Television, billboard and newspaper advertising.

• Coffee hours and breakfast receptions after Masses in some parishes.

• Testimonials from returned Catholics in some parishes • A toll-free diocesan telephone number for information about returning to the Church – 1-877-82FAITH. • A regional reception at Jackson Middle School.

• St. Mary in Adrian will hold its annual Catholics Coming Home program beginning Dec. 9. (517) 436-6370.

• Follow-up programs in some parishes.

• www.welcomehomesunday.com has links to parish Web sites and information for returning Catholics.

Check your local Catholic parish for more information about what’s available in your area. was confirmed and Libby’s best friend, Janice, became a Catholic. Debbie was her sponsor. Cece has also returned. Susan, Debbie and Walt were later clothed with the scapular of the Carmelite secular order and are active with that group’s prayer chain and Angels of Hope program.

The whole family volunteers at the parish – cleaning the church, helping the school and working at the parish’s annual ox roast. Debbie is about to begin a term on the parish council and says, “I don’t know where this journey is leading me, but I hope I can learn from them.” Her

dream is to work for the diocese one day.

There are three other members of Debbie’s family: Joe, Sevie, and Tom. Debbie is praying they will soon join her at home; she wants her whole family to “feel what I feel.”

And Debbie believes that the Catholic Church is her true home. Although she searched a number of other places, she feels there was an indelible mark placed on her – “If you were baptized Catholic, there’s something pulling on your heart and soul. It’s Jesus.”

OnceCatholic.org is an informative, helpful and healing Web site for those who have left the Catholic Church.

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Welcome Home Sunday what’s my role? how do I invite someone back?

I’m not comfortable with all this evangelizing stuff.

Isn’t this the priest’s job?

As baptized Catholics, we are all called to evangelize. Jesus asks all of us to do his work in the world by caring for the poor and sick, feeding the hungry, and spreading the Good News of his love for us. Evangelization doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stand on the nearest street corner preaching – it can be as simple as letting people know you’re Catholic and how important and life-giving your faith is. A true evangelizer draws on the gifts of his or her baptism to bring the Gospel into every human situation, convinced the power of that Gospel will draw people toward its giver, Jesus Christ.

My neighbors don’t go to church. I picked up an invitation to Welcome Home Sunday – do I just mail it to them?

Welcome Home Sunday is about invitation, not notification.

It’s like inviting them to your family’s Thanksgiving dinner – you’d greet them at the door, sit with them, share the meal with them, wouldn’t you? The same is true of our Eucharistic meal – plan to bring your friends with you to Mass, sit with them and help them find the pages in the missalette or hymn book, and then maybe go out for breakfast afterward so you can chat about the experience and answer questions.

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Two of my adult children don’t go to church anymore, even though they know that’s where they should be on Sundays. How can I make them show up on Welcome Home Sunday?

You can’t. Welcome Home Sunday is an opportunity for renewal and reconnection, not a time to force people to go where they don’t want to be. The most important thing you can do for your children is to pray for them and to be open to them wherever they are in life. A judgmental attitude can do more damage to the work of evangelization than any program could ever compensate for.

Remember, actions speak louder than words. If you are living the Gospel message with your whole heart, your life will be a light to those around you, including your children. St. Francis explained evangelization best – “Preach the Gospel always. Use words when necessary.”

What do I do afterward? Should I make sure my fallen-away friends get church envelopes?

It might be best not to push too hard too fast. Be open to questions and conversation about your faith. This might require some study on your part – great for all of us! Don’t be tempted to bring up the subject of the Church every time you see them. A daily presentation of their need for the Church may begin to feel like haranguing, and can do more harm than good. Be patient. Pray.

What if they say “no?”

Welcome Home Sunday is just one opportunity to invite Catholics to remember, reconnect and renew. It may be a bad time for them, or they’re still hurting for one reason or another. Remain open and let them know the invitation is good any Sunday of the year – we are always ready to say, “We’ve missed you, welcome home!”

Ideas for Evangelization: • Be nice. You know the old saying, “you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

• Let people know how your faith enriches your life.

• Don’t judge, don’t preach, don’t expect.

• Do invite, do encourage, do pray.

