People of God, January 2018

January 2018 Vol. 36, No. 1 Leslie Radigan/ASF

Serving the multicultural people of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe www.archdiosf.org

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PEOPLE of GOD

January 2018

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Inside this Issue 2 4

Sanctity of Life Awareness and Unity Day January 17, 2018

Archbishop’s Letter: Church Does Not Oppose Enforcement of Immigration Laws

Archbishop Wester on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador

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10 2018 Annual Catholic Appeal 12 Vocations 14 Catholic Schools’ Week January 28 – February 3 20 10th Annual Blue Mass 22 Native American Scholarship Mass 24 Wedding Anniversaries 26 Social Justice 28 Catholic Charities 29 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 30 Catholic Extension: Why Lies He In Such Mean Estate?

31 Bioethics: Parsing the Implications of Suicide 32 Rest in Peace 34 Archbishop Wester’s Calendar 35 Thomas Awiapo: How CRS Rice Bowl Saved a Life 36 Ecumenical Prayer Service with ValLimar Jansen

Pope Francis kisses a figurine of the baby Jesus at the conclusion of Mass marking the feast of the Epiphany in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 6. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

PROMISE Pledge to Protect to HEAL 195 U.S. dioceses/

eparchies have a victim assistance coordinator to obtain assistance and provide support for those abused.

Publisher: Most Rev. John C. Wester Editor/Photography/Design: Celine Baca Radigan cradigan@archdiosf.org

Assistant Editor/Photojournalist: Leslie M. Radigan lradigan@archdiosf.org Production: Christine Carter

Published monthly with the exception of July. The Editor reserves the right to reject, omit, or edit any article or advertising copy submitted for publication.

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January 2018

Church does not oppose enforcement of immigration laws, if done so humanely

By Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe You may be surprised by this, but Catholic teaching acknowledges the right of a sovereign country to control its borders and enforce its immigration laws. However, that does not mean that the human dignity and human rights of immigrants should be violated.

As we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, our thoughts focus on the Holy Family, forced to flee persecution and the threatened death of the Christ Child by Herod.

Sadly, there are millions of people in the world today who also flee persecution, suffering, and in all too many cases, the very real threat of death. In this article, Archbishop Wester reflects on this reality and gives the following ethical perspective on immigration policy in the United States. It was published in the Santa Fe New Mexican and the Albuquerque Journal. Due to its timeliness and importance, we’d like to also share it with you, our People of God family.

Celine Baca Radigan, Editor

Over the past 30 years, U.S. immigration policy has been characterized by an increase in enforcement measures without corresponding updates to other aspects of the legal immigration system. Immigration enforcement funding has risen dramatically, with immigration enforcement, compared with other US enforcement agencies, now being the largest share of the annual budget. Moreover, enforcement policies and practices have been added to the system during this period, including the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, which has weakened due process protections for immigrants.

Under the current administration, an executive order has made all immigrants without legal status priorities for deportation, regardless

of the length of time in the country, their US-citizen children, and other equities in the country—the same population which would have benefited from a path to citizenship in previous immigration reform bills.

While enforcement is an important element of any immigration system, so is fairness and justice. Too often we witness in our current system enforcement tactics or policies which prevent an immigrant from receiving the due process of the laws.

First, our system unjustly detains immigrants who are seeking asylum and are no threat to our society—even women and children.

This prevents them from receiving community support and from accessing legal representation. In fact, our immigration detention system has exploded, with close to half a million immigrants detained yearly.

Certainly those who are a threat to our communities should be detained, but the vast majority of immigrants are not threats and have not committed a criminal offense. Instead of incarcerating

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them, our government should place them in community-based alternatives to detention, whereby community groups could provide them with housing and legal support.

Such programs have been proven successful in ensuring immigrants show up for their hearings and are able to obtain legal representation, which also makes the court system more efficient.

Second, our immigration justice system should uphold the values upon which our nation was built— fairness and equal justice for all. Sadly, often our immigration court system does not meet this test, as it has been neglected and underfunded by Congress for years.

Immigration court backlogs can last for years, depriving many of timely justice. Immigrants, especially those who are detained, have little access to legal counsel to navigate the complex court system, especially asylum-seekers.

Additionally, the use and expansion of expedited removal, a part of the 1996 act, deprives individuals of the opportunity to go before an immigration judge to seek relief from deportation. This policy adversely impacts the ability of asylum-seekers to have their claims adequately heard.

Third, state and local law enforcement officials, who are

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charged to protect the public, should not be required to enforce immigration laws. Changing the nature of their important mission would distract them from their essential task of public safety and undermine trust between them and immigrant communities.

However, federal, state, and local enforcement officials should cooperate in identifying immigrants who may constitute a threat or have committed violent crimes.

Now more than ever immigrants are scapegoated for our social ills and are painted as criminals, even though their intent is simply to find work to support their families.

The vast majority of immigrants are law-abiding and should not be demonized by public officials or others. Such rhetoric creates fear in immigrant communities, reducing cooperation with law enforcement and chilling legal immigrants from availing themselves of benefits for which they are entitled. It also demeans their human dignity, making them seem less than human and not deserving of human rights.

We can do better. Bi-partisan efforts to enact immigration reform have fallen short in the past ten years, but the need for reform exists.

Comprehensive immigration reform would restore the rule of law by increasing the legal avenues available for immigrants seeking

to work in important US economic sectors. By bringing 11 million undocumented persons out of the shadows and into the light, we can ensure that all are included in a new system governed by the law, not illegal behavior, including by unscrupulous employers. It also would protect law-abiding immigrants and isolate those who are a threat to our communities.

For over three decades, U.S. immigration policy has been marked by increased enforcement, but our nation is still seeking an effective way to manage migration flows.

Surely, another approach is needed, whereby our elected officials look at all aspects of the system together.

Enforcement policies, fairly applied, are part of the solution—they are not a solution by themselves.

Migration is a global challenge, but also a global opportunity. Our nation has led the world in the integration of immigrants from around the world, to our great benefit. We must not continue to turn our back on this heritage, which has served our nation so well.

Sincerely yours in the Lord,

Most Rev. John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe

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La Iglesia no se opone a la aplicación de las leyes de inmigración, si se hace de forma humanitaria Por el Reverendísimo John C. Wester, Arzobispo de Santa Fe

A medida que continuamos celebrando la temporada navideña, nuestros pensamientos se centran en la Sagrada Familia, obligados a huir de la persecución y la amenazada muerte del Niño Jesús por parte de Herodes. Tristemente, hay millones de personas en el mundo de hoy que también huyen de la persecución, el sufrimiento y, en muchos casos, la verdadera amenaza de muerte. En este artículo, el Arzobispo Wester reflexiona sobre esta realidad y ofrece la siguiente perspectiva ética sobre la política de inmigración en los Estados Unidos. Este artículo fue publicado por los periódicos Santa Fe New Mexican y Albuquerque Journal en diciembre, 2017. Por su importancia, nos gustaría compartirlo con ustedes. nuestra familia de People of God. Celine Baca Radigan, editora

Puede que esto sorprenda, pero la enseñanza católica reconoce el derecho de un país soberano a controlar sus fronteras y hacer cumplir sus leyes de inmigración.

Sin embargo, eso no significa que se deba violar la dignidad y los derechos humanos de los inmigrantes.

En los últimos 30 años, la política de inmigración de los Estados Unidos se ha caracterizado por un aumento en las medidas de aplicación, sin actualizar otros aspectos del sistema legal de inmigración. Los fondos para la aplicación de leyes de inmigración han aumentado dramáticamente en comparación a otras agencias de los Estados Unidos, siendo estos ahora la mayor parte del presupuesto anual.

Además, durante este período, se han añadido políticas y prácticas de aplicación, incluida la Ley de Inmigración Ilegal y Responsabilidad del Inmigrante (IIRIRA, por sus siglas en inglés) de 1996, que han debilitado protecciones de un juicio justo para inmigrantes.

Bajo la administración actual, una orden ejecutiva ha hecho que todos los inmigrantes sin estatus legal sean prioridad para la deportación, sin importar el tiempo que han estado en el país, sus hijos ciudadanos estadounidenses o patrimonio en el país, misma población que pudiera

haberse beneficiado de un camino hacia la ciudadanía en proyectos anteriores de ley de reforma migratoria.

Si bien la aplicación de la ley es un elemento importante de cualquier sistema de inmigración, también lo es la equidad y la justicia.

En nuestras tácticas o políticas actuales de aplicación del sistema, con frecuencia presenciamos que impiden que un inmigrante reciba un juicio justo.

Primero, nuestro sistema detiene injustamente a los inmigrantes que buscan asilo y no son una amenaza para nuestra sociedad, incluso a mujeres y a niños. Esto les impide recibir apoyo de la comunidad y obtener representación legal. De hecho, nuestro sistema de detención de inmigrantes se ha disparado, con cerca de medio millón de inmigrantes detenidos anualmente.

Ciertamente, aquellos que son una amenaza para nuestras comunidades deben ser detenidos, pero la gran mayoría de los inmigrantes no son una amenaza y no han cometido un delito. En lugar de encarcelarlos, nuestro gobierno debería ofrecerles espacios alternos dentro de la comunidad, en donde grupos comunitarios podrían proporcionarles vivienda

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y apoyo legal. Tales programas han demostrado ser exitosos para asegurar que los inmigrantes se presenten a sus audiencias y puedan obtener representación legal, lo que también hace que el sistema judicial sea más eficiente.

En segundo lugar, nuestro sistema de justicia de inmigración debe mantener los valores sobre los que se construyó nuestra nación: equidad e igualdad de justicia para todos.

Lamentablemente, a menudo nuestro sistema de tribunales de inmigración no pasa esta prueba, ya que ha sido descuidado y mal financiado por el Congreso durante años. Los retrasos en los tribunales de inmigración pueden durar años, privando a muchos de la justicia oportuna. Los inmigrantes, especialmente aquellos que están detenidos, tienen poco acceso a asesoría legal para navegar en el complejo sistema judicial, especialmente los solicitantes de asilo.

Además, el uso y la expansión de la deportación acelerada, una parte de la ley de 1996, priva a individuos de la oportunidad de presentarse ante un juez de inmigración para buscar alivio de la deportación. Esta política tiene un impacto adverso en la capacidad de los solicitantes de asilo para que sus reclamos sean escuchados adecuadamente.

