Four County Catholic January 2015 by Diocese of Norwich

Volume 27 Number 1

January 2015

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Four County Catholic January 2015

If there were no difference of opinions, that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be normal.

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- Pope Francis, as quoted by Bishop Cote, encouraging open debate within the Church as a healthy experience.

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27 Num ber 1

Januar y 201 5

Mother Elaine, SCMC, welcomes legendary UCONN Basketball Coach, Jim Calhoun, to St. John School, Old Saybrook. Mad e Pos sible in part

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Four County Catholic January 2015

The Most Reverend

Michael R. Cote, D.D.

Bishop of Norwich

A Momentous Year Ahead

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The words chosen for last month’s cover of the Four County Catholic were, “A Weary World Rejoices,” from the familiar Christmas carol, O Holy Night. It has certainly been an increasingly weary world of late. We must remember the companion lyrics to those words are, ‘The Thrill of Hope.” As we now welcome a new year, we can expect a very active next twelve months with regard to just about every subject or cause of importance to us as Catholics. It will be thrilling in many respects, historic perhaps and definitely hopeful. The thrill of hope, as provided by our faith, is with us as we embark on 2015. Without interruption from one year to the next, we will continue, through parish initiatives and diocesan ministries, to comfort and help the poor, the distressed and the vulnerable. My deepest gratitude goes to those ministries and volunteers on the frontline of our efforts to help our brothers and sisters. We are blessed by the good works of Catholic Charities, the St. Vincent de Paul kitchens

and food pantries, our outreach to Haiti as the poorest Country in the Americas and each and every parishioner who contributes as a true friend of the poor. This ever-continuing mission is in faithful alignment with the core mission of the Church as supported so vigorously by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Looking forward, we know that the importance of the family will be one of the most pivotal subjects of the New Year following last year’s initial Synod to help define the many challenges facing the family today. It will be in October, 2015 that the second Synod on the family will assemble to determine what the Church can do to help today’s family prosper in their faith and strengthen both Church and society. Following spirited discussions among the Synod fathers at last year’s meetings, Pope Francis has made it clear that open and honest disagreement is healthy. “It all seems normal to me. If there were no difference of opinions, that wouldn’t be normal” is how the Holy Father expressed the space he has been clearing for open debate. This is, in his words,

“space where the Holy Spirit may endeavor.” We trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit to bring forth an outcome that serves and honors the family. We are further encouraged and delighted that in September, 2015, Pope Francis will be visiting America, only the fourth pope to ever visit our Country. His visit to Philadelphia will coincide with the Seventh World Meeting of Families, further confirmation that the family is front and center on the Holy Father’s vital list of the Church’s central concerns. It is so appropriate and energizing that the theme of the World Meeting of Families will be “Love is our mission: the family fully alive.” According to the Vatican, there is a possibility that the Pope may also accept the U.S. Congress’ invitation to appear before both houses in Washington, just down the street from Philadelphia. It would be a first. Certainly, Pope Francis is comfortable with “firsts.” He would be addressing the 114th Congress who by then

may have already enacted changes to the Affordable Care Act or will be considering modifications that may address the objectionable mandate. This just might be a meeting “made in heaven” for this

legislative initiative. As we enter the new year, sadly we are still facing the scourge of terror as Christians across the Middle East are being persecuted, as evil extremism in the false name of religion has become an expanding global threat. We must be strong of faith and pray without ceasing that the Light of Christ will soon pierce the darkness of this inhumanity against all good people in a world grown weary of senseless violence. The thrill of hope gifted to us by our Lord and Savior will see us through this strife and will help guide us through all the challenges and opportunities lined up for this momentous new year. Wishing you every blessing as, together, we meet 2015 with the force of faith and optimism. We are an ever-hopeful community of faith. To borrow a message from the World Meeting of Families, “Love is our mission.” Sincerely yours in Christ’s love,

Love is our Mission Pope who is open to new pathways and a new Congress hopefully open to more cooperative and less partisan thinking. Close to home here in Connecticut, we are watching pending legislation debate over making this the fifth state in the Union to allow assisted suicide. This is a subject on which all the Connecticut Dioceses will keep its parishioners informed. The Catholic position on this matter is respect for every second of God’s plan for us. Interfering with that plan is against the teachings of our faith. We will keep you apprised of how you can be heard in this public discussion and how you can help defeat this

Bishop Michael R. Cote

Un Año Transcendental Por Delante Queridos Hermanos y Hermanas: Las palabras elegidas en la portada de Four County Catholic el mes pasado fueron, “Un Mundo Cansado Regocija”, de la conocida canción de Navidad, Oh Noche Santa. Ha sido en los últimos tiempos un mundo cada vez más cansado. Por supuesto, las liricasque acompañan esas palabras son, “La Emoción de la Esperanza.” A

medida que celebramos un nuevo año, podemos esperar en doce meses un papel muy activo con respecto a cualquier tema o causa de importancia para nosotros como católicos. Será emocionante en muchos aspectos, histórico quizás, y sin duda esperanzador. Mientras nos embarcamos en el 2015, la emoción de la esperanza, según lo dispuesto por nuestra fe,

está con nosotros. Sin interrupción de un año al siguiente, continuaremos consolando y ayudando a los pobres, los afligidos y los vulnerables a través de iniciativas parroquiales y ministerios diocesanos. Mi más profundo agradecimiento a aquellos ministerios y voluntarios en primera línea de nuestros esfuerzos para ayudar a nuestros her-

manos y hermanas. Somos bendecidos por las buenas obras de Caridades Católicas, las cocinas y comedores de la Sociedad de San Vicente de Paul, nuestro alcance a Haití como el país más pobre de las Américas y a cada uno de los feligreses que contribuye como un verdadero amigo de los pobres. Esta constante misión es fiel en alienación con la misión principal

de la Iglesia firmemente apoyada por el Santo Padre, el Papa Francisco. Mirando hacia el futuro, siguiendo al primer Sínodo del año pasado sabemos que la importancia de la familia será uno de los temas más cruciales del nuevo año Un Año Transcendental or Delante

Continued on page 4

Four County Catholic January 2015

Un Año Transcendental Por Delante Continued from page 3 para ayudar a definir los múltiples desafíos a los que se enfrenta la familia de hoy. Será en octubre,2015 que el segundo Sínodo sobre la familia se reunirá para determinar que puede hacer la Iglesia para ayudar a la familia de hoy paraprosperar en su fe y parafortalecer ambas Iglesia y sociedad. Tras intensos debates entre los padres sinodales en las re-

uniones del año pasado, el Papa Francisco ha dejado claro que el desacuerdo franco y honesto es saludable. “Para mí todo parece ser normal. Si no hubiera diferencia de opiniones, eso no sería normal” es como el Santo Padre expresó elespacio que él ha ido aclarando para un debate abierto. Este espacio es, en sus palabras, “espacio donde el Espíritu Santo

puede tratar.” Tenemos la confianza en la guía del Espíritu Santo para lograr un resultado que sirva y honrea la familia. Además, nos alienta y nos complace que en Septiembre, 2015, el Papa Francisco visite Estados Unidos, sólo el cuarto papa que visita nuestro país. Su visita a Filadelfia coincidirá con el VII Encuentro Mundial de las Famil-

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ias, otra confirmación de que la familia está al frente y al centro en la lista vital del Santo Padre y en las preocupaciones centrales de la Iglesia. Es tan adecuado y energizante que el tema del Encuentro Mundial de las Familias será “El amor es nuestra misión: la familia completamente activa” De acuerdo con el Vaticano, hay una posibilidad de que el Papa también pueda aceptar una invitación al Congreso de los E.E.U.U. para aparecer ante ambas casas en Washington, justo al final de la calle de Filadelfia. Sería una primicia. Sin duda, el Papa Francisco se siente cómodo con “primicias.” Él se dirigirá al Congreso 114O que para entonces ya puede haber promulgado cambios en la Ley de Asistencia Asequible o estará considerando modificaciones que puedan abordar los mandatos censurables. Esta podría ser una reunión “hecha en el cielo” para este Papa quien está abierto a nuevas vías de pensamiento y esperanzado aun nuevo congreso abierto más cooperativo y con un pensamiento menos partidista. Muy cerca de aquí en Connecticut, estamos viendo debatesdelegislaciónpendientesobre hacerque se permita el suicidio asistido en éste el quinto estado de la Unión. Este es un tema en el que todas las Diócesis de Connecticut mantendráninformados a sus feligreses. El respeto por cada segundo del plan de Dios para nosotros es la posición de la Igle-

sia Católica sobre este tema. Interferir con eseplan va en contra de la doctrina de nuestra fe. Le mantendremos informado de como usted puede ser escuchado en el debate público y como puede ayudar a vencer esta iniciativa legislativa. Al entrar en el nuevo año, por desgracia, todavía nos enfrentamos a la lacra del terrorismo a medida que los cristianos en todo el Medio Oriente están siendo perseguidos, el mal del extremismo en el falso nombre de la religión se ha convertido en una creciente amenaza mundial. Debemos ser fuertes en la fe y orar sin cesar para quela luz de Cristo pronto traspase la oscuridad de esta crueldad contra toda la gente de bien en un mundo cansado de la violencia sin sentido. La emoción de la esperanza regalada a nosotros por Nuestro Salvador nos verá a través de esta lucha y nos ayudará guiándonos a través de los desafíos y oportunidades organizadas por este nuevo año trascendental. Deseándole cada bendición, juntos, nos encontramos enel 2015 con la fuerza de fe y optimismo. Somos siempre una comunidad de fe esperanzada. Un mensaje prestado del Encuentro Mundial de las familias. “El Amor es Nuestra Misión.” Atentamente en el amor de Cristo, Obispo Michael R. Cote Translated by Paulina Angulo

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Father Greg Galvin 860-887-9294 www.God-Calls.org Office of Vocations • Diocese of Norwich, CT • vocations@norwichdiocese.net

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Director of Priestly Vocations