• Love your neighbor as yourself – how would you respond if someone asked you to do something you weren’t ready for? How would you react if pressured?

Simple things to do at church: • Smile!

• Say “hello” to the person next to you.

• Introduce yourself and start a conversation – say, “I’m glad you’re here.” www.FAITHmag.com | www.welcomehomesunday.com

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Political Asylum and Immigration Rights Law Clinic opens at Ave Maria

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Clean Water for Uganda

Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor has opened a clinic to provide legal representation for those involved in immigration cases, including the Violence Against Women Act and asylum proceedings. The services will be offered to clients at no charge.

This semester, students are representing asylum seekers who are fleeing genocide and political persecution. Students will also be assisting immigrant women who have been victims of domestic violence. Clinic staff will be collaborating with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network to write appeals for detained immigrants across the country.

A mortgage burning and church consecration in Chelsea St. Mary Parish in Chelsea built a new church in 1965 and had it blessed in 1966. However, at that time a building that carried a debt could not be consecrated, so St. Mary’s never was. In 2004, the church paid off its mortgage and to celebrate, pastor Fr. Bill Turner asked the bishop to perform a consecration ceremony. On Sept. 19, Bishop Mengeling, Msgr. George Michalek and Fr. Turner anointed the altar and four places on the walls, and consecrated the church of St. Mary. Candles were mounted on the walls above the anointed spots, and those can be lit for special celebrations in the future. After the ceremony, the parishioners burned the mortgage and held a reception.

When Fr. Robert Kamara filled in for Fr. Terry Dumas’ sabbatical in 2001, the parishioners of St. Patrick Parish, Ann Arbor, had a life-changing experience. Fr. Robert described life for rural Ugandans – their poverty and their inability to find clean drinking water. After Fr. Robert’s return to Uganda, Old St. Pat’s decided to do something to help the village of Kasali in the diocese of Fort Portal, Uganda. They started by funding the YAFE project (Yerya Action for Empowerment), which enables local families to begin or expand small businesses. YAFE has been funded by $6000 annual contributions for the past three years. More recently, a group of parishioners began a fund to construct 20 wells in the village to provide access to potable water. Currently, the villagers get their water from polluted streams and unprotected shallow wells. Catholic Relief Services and HEWESA (Health through Water and Sanitation), a program of the Diocese of Fort Portal, are managing this effort. Donations are welcome – contact St. Patrick Parish at (734)662-8141.

Make a Difference Day...Work-a-thon 2004 On Oct. 8, students from Lansing Catholic Central High School donated more than 2,000 hours in the first Make a Difference Day...Work-a-thon 2004. After a kickoff rally with Mayor Tony Benavides, nearly 650 volunteers headed off to 38 nonprofit agencies throughout the area.

They did everything from yard work at the Tri-County Office on Aging to serving lunch at Volunteers of America. The photo shows Alex gardening at Mother Teresa House.

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I Am David Jim Caviezel, now famous for his portrayal of Jesus in The Passion, returns to the screen in I Am David, the story of a 12-year-old boy who escapes an East European prison camp, and journeys across the continent.

David has never experienced a world at peace and he embarks on an odyssey in which he must deliver a secret letter to Denmark, a place he’s never heard of. His travels teach him the meaning of courage, trust, laughter and hope. In addition to Caviezel,

the film features Dame Joan Plowright and Ben Tibber as David. I Am David opens Dec. 3 and is rated PG. Paul, Contending for the Faith Stephen Ray, a parishioner at Christ the King, Ann Arbor, takes you on a journey through the life of St. Paul in Paul, Contending for the Faith, a

newly-released DVD in the award-winning Footprints of God: The Story of Salvation from Abraham to Augustine series.

Released by Ignatius Press, this presentation of Paul’s adventures was filmed on location in Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Italy.

Filmmaker Stephen Ray travels extensively and spends time researching and writing about the Catholic faith. He has written sev-

eral bestselling books and produced the first four videos in the Footprints series.