En tercer lugar, no se debe exigir a los funcionarios de las fuerzas estatales y locales del orden público, que se encargan de proteger al público, que hagan cumplir las leyes de inmigración. Cambiar la naturaleza de

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su importante misión los distraería de su tarea esencial de seguridad pública y debilitaría la confianza entre ellos y las comunidades de inmigrantes. Sin embargo, los funcionarios federales, estatales y locales deben cooperar para identificar a los inmigrantes que pueden constituir una amenaza o han cometido delitos violentos.

Ahora más que nunca, los inmigrantes se han convertido en chivos expiatorios de nuestros males sociales y son pintados como criminales, aunque su intención es simplemente encontrar trabajo para mantener a sus familias. La gran mayoría de los inmigrantes son respetuosos de la ley y no deben ser demonizados por funcionarios públicos u otros. Tal retórica crea miedo entre las comunidades de inmigrantes, lo que reduce la cooperación con la aplicación de la ley y desalienta a los inmigrantes legales de hacer uso de los beneficios a los que tienen derecho. También degrada su dignidad humana, haciéndoles parecer menos que humanos y no merecedores de los derechos humanos.

Podemos mejorar esta situación. Los esfuerzos bipartidistas para promulgar una reforma migratoria han sido escasos en los últimos diez años, pero existe la necesidad de una reforma.

Una reforma integral de inmigración restablecería el estado de derecho al aumentar las vías legales disponibles para los inmigrantes que buscan trabajar en sectores económicos importantes de Estados Unidos.

Al sacar a 11 millones de personas

indocumentadas de las sombras y traerlas a la luz, podremos asegurarnos de que todas estén incluidas en un nuevo sistema regido por la ley, no por un comportamiento ilegal, incluso por parte de empleadores sin escrúpulos.

También protegería a los inmigrantes respetuosos de la ley y aislaría a aquellos que son una amenaza para nuestras comunidades.

Durante más de tres décadas, la política de inmigración de Estados Unidos se ha caracterizado por una mayor aplicación, pero nuestra nación todavía está buscando una forma efectiva de gestionar los flujos migratorios. Sin duda, se necesita otro enfoque, por el cual nuestros funcionarios electos analicen juntos todos los aspectos del sistema. Las políticas de aplicación, bastante utilizadas, son parte de la solución, más no son una solución por sí mismas.

La migración es un desafío global, pero también es una oportunidad global. Nuestra nación ha liderado al mundo en la integración de inmigrantes de todo el mundo, para nuestro gran beneficio. No debemos continuar dándole la espalda a esta herencia, que ha servido tan bien a nuestra nación.

Sinceramente suyo en el Señor,

Reverendísimo John C. Wester Arzobispo de Santa Fe

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January 2018

Archbishop John C. Wester On Termination of Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador January 8, 2018 My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am greatly disappointed and saddened to learn of the Trump’s administration action today to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 200,000 immigrants from El Salvador. This devastating action will cause great harm to the El Salvadorans living in the USA, those U. S. citizens who depend on them and to the already challenged country of El Salvador. It is an attack on the sanctity of the family. Please read the following Center for Migration Studies (CMS) statement for more information.

Most Rev. John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe

Statement of Donald Kerwin, Executive Director of the Center for Migration Studies, on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador Center for Migration Studies, New York 307 East 60th Street New York, NY 10022 http://cmsny.org/statement-tps-el-salvador/ Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 200,000 El Salvadorans with strong and deep ties to the United States. According to CMS’s research, 88 percent of Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries work, large numbers are homeowners, they have 192,700 US citizen children, and have lived in the United States (on average) for 21 years. As the government of El Salvador has repeatedly insisted, the return of 200,000 nationals will be destabilizing: El Salvador cannot ensure their safe and productive return, and can ill-afford to lose the monies they remit home.

While the Trump administration professes that it “welcomes lawful immigrants,” it continues to eviscerate legal immigration programs and marginalize immigrant families. Over the last four months, the administration has set a record low refugee resettlement ceiling (and refugee admissions have slowed to a trickle). It has also dismantled the Central American Minors (CAM) program which allowed refugee children from the Northern Triangle states to join their legally present parents in the United States. And it terminated TPS for nationals from Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. These decisions came on the heels of its decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, without any substitute in place, based on exaggerated and uncharacteristic concerns over executive overreach. The president has also committed to reducing family-based immigration (which administration officials call “chain migration’) and eliminating the diversity visa program. He has characterized both these programs as a menace to the nation’s security. Attacks on refugee and legal migration programs have become a defining characteristic of this administration.

Today’s decision creates many losers, and no winners. The losers include the TPS recipients themselves, their employers, their US citizen children, their US communities, El Salvador, and the US economy. The rule of law is another loser as the decision will relegate hard working legal immigrants into persons without status and force TPS beneficiaries and their US children to return to violence-plagued communities without good economic prospects. The decision will also lead to increased illegal migration from El Salvador to the United States, as deportees seek to join family members in the US. We call upon Congress to provide permanent legal status to this population and other nationalities which have had their TPS eligibility rescinded.

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Urgent: We need Catholic Voices to support the DREAMERS! Call our New Mexico Senators and Representatives now!

As Catholics, we believe that the dignity of every human being, particularly that of our immigrant and refugee children and youth, must be protected. The Catholic Bishops have long supported DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) youth and continue to do so. We ask you to engage with your elected officials to voice your support for these young people and call on your members of Congress to find a legislative solution to protect DACA youth. As we move closer to the end of the DACA program, over 800,000 young people who entered into the United States and only know America as their home will face deportation. Every day DACA recipients lose their status and with it lose the ability to go to school, serve in the military and work legally. Our Church stands in solidarity with Dreamers. We celebrate the contributions of refugees and immigrants in our churches, communities and in our country.

1. DACA youth entered the United States through no fault of their own, but rather came to the U.S with their parents as children to seek a better future. They often know America as their only home.

2. These young people are contributors to our economy, veterans of our military, academic standouts in our universities, and leaders in our parishes.

3. DACA youth live out their daily lives with hope and a determination to flourish and contribute to society. They should not be forced to live their lives in constant fear that they will be deported at any moment and separated from their families 4. DACA youth are woven into the fabric of our country and of our Church, and are, by every social and human measure, American youth. It is both our moral duty and in our nation’s best interest to protect them and allow them to reach their God-given potential.

Please call your Senators and Representatives and say the following: “As a constituent, I urge you to stand in support of DREAMERS, publicly support DACA youth and cosponsor the DREAM Act or similar legislation. The Dream Act offers qualifying immigrant youth ‘conditional permanent resident status’ and a path to full lawful permanent residency and eventual citizenship. With the recent rescission of the DACA program, now is the time for Congress to work together to protect these exemplary young people.”

Senators:

Senator Tom Udall (202) 224-6621

Senator Martin Heinrich (202) 224-5521 Representatives:

District 1: Michelle Lujan Grisham (Albuquerque) (202) 225-6316

District 2: Steve Pearce (Las Cruces) (202) 225-2365

District 3: Ben Ray Lujan (Rio Rancho/Santa Fe) 202-225-6190

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mercy endures

forever...

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The mandate for all Christian faithful to inherit the Kingdom is that we have participated in the Corporal Works of Mercy (Mt 25:31-46). Jesus directs us throughout the New Testament to reach out to the physically poor. This will be our ultimate judgment. We are also told in Psalm 136 that “ His mercy endures forever”.

“Give Drink to the Thirsty” will be the 2018 Archdiocesan focus. To lack clean, drinkable water is to lack the very necessity of life. Without it we die, are unable to wash ourselves or our clothes, and are unable to grow the crops we need for nourishment. May we all have the heart and lifestyle to value the water we have, and to think of and assist those less fortunate. The message of Jesus Christ is for all people -it is as basic a need as water for all humankind.

Jesus says in John 7:37 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Water is essential to our physical life on earth. The living water Jesus offers is essential to life eternal.

As Catholics water has other importance as well. Water is used in the sacrament of baptism - to cleanse us from sin. It

is used at the Easter blessing to renew that baptism. At each Mass, water is added to wine at the altar of consecration.

The image of the New Mexico acequia (as-siiquiya) is a good reflection for our work this year.

It shows respect for what God has provided us, reflects a necessary structure to support the work, and emphasizes community effort. For an acequia to continue to bring the needed water to everyone, it requires continuous maintenance, a “hands-on” approach, and a community working together.

I ask for your generous financial support of the 2018 Annual Catholic Appeal, “His Mercy Endures Forever. ..Give Drink to the Thirsty”, as a way for us to work together to continue our necessary work in our communities.

Just as an acequia provides water to those who need it, the work of the ministries supported by ACA bring the needed thirst-quenching message of Christ to those most in need.

Sincerely yours in the Lord, Most Reverend John C Wester Archbishop of Santa Fe

2018 Annual Catholic Appeal Archdiocesse of Santa Fe

For more information contact Annual Catholic Appeal Foundation Archdiocese of Santa Fe • 4000 Saint Joseph’s Place NW • Albuquerque, NM 87120-1714 (505) 831-8229 or (505) 831-8155 • Fax: (505) 831-8111 • Email: aca@archdiosf.org • Online donations: www.acaarchdiosf.org Look for pledge forms at your parish soon!

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misericordia perdura para

siempre...

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo, La instrucci6n a todo fiel cristiano para heredar el Reino es que participemos en las obras corporates de misericordia (Mt 25:31-46). Jesus nos ensefia a traves del Nuevo Testamento que debemos asistir a los fisicamente pobres. Este sera nuestro juicio final. Tambien se nos dice en el Salmo 136 que “La misericordia de Dios perdura para siempre”.

“Dar de beber al sediento” sera el enfoque arquidiocesano del 2018. Carecer de agua limpia y potable es carecer de la vida misma. Sin el agua morimos, no podemos asearnos a nosotros mismos o a nuestra ropa, y no podemos cultivar lo que necesitamos para alimentarnos. Que todos tengamos un corazon y estilo de vida que valore el agua que tenemos y que reconozcamos y ayudemos a los menos afortunados. El mensaje de Jesucristo es para todos - es una necesidad para toda Ia humanidad tan basica como lo es el agua.

Jesus dice en Juan 7:37: “El que tenga sed, que venga a mi, y que beba.” El agua es esencial para nuestra vida fisica en la tierra. El agua viva que Jesus ofrece es esencial para la vida eterna.