Reverend Gregory Galvin A very Holy and Happy New Year to all! As the Christmas season winds down and comes to a completion on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, January 11, 2015, we are praying that God’s love as expressed to us through the Incarnation of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, is renewed in your heart for the coming year. May the New Year be filled with many graces and blessings, especially of good health for you all and a continued growth in the gift of your faith! Thank you all for your many prayers for our seminarians and the many Christmas gifts cards and spiritual bouquets that were sent in for each of our seminarians. The men are each very appre-

ciative of the support and especially the prayers that so many from around the diocese continue to offer for them. They enjoy very much receiving the prayer post cards that people have been sending them on a regular basis. It is important that they know your desire to have hard working, devoted, well educated, priests who

Pope Francis @Pontifex • Recent Tweet The Christian family is missionary: it announces the love of God to the World.

are trying their best to continue to grow in holiness themselves and to assist in leading each of you to holiness. We had a wonderful gathering on the fifth evening of Christmas at Bishop Cote’s residence, celebrating the birth of our Lord with the seminarians, their parents, interested candidates from around the diocese and some of the men I have been working with at

UCONN. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers as they now will head back to their studies for the second semester. A BOOK FOR THE NEW YEAR – As 2015 gets underway, I ask especially parents whose sons may have at some point during high school or early college expressed a possible interest or desire in discerning a priestly vocation to consider calling the vocation office and requesting a copy of Father Brett A. Brannen’s book; A PRIEST in the FAMILY. This book is a guide for parents whose sons are considering priesthood and will assist in answering many of your questions as parents. Even if your son has not yet expressed this desire, I highly rec-

ommend that as parents you consider calling us for a copy as a way of preparing for the possibility that God might call your son to consider this vocation. We will be happy to send a copy to you at no charge to you! Next month I will review the recent SEEK CONVENTION I attended in Nashville Tennessee with forty nine students from UCONN, Fr. John Antonelle, the pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Storrs, and about 9,000 other college students from across the country. Again, thank you to all for your continued prayerful support and assistance for our present and future seminarians. A very Holy and Happy New Year!

Holy Hour for Vocations The Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich, leads the Holy Hour: Father Greg Galvin, Director of Priestly Vocations vocations@norwichdiocese.net

(860) 887-9294

www.God-Calls.com

January 15, 2015 • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Saint Mary, Norwich February 19, 2015 • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Saint Mary, Stonington Reverend Brian Christopher Maxwell, Ordained to Priesthood on May 25, 2013, by the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Norwich

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Jeffrey Ellis 3rd Year Theology Mt. St. Mary Seminary Emmitsburg, MD

Peter Langevin 3rd Year Theology Mt. St. Mary Seminary Emmitsburg, MD

Thomas Grifﬁn 3rd Year Theology Blessed John XXIII National Seminary Weston, MA

Four County Catholic January 2015

Thursday, January 15 Healing Mass As part of this year’s National Catholic Schools Week activities, a live discussion will address the importance of Catholic schools in the context of the New Evangelization, and will be available to diocesan and ministry groups through MyUSCCB at https://usccb.force.com/MN4. Wednesday, January 21 Senior Renewal Day Father Roger Couture, OMI, invites all seniors to join him for this month’s program entitled

“The Parable of the Ten Virgins.” from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Fee is $10.00 and includes lunch.To register or for more information please call Immaculata Retreat house at 860-423-8484 or log onto www.immaculataretreat.org. Wednesday, Jaunary 21 March For Life Buses January 22, 2015 marks the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s infamous abortion-on demand ruling. On Thursday, people from across the nation will assemble in

IMMACULATA RETREAT HOUSE A Ministry of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate 289 Windham Road, Rte. 32 Willimantic, Connecticut

SENIOR RENEWAL DAY: Father Roger Couture, OMI, invites all seniors to join him for this month’s program entitled “The Parable of the Ten Virgins.” on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Fee is $10.00 and includes lunch.

MARRIED COUPLES RETREAT: March 13-15, 2015 - Plan now to attend! Recover and/or renew the excitement and personal peace in your Sacramental marriage. Register at (860) 4238484. This is the 4th year of running these semiannual retreats. Over 70 couples married as many as 60+ years and as few as 1, have already benefitted from the experience of a weekend away devoted to marriage. Presenters include: Fr. Ron Meyer, O.M.I. and a team of married couples. Grace is unlimited, but space is limited, so register early.

GRACE FOR THE GARDENER: Next retreat for Gardeners: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 9 AM to 4 PM. We will share catalogues and seed exchange. Retreat fee is $25.00.

To register or for more information: Phone: 860-423-8484 E-mail: info@immaculataretreat.org

Washington, D.C. to visibly express their opposition to abortion. On Wednesday, at 9:00p.m., buses sponsored by the Southeast Chapter of Connecticut Right to Life will leave from the Norwich Municipal Parking Lot (Exit 80, I-395) and travel to D.C. to attend the March For Life on January 22. Bus fare is $65.00 per person. (Reduced rate available for students) For further information or to reserve a seat or to sponsor a seat, please call Margaret Becotte at 860-822-1362. Wednesday, January 21 Day of Recollection “Sloshing Through Ordinary Time” with Fr. Pat Bergquist. For more information or to register, please call St. Edmund’s Retreat at 860-536-0565 or visit www.endersisland.com. January 25-31 National Catholic Schools Week This year’s theme, “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” focuses on the important academic, faith-building and societal contributions provided by a Catholic education. Saturday, January 24 Unbound Prayer Ministry At the Spiritual Renewal Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich. By appointment only. For more information please call 860-8870702. Monday, January 26 Healing Mass At 2:00 p.m. Spiritual Renewal Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich. For more information please call 860-887-0702.

Saturday, February 6 Leaders and Prayer Group Members Meeting – Part II From 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.at Spiritual Renewal Services Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich. For more information please call 860-887-0702.

Wednesday, February 4

Television Mass At 10:00 a.m. Channel 20 WTXX, Charter. Channel 11 WCCT, Comcast Celebrant is Father Ray Introvigne.

Prayer, Praise, Worship and Adoration Every Tuesday Evening at 6:30 p.m. Spiritual Renewal Center, Norwich. For more information please call 860 887-0702.

Sunday, February 8 18th Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for the Gift of Consecrated Life The 18th Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for the Gift of Consecrated Life will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Nor-

wich. All are invited to join Bishop Cote in thanking God for the gift of consecrated life and for the sisters, brothers, and religious priests who enrich the Church and build up God’s Kingdom with the witness of their religious commitment. The theme is Wake up the World, with their testimony of faith, holiness, and hope. The homilist will be Father Raymond Borkowski, O.F.M. Conv., the former pastor of Saint John Parish in Cromwell and currently Parochial Vicar of Saint Paul Church in Kensington, CT. Sunday, March 8 St. Patrick’s Day Mass Join Father Mark O’Donnell with a bagpipe procession into the Cathedral of St. Patrick, Norwich to celebrate a Green Mass with members of the Hartford and New London Divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). Mass begins at 10:30 a.m. Many participants plan to stay on after the Mass to march in the 2nd annual Norwich St. Patrick’s Day Parade scheduled for 1:00 p.m. later that day. All are invited to attend. Sunday, March 8 Lenten Program featuring Dr. Paula Martasian Norwich Diocese Council of Catholic Women the Willimantic District invite all ladies to a Lenten Program featuring a light lunch and presentation by Dr. Paula Martasian 1:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, 99 Jackson Street, Willimantic. There is no admission fee for this event. For more information please call Lynda Nappi at 860-423-5064 to make a reservation.

Four County Catholic January 2015

“Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are YOU (your name) not more important than they? Can YOU by worrying, add a single moment to your life-span? --- So DO NOT WORRY -- but SEEK FIRST the KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ALL these things...

The Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich, has made the following clergy and diocesan appointments in the Diocese of Norwich:

Clergy Appointments Reverend Tomasz Albrecht, from Leave to Parochial Vicar, Saint Joseph Parish, Norwich, and Saints Peter & Paul Parish, Norwich. Effective: January 28, 2015. Reverend Richard Breton, Parochial Vicar, Saint John Parish, Old Saybrook and Saint Mark Parish, Westbrook, to Administrator, Saint Joseph Parish, North Grosvenordale, and Saint Stephen Parish, Quinebaug. Effective: January 28, 2015. Reverend P. Gregorz Jednaki, Administrator, Saint Joseph Parish, North Grosvenordale, and Saint Stephen Parish, Quinebaug, to Pastor, Saint Philip the Apostle Parish, Warrenville, and Saint Jude Parish, Willington. Effective: January 28, 2015.

Reverend Russell Kennedy, Administrator, Saint Philip the Apostle Parish, Warrenville, and Saint Jude Parish, West Willington, to, Pastor, Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Middletown. Effective: January 28, 2015.

“will be GIVEN to YOU BESIDES!” Matthew 6:26, 27, 31, 33

Leaders and Prayer Group Members Meeting – Part I Saturday, January 3, 2015 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Spiritual Renewal Center, 11 Bath St. Norwich, CT

Prayer, Praise, Worship and Adoration Every Tuesday Evening at 6:30 pm Spiritual Renewal Center, Norwich, CT

Healing Mass, Monday, January 12, 2015 at 2:00 pm Spiritual Renewal Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich, CT

Unbound Prayer Ministry Saturday, January 24, 2015 Spiritual Renewal Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich, CT By appointment ONLY. Please call 860-887-0702

Reverend Martin Noe, Parochial Vicar, Saint Mary Parish, Stonington, Saint Michael Parish, Pawcatuck, and Saint Thomas More Parish, North Stonington, to Parochial Vicar, Saint John Parish, Old Saybrook and Saint Mark Parish, Westbrook. Effective: January 28, 2015.

Healing Mass, Monday, January 26, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Reverend Christopher Zmuda, Parochial Vicar, Saints Peter & Paul Parish Norwich, and Saint Joseph Parish, Norwich, to Parochial Vicar, Saint Mary of the Visitation Parish, Clinton. Effective: January 28, 2015.

Leaders and Prayer Group Members Meeting – Part II

~ Monsignor Robert L. Brown, Chancellor ~

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intentions for January That those from diverse religious traditions and all people of good will may work together for peace.