More information is available at www.ignatius.com

Send FAITH Magazine your story ideas and win a copy of Paul, Contending for the Faith. A random drawing will be held in December from all ideas submitted. If you know someone whose faith journey has moved you, let us know. Call (517) 342-2594, e-mail: esolsburg@dioceseoflansing.org or FAX (517) 342-2537

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Common Conference 2004 “Put out into the deep” The Fourth Common Conference of the Diocese of Lansing, Put out into the Deep, took place at the Lansing Center on Oct. 21-23. The conference was crowded with those who minister in the parishes of the diocese, whether as paid staff or as volunteers. The bishop opened the gathering with a prayer service and participants successively listened to keynote speakers Paul Wilkes, John Findlater and Eleanor Brownell to begin each day. All three were highly enthusiastic, provided innovative ideas for successful parish ministry and spoke with humor and energy. After each presentation, attendees headed off to their individual group sessions, where they engaged in discussions about youth ministry, catechetics, education, business and a host of other topics relevant to their roles.

The exhibit hall was filled with representatives of diocesan offices, bookstores and other vendors. Particularly popular exhibitors were the fund-raisers who distributed free pizza and cookies. Visitors to the exhibit hall were able to purchase classroom materials, browse through new textbook series and support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development by buying gifts from underdeveloped countries.

On Friday morning, after the opening prayer session, the gathered conferees sang Happy Birthday to Bishop Mengeling.

On Thursday evening, after Mass, many participants attended the bishop’s banquet and were entertained by storyteller and juggler Tom Sparough, the “space painter.” On Friday evening, Cathy Guinan and Mary Lou Hahn-Setta of St. Mary Parish in Chelsea hosted a musical variety show, Let Us Entertain You. The show featured Sheri Wohlfert, Fr. Jim Shaver, Fr. Bill Ashbaugh, The Apostolic Threesome, The Jammin’ Grandmas and the Lansing Catholic Central High School cast of The Wizard of Oz.

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things to do Victorious Missionaries will sponsor a Day of Renewal for persons with disAbilities on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the St. Pius X Parish Center, Flint. The day begins at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a Christmas party. For more information, contact the office of Ministry with Persons with disAbilities at (517) 342-2500.

The Ministry with Persons with disAbilities will host their annual Christmas Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 8 at the Diocesan Center in Lansing. The celebration begins at 2 p.m. and ends at 5 p.m. All persons with disAbilities and their families are invited to attend.

December Café events St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Brighton, together with the First United Methodist Church of Brighton, is holding an ecumenical Taizé Prayer Service on Friday, Dec. 3. The service begins at 7 p.m. at First United Methodist at 400 East Grand River. Taizé is a meditative common prayer composed of song, scripture and silence, which allows the mystery of God to become tangible through the beauty of simplicity. For more information, call Loretta Job at (810) 229-8561.

There may even be a visitor from the North Pole! Call Joann Davis or Sr. Marlene Taylor at (517) 342-2500 to make reservations.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Michigan Center is holding a continuous raffle in 2005 to benefit the parish education fund. Cash prizes totaling $15,500 will be given away each month, with the top monthly prize being $10,000. Tickets are $100 and can be ordered by phone at (517) 764-2088 or 1-800-900-0990.

The principal of Lumen Christi High School in Jackson is retiring.

Information about the search for his successor can be obtained at www.lumenchristiprincipalsearch.com or by writing the Lumen Christi Principal Search Committee, P.O. Box 781, Jackson, Mich. 49204, or sending an e-mail to lcprinsearch@yahoo.com .

Support Catholic education; help our search.

On Dec. 8, Bishop Mengeling will celebrate Mass at Immaculate Conception Parish, Milan in honor of their 150th anniversary. Mass will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.

This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the promulgation by Pope Pius IX of the Immaculate Conception as dogma.

Correction: Patricia Majher was not credited for What I did on my Spring break, (FAITH, Nov. 2004).