Como cat6licos, el agua tiene tambien su importancia. El agua se usa en el sacramento del bautismo - para limpiarnos

del pecado. Se usa en la bendici6n Pascual para renovar ese bautismo. En cada misa, se afiade agua al vino en el altar de la consagracion.

La imagen de la acequia de Nuevo Mexico retleja bien nuestro trabajo este afio. Muestra respeto por lo que Dios nos ha dado, retleja una estructura necesaria para apoyar el trabajo y enfatiza el esfuerzo de la comunidad. Para que una acequia continue llevando el agua necesaria a todos, requiere de un mantenimiento continuo, un enfoque “practico” y una comunidad trabajando junta.

Les pido su generoso apoyo financiero a la Campana Anual Cat6lica (ACA por sus siglas en ingles) 2018, “Su misericordia perdura para siempre... da de beber al sediento”, como una forma de trabajar juntos para continuar la labor necesaria en nuestras comunidades. Asi como una acequia proporciona agua a quienes la necesitan, el trabajo de los ministerios apoyados por ACA llevan el mensaje necesario de Cristo a los mas necesitados.

Sinceramente en el Sefior, Reverendisimo John C. Wester Arzobispo de Santa Fe

Campaña Anual Católica 2018 Arquidiócese de Santa Fe

Para mas informacion contactar a: Annual Catholic Appeal Foundation Archdiocese of Santa Fe • 4000 Saint Joseph’s Place NW • Albuquerque, NM 87120-1714 (505) 831-8229 or (505) 831-8155 • Fax: (505) 831-8111 • Email: aca@archdiosf.org • Para donar en linear: www.acaarchdiosf.org ¡Busque formularios de compromiso en su parroquia pronto!

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January 2018

How t o D i s c er n You r Vo c at i o n

By Rev. John Trambley, Director of Vocations When trying to figure out whether you should remain single or enter into the religious life, it is not uncommon to ask God for a sign. Just give me a sign! While it might be helpful if God would simply do that, most of the time God speaks through the people around us.

I had a decent job at KOAT-TV in Albuquerque and a nice place to live. I enjoyed spending time with both family and friends. I was going to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and yet something was missing. Parish prayers for an increase in vocations helped me to understand that there was a need for more priests, but I continued to push the thought out of my mind.

It was the invitation of a priest that helped me to start taking the call seriously.

At the time, I was regularly joining my parents for Mass at Risen Savior Catholic Community. We attended a parish mission together. After that, Monsignor Richard Olona told me he wanted to talk with me. I guessed that he wanted to talk to me about the priesthood, but I didn’t follow-up with him or call him. A few weeks later, I was with my parents again at Mass. We had been asked to bring up the gifts. When we brought them up, Monsignor Olona was looking at me and he said, “I still want to talk with you.” After Mass, my parents had a lot of fun saying “You’re in trouble now! Father wants to talk with you!”

So, I called him and we set a date and a time to meet for lunch. Monsignor Olona picked a local Chinese restaurant. During lunch he said I should think about being a priest. Monsignor Olona likes to say that I choked on my egg roll!

Actually, during the lunch he gave me some good advice. He told me to read about the priesthood and to talk with other priests about it. Of course, I didn’t do any of those things right away. Instead I threw myself into my job at the television station, but I still had the thought in the back of my mind.

I was also attending Theology on Tap. This is a monthly gathering at a restaurant or a pub

or some other public space where speakers give presentations about the Catholic faith in an atmosphere of food and fellowship. Two speakers in particular stand out in my memory.

First, Father Scott Mansfield was a presenter that spoke about his journey from radio DJ at 94 Rock to priesthood. I thought if God can do that, maybe God can also call someone from a television station! The second presenter was from Notre Dame and she said if you are not happy where you are, that might be God telling you something!

I started having some very stressful days at work, so I searched on the internet about vocations. I found the information about the upcoming vocation discernment weekend for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. I thought about going, but I didn’t go. The next year, I was once again having some stressful days at work, so I found the vocation discernment weekend information again. This time I printed it out, but I still didn’t go. The next year after that I was once again having some stressful days at work, so I found the vocation discernment weekend information yet again. I remember driving with my father and telling him that I saw that the next discernment weekend was coming up but I also gave him all of the reasons I was thinking about not going. He gave me some good advice. He said, “Just go. Either there will be something there for you or there will be nothing there for you, but either way you’ll stop talking about it!”

I went to the discernment weekend. It helped me to understand that God wants each one of us to be happy. If you are called to the priesthood and follow the call, there is nothing that will make you happier. Of course, there are challenges, but Archbishop Emeritus Michael Sheehan was very encouraging. He said, despite the challenges, he did not regret becoming a priest. His example and encouragement helped me to say yes to the call.

So, where are you in your discernment?

Have you considered coming to the vocation discernment weekend? Do not be afraid.

Just come. Who knows? Maybe there will be something there for you as well.

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Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic Priest?

Without obligation or commitment, you are invited to attend a Discernment Retreat to learn more about a priestly vocation.

Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey!

Low wages. No wife or children.

Ridicule in the eyes of the world certain.

Hatred and suspicion as well.

Painful sacrifices will be required.

Salvation of thousands of souls and entry into eternal communion with Christ the High Priest in the event of success.

Men Wanted Who Are Willing to:

take up their cross and in these increasingly troubled times, not only stand by Christ, but mount those crosses and hang with him.

The retreat will cover: Personal testimonies describing vocations The challenge of the Gospel (values worth living and sacrificing for) Life as a seminarian Possible assignments after ordination Concerns about the image of the priest Requirements for attendance: Single Catholic Men • From High School Seniors to Age 50 This weekend retreat will start on Friday, February 2nd at 5pm with registration and will end on Sunday, February 4th at 1pm Questions? Call Fr. John Trembly or Cory Woodcox at the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Vocations Office (505) 831-8143 4000 St Joseph’s Place NW, Albuquerque NM 87120. Email vocations@archdiosf.org, Facebook page Archdiocese of Santa Fe Seminarians

Permanent Deacons in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to Wear the Clerical Shirt with a Roman Collar

By Deacon Andres Carrillo Director, Permanent Diaconate In an effort to help permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe become more easily identified as they minister, Archbishop John C. Wester has given all permanent deacons the option to wear the clerical shirt and Roman Collar when actively engaged in diaconal ministry. The clerical shirt may be of any color except black and can be short or long sleeve.

The clerical shirt is to have the Deacon Cross on it, which can be embroidered or a pin. The permission is effective January 1, 2018.

The archdiocese has adopted guidelines for permitting deacons to wear clerical attire when they are exercising their ministry in an official capacity. This is especially true of deacons when in active ministry including but not limited to hospital and prison ministry; teaching classes for a parish; meeting with parishioners on parish grounds; and meeting with committees and organizations of the parish. The clerical shirt may also be used for the celebration of Mass, the sacraments and sacramentals.

There are times when the clerical shirt is not permissible.

This includes times when not directly engaged in ministry for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe or one of its parishes; any social function even if the social function is held at or sponsored by a parish and/or the Archdiocese of Santa Fe; or while working or volunteering for any other organization even if that organization has a relationship with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Permanent deacons on suspension or who have had their faculties removed or restricted may not wear the clerical shirt.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe provides these guidelines to all permanent deacons in the archdiocese and are important to be read with Cannon 284, Clerics are to wear suitable ecclesiastical garb in accord with the norms issued by the conference of bishops and in accord with legitimate local custom. It is important to note that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops specifies that permanent deacons should resemble the faithful in dress and matters of lifestyle. Each diocesan bishop should, however, determine and promulgate any exceptions to this law, as well as specify the appropriate clerical attire to be worn.

Please contact Deacon Andres Carrillo at 505-831-8245 or email acarrillo@archdiosf.org for any clarification or comments.

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PEOPLE of GOD

Join us for our Open House!

Meet teachers and staff while touring campuses Visit technology equipped classrooms and labs Explore our faith-based education Discover the many extra-curricular activities available to our students

Reserve YOUR seat for the 2018-2019 school year Serving students in Pre-K through 12th grade.

January 2018

Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 10am St. Therese Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 11am-2pm Holy Child St. Mary's Belen Monday, Jan. 29, 2018 9am-2pm St. Charles Borromeo Risen Savior Preschool (1/29 - 2/2 by Appointment) Wed., Jan. 31, 2018 9am-1pm Queen of Heaven *2/1 9am-1pm Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018 9am-2pm Annunciation Our Lady of the Assumption Our Lady of Fatima *2/2 9am-2pm San Felipe de Neri Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018 10am St. Thomas Aquinas Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 9am-2pm Santo Niño Regional

Call 505-831-8172 or visit www.asfcatholicschools.org for more information.

*Additional Dates

january 2018

PEOPLE of GOD 15

Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini at St. Thomas Aquinas School Renew Their Oblation

By Kelly Jo Haddad St. Thomas Aquinas Parent Club Member

In November, the religious teachers of St. Lucy Filippini at St. Thomas Aquinas School, principal Sr. Anne Louise Abascal, fifth grade teacher Sr. Diana Yodris, and religious education director Sr. Roseann Fernandez renewed their oblation in a Mass celebrated by Msgr. Douglas Raun. This annual celebration takes place in the St. Thomas Aquinas School Chapel and is always one of the most inspiring events of the school year because of everything it reminds us about our blessed sisters. As represented by the StAS Pelican, each sister gives her life to the young entrusted to her care, with dedication and love. By their annual reaffirming of their oblation on the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, their lives of service are renewed and brightened with the Light of Christ.

At their final profession, at the Pontifical Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini, the sisters signed an oblation which is their public profession to live the rules and spirit of the religious teachers Filippini for Life. The charism communicated by the Holy Spirit to St. Lucy Filippini and her successors calls the religious sisters to live the evangelical counsels not by obligation but through desire of perfection of charity. They attain this perfection by consecrating their lives totally to God in Christ by their perpetual oblation, which is a sacred bond in which they commit themselves before God and the institute to live in chastity, poverty and obedience. This consecration makes the sisters living memories of Jesus’ way of being and acting.

It is a transformation into living signs of God’s love for humanity.