Norwich, CT (860) 887-7468 www.mmpct.com New London, CT (860) 701-9171 www.mmpnl.com

Spiritual Renewal Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich, CT

Television Mass Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at 10:00 am Channel 20 WTXX, Charter Channel 11 WCCT, Comcast Celebrant, Fr. Ray Introvigne

Saturday, February , 2015 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Spiritual Renewal Services Center, 11 Bath St., Norwich, CT

“Everyone’s welcomed to these programs!

spiritual renewal services Diocese of Norwich

Dial-A-Prayer (860) 887-7767

P.O. Box 6 • 11 Bath Street Norwich, CT 06360 • (860) 887-0702 email: Renewal@catholicweb.com

Four County Catholic January 2015

Year of Consecrated Life On November 29, 2014, the entire world-wide Church began the observance of the By Sister Elissa Rinere, CP, JCD Office of Worship

For the Answer go to Page 14.

Year of Consecrated Life. The term “consecrated life” refers to the path chosen by men and women who dedicate themselves to Christ and the Gospel by means of vows, usually vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. There are different forms of consecrated life in the Church. The most familiar is a religious institute of men or women, but there are also different kinds of apostolic societies or secular institutes, all of which are to be celebrated through this year. In announcing the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis said that, of course, everyone is called to follow the Lord, but those who chose consecrated life follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way. He said: “It is this witness I expect of you. Religious should be men and women able to wake up the world!” The theme for the year of celebration is “Wake up the world!” There are literally thousands of religious orders in the Church today. Some are ancient, like the Benedictines who trace their roots back to Saint Benedict in the fourth century. Others such as the Jesuits, of which Pope Francis himself is a member, were founded almost five centuries ago. Many religious congregations of women were founded in the nineteenth century, in response to social and educational needs associated with the Industrial Revolution. Other groups might be more recently established, in the last one hundred, fifty or even ten years. Usually, each group

claims a founder or foundress who was inspired to gather companions to address a particular need in the Church. Each group follows a particular spirituality, and each claims a particular charism, or

gift of the Holy Spirit, which guides the mission and ministry of all the members. To begin the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis issued an

apostolic letter on November 21, 2014. The letter is addressed to all members of institutes of consecrated life, and it names three goals for the year. First, that every institute will look back to its founding charism with gratitude. He wrote: “To tell our story is to praise God and thank him for all his gifts.” Second, Pope Francis calls on all those in consecrated life to “live the present with passion,” to be guided by the message of the Gospel, and to seek new ways of bringing the Gospel to all people. “The creativity of charity,” Pope Francis wrote, “is boundless.” The third goal is that those in consecrated life will embrace the future with hope; a hope not based on statistics, but based on God’s promises. This is a particu-

larly poignant message for so many religious institutes in Europe and the United States where there is much concern over the lack of new membership. The final section of Pope Francis’ letter is addressed to all laity. First he speaks to those laity who have associated themselves with different religious orders as partners in prayer or in ministry. He urges these people to “live this Year of Consecrated Life as a grace which will make you more aware of the gift you yourselves have received.” Then, Pope Francis speaks to the entire Church. He asks the “whole Christian people” to be increasingly aware of consecrated life as a gift to the whole Church. Where would the Church be, he asked, without religious orders and all they have contributed to the Church? Finally, Pope Francis extends an invitation to the whole Church to become better acquainted with those men and women who are members of institutes of consecrated life: “...to rejoice with them, share their difficulties and to assist them, to whatever degree possible, in their ministries and works,” since their ministries belong to the whole Church. As the Year of Consecrated Life gets underway, watch for notices of special events aimed at bringing various religious orders together with each other and with the larger community of the Church. The first of these events is scheduled for Sunday, February 8, 2015, when all religious houses - convents, monasteries, abbeys are asked to open their homes to the public and share with visitors their way of life, charism and ministries. As one author put it, this year is intended to be a coming together for the sake of the Church’s presence in our world today. May its goals be accomplished.

Four County Catholic January 2015

Generosity Abounds in the Diocese of Norwich He said to them in reply, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Luke 3:11

What do 76 parishes and 4 missions in the Diocese of Norwich have in common? The most By Kathy Gaito

ously and not with a stingy heart; for that, the LORD, your God, will bless you in all your works and undertakings. The land will

Stewardship Coordinator

generous and giving parishioners. Every year the parishes in the Diocese of Norwich rise to the task of helping others by supporting the ministries of the church through the Annual Catholic Appeal. Aptly titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Shine the Light of Hopeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the 2014 Annual Catholic Appealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal was to offer... Hope to those who are alone in the world Hope to the child who goes to bed hungry Hope to the homeless Hope to those in need of spiritual guidance Hope to our Catholic schools and Hope to all in need, served by our ministries! At the writing of this article, we are excited to report that we are currently at 95.24% of our goal of $3,148,775.00 for the 2014 Annual Catholic Appeal, allowing the great work of our ministries to continue. With 12,972 gifts received, averaging $231.18 per gift to-date, we have exceeded our participation and contribution amount of the previous year. The purpose of the Annual Catholic Appeal is to make a better tomorrow for those among us who are burdened with poverty and hardship. With your help, the Diocese of Norwich is on its way to accomplishing this. If one of your kindred is in need in any community in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand against your kin who is in need. Instead, you shall freely open your hand and generously lend what suffices to meet that need. When you give, give gener-

never lack for needy persons; that is why I command you: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Open your hand freely to your poor and to your needy kin in your land.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Deuteronomy 15: 7-8; 10-11 The last sentence in the quote from the book of Deuteronomy above rings true throughout society today, including the Diocese of Norwich. That is why your financial support is so very important. While our ministries are able to make inroads, helping those who are in need, there is always more work to be done. Many of you are members of

The Christopher Society. If you are not familiar with The Christopher Society, it was established in the Diocese of Norwich to recognize those who make valuable leadership contributions to the Annual Catholic

Appeal. Like Saint Christopher who carried the Christ child safely on his back, guarding him against a raging river, members of The Christopher Society help lead those in need to safe harbors. Each year, members of The Christopher Society are invited to a leadership dinner with Bishop Cote. The dinner provides an opportunity for donors to hear from people whose lives have been touched by the ministries supported through the Annual Catholic Appeal. If you are able, please consider joining The

Christopher Society by making an Annual Catholic Appeal contribution of $1,000.00 or more. Your stewardship and generosity is tremendously appreciated at all levels. Thank you for opening your hands and your heart to the ministries in the Diocese of Norwich. Together we are Shining the Light of Hope making our diocese a bright place to live for those

in need. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already contributed to the 2014 Annual Catholic Appeal and would like to do so, please contact the Development Office at: Development Office, Diocese of Norwich, 197 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. Call 860-886-1928 or visit us online at www.norwichdiocesedevelopment.org.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Reunifying and Stabilizing Familes Immigration reform continues to be in the news with mixed By Jim Maffuid Executive Director, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Norwich

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Charities’ Immigration program counselors, Rosalinda Bazinet and Alvania Tejada, are getting legal updates on executive action implementation, as well as program management tips to help them

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stay on task to be ready to provide these additional services through our immigration program. The clock is ticking towards opening day for expanded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) eligibility and the new DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Arrivals) program. With the pending changes, Rosalinda and Alvania have been reviewing our services model, fees and structure in preparation for what may be coming down the road. Rosalinda expressed, “we will need to change our fees as well as fundraising strategies and re-

sources to our program to ensure we are able to assist as many clients as possible”. The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. stated that in

the surrounding area of Norwich there are 52,715 Foreign-born immigrants, 15,151 Non-citizen and 5,453 Undocumented. In discussing her program, Alvania stated, “We are a small program with big goals, one of which is to prepare our clients on getting

ready for Executive Actions. She went on to say, “We will be assisting clients by helping them understand the documentation they need to gather now and how to be on guard against fraud. We also will continue to help our Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents in the process of resolving immigration legal barriers to reunify their families”. Catholic Charities is proud to offer professional immigration services at a reasonable cost, knowing that united and stable families contribute to our community and our country.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Meeting Needs, Offering Hope An Interview with Ron Krom, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul Middletown How did your life’s journey lead you to the doorstep of St. Vincent de Paul Middletown? I’ve been active in ministries serving the poor and homeless for more than 30 years. I’ve lived in very poor communities in Latin America, worked in inner-city Seattle and Hartford here in the U.S., and managed housing programs, soup kitchens and food pantries. At St. Vincent de Paul Middletown, I am privileged to be able to provide all of those services in the very neighborhood that I live. What are the principal ways St. Vincent de Paul Middletown serves the surrounding community, and how has that evolved in recent years? We currently have four main program areas: 1) Soup Kitchen, where we serve meals daily and engage folks to help meet some of their other needs; 2) Amazing Grace Food Pantry, where low-income households are eligible to shop for free groceries once every 30 days; 3) Supportive Housing, providing intensive case-management services to formerly homeless and disabled individuals in 70 apartments scattered throughout the area; and 4) Community Assistance/Operation Fuel, where we screen people in many different types of crises and/or emergencies and try to help them with fuel assistance, utility bills, rent, transportation, etc. We’ve been providing most of these services for almost 35 years, although the supportive housing program has grown substantially in the last 7 years. What would you consider to be the most significant challenge facing the ministry? The number of homeless men, women and families in our community. Every day we meet people who are looking for an affordable apartment, supportive housing, or shelter bed. There are simply not enough resources to meet the need. We administer the Warm-

ing Center for the City of Middletown – the fact that 22-28 people lay down on the floor of a church hall each night this winter just isn’t right. We are very involved with local and statewide collaborations to solve this problem, but it’s hard not to feel discouraged as you look someone in the face and talk about wait lists and full shelters. How would you assess the impact of the persistent recessionary economy on your program? Certainly the problems of homelessness that I just mentioned has become more and more challenging in these times. We also are faced daily with many people who would love to be working, but there are just not enough jobs, especially for unskilled workers. When unemployed, people just hang out all day, their idleness and lack of structure and purpose brings with it more alcoholism and other social problems. Even among the poor working class or people living on fixed incomes, we find that the numbers of people facing food insecurity continue to rise. We’ve seen a 50% increase in the number of households that shop at the Amazing Grace Food Pantry in the last seven years. Are there more and different ways the local, state and diocesan communities can help support St. Vincent de Paul Middletown? We are supported in so many ways already – volunteers, donations of food and money, training and professional support, community collaborations, and so on. More support is always welcome – the more we receive the more we are able to share with people

in need. Our agency motto is: Meeting Needs, Offering Hope. We will continue to serve people with the resources we have, and to the extent we are able to meet some of their needs, we also give hope. Is there an experience over the years at the soup kitchen or the food pantry that comes to mind that captures in a moment the spirit of the ministry? For me, it is the look on the face (or their tears of joy) of someone who has been homeless for many years when they get the key to an apartment, completely furnished by a group from a local church. To a chronically homeless person, being chosen for permanent supportive housing is like winning the lottery. The days of thinking about where to sleep, where to shower, where to leave one’s belongings, even where and how to spend the day, are over. One man said, “I can’t wait until it rains, so I can sit by my window and watch it from inside.” We don’t belong sleeping in cars, on benches or steam vents, along our rivers or in the woods – God wants so much more for us. To help someone find and keep a home is precious.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