FAITH regrets the error.

december readings

Sunday, Dec. 5 Second Sunday of Advent Is 11:1-10 Ps 72:2, 7-8,12-13,17 Rom 15:4-9 Matt 3:1-12 Wednesday, Dec. 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation, US) Gn 3:9-15,20 Ps 98:1-4 Eph 1:3-6,11-12 Luke 1:26-38 Sunday, Dec. 12 Third Sunday of Advent Is 35:1-6a,10 Ps 146:6-10 James 5:7-10 Matt 11:2-11 Sunday, Dec. 19 Fourth Sunday of Advent Is 7:10-14 Ps 24:1-3,4ab,5-6 Rom 1:1-7 Matt 1:18-24

Saturday, Dec. 25 The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Vigil: Is 62:1-5 Ps 89:4-5,16-17,27,29 Acts 13:16-17,22-25 Matt 1:1-25 or 1:18-25 Midnight: Is 9:1-6 Ps 96:1-3,11-13 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12 Ps 97:1,6,11-12 Titus 3:4-7 Luke 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10 Ps 98:1-6 Heb 1:1-6 John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5,9-14 Sunday, December 26 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Sir 3:2-7,12-14 Ps 128:1-5 Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 Matt 2:13-15, 19-23

Nun and king team up for the Immaculate Conception Nestled in rolling foothills of Spain, “La Purísima,” (Convent of the Immaculate Conception) was founded in 1619 by the family of Venerable Sor María de Ágreda.

Sor María was a prolific writer and visionary. Her extraordinary biography of Mary, entitled Mystical City of God, captured the attention of King Felipe IV of Spain. An enduring friendship resulted, documented in over 600 letters between them.

Frequently Sor María lobbied the king to promote the Immaculate Conception, a doctrine about Mary’s sinlessness which had gained popular support in the Church since 850 AD, but which had yet to be promulgated officially as dogma. In 1655, inspired by the recent election of Pope Alexander VII, she made a special plea to the king, and he formed a council to promote the Immaculate Conception within the Holy See. To this day, Marian scholars credit Sor María and Felipe IV for their impact on Alexander VII’s 1661 decree, a document cited as pivotal in the development of the doctrine, and unequaled until Pope Pius IX pronounced it dogma in 1854.

While Sor María never physically left her cloister, she unswervingly supported missionary work in colonial America and would have been thrilled to learn that in 1846, the Immaculate Conception was named patroness of the United States – Marilyn Fedewa

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Cardinal James Hickey dies Michigan native Cardinal James A. Hickey, the retired archbishop of Washington, D.C., died Oct. 24 after a long illness. He was 84.

“He always showed the face of the church to the poor,” Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington, D.C., told The Washington Post. “For me, that ... really summarized the whole kind of man and whole kind of vision Jim Hickey had.”

Public viewing of the late cardinal’s body was scheduled for Oct. 28 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and Oct. 29 in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The funeral Mass was scheduled Oct. 30 at the national shrine. Burial was in the St. Francis Chapel at the cathedral.

In a telegram, Pope John Paul II recalled Cardinal Hickey’s “unfailing commitment to the spread of the Gospel, the teaching of the faith and the formation of future priests.”

– Mark Zimmermann (CNS)

Washington exhibit pays tribute to women religious

Catholic prison program stresses faithbased rehabilitation

God’s Women: Nuns in America, the newest exhibit at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, celebrates the impact religious sisters have had on American history and culture.

The overarching theme of the exhibit is joy. The women called to serve God are filled with joy in their vocation, which reaches out to the people they serve and to society as a whole.

Women religious “are woven into the history of this country,” said Penny Fletcher, the center’s deputy director.

“Their vocation won people over.”

The exhibit, which runs through Jan. 30, is a tribute to nuns in America. It begins with a collection of more than 50 nun dolls from the 1950s that is on loan from the Museum of Catholic Art and History in New York City. The dolls’ habits were made by members of the various orders represented and are authentically detailed, from the special medals and rosaries to the fabric used.

“It’s a time capsule of what habits were like in the 1950s,” said Callahan.

The accompanying exhibit cases are dedicated to different aspects of religious life as seen through American history.

Ten years ago, Ron Zeilinger asked about 350 Catholic prison chaplains what they needed most for their work and found out they desperately wanted Bibles and religious study materials.

With that in mind, he founded Dismas Ministry, a program to provide such materials to inmates and chaplains free of charge.

The program, now four years old, is named for the patron of prisoners – the criminal described as the good thief crucified alongside Jesus on Calvary.