St. Thomas Aquinas School was truly blessed 17 years ago to be the first school in the western region of the United States founded by the Filippini

Sisters who live this consecrated life deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The St. Thomas Aquinas community has been directly and distinctly benefitted by the religious sisters’ mandate to “go and teach the Word of God” and their commitment to Catholic education. The sisters make the life and teachings of Jesus and His church relevant in the

lives of the students so that they come to know and experience their true identity as sons and daughters of God. The sisters also empower the students to be Jesus for others and nurture them to life in the Lord.

We honor and commend our Filippini sisters for their zeal, their self-sacrifice and their accomplishments at St. Thomas Aquinas School.

PEOPLE of GOD

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January 2018

Melissa Sais

SPX & Holy Ghost Students Team Up

nnunciation

catholic School

2610 Utah NE, Albuquerque NM 87110 505-299-6783 acsabq.org

The St. Pius X High School developmental psychology class met their third grade pen pals from Holy Ghost Catholic School for a day of conversation, pizza and crafts. The high school students studied children’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical growth, and through the pen pal project were able to identify different aspects of development of children by relating to them as pen pals and friends. The class also learned what it means to be a role model and the benefits it brings to young children and to themselves. The class also studied the social, emotional and intellectual benefits of reading to children and wrote their own stories to read to their pen pal and give as a Christmas gift.

Visit St. Pius X High School online at saintpiusx. com. Pictured here left to right are Danielle Baca, Monique Aragon, Bella Baumgardner, Maya Turner, Stella Copeman and Nellie Zamora.

Mayhem at Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball (Mystery Party)

let uS Share our Good newS with You! open houSe FebruarY 1, 2018 9:00 - 2:00

Join Santo NiĂąo Regional Catholic School and the Murder Mystery Company for a Mardi Gras Mystery Party (Masquerade Ball) on February 9, 2018 at the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe. An eight-top sponsor table is $1,000, or tickets are $150 per person.

Reserve your table now before they are gone. Contact Angela at apeinado@santoninoregional.org or at 505.428.7916.

january 2018

PEOPLE of GOD 17

Our lady of the assumption catholic school where children grow in their faith, academics and drive!

OPEN HOUSE

Thursday, February 1, 2018 9am-2pm Explore the difference a Catholic education can make in the life of YOUR child.

Come be a part of our family!

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PEOPLE of GOD

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January 2018

Holy Cross Catholic School Helping Children Confidently Succeed

Classes for 3 and 4 year olds 8:30am - 12:00pm Kindergarten Preparation

We Pray, We Play, We Learn, We Love Schedule YOUR tour during Catholic Schools Week January 29 - February 2, 2018 (505) 821-1571 Ext. 112Â

We strive for academic excellence in the Catholic Community, with the Holy Family as our role model.

We are a Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade school in the Espanola Valley committed to academic excellence and teaching Catholic values.

Now Enrolling for the 2018-2019 School Year Please contact us for more information 1331 State Rd. 76, Santa Cruz, NM 87567 505-753-4644 or www.hccatholicschool.org

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PEOPLE of GOD 19

january 2018

Make every day a

GREAT DAY! Pre-K through 6th Grade Starting at 3 years of age

Where Faith and Knowledge Meet

Santo Niño Regional Catholic School

505-424-1766

NOVEMBER15, 30,2018 2017 ●• 9AM-2PM 9AM - 2PM OPEN HOUSE February

Discover affordable excellence at

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We work with all families in our community to make Catholic educaaon financially possible.

Reverence Respect Responsibility

Pre-K through 8th Grade curriculum

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Nurturing and safe environment

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Religious and moral instruccon

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Small class sizes

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PE, Art, Music, Technology, Spanish

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Accelerated reader and math classes

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Please contact Principal Mary Catherine Keaang at 505.881.2484 to explore the many ways your child will benefit from the Queen of Heaven Catholic School educaaonal experience.

School wide community service

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Before and aaer school care

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Our 3 and 4 year old Pre-K program provides valuable Kindergarten readiness and early reading skills and costs 30% less than most day care centers.

5303 Phoenix Avenue NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 505.881.2484 www.queenooeavennm.com

Stop by our Open House on Thursday February 1st, 9am-2pm!

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PEOPLE of GOD

january 2018

Tenth Annual Blue Mass

By Deacon Steve Rangel

O

n December 7, 2017, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe held the 10th Annual Blue Mass at St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in Albuquerque to honor all first responders past and present. Archbishop John C. Wester was the celebrant with Fr. Tien-Tri Nguyen, Fr. Larry Bernard, OFM, Fr. Benjamin Onwumelu, and Fr. Michael Niemczak concelebrating. We appreciate Fr. Tri, the Knights of Columbus, and the parishioners of St. Jude Thaddeus for hosting us this year, and for building a memorial wall for all first responders with three flagpoles bearing the American, New Mexican, and papal flags. Music was provided by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s San Damiano Choir along with the New Mexico National Guard Band.

There were over 700 people in attendance at the Blue Mass organized by the ASF Office of Worship, and co-chaired by Fabian Yanez, Director of the Office of Worship and Deacon Steve Rangel. In attendance were priests, deacons, first responders, their families, and those who support our police, firemen, EMS workers, correction officers, US Armed Forces, and National Guard. We were also honored to have one of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers from WWII, John Kinsel, Sr. The Blue Mass gives us the opportunity as a community to thank those men and women who choose to serve and protect our nation, state, county, and city. It allows us to recognize their sacrifice each day when they put on their uniforms and leave their homes and families to serve us. Let us never forget the many blessings we have and the freedoms we get to enjoy because of these brave men and women called first responders.

Each year, we have a memorial video that is played before the Blue Mass showing all first responders who have passed since 2000. Unfortunately, since last year’s Blue Mass was held, we have added five first responders to that memorial. It is important that we take every opportunity to thank our first responders and their families; and also that we pray each day that Gods’ grace will guard them until they return home.

There are so many people who volunteered to work on the Blue Mass, and we appreciate them all. A special thank you goes out to French Funerals and Cremations for their continued support with volunteers and financial aid for the Blue Mass.

PEOPLE of GOD 21

Leslie Radigan/ASF

january 2018

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PEOPLE of GOD

January 2018

Kateri Tekakwitha Native American Ministry Scholarship Mass

St. Kateri Tekakwitha Native American Ministry scholarship recipients

By Alan Cherino, Native American Ministry Advisory Board Member As a parish member of St. Augustine Church in Isleta Pueblo, I have seen the church with seating and standing room filled for special Masses such as Easter Vigil and Christmas Eve, but for a Scholarship Mass? Really? Yes, really! On the evening of November 11, 2017 St. Augustine Church hosted a Scholarship Mass for St. Kateri Tekakwitha Native American Ministry scholarship recipients: students in grades K thru 12. Practically all scholarship recipients and their families were in attendance at the Mass which was celebrated by Abbot Joel Garner, O. Praem., from the Norbertine Community, Santa Maria de La Vid Abbey in Albuquerque, NM. Funded by our Archbishop John C. Wester of the Archdiocese of the Santa Fe and the Black and Indian Mission Office, the Native American Ministry Office has awarded these scholarships to Native American students attending Catholic parochial schools for the past four years. This year, thirtytwo students attending nine local parochial schools were funded via this scholarship each receiving some funding to supplement their tuition needs. There weren’t enough funds to fully fund each student’s full-tuition, but every penny counts when parents struggle to make ends meet to pay their child’s private school tuition.

Archbishop John C. Wester and the Native American Ministry Advisory Board, which support the efforts of the Native American Ministry Office, recently named the scholarship the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Native American Ministry Scholarship. And, how more appropriate could the venue have been – the St. Augustine Church in Isleta is the Shrine of St. Kateri Tekakwitha for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The Scholarship Mass was part of the regularly scheduled Saturday evening Mass, and so frequent Saturday Mass attendees participated in the celebration and witnessed the excitement in the students. Many of them were dressed in their Native dress honoring their heritage and proudly proclaiming their faith. As an attendee at the Mass myself, and the one who helped Shirley Zuni, the Director of the Native American Ministry Office, announce the names of the students as they came forward to receive their scholarship award certificate, I found it very exciting to see students come down the aisle of the church with such huge smiles! It was a rewarding experience for me, too!

The evening concluded with a group photo of the student awardees, and a reception. Congratulations to all the student awardees and their families!

january 2018

PEOPLE of GOD 23

Celebrating 80 Years of Serving God’s Needy Written and edited by Sister Patmarie Bernard, SC New Year reflections often highlight “to do” resolutions for the New Year, but following is a “highlight remembering” of the 80TH Anniversary Celebration of the VILLA THERESE CATHOLIC CLINIC (VTCC) in Santa Fe, NM. The anniversary celebration took place October 7, 2017, and began with Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. During his homily Archbishop John C. Wester lauded the clinic for its efforts to bring healthcare to those in most need. Following Mass, the celebration continued at the Drury Inn, formerly St. Vincent Hospital, where guests were greeted by the current VTCC Board Chair, Ron Aldrich, and the Executive Director, Victoria Otero. Co-Hosts Archbishop Wester and myself were guest speakers. All present, including current and former Board Members, Clients served over the years, and many Friends and Benefactors were blessed and delighted by the traditional performances by the Danza Azteca, Folklorico, and Trio Latino groups.

History highlights point out that it was Archbishop Gerken, who listened attentively to the Marquette LeagueMission Board and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio administering St. Vincent Hospital, regarding the health care needs of the very POOR. In 1937 he generously made space and built the Clinic in the shadow of St. Francis Cathedral witnessing to the Archdiocese caring for the sick Poor – God’s Needy Ones.

History highlights faithful servants…the Sisters of Charity administering the VTCC for a total of 34 years, the Medical Missionary Sisters for 4 years, and the Handmaids of the Precious Blood from Jemez Springs, NM, for 29years. A capable Lay Team carry on the good work.

History highlights that the VTCC was one of the first outpatient clinics in the Nation. From the beginning this outreach was made possible basically by VOLUNTEERS: Medical doctors (minor surgeries were even done in the early days – e.g. tonsillectomies), Ophthalmologists, Opticians, Dentists, Podiatrists, Orthodontists, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, invaluable receptionists,

Archbishop John C. Wester and S.Patmarie Bernard,SC, acted as Co-Hosts of the Villa Therese Catholic Clinic’s 80th anniversary celebration in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

maintenance heroes, and computer – advertising gurus.

Salud to these VOLUNTEERS!!!