True Love Waits

Program for Teens was held at St. Mary’s, Coventry Every day our culture is bombarding our youth with misleading, confusing and dangerous Submitted by Susan Williams Office of Family Life, Catholic Charities

messages about love and sex that can lead to devastating repercussions and regrets. The music, movies, TV, commercials, public school, the internet and the innermost personal lives of so many celebrities are the dominant messengers defining love and sex. The reality of sexually transmitted diseases, heartbreak, abortion and lack of human dignity is never in the messages. What are “True Love” and an actual loving relationship? True Love Waits a Catholic and national program for high school students about true love,

sexuality and the values of chastity was held at St. Mary’s Church in Coventry this past October and November on four Saturday afternoons. High school students participated in the program presented by Jim Leonard, who has for over sixteen years presented the program to hundreds of teens in our

diocese, and The Office of Family Life. The final Saturday concluded with a Mass and Commitment

Service celebrated by the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich and Reverend John Antonelle, Pastor, in which students also participated. A beautiful and moving testimony on chastity and true love was given at Mass by a former True Love Waits participant, Valerie Voccio, now a student at St. Joseph University in West Hartford. Following the Mass teens and their families enjoyed a pot-luck reception with Bishop Cote in the church hall. True Love Waits communicates to teenagers the power of commitment and the spiritual, emotional and physical values of remaining sexually pure as a single person, the most loving choice for themselves. True Love Waits is based on God’s definition of love, the teachings of the

True Love Waits Mass and Commitment Service celebrated by the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, and Reverend John Antonelle, Pastor, at St. Mary’s Church in Coventry on November 22, 2014. Church and St. Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body”. Promoting “Abstinence Only” pro-

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grams to teens has proven to work; however True Love Waits elevates this to a much higher level, to the virtue of chastity...the why of abstaining. There is a spiritual and emotional as well as a physical price tag of the choice teens make on sexual relationships outside of a marital relationship. The True Love Waits Program is a way to help parents in supporting their teens to embrace the truth and benefits of a commitment to sexual purity. True Love Waits communicates the preferred alternative to the dangerous “safe sex” and self-satisfaction message being delivered by our culture today. Teens are searching, looking every day for answers to the questions: what is love? How do I know what real love is? True Love Waits and St. Pope John Paul II’s teachings define real love as a selfdonating gift of what is best for the other person; it contrasts with our cultures definition of love which is “lust”, that which is selfseeking and the using of another person. St. Pope John Paul II states,” We are all created for love, to love and needing to be loved, this is to be human”. Chastity frees us to love as God loves and affirms the sacredness of a person’s sexuality and dignity; it is true happiness.

Four County Catholic January 2015

After Reflection, St. Michael Church to Renovate, Not Rebuild Stonington — The gifts have been unwrapped and the wrapping paper long since discarded, but for the By Nancy Lavin Reprint from The Westerly Sun

parishioners of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Pawcatuck, the best present of the season is still unfolding. The Rev. Dennis Perkins, Pastor, announced at midnight Mass on Christmas that the historic structure on Liberty Street that parishioners have worshipped in for the last 150 years will be repaired and reopened in the next two or three years. “After the Mass, people came up to me saying it was the best Christmas present ever,” Perkins said. The building closed in April 2012 after engineers deemed it unsafe for use because of an array of significant structural problems. Services and other activities were relocated to St. Mary Church in Stonington Borough while parishioners and parish staff planned their next move. Initially, a comprehensive study conducted by the church, along with projected cost estimates and comments from parishioners, led to the conclusion that building a new church would be more cost-effective than attempting the substantial amount of repair work needed to shore up the structure. But even a reduced estimate of the cost of a new church that cut the price tag from $12 million to $9 million by slashing the square footage and basement space seemed unrealistic when contrasted with the $2 to $3 million that a recent study concluded could be raised through a capital campaign. “The planning study showed that people were very enthusiastic about the project, but concerned with the cost,” Perkins explained. “To raise, beyond that, $2 or $3 million would really be a stretch.” So the plan was revisited, and parishioners’ prayers to preserve the beloved building were answered. At about half the cost of a new building, repairs to the current structure can begin in the next three to six months, with a projected reopening date of 2017 or 2018. “It’s a target we can reach now,”

said Perkins. “It’s in sight, and people will be able to see some changes going on in six months or so.” A capital campaign will begin in the New Year. Providing that the fundraising effort yields the projected total of $2 to $3 million, the cost of the $4.5 million rebuild will be covered, since the church already has about $2 million from a previous capital campaign. The majority of the repair work will concentrate on the foundation, beams and roof. Vermont Timber Works, a regional company that specializes in creating heavy trusses and has a background in church projects, has been hired to install the timber trusses that will run inside the church’s exterior walls to support the roof. Additional work will be done to strengthen the walls, including relocating the columns currently stationed inside the church. Father Perkins compared the new aesthetics of the building, which will include higher ceilings and exposed trusses under the roof, to the towering wooden churches scattered across the English countryside. The repairs will also allow for installation of new electrical wiring, sprinkler systems and insulation, and the addition of a concrete floor to the currently unfinished section of the basement. “It will allow us to use that space more frequently and more efficiently, which is an added bonus,” said Perkins of the basement refurbishing. Since breaking the news at midnight Mass, Perkins said the community’s reaction has been one of overwhelming support and gratitude. “I think all the feedback from

This 3-D rendering of the proposed structure of a renovated St. Michael’s Church in Pawcatuck. Photo Courtesy the Very Rev. Dennis Perkins. people has just been very positive,” he said. The Diocese of Norwich also supported the choice to rebuild. Diocesan Director of Communications Michael Strammiello described the news as “absolutely wonderful.” “The diocese is watching this project with great admiration,” he said.In recent years, several other churches have undergone significant renovations to their own structures, including St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Willimantic and the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich. But as Strammiello noted, none were as radical as the changes that will take place at St. Michael. “It’s quite a statement about these parishioners and how dedicated they are to preserving their historic

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place of worship,” he said. For Father Perkins and his parishioners, the arduous road to restoration will be worth the effort when services

and events can resume in their native parish. “We’re just excited to be coming home to St. Michael,” he said.

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“Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. “ (CCC #2258) This quote from Donum Vitae underlines what has been the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church-the fifth commandment: You shall not kill. (Ex 20:13, Deut 5:17). With ever increasing threats to human life it is important to clarify this simple truth. This January 22, 2015 marks the 42nd anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Since that date 54, 559, 615 abortions have been performed according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and the Guttmacher Institute. The Catholic Church has always been a prophetic witness to what Saint John Paul II called the “culture of life.” Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii GaudiumThe Joy of the Gospel, highlights one of the world’s greatest problems: individualism. He states: “The individualism of our postmodern and globalized era favors a lifestyle which weakens the development and stability of personal relationships and distorts family bonds. Pastoral activity needs to bring out more clearly the fact that our relationship with the Father demands and encourages a communion which heals, promotes and reinforces personal bonds.” Those words echo the opening sentence of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states: “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.” (CCC 1) With the popularity of words like “choice” we have distorted the reality of what takes place in abortion: an unborn child is killed. The use of language to distort meaning and intent has also crept into another of the world’s problems: relativism. In a poignant passage of Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis notes: “while the church insists on objective moral norms which are valid for everyone, ‘there are those in our culture who portray this teaching as unjust, that is, opposed to basic human rights. Such claims usually follow from a form of moral relativism that is joined, not without inconsistency, to a belief in the absolute rights of individuals. In this view the church is perceived as promoting a particular prejudice and as interfering with individual freedom.’” As Catholics we have the right and moral obligation to live our lives in the public square. Just as there have been threats to human life at its beginning, so too here in Connecticut there have been attempts to introduce Physician Assisted Suicide. National groups such as Compassion & Choices and death with Dignity have been lobbying hard to pass an Aid in Dying bill. The slogan my life, my death, my choice is a popular rallying cry. Individualism and relativism have led to a culture that believes this is acceptable. In an address to the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors this past November, Pope Francis stated: “in ancient thought and modern thought the word ‘kill’ means the same thing. The same evaluation applies to euthanasia: we all know that with so many old people, in this culture of waste, there is this hidden euthanasia…A sin against God the Creator! Think hard about this.” With joy and conviction I encourage each of you to be bold witnesses to the Gospel of Life! Sincerely yours in Christ,

Bishop of Norwich

Four County Catholic January 2015

Don Macrino Appointed Headmaster at St. Bernard School The St. Bernard School community received the good news, December 19, 2014, from the Most From the FCC News Desk