According to Zeilinger, when he visits inmates he see “a lot of humility there.”

“The ones who are really trying to change and have changed, there’s been some profound spiritual conversion and they are very humbly grounded in what they’ve done, who they are and the forgiveness that they know is there,” he said.

Zeilinger cited statistics from the federal Department of Corrections showing that inmates who experienced faithbased rehabilitation are far less apt to return to prison once they are released.

Visit www.DismasMinistry.org for more information.

– Angela E. Pometto (CNS)

– Sam Lucero (CNS)

December 2004

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D Suffering people of Sudan remembered at Washington vigil At an interfaith candlelight vigil Oct. 13 in downtown Washington, D.C., participants were urged not to forget the suffering people of Sudan.

“History has shown us what happens when the world stands idly by,” said Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services, which sponsored the vigil. “It’s not too late to take action.”

Hackett, who visited Sudan in August, recalled the atrocities of Rwanda and Kosovo and urged the crowd to spread the news of Sudan to their families and to their congressional representatives.

About 70 people attended the vigil, which was held at Freedom Plaza. The diverse crowd of demonstrators – which included people of different religions, races and ages – prayed for an end to the suffering in Sudan.

More than 1.2 million Sudanese have been displaced within the region of Darfur, and at least 50,000 have been killed in militia attacks. The Sudanese government-backed militia known as the Janjaweed has stormed villages, killing men, raping women, and burning and looting communities. The fighting is a result of conflict between African rebels and the Arab-run government.

An estimated 200,000 refugees have fled from Sudan to camps on the Chadian border, and according to the World Health Organization about 10,000 of the refugees are dying every month.

CRS, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, has pledged $6 million to relief efforts in Sudan and Chad.

The agency has identified three major threats to the refugees – disease, food shortage and an inadequate amount of support. It estimates that one-third of Darfur’s population of 6 million people will need emergency aid by the end of the year.

– Moira E. McLaughlin (CNS)

uring this season of Christmas we are considering the Tenth Commandment, the one about coveting things. At a deeper level, we ask ourselves, not simply what we want in terms of material things, but what we want that will fill our hearts and souls with love and happiness.

Materially, the question arises – how much is enough? It’s a question that bothers those of us who have consciences that are alive.

For those who have put their consciences to sleep, only God knows what’s in their souls.

How much is too much? Is my life cluttered with too many things? What about my spiritual life? Whom, not what, do I love? Am I loved? Do all of the gifts -- both given and received -- bury the gift that God has given us, the gift we celebrate at this time of the year?

We live in an economic system in which self-interest and acquisition fuel the engine of our economy. It is the mother’s milk of our advertising industry and its siblings, the media. They, for their part, drive us to consume, consume, consume more.

Our world, however, is finite. There’s only so much oil. Our natural resources have a point at which they will be exhausted. Our environment can support only so much waste and the by-products of our rapacious consumption. We must ask ourselves why we are acquiring and consuming so much.

Advent causes us to shift our focus, to lift our vision from what is immediately present and to look to the horizon – the limit of our earthly vision. “For what are we hoping?” we ask.

The desires to improve our lot and to accumulate wealth to pass on to our children and grandchildren are not bad desires.

They are, in fact, quite laudable. The pursuit of happiness is one of the flames of desire, which God has put deep within us. God has made us to seek and to find. The divine fire within us is put there, however, so that we seek love, so that we seek the One who is love. God wants to be pursued – what lover doesn’t want to be sought out? So whom (and what) are we pursuing?

The glitter of this world is fool’s gold, cheap substitute for the family hearth, a false god to lure us from the One who is love.

During Advent, consider – “How much is too much? How much is enough? For what am I hoping?”

Those with faith ask these questions because they quest – they have faith there is an answer, and they believe in the One who made us to quest.

May your Christmas lead you, with the Wise Men, to the answer you seek.

– Fr. Charles Irvin

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For parish information and resources for returning Catholics: www.welcomehomesunday.com – or for a one-on-one conversation, call (877) 82-FAITH. See pages 24-26 for more information on how you can be a part of this effort to welcome back those who are no longer regularly attending Mass. Parish participation will vary.

TM

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