History highlights that in 1952 Archbishop Bryne placed the “Catholic Clinic” under the patronage of St. Therese of Lisieux. In 1958 Villa Therese Catholic Clinic received its Certificate of Incorporation from the State of New Mexico with appropriate By-Laws on file and a roster of BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Thus a whole new group of VOLUNTEERS stepped forth! Salud to these VOLUNTEERS and BENEFACTORS!!!

BEAUTY FILLED yet very NEEDY FAMILIES came for care during the past 80years. The stories, blessings and memories are many and on-going. History highlights include families from Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, families in flight from war torn countries, individuals in flight from abusive situations… Credential questions were not asked…they were in a “safe haven” with medical help for their children and other services which included adults.

God’s NEEDY ONES continue among us! Do keep the VILLA THERESE CATHOLIC CLINIC in your prayers with generous giving as you are able…maybe to VOLUNTEER!

PEOPLE of GOD

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January 2018

With this ring....

Did you hear wedding bells in 1958/1968?

Celebrate your golden or diamond anniversary with the People of God. You are invited to include the information below and have it published in one of our issues: Groom’s name Bride’s Maiden Name Date you received the Sacrament of Matrimony Parish Town/City Parish to which you presently belong 100 words about your family or a brief reflection of your life

Please include your phone number and email address.

Mail to People of God 4000 St. Joseph’s Pl NW Albuquerque, NM 87120 or email lradigan@archdiosf.org and attach a high res photo.

Dating, engaged and married couples are invited to have six date nights with the “Nurture Your Love” program. Topics included are: Effective Communication Skills, Conflict Resolution Strategies, Healthy Intimacy, Spirituality, and Managing Finances. The six consecutive weeks, interactive program will be on Thursdays starting February 1 through March 8 from 6:30 to 8:00pm at Risen Savior Catholic Community in Albuquerque. The cost for the entire program is $30.00 per couple. To register, contact the Family Life Office yduran@archdiosf.org or 505.831.8117.

Aragon, Ortiz

Baca, Radigan

Colette, Schwenn

Mr. José Carlos Ortiz and Miss Janet Arlene Aragón were united in holy matrimony on September 2, 1967 at Holy Cross Parish in Santa Cruz, NM and are currently parishioners at Holy Cross and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Pojoaque).

After graduating from NMSU, they moved to Pojoaque. Carlos was a mechanical engineer in Los Alamos and Janet was an elementary school teacher in Pojoaque.

They have three children: Carlos, a colonel in the Air Force and his wife, Annette, married at Holy Cross 25 years ago, have two children and live in Spain; Alfredo is a professor at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio and his wife, Libni, married at Holy Cross, and have two children; Christina is an elementary school teacher in Springfield, IL, is married to Daniel Taylor, and has three children.

José and Janet are involved in church ministry, community service and family life.

A 50-year blessing was celebrated at Holy Cross which was hosted by their family and Carlos and Annette were also given a 25-year blessing.

Mr. Mike Radigan and Miss Celine Baca were united in holy matrimony on January 27, 1968 at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center while attending the University of New Mexico. They are members of San Felipe parish in Albuquerque. After completing his service in the United States Air Force and graduating from the University of New Mexico Mike retired from a successful business career. Celine a former teacher, has been employed with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for 22 years and serves as Director of Communications/Social Media and editor of People of God magazine.

“Time truly flies when you are having a good time! It seems like only yesterday we were walking on campus, saving our pennies to buy a new frisbee and dreaming about our future together. It’s hard to believe we are celebrating our ‘golden anniversary’ and have been so blessed with such amazing children and grandchildren (Leslie, Tony, Gabriella, Ellianna, Michael, Megan and Amelia). We haven’t even had a chance to grow up yet!”

Deacon Charles E. Schwenn and Miss Carol A. Colette were joined in holy matrimony on December 16, 1967. They were married in St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Antioch, IL, are currently members of San Clemente in Los Lunas and are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

They met at St. Scholastica (now Holy Cross) Catholic Church in Bristol, WI in 1962. They both attended St. Joseph High School in Kenosha, WI. Carol was a homemaker, seamstress and worked for 13 years as a secretary for a small parish in Mountainair, NM. Charles received his B.A. in Elementary Education in 1973 from Carthage College. He taught for 14 years in Wisconsin before moving the Schwenn family in 1982 to New Mexico where he taught until 2005 and retired. Charles was ordained a permanent deacon in the Catholic church 30 years ago. He and his wife serve in San Clemente Parish in Los Lunas. They have five children (four daughters and a son), four sons-in-law, and 11 grandchildren. Their daughter-in-law is deceased.

PEOPLE of GOD 25

january 2018

W O R L D A N D N AT I O N A L N E W S Federal court upholds free speech rights of Baltimore pregnancy centers BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down a Baltimore ordinance that would have forced pro-life pregnancy centers in the city to post signs stating they do not provide or refer for abortions or contraceptives. The 3-0 decision Jan. 5 upholds a lower federal court’s ruling. The Baltimore City Council passed the law on a 12-3 vote in 2009, despite the objections of then-Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, who argued that the measure violated the right to free speech.

He also contended that the law unfairly targeted pro-life pregnancy centers, while failing to require abortion providers to post similar signs indicating what services they do not provide. Archbishop William E. Lori, his successor, continued a battle against the law as it faced multiple court challenges over the past several years. “We are grateful to the court for this important First Amendment precedent, which notably rejects the argument that a nonprofit’s speech about important social issues constitutes commercial or professional speech,” Archbishop Lori said in a Jan. 5 statement.

Bullying is the devil’s work, pope says at morning Mass VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Just as the influence of the Holy Spirit is recognized when one does an act of charity, Christians also must recognize the presence of the devil when bullying occurs, Pope Francis said. “When we realize that we harbor within ourselves the desire to attack someone because they are weak, we have no doubt: It is the devil.

Because attacking the weak is the work of Satan,” the pope said in his homily Jan. 8 at morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. The pope centered his homily on the day’s reading from the First Book of Samuel, which recounts the verbal abuse Hannah endured because she was unable to conceive a child. Similar accounts in other Bible stories -- from Abraham’s wife Sarah ridiculed by her servant to Job who was rejected by his wife after his misfortune -- are stories that Christians should take time to reflect on, the pope said. “I ask myself: What is within these people?

What is it within us that pushes us to mock and mistreat others weaker than we are?” the pope asked.

Pope to diplomats: World peace depends on right to life, disarmament VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Because everyone has a right to life, liberty and personal security, nations must find nonviolent solutions to conflict and difficulties, Pope Francis said. A culture of peace “calls for unremitting efforts in favor of disarmament and the reduction of recourse to the use of armed force in the handling of international affairs,” he said Jan. 8 in his annual address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican. Given the urgent need to favor dialogue and diplomacy in conflict resolution and to end the stockpiling of weapons, “I would therefore like to encourage a serene and wide-ranging debate on the subject, one that avoids polarizing the international

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Gabriel A. Portillo Vice President

NEWS continued on page 27

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PEOPLE of GOD

26

January is Poverty Awareness Month Take up Pope Francis’ challenge to go to the peripheries by participating in Poverty Awareness Month in January. What can you do? Work to understand the issues and help others understand as well.

Take action in your community.

Give your attention, time, resources.

Contemplate and pray for change.

The road starts here!

A new liturgical aid (also en Español) for Jan. 28, 2018 is available to help Catholics reflect on the Sunday readings in light of Poverty Awareness Month. The aid includes a homily help, Prayers of the Faithful, bulletin text, activity ideas, and an option for celebrating the Mass For the Progress of Peoples. Please share this aid with parish leaders as well as the

online and print calendar (also en Español) which includes daily ways to learn about poverty, get inspired by how communities are responding, and take action with others. In addition to the calendar are longer daily reflections (also en Español). You can also sign up to receive the daily reflections by email. Share these materials with Catholics in your parish and follow the action on Facebook and Twitter.

January 2018

January 16 marks the beginning of the 2018 30-day New Mexico Legislative Session Allen Sanchez, Director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, presents the concerns of the three Catholic Bishops of New Mexico at our New Mexico legislature in Santa Fe. The purpose of the Conference is to promote the greater good of humankind by addressing issues of moral concern and social justice as seen through the eyes of the Catholic faith. The Conference informs and educates its members and the public about those issues and encourages all to advocate

for those issues and the betterment of humanity.

This year is the 30-day session, beginning January 16 and ending February 15, and is limited to dealing with budgetary matters, See SESSION on page 27

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe African American Catholic Community Invites all to attend these events:

“Speak, LORD, Your Servant is Listening” A Workshop on the Lives of African American Candidates for Canonization

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mass and Celebration Sunday, January 14

Presenter: Rev. A. Gerard Jordan, O. Praem.

Saturday, January 13

12 noon St. Joseph on the Rio Grande Catholic Church 5901 St. Joseph Dr. NW, Albuquerque

10 am to 12 noon

Madonna Retreat and Conference Center 4040 St. Joseph’s Pl NW $10 donation at the door to Tolton Stewardship RSVP to 505-891-7681 by Jan. 8

Rev. A. Gerard Jordan, O. Praem

Celebrant: Rev. A. Gerard Jordan, O. Praem.

Promoter for the Cause of the Servant of God, Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897)

For more information please call 505-836-3627 Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Office of Social Justice and Respect Life, 505-831-8167

African American Catholic Community Fr. Rollins Lambert Scholarship Applications for School Year 2018-2019 The African American Catholic Community (AACC) is proud to announce that the annual Fr. Rollins Lambert Scholarship application packets will be available in all Archdiocese of Santa Fe (ASF) Catholic elementary schools after January 12,

2018. Applicants must be African American, Catholic or non-Catholic, in grades kindergarten to eight; enrolled or will be enrolled in one of the ASF Catholic elementary schools for the 2018-2019 academic school year. Parents must describe a verified level of need and unique circumstances through the Grant

& Aid Assessment in FACTS at each Catholic school. Application packets must be completed and postmarked before or on Friday, March 16, 2018. For more information on the Fr. Rollins Lambert Scholarship please contact Anne Avellone, ASF Office of Social Justice and Respect Life, (see box) or Gerry Harge, 505-8310800.

january 2018

PEOPLE of GOD 27

CRS Rice Bowl info for Lent Paid CCHD Internship Available!

Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s (CCHD) Archdiocesan office in Albuquerque is looking for Catholics who have a passion for service and justice, to apply for a paid position, approx.18-20 hours/week, $12/hr for Fall 2018 and Spring 2019.

The internship is a great opportunity to learn more about social justice education, poverty relief, community development, economic development and Catholic social teaching.

Job skills needed include bilingual, English/Spanish, good organizational skills, leadership experience, community service experience and effective writing and communication skills and computer skills. CCHD has a particular interest in helping low-income Catholics to participate in a practical learning experience that ordinarily would be out of their reach due to financial limitations.

Applications can be requested by e-mail at justice@archdiosf. org . Contact Anne Avellone in the Office of Social Justice and Respect Life for more information. Applications must be received by March 2, 2018. Don’t pass up this wonderful opportunity!

NEWS continued from page 25

community on such a sensitive issue,” the pope said. At the start of a new year, the pope dedicated his speech to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its adoption by the U.N. General Assembly in December. The declaration was an attempt to help the world’s nations base their relations on “truth, justice, willing cooperation and freedom” by upholding the fundamental rights of all human beings, he said. The very foundation of freedom, justice and world peace, he said, quoting the document, is built on recognizing and respecting these rights.

Churches no longer exempt from FEMA disaster aid WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency is revising its policies to no longer exclude houses of worship from applying for federal aid to recover from damages caused by natural disasters. The policy change was outlined in the agency’s revised 217page manual: “Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide” issued Jan. 2. This change is not just for damage caused in future disasters but also affects claims made by churches last year from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma because it can be applied retroactively to claims made “on or after Aug. 23, 2017.” An introduction to the new FEMA manual credits the change in policy to a Supreme Court decision last June, which ruled that Trinity Lutheran Church in Missouri should not have been denied a public benefit just because it is a church. The court’s 7-2 decision specifically referred to the church-run preschool and said it should not be excluded from a state grant program to refurbish its playground surface just because it is a religious entity. “In light of the Trinity Lutheran decision, FEMA has considered its guidance on private nonprofit facility eligibility,” the agency’s new document says, pointing out that houses of worship would not be excluded from eligibility for FEMA aid on the basis of the religious character or primarily religious use of the facility.

On January 5th, Catholic Relief Services begins shipping CRS Rice Bowl materials to all participating parishes and schools! When your materials arrive, please check the shipment to ensure you have received the proper amount of materials needed for your community this Lent, including the CRS Rice Bowls with Lenten Calendars. Should you need more rice bowls or other resources, visit crsricebowl.org/ order or call 800-222-0025. If you haven’t placed any order yet, call the Office of Social Justice and Respect Life (see box).

Looking for resources to map out your community’s Lenten plan for distributing the rice bowls, communicating about your participation or recruiting volunteers? CRS Rice Bowl’s Coordinator’s Guide has the tips and tools you need to integrate Catholic social teaching and opportunities to encounter our brothers and sisters from

around the world into liturgy, communications and other aspects of your community’s Lenten journey. Visit crsricebowl.org to find planning tools and faith formation resources for your community this Lent!

Some links below will help you get started: • Lesson plans and activities for parish and Catholic school religious educators • Activities and reflections for high schools and youth ministry • A Simple Supper Guide for your parish or school’s meatless Friday meals • Communications tools, such as a letter to families and bulletin announcements and inserts

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bills on the “Governor’s call,” and bills vetoed in previous sessions by the Governor. The 2018 Legislative agenda of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops is as follows: Life, being the greatest gift from God, is top priority, as is concern for the poor. Listen to Archbishop’s Hour on Catholic radio daily or go to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe website for more legislative updates from Allen. Sign up to receive the latest information from the NM Conference of Catholic Bishops and the 2018 legislative session by calling the Office.

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January 2018

Archdiocese of Santa Fe and Catholic Charities Raise over $200,000 for Disaster Relief

Casa de Corazon Turns 1!

By Kathy Freeze, Faith and Community Liaison

In partnership with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, including its parishes and their parishioners, Catholic Charities raised over $200,000 to assist those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, as well as the earthquakes in Mexico. The funds raised for hurricane relief were distributed to Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas and Cáritas Puerto Rico, the Catholic Charities agency on the island, the funds collected for Mexico’s earthquake relief efforts were forwarded to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the overseas charitable arm of the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Both Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services are members of Caritas International, the worldwide charitable association of the Roman Catholic Church.

Donations made by Catholic Charities

Donations made by the parishes and parishioners of Archdiocese of Santa Fe:

Catholic Charites of Southeast Texas $23,195

Catholic Charites of Southeast Texas

$64,316

Total Donations from both entities: Catholic Charites of Southeast Texas

$87,511

Caritas de Puerto Rico

Caritas de Puerto Rico

Caritas de Puerto Rico

$39,993 $51,336 $91,304 Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services

$1,431 $25,000 $26,431 Total

$64,619

Total

$140,652

Total

$205,272

Catholic Charities Adult Education Receives $10,000 Grant from the Mexican Consulate The Mexican Consulate of Albuquerque and the Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) awarded a $10,000 grant on November 29, 2017 to our Adult Education Program through the IME Becas (Scholarship) Program.

This funding will help adult students enrolled in the Center for Educational pursue a diploma through the High School Equivalency courses offered at Catholic Charities.

Picture l to r: Maria Bustamante, Program Assistant, Center for Educational Opportunity, Catholic Charities Norma Ang Sánchez Consul of Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Jim Gannon, Executive Director of Catholic Charities.

Casa de Corazon celebrated its oneyear anniversary on January 9, 2017 It was a long effort of construction, planning, and fundraising to realize Catholic Charities’ dream of building a new and expanded community service center, Casa de Corazon, which opened on January 9, 2017.

Over the last year, the new facilities have allowed our agency to further develop our services to put faith in action to improve the lives of those in need, including expanding our five-star bilingual Children’s Learning Center and nationally and state-recognized Adult Education programs. We could not have achieved this without those who offered prayers, volunteered time, and gave financial support. All correspondence to Catholic Charities should be directed to 2010 Bridge SW, Albuquerque NM, 87105.

The IME-Becas Scholarship Program was established to improve access for Mexicans and those of Mexican origin in all educational levels, including basic literacy programs, High School Equivalency (HSE) courses, computer skills classes, English as Second Language (ESL) classes, occupation training skill certification, and higher education programs.

Catholic Charities’ 2017 Saint Nicholas Ball Was an Amazing Success!

On November 18th, Catholic Charities’ Saint Nicholas Ball rolled out the red carpet at Albuquerque Embassy Suites for an evening of dining, dancing, and celebrating the holiday spirit of giving!

We were thrilled to be joined

by Archbishop John C. Wester

and Archbishop Emeritus Michael J. Sheehan, as well as many key leaders in the community.

Through live and silent auction proceeds, sponsorships, and generous contributions, the event raised nearly $140k for Catholic SUCCESS continued on page 33

january 2018

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Week of Prayer Invitation for all Christians to Pray Together The theme for the 2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “Your Right Hand, O LORD, Glorious in Power,” (Exodus 15:1-20) Everyone is invited to attend any of the below ecumenical events: Thursday, Jan 18 at 5:30 pm

Prayer Service and Dinner at Santa Maria de La Paz, Santa Fe, 505.473.4200

Friday, Jan 19 at 6:30 pm

Dialogue on the family at Our Lady of the Annunciation, Albuquerque, 505.298.7553

Sunday, Jan 21 at Noon

Potluck meal, followed by presentation on Christian Unity at Holy Trinity, Arroyo Seco, 575.776.8450

Sunday, Jan 21 at 3 pm

Prayer Service at Holy Cross, Santa Cruz, 505.753.3345

Tuesday, Jan 23 at 7 pm

Prayer Service at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, 505.831.5011

Wednesday, Jan 24 at 6 pm

Taize Service at Santuario de Chimayo, 505.351.4360

Thursday, Jan 25 at 7 pm

Prayer Service and Presentation featuring ValLimar Jansen at St. John XXIII, Albuquerque, 505.293.0088

Thursday, Jan 25 at 6:30 pm

Cathedral Basilica, First Presbyterian and Church of the Holy Faith Episcopal Pastors Panel discussion on current topics respective to their church at Church of the Holy Faith Episcopal, Santa Fe, 505.982.5619 For more information call Rose Garcia at 505.831.8243

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January 2018

Why lies he in such mean estate?

Tim Muldoon

I

n 1865 the English hymn writer William Chatterton Dix published “What Child Is This,” a hymn set to the wellknown 16th century tune known as “Greensleeves.” Dix paints for us a picture of the birth of Jesus in a town on the margins of ancient Rome, wondering at the mystery of why God would enter into human history in such an obscure place.

Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here The silent Word is pleading.

Dix’s question gets right at the heart of Christian meditation on the nativity of Christ: the mystery of why the Incarnation happened not in a center of power or wealth, but rather amidst poverty, forced migration, and uncertainty.

The reason, I think, has something to do with the transformation of vision that happens as a consequence of faith. The scene of the infant Savior being laid in a feeding trough, Dix suggests, is really the place where the divine Word is pleading on behalf of sinners, like a lawyer before a jury about to condemn them to death. In his poem “The Manger Throne,” published two years later than the song, he writes, Faith sees no longer the stable floor, The pavement of sapphire is there The clear light of heaven streams out to the world And the angels of God are crowding the air….

Dix tells us that through faith, we see the holy family in a palace. The floor is made of precious jewels and light fills the scene; God’s messengers dance about and sing good news to shepherds in the fields around. They hurry to the scene to drink it in. It is the most beautiful place in all the world.

What, after all, is a “mean estate”? In Dix’s 19th century English, it called to mind that which is low class, humble, vulgar—in the sense of the Latin vulgaris, common. It is telling that our words “mean” and “vulgar” are pejorative, for we inherit the note of judgment found in upper class references to the poor: they are filthy, uneducated, unrefined, and given over to baser passions. A “mean estate,” though, is simply a place where common people live—not kings or aristocrats, not CEOs or celebrities. You are likely to find cows and donkeys there—symbols of a

working farm, which are little more than sources of bad smells to cosmopolitans.

Why lies he in such mean estate? Because it is among the mean of the world that the holy family is still most at home. Among Mexican Americans walking some 32 miles in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a pregnant Mary is honored and welcomed as one of their own. In San Fidel, New Mexico, Joseph is the patron of a thriving school of Native Americans. And among so many people affected by disasters over the last several months, the nativity of our Savior at Christmas still offers them hope and connection to others.