Reverend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, that Interim Head of School and very well known New London and Waterford school administrator, Don Macrino, had been appointed SBS Headmaster through 2018. As Bishop Cote stated in an open letter to SBS faculty, staff, parents, students, alums and friends, “We are convinced that Mr. Macrino is the leader SBS needs now and into the future. Our recent ten-year accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges with its recommendations for growth, as well as a new five-year Strategic Plan which incorporates the Hendricks Challenge Grant will serve to renew the School’s educational program, refresh its infrastructure and create an energized school community. Mr. Macrino has shown that he is the leader who can facilitate the School’s continued path to success...” Brother Lawrence W. Harvey, General Superior of the Xaverian Brothers and Chair of the St. Bernard School Board of Trustees, noted that “Don has a strong track record to lead the school in its forward priorities all geared toward improving student achievement, enhancing its already strong identity

as a Catholic School, and building enrollment.” In speaking to the Four County Catholic staff, Brother Larry shared an insightful story about Don’s unique qualifications for the job. He explained that he knew they had the “right person for the job” the day they were preparing to announce the good news of the Hendricks Challenge early in the fall. As Brother Larry described, “I had been at school most of that day for meetings, and as our preparations were getting underway for the event that would host alumni and friends of the School, Don literally rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He was not directing things from his office, handing out a memo of what was to be set up, rather he was in the lobby of the School arranging tables, reviewing the program for the night, encouraging the students who would perform or greeting other volunteers who were there to help. He met folks coming to the event at the door, warmly welcoming them and setting a perfect tone for the evening. As he spoke that night, it became apparent he was not speaking as an interim leader, rather he spoke personally and with a certain ‘ownership’ of the School and its mission....it was obvious we had the right man for the job.” Congratulations, Don, and congratulations to SBS for having found such a capable and inspiring leader.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Wauregan Knights of Columbus Council Receives Top International Award Mystical Rose Council 49 Celebrates Over a Century of Service to Community Brooklyn, CT – Mystical Rose Council 49, Knights of Columbus, of Wauregan, has earned the disBy John D. Ryan, FDD, Warden Reprint from The Westerly Sun

tinction of Star Council, one of the Catholic fraternal organization’s top awards, for the most recently completed fraternal year. The organization’s Supreme Council, located in New Haven, Connecticut, made the announcement . Connecticut Knights of Columbus State Deputy Thomas J. Vita, 55, of Greenwich, who heads the organization in the state, said Mystical Rose Council 49 is one of only 19 local K of C councils in Connecticut to earn the Star Council Award in the last fraternal year, putting it in the top ten percent among the 190 councils statewide . To earn the award over the course of the year, Council 49 members recruited five new members, successfully promoted the

Knights’ fraternal insurance program and sponsored or participated in more than two dozen service-oriented activities in Wauregan, Brooklyn and Hampton. “Council 49 is a great example of what can be done when a group of faithful and dedicated men work together,” Vita said. “They saved a council that was about to die and then went on to succeed in their parishes and their community. What the Brother Knights from Council 49 have done is a real inspiration.” Council members hung their new Star Council Award on the wall next to their charter and then celebrated during the council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 2, at Sacred Heart Parish Church on Wauregan Road, Route 205, near the town line between Brooklyn and Plainfield. The council has been headquartered and has operated continuously at the church in Wauregan since it

was founded well over a century ago, on January 12, 1889. Council 49 Grand Knight Clifford C. Soucy , 50, of Brooklyn, who joined in 2011 and was elected by his fellow Knights to lead the council over the last two years, calls this award, in his words, “a positive step in our work that started several years ago,” when Connecticut State Council officials and Council 49’s officers made the decision to expand into two nearby churches which had never benefited from a Knights of Columbus council before. Today, in addition to its headquarters church in Wauregan, Council 49’s expansion has led its Brother Knights to serve at Our Lady of La Salette Parish Church , on Route 6 in Brooklyn and Our Lady of Lourdes Mission Church , on Cedar Swamp Road in Hampton. Soucy said that of the organization’s 42 members, 19 have been

On Monday, December 22, 2014, the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, offered Christmas Mass for the inmates at the Corrigan- Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville. In his Christmas message to the men, Bishop Cote spoke of God’s love for us and of the gift of peace which the Christ Child represents. Accompanying Bishop Cote was Sheree Antoch, Director of Prison Ministry for the Diocese of Norwich as well as several Corrigan- Radgowski Religious Services Volunteers. Bishop Cote was assisted at Mass by Deacon Chris Deskus, Catholic Chaplain at Corrigan- Radgowski. Pictured from left to right are Sheree Antoch, Peter Bergan, Bishop Cote, Fred Bruning, Ann Wells, Elizabeth Bonagura, and Vince Rommelle. Submitted by Deacon Christopher R. Deskus

recruited into Council 49 since March of 2011. The new members are Catholic men who range in age from their early 20s to their early 80s, with each of the three churches being well represented by the recently-recruited members. “We’ve been able to do so many things, more than we could ever have time to talk about,” he said. Soucy then reeled off a partial list of Council 49’s activities, including putting on pig roasts for the parishes and fund-raising to help to buy a new ultra sound machine, so area mothers could see their unborn babies, marching in Plainfield’s 2014 Memorial Day Parade, holding a memorial service for the council’s deceased members, helping to clean Sacred Heart Cemetery with local Cub Scouts, co-sponsoring a reception at Our Lady of La Salette Church in Brooklyn for the Most Revrend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, raising money for northeastern Connecticut’s Special Olympics team, and, just last month, hosting a regional event in Brooklyn where the Supreme Council gave away over 275 winter coats to needy, local children throughout Windham County. “This has been a real group effort, with all of us working together,” Soucy said. “It’s been a real effort by all of our Knights and the

people in all our three churches, as well as plenty of help from St. James (K of C) Council 2883 in Danielson, over a long time, to get us here. Five years’ hard work and dedication went into bringing Mystical Rose Council to where it is now. The transformation has been just outstanding,” he said. “This award is here because many Knights worked hard for years to bring the council up from a low point in 2009. That’s really been a great thing for the three churches, the community and the members here at Council 49. It’s a wonderful accomplishment.” Another recently-recruited member is Deputy Grand Knight and Program Director Tyler J. Labranche , of Killingly. At 23, Labranche is one of the young men who are working to bring energy and new ideas to Council 49. “What we’ve done so far is great, but we can’t stop now. We need men from each of our three churches to take the step and join us,” Labranche said. “The more help we have, the more we can do for the churches, the towns and each other. Men can develop their faith with us and do some real good for others. It’s a great opportunity.” For information, Labranche may be reached at (860) 7742596.

Four County Catholic January 2015

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Sister Alice Chicoine July 3, 1921 ~ December 17, 2014 Putnam – Sr. Alice Chicoine, 93, a member of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, died on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 in the Holy Spirit Health Care Center where she had been in residence since November of 2014. Born Alice Simone Chicoine on July 3, 1921 in Evansville, VT, the daughter of the late William and Annette (Lucier) Chicoine, Sr. Alice entered religious life in 1938 and made her religious profession on July 1, 1943 in the Holy Spirit Provincial House in Putnam, CT. She was then known as Sr. Joseph de St. Andre. Sr. Alice served in various ministries throughout her religious life. She attended and took courses at Diocesan Sisters’ College, and Annhurst College in South Woodstock, CT as well as St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT. Later, she attended St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Hartford and earned a LPN from that institution. Problems with her health forced her to curtail her performance as a nurse. She obtained a TESL from St. Michael College in Winooski, VT and taught English as a second language at Annhurst College in 1967. She did pastoral work in Hartford, Sweet Springs, West VA; and New Britain, CT. and migrant worker ministry in 1989 and in 1992 she served as Pastoral Assistant in Gadsden and Anniston, AL. In 2002 she served as Pastoral Assistant in Cambridge, VT. and retired to the Provincial House in Putnam in 2000. Survivors include two brothers, Bill of Murrels Inlet, SC, and Edmond of North Guilford, CT; and two sisters, Theresa Carrier of Glover, VT, and Claire Wolod of McConnellsburg, PA; several nieces and nephews; and grandnieces and grandnephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Daughters of the Holy Spirit Retirement Fund, 72 Church St., Putnam, CT 06260. The Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, CT is in charge of arrangements. For memorial guestbook visit www.GilmanAndValade.com.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

How Pope Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Upbringing Shaped His Role as Reformer Defending Religious Liberty The Catholic Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stand against the federal health care mandate isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t about access to contraception, which is widely available. It is about a government regulation that is forcing the Church to act against its moral principles, thereby, violating religious freedom. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done so already, please voice your opposition to the mandate by calling President Obama at the White House at 202-456-1111 or U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell at 202-205-5445. Let them know that the mandate is in violation of our First Amendment right to religious freedom.

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From his simple lifestyle to his active engagement in diplomacy, Pope Francis has distinguished himself as the leader of the Catholic Church. Jeffrey Brown of PBS, talks to Austen Ivereigh, author of a new biography, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Great Reformer,â&#x20AC;? about the ways the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upbringing in Argentina informed his papal priorities, and his efforts to clean up the Vatican. Jeffrey Brown (PBS): A new biography begins to fill in more of the story of the man, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope.â&#x20AC;? Its author is Austen Ivereigh, a British journalist, former adviser to a top English cardinal, and co-founder of Catholic Voices, a lay group that works to improve the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representation in the media. Austen Ivereigh: I see Pope Francis as in the tradition of a great reformer. And, as I show in the book, in every position heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been in, in the church in Argentina and now, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually done that. Jeffrey Brown: It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean, though, overhauling church teachings. Does it? There was much attention when he spoke out about, for example, saying the church seems to put too much emphasis on homosexuality or abortion. Austen Ivereigh: It was understood at the time as meaning â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by some people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as meaning in some way â&#x20AC;&#x201D; weakening or diluting church doctrine. He wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t saying that at all. What heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s saying is that there is another part of church teaching which we need to understand, which is God loves you, God wants to heal you, save you, the

church is a mother, as well as a teacher. Now, that bit, he thinks, has got lost in perhaps the effort of the church over the last few years to have a kind of clarity of doctrine. So, what heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing is not changing church teaching. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thinning it out and showing it in its fullness. Jeffrey Brown: Some of what he has done has stirred some opposition or controversy within the Church. Right?

Austen Ivereigh: Well, the opposition to Francis is real, and it came to the fore in October, when he called together the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bishops to consider very difficult questions. Now, some of them disliked the way the media was interpreting it. I reckon itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably maybe 20 or 30 out of 190 that were there. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not talking, in other words, about any majority, but nonetheless a group of people who I think

yearn for a certain kind of clarity which they think Francis is not providing. I think he exposes peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attachment to ideology, rather than the Gospel. Jeffrey Brown: Let me ask you where do you think his biggest impact will be? Austen Ivereigh: I think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be massive two achievements in this papacy. The first is the reform for which he was elected, reform of church governance, clean up of the Curia, clean up of the Vatican, finances, that kind of thing. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think he thinks that is the most important thing he will do, but I think actually it is a very important thing. And in the book, I kind of break the story of the remarkable breakthrough that is now happening between Catholics and evangelicals, and this is particularly important of course here in the U.S. Most Protestant Christians are now evangelicals. The Catholic Church hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had much of a relationship with them. He is very much of that ilk. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a charismatic Catholic who knows evangelicals very well. As I believe there will be an important declaration in the coming years between Catholics and evangelicals which will do a lot to end the rivalry between them. I think there will be other things, breakthroughs. But I think those are the two big ones. Jeffrey Brown: All right. The book is â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Great Reformer.â&#x20AC;? Austen Ivereigh, thank you so much. Austen Ivereigh: Thank you.

Four County Catholic January 2015

Vatican Report Cites Achievements and Challenges of U.S. Nuns A Vatican investigation of American nuns begun under the previous pope, prompting protests from outBy Laurie Goodstein The New York Times

raged Catholics, ended in Rome in December with the release of a generally appreciative report that acknowledged the achievements and the challenges the nuns face given their dwindling ranks. The relatively warm tone in the report, and at the Vatican news conference that released it, were a far cry from six years ago when the investigation was announced, creating fear, anger and mistrust among women in religious communities and convents across the United States. “Sorry, folks. This is not a controversial document,” Mother M. Clare Millea, an American nun who directed the investigation, said at the news conference. Instead, she said, it was “a challenge for all of us.” If anything, the report may help spur the process of including women in more decision-making roles in church life, some church observers said. According to the report, some nuns felt that bishops and priests did not welcome their opinions on “pastoral decisions which affect them or about which they have considerable experience and expertise.” The report concluded by citing Pope Francis’ call “to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the church.” But it did not make any concrete suggestions. Pope Francis, who was elected last year and had no role in initiating the investigation, celebrated Mass on Tuesday with some of the nuns and clergymen who carried it out. Mother Millea said that Francis told them he knew the investigation was an “arduous experience,” and said of the nuns in the United States, “Please give them all my blessing.” But the American sisters are not out from under Vatican scrutiny yet. There is still a separate review of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an umbrella group representing about 80 percent of American nuns. The Vatican’s doctrinal office accused that group of hosting speakers and issuing materials that had a feminist cast and strayed from Catholic doctrine. In 2012, the Leadership Conference was put

under the oversight of an American bishop for a thorough overhaul — a process that was supposed to last five years. Sister Sharon Holland, the president of the Leadership Conference, who spoke at the Vatican news conference on Tuesday, said in an interview afterward that her organization had been working “very well” with the overseer bishop and his team, and that the oversight may end sooner than five years. She said there may be a news conference soon to discuss the outcome. She also had an upbeat take on the new Vatican report, saying in the news conference: “It is not a document of blame or simplistic solutions. One can read the text and feel appreciated and trusted to carry on.” The investigation, known as an apostolic visitation, was initiated in 2008 under Pope Benedict XVI with only a vague explanation. The Vatican said it was the largest apostolic visitation ever undertaken in a single country. Cardinal Franc Rodé, the head of the Vatican office for religious orders, said then that the purpose was to examine “the quality of life of religious women in the United States.” The Vatican usually orders an apostolic visitation in the case of a serious problem or scandal, but there was no clear event or cause in this situation. Cardinal Rodé later said he was concerned about “a certain secular mentality that has spread in these religious families and, perhaps, also a certain feminist spirit.” About 350 communities of religious women were sent questionnaires asking about such things as their numbers and mission, prayer schedules, living arrangements, financial assets and property. Nearly 80 investigators visited 90 communities of nuns. Some religious communities took umbrage at the investigation and did not cooperate fully. A few nuns said in interviews that their communities had decided to give the Vatican only a copy of their original founding constitutions. The survey questions about property and finances led some nuns to suspect that the Vatican could be assessing their communities’ assets with an eye to appropriating them. The nuns were eventually told that they did not

have to answer the questions about finances, but the suspicions never fully faded. The report acknowledged the resistance, saying that the Vatican was “well aware that the apostolic visitation was met with apprehension and suspicion by some women religious,” and that “the lack of full cooperation was a painful disappointment for us.” Other communities of nuns, however, did cooperate and said that the process was an opportunity to reflect on their lives and communities and to be in more direct communication with the wider church. Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, coordinator of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, a smaller and more conservative umbrella group of nuns, said at the news conference that the visitation was “an overwhelmingly beautiful experience.” If the Vatican does reprimand any communities or call for any changes, that would be done in private. Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, a Brazilian who succeeded Cardinal Rodé as head, said his office will send “individual reports” to some communities of nuns that “may have been the object of some concerns.” But the broad report released Tuesday contained only brief, muted criticism, saying that the communities should “carefully review their spiritual practices and ministry to assure that these are in harmony with Catholic teaching.”

The concerns of some nuns that the Vatican had wanted the sisters to shift away from “social justice” ministry or advocacy were allayed by the report. Instead, it encouraged them to continue working with the poor and toward “the elimination of the structural causes of poverty.” But the picture the report presented of the women’s orders was grim. It found that there were now about 50,000 nuns in the United States, a decline of 125,000 from the peak in the mid-1960s. The median age of American nuns is now in the mid- to late 70s, according to figures reported in other studies. Many communities of nuns also struggled financially, “despite careful stewardship,” the report found. The sisters work for free or are “undercompensated,” sometimes in church positions. With the church downsizing, some had been laid off. The investigators found that “many sisters expressed great concern” about how to continue their religious orders’ purpose and mission and the lack of a new generation to provide leadership. Many orders have invested a lot of time and energy in initiatives to attract new members. But the report found that “the results are not commensurate with the expectations and efforts.” The two Vatican investigations had caused an uproar among some Catholics who picketed in front of parishes and cathedrals across the country. Nearly 60,000 signed a pe-

tition of support for the nuns, which was delivered to the American bishops at their conference in Atlanta in 2012. Several prominent bishops said at that meeting that the two crackdowns on the nuns had been damaging to the church’s public relations. The Nun Justice Project, a coalition of Catholic groups organized to defend the sisters, on Tuesday called the visitation process “demeaning and a huge waste of time” that diverted the sisters from vital work.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Saint Francis Hospital Joining National Catholic Health Care System St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and its parent company, St. Francis Care, announced plans to By Arielle Levin Becker The CT Mirror

join Trinity Health, a national Catholic health care system that includes 86 hospitals in 21 states. As part of the definitive agreement between the companies, St. Francis Care would become part of a newly created regional network along with the Sisters of Providence Health System, which includes Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., and other facilities in Western Massachusetts. The deal, which must still be approved by state and federal regula-

tors, is the latest in a series of moves by Connecticut hospitals to join larger networks. Hospital officials say new payment models that emphasize managing the health of a population of patients and tightening reimbursement from government health care programs has made it more appealing to be part of larger chains, which can bring economies of scale and other advantages. St. Francis’ announcement comes the week after another national hospital chain, Tenet Healthcare, dropped plans to acquire five Connecticut hospitals, citing regulatory requirements that the company considered unworkable.

The five hospitals that had plans to join Tenet’s network – Bristol, Manchester Memorial, Rockville General, St. Mary’s and Waterbury – would have become for-profit under those deals, subjecting them to more state scrutiny. St. Francis had plans last year to join the network of Ascension Health Care, another national Catholic hospital chain, but that fell through. According to the announcement, the agreement has already received approval from the Archdiocese of Hartford, but it is subject to additional approvals required under Canon Law. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Bishop Coyne Picked to Head Vermont Diocese

CNA/EWTN News - Auxiliary Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Indianapolis has been chosen by Pope Francis to be the next bishop of Burlington, Vermont, announced the Vatican Dec. 22. In a Dec. 22 statement, Bishop Coyne voiced joy and thanked the Holy Father for his trust. He told the people of Burlington: “I come to you ready to commit myself completely to the work of announcing the good news of Jesus Christ: He who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life.’” Bishop Coyne thanked the clergy, laity and religious of Indianapolis, reflecting on the archdiocese as “a vibrant and growing family, a place where people truly live their faith and are fiercely proud to bear the name Catholic.” Describing himself as “a Bostonian with a ‘funny accent’ and a ‘strange’ devotion to Dunkin Donuts and the New England Patriots,” he said he is pleased that he will be returning to New England, closer to his family. Stressing the importance of strong and healthy parishes, Bishop Coyne noted his work in Indianapolis to help assess parish life – examining what was being done well and what could be improved.

“A healthy parish is a busy place: busy about social outreach, busy

about worship, busy about education, but most especially, busy about announcing Jesus and His work – the ‘Good News’ that heals our brokenness.” Also emphasizing the New Evangelization, he drew attention to the words of Pope Francis: “We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.” “I come with no pre-established plans, or any agenda other than to serve my brothers and sisters as a faithful disciple and believer in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in the family of the Catholic Church,” the bishop said. He voiced his intention to get to know the diocese by listening to its people and visiting its parishes. “In addition, it is my intention to foster a healthy and strong relationship with the civil authorities of our state and my brothers and

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sisters in the ecumenical and interfaith communities,” he said. “I look forward to meeting Governor Shumlin tomorrow morning and I plan to celebrate Evening Prayer the night before my installation with as many of the leaders of our ecumenical and inter-faith partners as wish to attend.” Bishop Coyne concluded his statement by asking for prayers and offering wishes for a Merry Christmas. Born June 17, 1958 in Woburn, Massachusetts, Bishop Coyne studied in both Massachusetts and Rome. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1986. His roles in Boston included pastor at several parishes, parochial vicar, seminary faculty and arch-

diocesan spokesman. Bishop Coyne was ordained as auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis on March 2, 2011. He served as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese from 2011-2012. He is currently chairman-elect of the U.S. bishops’ communications committee. The Diocese of Burlington includes some 9,000 square miles in Vermont and is home to 117,000 Catholics, about 19 percent of the population, according to the U.S. bishops’ conference. The diocese has been vacant since its previous bishop was named head of Rochester, N.Y., in November 2014. Bishop Coyne will be installed as Bishop of Burlington on Jan. 29.