God enters human history in a place of mean estate because it is less likely that people there will be seduced by the ephemeral goods of their own fabrication. In mean estates, people must rely on their faith: they must enter into community with each other, live by God’s laws, and hope that their Lord has counted the hairs on their head and labors to bring about his Kingdom in their lives. By entering into a mean estate, the helpless infant Jesus began his ministry fully dependent on the good will of others: first, his parents; but later, those who sheltered his family in Egypt and those who supported the family business in Nazareth. Perhaps in his Wisdom, the Father knew that learning such dependence on others was a prerequisite for the compassion Jesus came to show in his public ministry years later.

In my work with Catholic Extension, I witness many stories that manifest the intimate connection between meanness and generosity. One recent story is of the mission diocese which gave back a grant in order to help those hit by the hurricanes earlier this year. Many such stories persuade me that meanness is, in the Father’s wisdom, a prelude to greater glories. The 17th century Anglican clergyman Robert South once preached of “[t]he great purpose that brought Christ out of his Father’s bosom, and clothed him with the infirmities and meannesses of our nature,” suggesting that it was through these miseries that Christ showed people the path towards the crown of heavenly glory. Let us, then, pray that together we might welcome Christ through our solidarity with all those of mean estate.

Tim Muldoon is the author of a number of books and serves as director of mission education for Catholic Extension.

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january 2018

To Be or Not to Be — Parsing the Implications of Suicide In recent years we have witnessed a growing tendency to promote suicide as a way of resolving end-stage suffering. Physician-assisted suicide is now legal in a handful of states and a number of other jurisdictions are considering laws to legalize the practice. A few years ago on Nightline, Barbara Walters interviewed an assisted suicide advocate who summed it up this way: “We’re talking about what people want.

There are people who, even suffering horribly, want to live out every second of their lives, and that’s their right, of course, and they should do it. Others don’t want that. Others want out!”

Those favoring physician-assisted suicide argue that getting out of our final agony means essentially redeeming a “get out of jail free” card through committing suicide. At first glance, taking this step would indeed appear to end our troubles definitively. But what if this view of things is dead wrong, and we don’t actually end up escaping our sufferings? What if we, instead, end up in a new situation where our trials are still present, and maybe even more intense, on account of the willful decision we made to end our own life?

I was recently reminded of this serious flaw in the “suicide solution” after watching a remarkable video adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, with Campbell Scott co-directing and starring in the title role. Listening once again to Hamlet’s timeless soliloquy “to be or not to be,” I was struck by how carefully Shakespeare addresses the vexing question of intense human suffering and the perennial temptation to commit suicide.

Hamlet muses about whether it is better to put up with the bad things we know about in

Rev. Ronald Roheiser, OMI

this life than to step into the strange new land of death’s “undiscovered country,” a country about which we know very little, and from which no one returns. This leaves us, in Hamlet’s words, “puzzled” and in “dread of something after death.” He wonders aloud about the hidden purposes of suffering when he asks himself, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” than to “take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them.” He concludes by asking whether we shouldn’t rather “bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of?”

Among those who end up committing suicide, whether physician-assisted or otherwise, many will face extenuating circumstances including severe depression or other forms of extreme mental pain. In such cases, it is clear that their moral responsibility will be greatly diminished, as fear and anguish constrict their ability to think and reason clearly. But this is not always the case, and some people, with clear mind and directed intention, do choose to end their lives, as appears to have been the case for Britney Maynard. She was the young woman in California who in the early stages of her brain cancer carefully arranged and orchestrated her own physician-assisted suicide, establishing months in advance the date and setting, who would be present in the room, what music would be playing as she did it, etc.

Such a decision is always a tragedy, and every life, even when compromised by disease or suffering, remains a great gift to be cared for.

When freely chosen, suicide is a form of serious wrongdoing and is, in the words of the Cate-

chism of the Catholic Church, “Gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations.” It leaves behind loved ones to contend with unresolved guilt, shame, and pain.

While ending our life may seem to offer an “escape valve” for the serious pressures and sufferings we face, we do well to consider the real effects of this choice both in this life, and in the life to come. In the next life, a preceding act of suicide may deny us the very relief we were seeking, and may, in fact, lead to harsher purification in a new situation of our own making, or, heaven forbid, lead to a fate far worse than purgatory.

Our Lord and his Church care profoundly for those who commit suicide, and even though this act clearly involves grave matter, the Catechism reminds us that, “We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.”

Suicide affects us not only in the here and now, but has significant, even eternal, implications for the journey to that “undiscovered country” that awaits us.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org

My Top Ten Books for 2017

Jim Forest, At Play in the Lion’s Den – A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan. A great insight as to who Daniel Berrigan was as a Taste is subjective. Keep that in mind as I share with you the ten books that most touched me this past year. That isn’t necessarily a man, as Jesuit, as a friend, and as a prophet. There will be numerous biographies still written on Berrigan, but none, I venture to say, will recommendation that you read them. They may leave you cold, or surpass this one. Forest knows his subject well. angry at me that I praised them. Be your own critic here and one Suzanne M. Wolfe, The Confessions of X, A Novel. This is fictional who isn’t afraid to be critical of my taste. Nobody buys everything biography, a story of St. Augustine’s mistress, Augustine’s love for that’s advertised in a store. her, their child, and St. Monica’s role in breaking up that relationSo, what ten books most touched me this year? ship. Not historical, but researched well-enough to make it credible.

First, I single out some wonderful religious biographies: Next, some religious autobiographies: Kate Hennessey’s, Dorothy Day, The World Will be Saved by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Coach Wooden and Me, Our 50-Year Beauty.To my mind, this book is a treasure. As Dorothy Day’s grandFriendship On and Off the Court.You may wonder why I list this book daughter, Kate Hennessey had a privileged, intimate relationship as religious autobiography, but it only needs to be read to answer with Dorothy, but that relationship also had its headaches and that question. This isn’t a sports book, but a book that reflects heartaches. Dorothy was a complex person who when called a deeply on life, meaning, friendship, race, and religion. Raised a Rosaint, reacted by saying: “I don’t want to be dismissed that lightly!”

This book captures both the saint and the woman resistant to that man Catholic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares very candidly on what BOOKS continued on page 32 label.

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January 2018

Rest in Peace Deacon Robert Aragon Deacon Robert (Bob) Aragon, 73, beloved father and grandfather, was called to his eternal resting place on December 15, 2017.

He entered this world on January 12, 1944 in Central, NM, now known as the Silver City area and raised in Horse Springs, NM. He is preceded in death by his wife, Beulah Aragon; his son, Robert Aragon II; his parents, Jacobo and Rufina Aragon; and his brothers, Luis Aragon and Steven Aragon.

He is survived by his daughters Grace Marie Aragon and Tom Brewer; Debbie Aragon; Gloria Aragon and fiancé Mark Martindale; Antoinette Aragon; grandsons, Gabriel Santillan, Joshua Walker, Jeremy Walker; brothers, Gilbert Aragon, Roy Aragon and wife Grace, Carlos Aragon, Eugene Aragon, Pat Aragon and wife Loretta, Art Aragon and wife Elaine; and numerous other relatives and friends.

Bob became an ordained deacon in May of 1979 and served for 38 years as a deacon, most BOOKS continued from page 31

prompted his religious move to Islam. There are lessons to be learned here. This is a wonderfully warm story amidst all the pain it shares.

Macy Halford, My Utmost, A Devotional Memoir. As an Evangelical Christian, Halford grew up with a deep faith, but one that wasn’t strongly challenged in her youth. As a young woman she moved to New York and then later to Paris to become a writer. Surrounded now mostly by friends and colleagues who consider faith a naiveté, she struggled to root her childhood faith more deeply so as to withstand the challenge of the new world she lives in. Her struggle and her eventual solid landing within the faith of her childhood can be a help to all us, regardless of denomination, as we struggle to keep our faith in an overly-adult world.

Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy, A Story of Justice and Redemption. Bryan Stevenson is a Harvard-educated lawyer who has chosen to put his talents to work in helping the poor, in this case, prisoners on death row who don’t have any means of helping themselves. The issues of racism, poverty, inequality, and how we blind ourselves to them, are front and center in this

recently at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Albuquerque.

Sr. Brideen Fohey, OP

Sr. Brideen Fohey, OP, died Dec. 18, 2017. Sr. Brideen made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican October 2, 1951, and her final profession August 5, 1956.

She ministered in music as a teacher, organist, piano teacher, and accompanist for 50 years.

Sr. Brideen served as a hospital chaplain for 17 years, a pastoral associate for two years, a liturgist for two years, support staff for one year and nurse aide for one year. Many of her ministries were simultaneous. She served in Illinois, Wyoming, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Canada.

Sr. Brideen taught music at Sagrada Art Studio in Albuquerque from 1985-1986.

powerful book.

Nina Riggs, The Bright Hour – A Memoir of Living and Dying. Nina Riggs died in February and this book shares her blogs as she, a young mother with two preteen children, journeys through terminal cancer, alongside her best friend, also a young mother, who is dying of cancer as well. They died a week apart. While Riggs doesn’t write out of an explicit faith, she faces both life and death with a courage, buoyancy, and wit that will make a saint envious. A delightful, deep book: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry – and you’ll learn how death can be faced.

A fine book in the area of Existentialism: Sarah Blackwell, At the Existentialist Café, Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails. This is one of the best books written on Existentialism that’s accessible to a non-professional reader. It will introduce you to the giants of Existential philosophy: Sartre, Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Camus, Husserl, and Jaspers. Bakewell believes you will understand a thinker’s philosophy much more accurately if you also have a picture of his or her life: “Ideas are interesting, but people are vastly more so.”

Those without a background in philosophy will get lost occasionally but if you continue reading

Sr. Brideen was born February 1, 1929, in Milwaukee, the daughter of George and Marie (Quigley) Fohey. Her parents; four sisters, Elizabeth Fohey, Bernadine Zellmer, Rosale Hruska, and Jane Zajac; and two brothers, Gervase Fohey and George Fohey, preceded her in death. She is survived by a sister, Edith Payleitner; nieces; nephews; and her Dominican Sisters with whom she shared 66 years of religious life.

Rev. Francis Joseph Redinbo Rev. Francis Joseph (Joe) Redinbo passed away on December 24, 2017. He was born in Lafayette, IN on March 20, 1933, the son of the late Ansel Redinbo and Mary Catherine Steinmetz. He had two brothers, James and the late Gerald Redinbo, as well as two sisters, Katherine (Kay) Myers and Anita (Ann) Witham.

Joe entered the novitiate in 1950 and made his first profession of vows on August 16, 1951, then his solemn profession of vows on August 16, 1956. He attended the internal schools of St. John the Baptist Province.

After ordination on June 13, 1959, Joe held a dizzying number of assignments, though primarily in the Southwest and in Mexico. He REDINBO continued on page 33

you will soon find yourselves again fascinated by the lives of these famous, colorful thinkers.

Finally, two books in spirituality, where the author’s pedigree is sufficient recommendation: Tomas Halik, I Want You to Be – On The God of Love.Halik, a Czechoslovakian priest, is a renowned spiritual writer, winner of the Templeton Prize. This is a book of rare insight and depth.

Henri Nouwen, Beyond the Mirror, Reflections on Death and Life. Nouwen needs no introduction, though this is a unique book within his corpus, chronicling his near-death experience after a serious accident. Taste may be subjective, but these are good books!

Father Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., is an Oblate priest, theologian and popular spirituality writer.

He is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He received his doctorate in systematic theology at the University of Louvain and is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Canadian Theological Society, and the Religious Studies Association of Alberta. Father Rolheiser previously taught at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta, and he writes a column in the Catholic Herald that is featured in approximately 60 newspapers in five countries.

PEOPLE of GOD 33

january 2018

Rest in Peace REDINBO continued from page 32

always seemed ready to go at a moment’s notice and to engage in lots of ministry that others might have shied away from doing. He spent five years in the missions of St. John the Baptist Province in West Texas in the 1960s. In a variety of assignments, some of them in very remote areas where Spanish was a second language to numerous indigenous languages, Joe ministered about seventeen years in Mexico.

In the last twenty years, Joe served at Peña Blanca twice and Tohatchi twice, as well as in Roswell. In 2011, he retired for health reasons to San Juan Diego Friary in Albuquerque, and then was one of the first friars to go to St. Clare Care Center with the Felician Franciscan Sisters in Rio Rancho in 2013. There he received loving care from the staff and greatly enjoyed the company of our Felician Franciscan Sisters. We want to extend our appreciations to them for their care and concern for Fr. Joe, as well as to Ms. Marta Ortiz for overseeing his care so carefully and well.

SUCCESS continued from page 28

Charities’ programs, which serve over 12,500 individuals and 5,400 families throughout central New Mexico.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to our major sponsors, Risen Savior Catholic Parish, Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Prince of Peace

Archbishop John C. Wester issued the following statement regarding the death of Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints: I was very saddened to learn of the death of President Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a man of great compassion who had a genuine concern for all God’s children and he will be missed, not only by those within the LDS Church, but by countless others who were touched by his gentle leadership and loving heart. I extend to all our brothers and sisters in the Mormon Church the sincere sympathy of the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese

Catholic Community, Aiken Printing, Berger Briggs, and Charles and Jean Villamarin, as well as our numerous table sponsors and contributors. None of this would have been possible without the incredible Saint Nicholas Ball volunteers, committee members, and silent and live auction item donors. And of course, thank you to everyone who joined us that night to celebrate and

Thomas S. Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pictured in a 2011 photo, died Jan. 2 at age 90. (CNS photo/ George Frey, Reuters)

of Santa Fe and I assure you of our prayers for President Monson, his family and all of those who mourn the passing of this gentle shepherd. learn more about how Catholic Charities honors human dignity through our programs and services.

Mark your calendars for even more fun at our 2018 Saint Nicholas Ball on November 17, 2018. Anyone interested in getting involved with the 2018 Saint Nicholas Ball can contact our Development Office at 724-4637 or development@ccasfnm.org.

Plan Today...Peace of Mind Tomorrow Rosario 499 N. Guadalupe St. Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 983-2322 Mt. Calvary 1900 Edith Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87102 (505) 243-0218 Gate of Heaven 7999 Wyoming Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87109 (505) 821-0800 www.asfcca.org

Some of the Benefits of Preplanning Burial Expenses: Significant Cost Savings Personal Choices Flexible Payment Options Peace of Mind...

During the months of January, February and March, the Catholic Cemetery Association is offering a 15% discount on all Pre-need purchases.

This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts and does not apply to previous purchases. Purchases of new burial spaces or mausoleum spaces is limited to certain areas and some restrictions apply.

Please contact the cemetery of your choice for availability.

For more information contact any of the cemetery locations.

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TV MASS SCHEDULE The Catholic Center St. Joseph/St. Francis Chapel Over the air television Sunday at 6:30 a.m. on KRQE TV-13-2, KBIM TV-10-2, KREZ TV-6-2 and KASYMy50TV Cable or satellite providers on KRQE TV-13, KBIM TV-10, KREZ TV-6, FOX 2 American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreted TV Mass donations may be sent online to www.archdiosf.org or mailed to: Vicar General’s Office/TV Mass 4000 St. Joseph’s Pl. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120 Check out Sunday and daily readings at www.usccb.org

To advertise in People of God, THE MAGAZINE contact Leslie M. Radigan at 505-831-8162 or email lradigan@archdiosf.org

January 2018

ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE JANUARY 16 Tue 17 Wed

18 Thu 19 Fri 20 Sat

23 Tue

24 Wed

25 Thurs 27 Sat 30 Tue

31 Wed

6:30pm 7:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 6:00pm 10:30am 5:00pm 10:00am 2:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 10:30am 10:00am 4:00pm 8:00am 6:30pm

FEBRUARY 2-4 Fri-Sun 10 Sat 9:00am 13 Tue 1:00pm 14 Wed 5:30pm 15 Thu 8:30am

6:00pm

Clergy Abuse Panel Discussion, Sacred Heart, Clovis Legislative Breakfast, Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Santa Fe Pro-Life Mass and Procession to Roundhouse, Cathedral Basilica, Santa Fe Executive Finance Committee, Catholic Center, Albuquerque ACA Kickoff for Northeast Deanery, Our Lady of Sorrows, Las Vegas ACA Kickoff for Santa Fe and Northwest Deaneries, San Isidro, Santa Fe Mass and Dinner, Young Adult Appreciation, Catholic Center, Albuquerque Presbyteral Council, Madonna Center, Albuquerque Personnel Board, Madonna Center, Albuquerque Mass and Catholic Charities Board Blessing, San Felipe de Neri, Old Town AUSCP Board Dinner, Albuquerque New Evangelization Commission, Catholic Center, Albuquerque ACA Kickoff for SE Deanery, St. Helen, Portales Annual Catholic Schools Mass, St. Joseph on the Rio Grande, Albuquerque APC Executive Committee Meeting, TBD Archdiocesan Finance Council, Catholic Center, Albuquerque Clergy Abuse Panel Discussion, Immaculate Conception, Las Vegas Vocation Discernment Weekend, Madonna Center, Albuquerque African American Catholic Community Retreat, Catholic Center, Albq.

Executive Presbyteral, Catholic Center, Albuquerque Ash Wednesday Mass, Cathedral Basilica, Santa Fe Employee Lenten Retreat, Madonna Center, Albuquerque Catholic Foundation Legacy League Mass and Reception, TBD

january 2018

PEOPLE of GOD 35

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe and Catholic Relief Services Present:

The Story of Ghana’s THOMAS AWIAPO: CRSstorRice Bowl Saved a Life Join us toHow hear Thomas’ Thomas Awiapo has a truly inspiring story of survival and success. Orphaned before the age of ten, Thomas endured bleak poverty and hunger in his small African village until CRS Rice Bowl saved his life through a food program at a school started by CRS. He eventually won scholarships to attend college and later earned a Master’s degree from California State University.

Today, Thomas works for CRS training community leaders throughout Ghana, where he lives with his wife and four children.

His story of initiative and his joyful presence has brought inspiration to thousands of people in the U.S. Thomas is in the U.S. visiting schools and parishes during Lent to thank U.S. Catholics for participating in CRS Rice Bowl.

Meet Thomas at any of these venues Jan 29-31, 2018: Monday, January 29  9:30-11:00 am, St. Michael’s High School, 100 Siringo Rd, Santa Fe. Please check in at school office.  1:45-2:45 pm, St. Therese School, 311 Shropshire Pl. NW Albuquerque. Please check in at school office.

Tuesday, January 30  1:00-2:00 pm, St. Pius X, St. Cecilia Fine Arts Center, 5301 St. Joseph’s Pl NW, Albuquerque.  6:00-8:00 pm, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Parish Hall, 9502 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque.

Wednesday, January 31  12-1:00pm, Catholic Center Sandia Room, 4000 St. Joseph’s Pl NW, Albuquerque.

For more info, contact the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Office of Social Justice and Respect Life 505-831-8167 or justice@archdiosf.org Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic Community. CRS alleviates suffering and assists people in need in over 100 countries, without regard to religion, race or nationality.

Archdiocese of sAntA fe ecumenicAl & interreligious commission

Ecumenical Prayer Service with

ValLimar Jansen Ecumenical Celebration of the Word of GOD: Your Right Hand, O Lord, Glorious in Power (Ex.15: -21)

Thursday, January 25, 2018 7:00pm A reception with light refreshments to follow the service.

St John XXIII Catholic Community 4831 Tramway Ridge NE Albuquerque, NM 87111

More information: Rose Garcia 505.831.8243 • rogarcia@archdiosf.org

ValLimar Jansen Blessed with an extraordinary voice, ValLimar Jansen is a highly regarded singer, cantor and recording artist.

She is also a college professor, a leader of worship and prayer and a workshop presenter at conferences across the United States.

Known especially for her work with gospel, contemporary Christian and gospel-jazz styles, she sings a wide range of music, including spirituals and traditional, organ-based choral music. In 2005 she released her first solo collection, You Gotta Move. Other recent projects include her stirring, gospel-style rendition of Jaime Cortez’s classic “Rain Down” on the Live It! two-CD compilation; and lead and background vocals on Clothed in Love, Tom Kendzia’s collection of spirituals and gospel-style music for the liturgy.

ValLimar composes all her music with the help of her husband, Frank. They live in California and have three children.

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