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Coach Jim Calhoun Visits St. John School Basketball Teams Hall of Fame Coach Held 90 Minute Basketball Clinic Old Saybrook, CT– The Saint John School boys and girls basketball teams Submitted by Mother Elaine, SCMC

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Four County Catholic January 2015

School. “The kids really enjoyed the success stories of some of his former UConn players who went on to the NBA.” “How good you are depends on you and the four people who play with you,” said Coach Jim Calhoun. “You should aspire to be a good teammate whether in sports, clubs, family, and your career.” The accomplished Hall of Fame coach led the Huskies for 26 years, winning three national championships, before retiring in 2012 after forty years as a collegiate head coach. However, he describes his commitment to faith and family as his greatest achievement. As he told the Catholic Transcript in 2010, “If you don’t have faith when the tough times come, you won’t have a core, a foundation to lean on.” As an outward expression of faith, the coach and his wife, Pat, participate in numerous charitable events. They have helped raise millions of dollars for causes such as juvenile diabetes, heart disease, autism, hunger, poverty and cancer. “The Saint John School Varsity and JV Basketball teams are looking forward to another great season,” said Mother Elaine. The Norwich Diocese Basketball League began its season on December 1. Both the girls and boys teams have won many tournaments during the school’s 20 year history. The basketball clinic was generously donated to St. John School.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

An Epic Love Story Atop the Family Tree It had an echo of Nicholas Sparks to it, but it was real life, and the story went viral: an By Christina Capecchi Four County Catholic Contributor

Ohio couple married for 73 years died just 28 hours apart. Reporters across the globe culled bits of Hollywood drama from the marriage, chronicling a young Joseph Auer surviving the horrors of D-Day and missing the birth of his second child. He and his wife, Helen, enduring financial hardship as they raised 10 children. When Helen passed away in their Cincinnati condo on a quiet Wednesday evening last October, 100-year-old Joe kissed his wife and whispered, “Mama, call me

home.” She honored his request promptly. But the part that wasn’t reported, the part that the Catholic reader might have sniffed out based on the names, the location or the family size, was the Catholic faith that undergirded Helen and Joe’s union. It was like oatmeal, giving them sustenance. It was like a full

daily planner, lending them purpose. It was like star dust, offering them hope. Helen and Joe combatted stresses – a night job, farm chores, miscarriages, never-ending diaper wringing, Catholic-school tuition – with Mass, weekly confession and nightly rosary. All the kids

knew of Helen’s devotion to Elizabeth Ann Seton, whom she petitioned fiercely when her firstborn contracted spinal meningitis as a boy. “They always put God first,” said Mary Jo Reiners, the Auers’ fifth child. “That’s one of the things I’ll take away from their marriage.” They weren’t particularly demonstrative, but the kids never doubted their parents’ commitment. It was visible in the little ways they cared for each other and the tender nicknames they used; he called her “Helen Baby,” and she called him “Daddy.” Their legacy includes 16 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. A second great-great grandchild is due this month. Reflecting on what it means to

inherit and honor that legacy is a weighty matter, said Joe Bianco Jr., a 35-year-old mortgage loan officer and the firstborn of Joe and Helen’s sixth child, Jeanne. “I’m trying to instill the same values,” said Joe Jr., a father of three. But sometimes the gulf between his grandparents’ way of life, with its simplicity and nobility, and his 21st-century grind feels unbridgeable. His grandpa risked his life in World War II; Joe Jr. is waging iPad wars among the kids in the living room. He remembers his grandpa reading the Cincinnati Enquirer with a magnifying glass and referring to the TV as “the idiot box.” These days, Joe Jr. finds himself repeating the parental mandates he grew up with: work hard, finish your meal, say please, go to church. His kids attend a Catholic school and attend Mass, as a family, every week. He and his wife, Missy, were married in the same church as his parents and his late grandparents.

He hopes the sacrament and setting can have the same effect on his 12-year marriage as it did on their 73-year one. Their back-to-back deaths deepens his trust in God. “It just proves that God truly has a plan for all of us,” Joe Jr. said. “He had it all mapped out.” His big-picture thoughts about honoring his grandparents are tinged with New Year’s resolve. The goal for 2015, he says: power off the iPhone and spend more time with his family. He may still have to log 55-hour work weeks, but once he’s home, he wants to be available to play with his 11-yearold son or read “Pete the Cat” to his 4-year-old daughter. “My kids are growing up quickly,” he said. “Maybe I’ve already missed some things, but I don’t want to miss any more.” Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., and editor of SisterStory.org, the official website of National Catholic Sisters Week.

The Day’s All-Area Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year:

Saint Bernard School’s Ellen Arvidson Ellen Arvidson is in her happy zone whenever on a run. It’s a mood-altering exercise. By Gavin Keefe Reprint from The Day

“She really loves to run,” said Patricia Ferryman, Ellen’s mother. “... She really needs to run every day. She’s really unhappy if she doesn’t run.” There are very few unhappy days for Arvidson, who rarely takes a break. “It puts me in a better mood when I run so it’s hard not to,” Arvidson said. Arvidson, a St. Bernard School sophomore, has been named The Day’s 2014 All-Area Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year after a breakout season. She finished the regular season undefeated and was third at the Eastern

Connecticut Conference championship meet. You’ll never hear Arvidson, 14, brag about her accomplishments. She’s all about hard work and staying humble. “She lets her running do the talking,” St. Bernard coach Sue Griffin said. “She’s very quiet and very unassuming. She is what you see. She hates being in the limelight. She doesn’t like any attention brought to herself. She’s just extremely talented.” Arvidson, a rising star, just might have to learn to live with the attention. She’s just starting to scratch the surface of her talent level. She qualified for USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship after placing eighth in her division at the Region I race on Nov. 23 in

Augusta, Maine. She traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the nationals on Dec. 13 and placed 74th out of 165 runners. A disappointing result in the Class S state meet motivated her to extend her cross country season. “ C r o s s country is my favorite season so I want to keep it going

as long as I can, but also I didn’t want The States to be my last meet because it wasn’t my best race,” Arvidson said before leaving for the national meet. Arvidson had a built-in excuse for her 18thplace finish in Class S. Due to a postponement, the ECC championship

wasn’t held until five days before the state meet. But she refused to blame her performance on the change. “It was just a bad race for me,” Arvidson said. She had very few bad races during the season. A summer of hard training - she competed in the John & Jessie Kelley 11.6mile road race and also in a halfmarathon - set her up for success. “Her endurance was that much greater because of what she did over the summer,” Griffin said. Arvidson not only went undefeated against ECC Small Division competition, she ran well against bigger schools, claiming the top individual spot in a race against East Lyme and Norwich Free Academy. Beating out runners from two strong Large Division programs meant a lot to her.

Four County Catholic January 2015

Saint Bernard School Awarded $5,000 Montville Education Foundation, Inc. Grant for Computer Science Curriculum Integration

St. Bernard School sophomore Ellen Arvidson was named The Day’s 2014 All-Area Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year. Arvidson completed an unbeaten dual meet season before finishing third in the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship meet at Norwich Golf Course, the top local finisher. Tim Martin/The Day In the ECC championship, Arvidson stuck to her game plan, attacked the Norwich Golf Course hills and finished third overall in 20 minutes, 52 seconds. Her time was over a minute faster than when she placed 13th (21:59) as a freshman. It was a confidence-boosting result. “Third was great for me,” Arvidson said. “I was hoping for top five. ... Last year at the ECCs was not my best day. This year, it went really well.” More good days are in her future. Arvidson is really just getting started. Her goal is to break 20 minutes in a high school race next fall. She’s a student of the

sport, traveling to Wickham Park in Manchester to watch the New England championships last month. “She just likes to be around it all, running and other people,” Ferryman said. As long as Arvidson, a former soccer player, keeps running, she’ll be happy. She’ll compete in indoor and outdoor track, preferring the longer distances. Her love affair with running has even caught her by surprise and fueled her desire to improve. “I really liked it from the first day,” said Arvidson, who started running cross country last year. “It felt kind of natural to me. ... I never expected to get into a sport and love it as much as I love cross country.”

Dana Williams, Director of Advancement at Saint Bernard School, was notified that the school’s application for $5,000 has been selected for funding by the Montville Education Foundation, Inc. The funds were awarded for use in Computer Science Curriculum Integration. Mr. Donald Dykes, Chairman of the Grant Committee, along with other representatives from the MEF Board of Directors, presented Mrs. Williams, Headmaster Mr. Donald Macrino, along with Technology Coordinator Mrs. Ann Marie Jakubielski, with the ceremonial check on December 10, 2014 at the school. Starting in January, Saint Bernard will launch an afterschool club that focuses on a variety of computer science aspects, including hardware and software, coding and robotics. The school also plans to add computer science courses to its curriculum starting as early as next fall. The news came on a day when the Saint Bernard students were actively participat-

ing in the celebration of Computer Science Education Week by doing the Hour of Code. Hour of Code is a grassroots campaign, whose goal is to have a hundred million students try an Hour of Code by the end of 2014. The school kicked off the week with a school-wide presentation on Dec. 8. Shane Williams from Electric Boat discussed computer science and how it affects our lives. Mr. Williams, a supervisor at EB who specializes in tactical software engineering, encouraged students to seize the opportunity to learn code, which is used today in just about every profession from curing diseases to animating movies. “The Hour of Code is going to get you guys involved early. Hopefully you guys will develop a passion for it the way I have,” he said. By the year 2020, there will be 1.4 million computer jobs

available in the U.S., but only 400,000 people who are qualified to fill those jobs. “The actual reality is that anyone can do (coding). Many of our students have not been introduced to this unless they specifically sought it out. Our goal will be to introduce every student at Saint Bernard to computer science ... and hopefully open a new door for many of them.” Mrs. Jakubielski said. When asked about how she thinks students will be affected by this grant, 9th grader Sarah Forrester said, “This (Hour of Code) opened my eyes to the different fields, and now I’m interested in computer science and engineering. I want to have a better understanding of this before I enter college, especially how to write code. If this becomes a course, I would like to take a course with programing.”

Four County Catholic January 2015

Did You Know? January 11 Celebration of the Baptism of Jesus. Talk about your baptism. January 18 Pro-life Day. Pray for unborn children. Read Psalm 139 to remember that God creates each child and everyone is wonderfully made. January 19 Martin Luther King Day and a day to celebrate freedom. Pray for freedom for all people. There are more slaves in the world today than any other time in history (it’s estimated that over 30 million people are slaves and about half of them live in India). During the time slaves were brought to America they were also brought to many other countries. In the Bible, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. January 29 National Puzzle Day. Solve some puzzles, do a jigsaw puzzle, and talk about mysteries about God that puzzle you. Read 1 Corinthians 13:12 as a reminder that there’s much more we will one day know about God.

Contentment

With a New Year many people make promises to do something better. Often they only keep the promise for a few days. It’s hard to make a big change in life. It works better to set some goals and times to check how you’re doing. It’s the difference between saying you’ll do better in school and setting a goal with actual plans to improve a specific skill, like multiplying fractions. Write your goal, such as learn to multiply fractions. The plan might include getting some help, making flash cards, or doing a math fraction game. You can change, but it takes work. You can also make goals for other changes, like getting closer to God. To improve your spiritual life, you need to pray and read the Bible regularly (like daily or three times a week). Make sure you take the steps to change. Here are tips to help: • It takes time. You need to schedule time to work on the change. Put it on your calendar. It’s hard since you usually won’t see results fast. Be patient and continue to put in the time to change. • You need information to help you. So, to lose weight, you need to know some exercises that will help and the foods to eat that are healthy and lower in calories. • It also takes practice. So to improve in basketball you need to practice dribbling, shooting, and other skills. • Support helps. Tell your family and close friends about your gal so they can cheer you on and help you. • Pray for God to help you be persistent.

by Karen H Whiting

Disciples Word Search The last two Sundays in January Jesus called his disciples. Find their names in the word search. Use the un-circled words to find out what Jesus said to many people that he wants you to do too. Matthew

Peter

Andrew

John

Judas

Simon

Thomas

Thaddaues

Philip

Bartholomew

James (son of Alphaeus)

James (son of Zebedee)

Four County Catholic January 2015

Archbishop Cupich Not Among Pope Francis’ Picks for 15 New Cardinals Vatican City (AP) — Pope Francis named 15 new cardinals Sunday, selecting them from 14 nations including far-flung corners of the world such as Tonga, New Zealand, Cape Verde and Myanmar to reflect the diversity of the church and its growth in places like Asia and Africa compared to affluent regions. Other cardinals hail from Ethiopia, Thailand and Vietnam. None came from the United States and only three European nations received new cardinals — Portugal and Spain in addition to Italy. Cape Verde, Tonga and Myanmar gained cardinals for the first time. Francis told faithful in St. Peter’s Square that the new batch of cardinals “shows the inseparable tie with the church of Rome to churches in the world.” Five new cardinals come from Europe, three from Asia, three from Latin America, including Mexico, and two each come from Africa and Oceania. With his picks, the Argentineborn Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, made ever clearer that he is laying out a new vision of the church’s identity, including of its hierarchy. He looked beyond traditional metropolitan area for the “princes of the church” who will help advise him as goes forward with church reforms. Cardinals also elect his successor. He has said repeatedly that the church must reach out to those on the margins. The Vatican’s chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the selection “confirms that the pope doesn’t feel tied to the traditional ‘cardinal sees,’ which reflected historic reasons in various countries.” “Instead we have various nominations of archbishops or bishops of sees in the past that wouldn’t have had a cardinal,” Lombardi said. The pontiff ignored another tradition: limiting to 120 the number

of cardinals under 80 and eligible to vote for his successor. Counting the new cardinals, 125 cardinals will eligible to vote, although Lombardi noted, “he kept very close to it (120), so it was substantially respected.” The two nations with the biggest number of eligible electors are Italy, with 26, and the United States with 11. Notable among Pope Francis’ picks are churchmen whose advocacy styles seem to particularly capture matters dear to his heart. Monsignor Francesco Montenegro, a Sicilian, was at his side when Francis made his first trip a few months into his papacy. Montenegro welcomed the pontiff to Lampedusa, a tiny Sicilian island whose people have helped thousands of migrants stranded by smugglers. The pontiff has repeatedly denounced human trafficking and urged more attention to people on the margins of society. He also has thundered against Mafiosi, and Montenegro’s Agrigento diocese includes towns where people have dared to rebel against Cosa Nostra. The only native English-language speaker chosen by Francis is Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of Wellington, New Zealand. Summing up his own intervention at last year’s Vatican conference on controversial family issues, including gay marriage and divorced Catholics, Dew has said the church must change its language to give “hope and encouragement.” The archdiocese of Morelia, Mexico, has its first cardinal: Alberto Suarez Inda. The archbishop, who turns 76 this month, has helped mediate political conflicts and kidnappings in one of Mexico’s most violence-plagued states. Francis also bestowed the honor on five churchmen older than 80, including men from the pope’s native Argentina, Mozambique and Colombia. Speaking from a Vatican window to a crowd in St. Peter’s Square, Francis made another surprise an-

nouncement. He said that on Feb. 12-13, he will lead a meeting of all cardinals to “reflect on the orientations and proposals for the reform of the Roman Curia,” the Vatican’s administrative bureaucracy. Francis is using his papacy, which began in March 2013, to root out corruption, inefficiency, careerism and other problems in the curia. An Italian group, Noi Siamo Chiesa, which advocates reforms for the church, hailed the choice of the two Italian bishops. Group spokesman Vittorio Bellavite said Francis had gone “outside the traditional logic” of the hierarchy. Francis said he will “have the

joy” on Feb. 14 of presiding over the ceremony in which the 20

churchmen will receive their red hats.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

Cuba and Catholic Relations Are Strong

Havana (AP) - Tropical sunlight slants through the caved-in roof of Saint Thomas de Villanueva chapel, illuminating tiles graced by the faces of saints. Vandals shattered the stained-glass windows and scrawled their

names on the walls during decades of frigid relations between the Roman Catholic Church and Cuba’s communist government. But a new chain-link fence surrounds the building, protecting it

for a future that once seemed unimaginable. T h e church is planning to restore the building to its former g l o r y, along with more a d o z e n m o r e churches, p a r i s h houses and o t h e r buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. Authorities have also given permission for the construction of the first two new

First International Prayer Day and Reflection on Human Trafficking Vatican City (VIS) – The Pontifical Councils for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples and for Justice and Peace, in collaboration with the international male and female Unions of Superior Generals (UISG and USG) have convoked an international conference for prayer and reflection on human trafficking, to be held on 8 February 2015, feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese slave canonised in 2000. According to a press release, “human trafficking is one of the worst examples of slavery in the XXI Century. This concerns the whole world. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Office

on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) roughly 21 million people, often very poor and vulnerable, are victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour and begging, illegal organ removal, domestic servitude and forced marriages, illegal adoption and other forms of exploitation. Each year around 2.5 million people are victims of trafficking and slavery: many are women and children. They often suffer abuse and unspeakable violence. On the other hand, for traffickers and pimps, this is one of the most lucrative illegal activities in the world, generating a total of 32 billion dollars a year. It is the third most profitable ‘business’ after drugs and arms trafficking”.

“The primary objective of the International Day is to create greater awareness on this phenomenon and to reflect on the overall situation of violence and injustice that affect so many people, who have no voice, do not count, and are no one: they are simply slaves. Another goal is to attempt to provide solutions to counter this modern form of slavery by taking concrete actions. For this, it is necessary to stress the need to ensure rights, freedom and dignity to all trafficked persons, reduced to slavery. On the other hand, we must denounce both the criminal organizations and those who use and abuse the poverty and vulnerability of victims to transform them into goods for pleasure and gain”.

churches in more than five decades. After years of bridge-building behind closed doors, the Cuba– Vatican rapprochement burst into the headlines last week when the U.S. government credited Pope Francis with helping facilitate the secret reconciliation talks between the U.S. and Cuba. Francis wrote the leaders of both countries to invite them to resolve their differences. “We ask the Lord to continue moving forward this process of reconciliation and peace that Pope Francis has favored and supported,” Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega said in his homily at a Christmas Eve Mass in Havana’s colonial cathedral. Church officials and experts said the mediation and the renovation and construction of churches were essential parts of a fundamental shift in the dealings between the church and the communist state, which has been hostile toward religion for decades. Developments “are heading in the same direction: a new chapter in the general and economic history of Cuba, and also church– state relations,” said Enrique

Lopez Oliva, a religious historian at the University of Havana. The church and the Cuban state were in a state of open hostility in the years immediately after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power, a time when some anti-Castro militias used churches to store weapons. Some priests were sent to labor camps. Churches were confiscated and used by the government as warehouses, bakeries, dining halls or schools. Openly practicing Catholics were barred from holding public office and membership in the Communist Party. For the faithful, even winning admission to a university could be difficult. But a thaw began in the 1990s as Cuba removed a constitutional clause declaring the country an officially atheist state. Pope John Paul II paid a momentous visit in 1998 and urged a new era of openness between Cuba and the world. Christmas decorations are increasingly visible in office buildings and homes each year. The church has made little headway in more access to state-controlled airwaves and permission to run religious schools.

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Four County Catholic January 2015

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